The telephone is a tool, and whether the manager builds an effective dialogue with a potential client or not depends on the ability to use it. No one likes when they call him and impose something that he does not need at all.

However, cold calling is not a waste of time. They can and should be made effective by hiring the right managers who will not turn the whole process into a banal phone call. In this article, we will look at what cold calls are and the rules for their implementation.

What is cold calling in sales

All calls can be divided into two broad categories: cold and warm. Warm calls are contact with a client who already has an idea about your company. For example, he previously purchased a product, or was simply interested in services. The purpose of warm calls is to remind you of yourself in order to restore cooperation. Warm calls imply that the operator already knows who his buyer is, as well as how he can be interested. What then are cold calls?

Another thing is cold calling. Here the operator knows almost nothing about the client. Communication goes according to a script written in advance. The operator calls the database of potential customers and offers the company's product. As a rule, cold sales have low efficiency, however, sometimes they are the only way to get through to the head of the enterprise.

According to statistics, only 1 client out of 100 "falls" on the hook of the operator and performs the action he needs, for example, purchases a product.

In what cases are used

The B2B industry is not complete without cold calls. So, this sales technique has just begun to gain momentum. What is it for?

• for a constant influx of new customers into the company;
• to announce that a new company or service has entered the market;
• in order to update the client base;
• to select the most promising potential customers.

Video - how to write sales scripts for B2B:

In Russian practice, cold calls are most often used in such areas as advertising, manufacturing, wholesale, as well as everything related to real estate.

Advantages and disadvantages

Although seemingly ineffective, this method of telemarketing has several advantages. Let's consider the main ones.

• Such telemarketing much more efficient than distributing flyers and other printed materials. Moreover, it is through a telephone conversation that you can ask for a personal meeting with a responsible person.
• Client automatically set up for business when communicating on the phone, and this also helps to sell a product or service.
• Telemarketing is effective way to do research. So, even if the operator failed to persuade the client to buy a product or service, then his interlocutor probably answered some questions, on the basis of which a more accurate map of the target audience can be made.
• The effectiveness of cold calls directly depends on the manager who implements them. So, you can increase it by hiring the right competent specialists.

Video - examples of cold calls for a manager:

Options for organizing sales in the form of calling customers in the database

In order to organize cold calls, you can either involve the managers of your organization, or outsource this process, for example, to the Call Center. Both options have both pros and cons.

Own managers

How good are your managers? They know everything about their product. So, you will not need to give them information about what you are going to sell over the phone. Also, the organization of calling the base by your own staff is a cost minimization, because you do not need to pay a third-party organization. In addition, there are the following nuances when organizing telemarketing with the help of your employees:

• Human factor. When making about a third of cold calls, the operator is faced with negativity: people on the other end of the phone are rude and just hang up at the most inopportune moment. If you do not want your employees to be negatively affected by nervous secretaries and negligent directors for the next few weeks, then it is better to outsource cold calls.
• You'll have to on your own write a conversation script, according to which the call will be made.
• Ordinary managers most likely not familiar with active sales techniques and therefore the effectiveness of cold calling performed by ordinary employees will be somewhat less than if you entrust it to professionals.

Cold calling through regular employees is effective when the customer base is small and you are in the mood for a good return on telemarketing.

Agreement with a third-party CALL center

Outsourcing a task has several obvious advantages, chief among which is efficiency in making calls. Call center operators have developed a sales technique for themselves and it is easier for them than for company managers to reach out to the decision maker. The services of a third-party company should be used if the client base for calling is very large and the process will take a long period of time.

You should not assume that since Call-center employees do not have an idea about the promoted product, they will not be able to complete the sale. In fact, in cold calls, it is enough to know the technique of conducting them, and not information about the product being promoted.

The disadvantage of this method of conducting cold calling can be called monetary costs, since the services of outsourcing companies are quite expensive.

Cold calling as a telephone sales technique

Cold calling in marketing is a whole science that has several sections. So, one of them is the conversation pattern. If you call the company, you will most often get to the secretary or operator. But how do you get to the contact person you need?

Universal Conversation Scheme

Almost every cold conversation consists of several stages. So, when you call the company, you get to the secretary. As a rule, more than half of cold calls end here, because a competent secretary will never let a "salesperson" to the manager. If the manager successfully bypasses this stage, then he faces the following tasks:

1. Get to know the decision maker and try to establish contact.
2. Understand what the potential customer needs. Talk about the company's product or service. Respond to all objections.
3. Set up a meeting with the goal of closing it with a sale.

LPR - what is it in sales

The decision maker (decision maker) is the person in the company who can approve or, on the contrary, make adjustments to the project. Do not assume that this person must necessarily be a director. So, sometimes this person is the deputy director, commercial director, head of the sales department or just the general manager. It all depends on how the hierarchy is built in the company.

It is not easy to find an approach to such persons, however, with a competent conversation, the operator has the opportunity to bring the decision maker to a cooperation agreement, or at least to the fact that he agrees to accept the manager in the office.

Video - how to arouse customer curiosity in the first seconds of a cold call:

In order to calculate the decision maker in the company, you must be a "scout". From your questions to the secretary or trusted person depends on whether you understand who to contact in order to approve the purchase of your product.

The operator must be resourceful and bold in order to clarify who makes the decisions. This can be done, for example, through the accounting department or the purchasing department. Do not be afraid to ask the last name and first name of the responsible person, this will only increase loyalty to you.

An operator who is trying to convey the importance of purchasing a product must also be a marketer in order for his unique selling proposition to be truly “unique”, and not copied from competitors.

You should be prepared to explain the benefits to a potential buyer, and, knowing his pains, convey the benefits of acquiring the company's product.

If these conditions are met, the decision maker will make contact on his own, without waiting for the final part of the manager's speech.

In order to reach the decision maker, you need skills such as ingenuity, creativity, a fresh look at things, a high level of communication.

How to bypass the secretary when cold calling

There are many scenarios for bypassing the secretarial barrier. Thus, the task of the sales manager is to determine which approach will be more effective in communicating with a particular secretary. What can be done so that the secretary connects with the decision maker?

Enchant

In order to bypass the secretary, you can use flattery. A couple of compliments should be thrown in his direction regarding his professionalism in his work. In most cases, this immediately increases the secretary's loyalty to the operator, and he will be ready to connect him with the decision maker.

Recruit

You can pretend that the director/sales manager/deputy boss himself asked you to call him back. In a dry and persistent tone, you need to introduce yourself to the secretary and say that the decision maker is waiting for a call from him. This trick often works.

Video - 11 tricks for passing a secretary with a cold call:

However, it will not work to “recruit” a secretary who is no longer young and experienced. As a rule, at large enterprises, the director is “protected” by a woman of Balzac age, who immediately sees through the recruitment attempt. If the operator feels that this method will not help here, then the only option left is to be polite and courteous and ask the secretary for help.

cheat

Not everyone can cheat, however, this technique also works. For example, you can call the secretary and say that such and such a company is preparing a business letter for the purchasing manager, but cannot find his last name, first name and patronymic, as well as contact details in order to transfer the business letter. The secretary can not only suggest the name of the right person, but also give an e-mail or even a phone number.

Show resistance

Not everyone can apply pressure, but power techniques work great. The main component of such a technique is the "staging" of the secretary in his place. So, after he refuses to connect you with the decision maker, you should ask who exactly is involved in the decisions, and also clarify that this information will be reported to the company's management. The secretary will return to his post and it will be possible to continue the usual live communication.

You can find out contacts not only from the secretary, but also from other employees of the company. As a rule, they have less contact with "salesmen" and it is for this reason that it is much easier to find an approach to them.

Using scripts

A script is a pre-planned sequence of actions that is executed as the call progresses. A scenario can be called a script, where the choice of this or that action depends on the action of the “opponent” (DM or secretary).

Scripts help to conduct a conversation as fruitfully as possible: for example, practice has shown that working with scripts increases the likelihood of a sale up to 30%.

Scripts come in two types: rigid and flexible. Hard scripts suggest that there are not so many options for the development of events. Rigid scripts are used when the promoted product has many advantages and it will be difficult for a potential client to refuse the operator. For example, you simply offer a huge discount, or some other benefit that your competitors do not have.

Flexible scripts will be used when the promoted product is “complex”. In order to sell it, creative and creative managers are required. There are many options for the development of events, and that is why flexible scripts are multivariate.

Work with objections

The decision maker will resist in every possible way to make a positive decision. So, scripts help answer all his objections. For example, the decision maker can say that the company is having a hard time and does not have extra cash now, or simply and clearly answer “I will think about it,” which is tantamount to “I refuse you.”

Consider the most popular scripts to convince the client that his objection is worthless compared to the merits of the product.

• Yes, but along with that …

Convince the client that along with the disadvantage that he identified, the product has many advantages. For example, if a potential customer says that he has heard a lot of bad reviews, convince him that there are ten times more positive reviews about the product.

• That is why….

A potential client wants to think and offers to contact you a little later? It is worth answering such a decision maker that this is why you want to meet with him. The decision maker says that the product is expensive? That's why you offer him a trial version or a huge discount.

• Make the client remember past bad experiences.

For example, he also claims that your services will cost him a decent amount of money. Ask him if he ever bought a cheap item and then went for an expensive one anyway. Surely he will confirm your guess and it will be even easier to close the decision maker for sale.

conclusions

So, cold calls are a time-consuming, but quite effective way not only to attract new customers, but also to clear the customer base of unnecessary counterparties, and also just to make a small reminder that your company will always be happy to provide them with services or sell goods.

Cold calls can be made both independently in the organization, and this process can be outsourced. Both methods have both advantages and disadvantages. Cold calls are only gaining momentum and their popularity as a sales method is growing every day.

Video - cold calling tips:

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Many who decide to work as a sales manager are faced with the need to make cold calls. However, not everyone understands what it is, and do not know the rules by which they should be carried out. Against the backdrop of the great importance of such activities, the inability to make sales by phone can drop the employee's credibility in the eyes of management.

essence

It is not difficult to understand what cold calls are in sales. Their technique involves calling potential customers who are not yet familiar with the company. The goal is to interest a person and encourage them to contact the organization to purchase a product or service, as well as to expand the customer base.

Some people think that cold calling techniques are quite simple. However, this is not at all the case. To succeed in this area of ​​activity, you should study a huge number of nuances and pitfalls. That is why managers who own this technique are in demand among employers.

There are three characteristics that an employee must have in order for the effectiveness of cold calls to be sufficiently high: a sufficient level of self-control, complete knowledge of the information about the goods and services offered, knowledge of the tastes and preferences of potential customers.

Shortage of professionals

Specialists who understand how to make cold calls are in high demand. However, their number in the labor market is very small. The reason lies primarily in psychological factors.

Many people cannot overcome themselves and call a stranger. They are afraid that a potential client will simply reject them and refuse to talk, because no one likes it when a stranger calls him and at the same time tries to sell something. That is why for a specialist, cold calls can be a very serious test of strength.

However, the manager should not be afraid to hear “no”. All objections can be predicted in advance, so with the right behavior you can try to prevent them. At the same time, it is important to conduct a conversation not in stereotyped phrases, but to develop your own answers in accordance with the situation. It is also necessary to learn how to determine the intonation of the voice and respond to it adequately.

Rules

There are a number of rules that must be followed by managers making cold calls. The technique of selling by phone implies following the following principles:

1. Do not immediately try to sell a product or service during the first call. It is even useful to emphasize that the goal of the manager is not bargaining. It is much more important at this moment to collect information about a potential client and achieve his location.
2. It's important to ask the right questions. This will create an impression of both the specialist and the company he represents. Competent dialogue increases the chances to interest a potential client. That is why you should prepare very carefully for the conversation. If the manager has information about the company and is oriented in the market situation, he will create an impression of himself as a competent specialist. The purpose of the first call is to collect as much useful information as possible about the potential client's problems in order to offer him an effective solution to such difficulties during the next conversation.
3. It is important to try to arrange a personal meeting. If the manager manages to do this, the chance of converting a potential client to permanent status will increase significantly.

First difficulties

Anyone who decides to use cold calling techniques will have to face a huge number of difficulties. Most of them appear at the very beginning of the conversation.

The first problem is that in most large companies all calls go to the secretary first. He recognizes standard telephone sales patterns very quickly. Many secretaries have learned to competently interrupt calls even before the manager has time to convey any information.

The next difficulty is that customers during a cold call usually do not want to communicate. In this case, the manager must arouse some interest in the opponent. However, this is difficult to do because the potential client rarely wants to talk. Many cold calls last no more than 60 seconds. The manager should not flatter himself if he was asked to send a commercial offer and even gave an email address. It still hardly means anything. The fact is that most of the offers of unfamiliar firms are deleted without reading.

Reasons for not liking cold calls

The phenomenon of cold calling is that they are disliked by both sides of the process. Managers are afraid to use such technologies and try their best to avoid them. Clients listen to a lot of cold calls from specialists. And often those who sell are not even able to properly make an offer. However, those managers who are really interested in what cold calls are in sales, how to make them correctly, are able to overcome all the difficulties of this complex technique. For this, it is necessary to study the technologies on which such negotiations are conducted. It is important to gradually get rid of the need to follow the script.

How to increase the chance of success

Cold calling technology can be very effective if you follow a few rules. It is worth starting communication with a question that will help you quickly find out whether the company receiving the call can be attributed to the target audience. The reason should not be the desire to sell, impose a product or service. In this case, the conversation is unlikely to last long enough. Much more effective is the manager's offer of a free trial service or seminar. At the same time, he should not be afraid of failures. They are inevitable. Only by passing through them, you can achieve success.

call script

Any business event will be much more effective if you prepare for it in advance. In this regard, there is a wide scope for creativity for managers who make cold calls. Selling by phone means that the interlocutors do not see each other. And this means that you can lay out a variety of cheat sheets, diagrams and tips around.

A pre-written conversation script will help to overcome fear and make speech more confident. It must contain the following blocks:

• The greeting should be in the form "Good morning!" or "Good afternoon!".
• Representation: you need to give your name and the name of the company that the manager represents.
• The purpose of the "acquaintance" block is to find out the name and position of the person who is in charge of the issue of interest.
• Presentation: briefly indicates the scope of the organization.
• The suggestion is to indicate the purpose of the call. It can be an invitation to a seminar, a story about discounts and promotions.
• A question that helps to test whether the company belongs to the target audience.
• The final. An appointment would be ideal.

It should be understood that it is not always possible to fit a cold call into this scheme. This example is approximate, it can be modified depending on how the dialogue unfolds.

Stephen Schiffman

There are a huge number of authors who study the techniques of cold calling in their writings. Shiffman Stephen is one of the most famous. In his books there is not only a description of the techniques, but also practical advice on their application. The author is a fan of studying phone sales. He carefully lays out all the mechanics of calls and gives a huge number of recommendations. One of the principles that Stephen Schiffman advises to adhere to is that cold calls should not be annoying and repetitive. The books give specific advice on how to respond to customer objections.

Objection handling

An important stage in the sales process, including by phone, is the handling of objections. Managers who have not studied the methods of working with them most often get lost during a conversation, begin to stutter, and behave insecurely. Here are a few examples that can help a merchant respond to the most common objections of potential customers.

In the event that a manager hears a phrase on duty with a request to send an offer by e-mail, he must understand that this is just an excuse. It is best to state that the company's assortment is huge and try to persuade the client to a personal meeting for the purpose of presentation. In response to the phrase "I'm not interested in this," one can say that there is not a single person who is interested in what he does not know.

Curious is the use of the boomerang method. It means that objections should be returned to the client. In the event that he declares that he does not have time to talk, you can answer the following: the manager seeks to save his time and for this purpose he offers a certain product or service. It is best to prepare possible objections and answers to them in advance, write them down on a piece of paper. It is important not only to learn them, but also to keep a list at hand just in case. If a new objection comes up during the call, it is worth writing it down. Subsequently, it will be possible to come up with the most successful answer.

Probability theory

Every manager must understand that there are no perfect sales techniques. Regardless of what techniques the specialist uses, it will not be possible to avoid failures. However, there is one principle that is important to know if cold calling is being used. Conventionally, it can be called the theory of probability. The first call is unlikely to lead to a deal. However, the more the manager makes contacts with clients, the higher the chance to make deals. That is why you should regularly make calls in large numbers.

Customer Knowledge

Knowing the customer is essential to successful telephone sales. That is why the manager must first collect as much information about him as possible.

First of all, the Internet can help in collecting data. A huge amount of useful information is contained on the company's website, as well as various official resources. At the first stage, you should find out the need for the product and service of this particular company. It would be helpful to know the leader's name. This will impress and increase the chance of a positive effect.

Maintaining contact

Once you've established contact with a potential client over the phone, it's important to keep them going. You can't let them forget about the firm's offerings. There are several ways to regularly remind yourself by sending the following items:

• news booklets that should be of interest to the client and related to his occupation;
• invitations to events, seminars and exhibitions;
• greeting cards and small gifts for the holidays.

All this helps to maintain a positive impression of the company.

Without training and gaining experience by making a huge number of calls, it is impossible to achieve significant results. However, following a number of recommendations will help improve and speed up the result. Let's summarize them at the end of the article:

1. The script of the conversation should be drawn up in advance. It should be carefully considered.
2. During the conversation, you need to be calm and confident. The manager must be able to overcome the excitement. Trembling in the voice will not bring a positive effect.
3. Do not get involved in conflicts.
4. In the event that the client states that he does not have time to talk, it is best for the manager to clarify when it is most convenient to call back and say goodbye politely.
5. If a categorical refusal is received in response to an offer, you must apologize and say goodbye.
6. It is important to mention promotions and discounts, to offer product samples.
7. You should carefully, without interrupting, listen to the client. Any objections can be made only after he has finished speaking.

It is possible to succeed in cold sales. But this is quite difficult and will require some effort from the manager.

Making cold calls, that is, making calls to sell a product or service, is easier than you think. You will immediately understand that when you pick up the phone, you have no guarantee that you will be able to make a sale. There is only a guarantee that without picking up the phone, you will not sell anything! What many people don't realize is that successful cold calls are based on a system. Read on to learn about proven and working methods.

Steps

Handling calls with a smile

Make practice calls to the people on the list. It seems that your call is not quite good? Need to fix the list? This is fine. Try it live with potential buyers and make sure the call works.

• Modify the list or call as necessary. Getting it right the first time usually doesn't work.

1. Enter your list into the organization's system. You can use a simple spreadsheet or a computer system like salesforce.com. In any case, you need to make records of conversations somewhere, so you will know when to call back potential customers.

   Expect objections from the list and respond to them. When you made test calls, you should have received objections like "I don't have any money" or "I heard your company is just terrible."

   • You need to work out the answers to the objections.
   • Remember, the objecting prospect is still involved and talking to you. This is good in itself, but it also gives you the opportunity to engage them in a good conversation.
   • Many salespeople hear "I don't have the budget for this purchase". The smart way to deal with this depends on the situation, but you can try to find out if the prospect would be interested if you didn't have to pay up front, or if you could put together a payment plan.
   • Objections give you the opportunity to ask questions and try to figure out if the objection is sincere or a smokescreen, and you can also offer alternative solutions to the problem. Make a list of possible objections with answers when making a cold call, keep this list handy, along with the script.

2. Call the rest of the people on the list. Arrange numerous appointments for the sale!

   • Note that if the person you are calling is not available, call back tomorrow.

3. Keep grinding and keep calling. Remember, a good script is always being corrected, it is not always possible to achieve the desired result on the first try. Ask yourself the following questions:

   • Looking back, were any of the questions on the pre-qualification list correct, and should anything be changed or added?
   • Were the claims about the product's benefits convincing enough, and were they announced early enough?
   • Did I manage to demonstrate the value of the product?
   • Do I need to redo my responses to objections?
   • Did I manage to effectively use the opportunity and arrange a meeting.

   Working out a point approach

   1. Learn more about a potential client. Once you've determined that the company is a good fit, find out about the potential client before making the call.

      • To learn more about the company, check out their website and news. Write down a few key facts that may come in handy in the dialogue.
      • Find out as much as possible about what the buyer needs. In addition to browsing the internet, you can also talk to someone at a relatively low rung on the corporate ladder. You can often find these people on LinkedIn. It's easier to get to them than to top managers.

   2. Contact the top decision maker. And now you are ready to call the top manager!

      • Read your notes before calling.
      • Calculate a good time to call. Many sales agents call potential clients in the morning or at the end of the working day. Top managers are very busy, so it's best to call before or after the meetings start. In addition, this increases the chances that you will get to the one you need, and not to the answering machine or secretary. Calling early in the morning will also free up the day to connect with existing and active prospects.

   3. Leave a message on the answering machine only in the most extreme cases. This is not recommended and should only be done if you are having trouble catching them.

      • If you left a message on an answering machine and they don't answer, how much more can you leave before you cross the line?
      • If they call you back, they can catch you unprepared (what did he say his last name? from what company? what kind of message did I leave?), this can lead to excitement on your part and loss of control over the dialogue.
      • If you have been trying to catch someone for several weeks, leave a message on the answering machine as a last resort. Make a note on the computer with the names and companies of those you left messages to, this will give you some advantage, the script should also be at hand.

   4. Consider talking to an assistant. Of course, it would be great if there weren’t any at all, and every time you would immediately fall on the boss. Still, if asked politely, an assistant can be helpful.

      • Ask the secretary if your 'contact' has an assistant, if so, ask for the name and enter it into your system.
      • If the secretary switches you to a potential client and you get to voicemail, press "0" to speak to the assistant.
      • Sound like a busy professional. For example, say "Hi Ekaterina, this is Alexander Popov. I just got Vladimir Potanin's voicemail. Is he in the office today?" If she says "Yes, but he has a meeting now", ask when he will be free.
      • If the assistant asks what is the matter, it is advisable to answer with one word, for example, ‘counters’. Before she can ask her next question, ask if the contact will be available later in the morning or in the afternoon. Nine times out of ten, an assistant will provide you with this information, and you won't waste time calling someone who isn't in the office. If the assistant asks if you'd like to pass on a message, you can say, "Actually, I've got a whole day of meetings myself. I'll call Vladimir later."
      • Be sure to carefully record the results of calls. Review them before contacting a potential client later or before any meeting.

   5. Act consistently. Develop a robust system so you don't have to think about it again. If you promised to send someone data or promised to call back in two weeks, then you need to write it down somehow so as not to forget.

   6. Keep in touch. Contact with potential contacts is important so that you are not forgotten. After so much effort, you don’t want to risk a deal just because the customer didn’t remember you while making a purchase. Here are some ideas:

      • Newsletters are an effective way to keep in touch, but only as long as the information is interesting and directly related to the client's area of ​​expertise.
      • Time-dependent offers and campaigns.
      • Invitations to events and industry exhibitions.
      • Postcards with congratulations.

   Calls and email

   1. Both phone calls and email can be used to contact potential customers. People are less and less answering calls - they are checking e-mail. So it's better to use e-mail skillfully. In these situations, use calls + email:

      • If the potential customers are young. Young people use phones less than older people.
      • If you received a list of potential customers with their email addresses. You might be able to guess the email just by trying something like [email protected]. There are also many websites with correct email address formats for many companies.

The concept of a cold call is applied to the first communication between a seller and a potential buyer, which is realized through a telephone conversation. With such interaction, on the part of the client, in most cases there is an emotional "coldness" and low interest in cooperation, which the sales manager must overcome.

Purpose of cold calling

Many managers put the main goal of the call to sell, which is erroneous. The probability of finding a person who is ready to buy something from a stranger immediately after a telephone conversation is very small. Therefore, sales experts recommend choosing more realistic goals leading to further sales. This includes:

• Appointment of a meeting with the buyer.
• Informing potential customers about the appearance of a new company or service on the market. The result of such communication may be the sending of a commercial offer.
• Checking the base to assess the relevance and sorting of clients according to the level of possible profit and the likelihood of cooperation.

How customer bases are formed

The telephone sales technique does not apply to randomly selected callers. In real practice, a database of potential customers is being prepared that meets certain criteria (field of activity, regional reference, the need for services or goods). Such bases are formed independently, by tracking existing companies in a given region and area, or ready-made ones are bought. Purchased databases may be out of date or inactive.

Working with bases for calls is divided into two stages:

1. ringing- assessment of the relevance of data, reconciliation and updating of information;
2. calling- direct calls to offer a product or service.

Which companies can use cold calling

Given the peculiarities of the domestic market, cold calls are not effective for all types of goods and services. In the B2B sector, this method is suitable for:

• forwarding services;
• Companies trading in building materials;
• Wholesale suppliers of consumer goods to retail outlets;
• advertising agencies;
• Sales of retail space and commercial real estate;
• Suppliers of raw materials for production;
• Suppliers of stationery and consumables for large organizations.

In the B2C sector, cold calls are effective for the following areas:

• Real estate agency;
• Telecommunication service providers;
• Financial services (crediting, deposit).

How cold calls are made

To make the conversation as effective as possible, it is necessary to plan the sequence of the dialogue, while trying to translate the “cold call” into a “warm one”.

How to make a cold calling plan

In the professional field, the plan for the first telephone dialogue between the seller and the buyer is called the cold calling script. Since the conversation is carried out by phone, you can pre-compile a list of questions and hypothetical answers (objections) of the client, for which the appropriate arguments are selected. Such a scenario is often presented in a flowchart format that is in the salesperson's field of vision as a clue.

Each manager develops his own script based on the main points:

• Introduction (greeting, introduction). In order not to lose a client already at this stage, you need to minimize the mention that you want to sell something. When introducing yourself, speak on behalf of the company, not the sales manager. Find a third-party reason to call that is not related to the sale of goods or the presentation of services.
• Establishing contact, creating a friendly atmosphere and identifying customer needs. To make this stage more effective, it is necessary to know in advance the minimum information about the interlocutor. The first thing you need to ask is how to contact the interlocutor (if this is not indicated in the database) and how much time he is ready to allocate for a conversation.
• Provoking interest(presentation of a product or service).
• Achieving the goal (scheduling a meeting). To obtain consent to a personal meeting, it is necessary to put the client in comfortable conditions by offering several options.

There are two types of sales scripts:

1. Rigid- these are scenarios for the sale of simple and understandable services and goods that have a limited number of characteristics and, accordingly, answers (objections). It does not require the ability to improvise and is built according to a clear scheme, so it can be used by an unskilled employee or a manager with little experience. Often used to ring the base.
2. Flexible- are used in the sale of complex products with wide functionality and a large list of evaluation criteria. Such scenarios require a lot of managerial experience and the ability to quickly adapt to the situation.

Cold calls: the scheme of conversation with the decision maker

To make a cold call effective, you need to analyze and evaluate the company you are calling and determine which of its employees will be your subscriber using the existing contact.

This may be a secretary (assistant to the head) or a person with the authority to make purchasing decisions (PDM). If you are creating a database yourself, you should initially select the appropriate contacts (purchasing department, company manager, advertising manager, technical director, development manager, regional sales director).

You can spend time and effort on a secretary, but only if the main client is absent (at negotiations, a meeting) and you are sure that the secretary attracted to your side will inform the manager about you, preparing him for the second call.

In most cases, the secretary simply does not want to give you the contact of the decision maker, and therefore it is necessary to provoke him to do this. When bypassing the secretary, you cannot:

• Demonstrate your intentions to sell, introduce yourself as a sales manager.
• Be rude and aggressively perceive the interlocutor, considering him just an obstacle. Very often, it is the assistant manager who suggests choosing one or another company.
• Use explicit lies to obtain contacts of the decision maker.

You can bypass the secretary by offering him an alternative reason for contacting the decision maker:

• Agreeing the conditions for passing a test drive of equipment or services. Example: " Good afternoon. I represent AAA, your firm has been selected to test new equipment. For final approval of participation, we need to ask a few questions to your technical director. How can we contact him?»
• Direct invitation to a presentation, forum, seminar. Example: " Good afternoon. I represent BBB. We plan to hold a seminar on the development of trade in the regions. How can I contact your regional sales director to clarify what issues he would like to discuss?»

Overcoming the difficulties of communication with decision makers

The duration of communication with the decision maker should not exceed 5 minutes. As a rule, people in responsible positions are very busy and, starting from the 3rd minute of the conversation, their interest drops and irritation arises.

The conversation script with the decision maker, in addition to the main plan, should begin with a confirmation of the fact of communication with the person you need. Example: “Tell me, are you responsible in the company for the supply of raw materials for the production of semi-finished products?”. This provides two benefits:

• Are you sure that you are communicating with the decision maker;
• You got the first "Yes".

Arguments not in your favor can arise at any stage of communication. The most common objections and effective examples of their handling:

• "We already have suppliers". With such an answer, it is necessary to agree with the client, find out the name of the competitor, evaluate its merits and offer to discuss options for expanding existing opportunities in a personal meeting.
• "Your offer is expensive". Such a response occurs if the price was announced, which is not recommended during a cold call (with the exception of promotional discounts). You can correct the error by offering to set up an appointment to explain the wide range of services included in the quoted price.
• "We are not interested in your offer". Cold calling scripts in such cases may contain responses in the following format: " I understand that our proposal is difficult to evaluate over the phone. Let me come to you and tell you more. Are you comfortable on Thursday afternoon?»
• "Now is not the right time to talk". In this case, it is better to end the conversation with an offer to meet or contact by phone at a more convenient time.
• "Send us a quotation". This response seems to be a success for many managers, but sometimes it is just an excuse to end the conversation. Therefore, after some time, after sending, it is necessary to make a second call (sometimes from a different phone number). At the same time, it should begin with a reminder that you have already communicated and there is an offer to meet. Example: " Good afternoon, Pavel Ivanovich. We talked with you about the supply of raw materials for the production of semi-finished products. Did you find interesting positions in our commercial offer? We are ready to provide you with special conditions for a test batch. When would it be convenient for you to meet and discuss the details?»

In most cases, it is enough to process three objections, ending the last one with a meeting proposal.

Improve overall call efficiency

The effectiveness of cold calling sales techniques is affected by:

• Number of calls. The maximum duration of a conversation is on average 5-10 minutes. Based on this, the daily rate should be set at 40-50 calls. In practice, there may be more of them, since many subscribers will not answer or stop communicating in the first stages.
• Constant updating and replenishment of the database. For this, information is used from directories, online directories of companies, social networks, manual search for potential customers' sites.
• Continuous work with the script. Scenario analysis to identify critical milestones (where a higher percentage of dropouts or rejections occur).

In most companies, cold calls are performed by the sales manager himself. This significantly reduces its efficiency. To solve this problem, you can ask for help from less qualified personnel who will call the database for relevance and sort out interested subscribers.

Perform the following tasks:

• Call centers- large organizations that will help not only call customers, but also prepare a script. The disadvantages of this method are the high cost of services and the impossibility of personal control.
• Freelancers- Remote employees hired via the Internet. Advantage - low cost of services. Disadvantages - high risk of fraud.
• Interns and junior managers. The advantage of this option is to provide control over the work, the ability to analyze the script to identify and eliminate errors. Disadvantages - requires staff training, psychological training.

Advantages and disadvantages of cold calling technique

Despite the negative reviews about this technique, it still brings results.

Advantages:

• The cold calling technique is the most affordable and effective way to build a customer base for a sales manager. Over time, you will be able to attract a sufficient number of regular customers and the need for this method will decrease significantly.
• With preliminary calls, unlike work "in the fields", visits for a meeting are carried out only to clients with a high potential for cooperation. This saves a lot of time.
• Using the script as a hint simplifies communication and gives confidence to the manager.
• A telephone conversation speeds up the process of communication and allows you to immediately assess the client's reaction to the offer.

On the other hand, this is a hard and psychologically difficult job, which can only be handled by salespeople who are passionate about their business and have an active position.

Disadvantages of cold calling:

• A potential client gets annoyed at a distracting manager. This happens regardless of whether the customer needs the product or not.
• The interlocutor can quickly leave the conversation or refuse.
• There is no visual component of communication and product presentation. It is impossible to analyze the facial expressions of the client, to demonstrate visual images, characteristics.
• A large number of "idle" calls.

It should be understood that cold sales by phone are not suitable for every manager. If they do not bring results, it is necessary to check the correctness of the application of the technique, review the timing of the calls, learn to overcome the fear of rejection and cope with personal negative emotions.

Cold calling is a telephone sales technique that should be included in the customer acquisition complex for both young and large companies. The effectiveness of this method is difficult to evaluate in the short term, but in the long term, it will become the basis of a significant share of your success.

The essence of cold calling is that a company specialist attracts customers through a phone call. The name "cold" determines the coldness of the client's attitude to this type of exposure. In fact, we are talking about the fact that a specialist makes a call to a new client who is unfamiliar with the company and its services. Naturally, such calls cause extreme hostility in the interlocutor. That is, an incredible number of barriers are created that do not allow you to immediately gain the attention and trust of a potential buyer or client. Agree that few people will like it if an unknown number calls him, and a completely unknown person begins to offer to make some kind of purchase or use the company's service.

The specialist who will make such calls will have to study in detail the technology of making them, and he will also need to fully control his emotions. As you understand, the negative mood of the interlocutor will certainly affect the emotional state of the manager. It is for this reason that such calls must certainly be prepared, and the manager who makes them must own a special technique for conducting a conversation. Only in this case can you really achieve your goal.

Mastering the technique of selling by phone is not as easy as it seems at first. There are quite a significant number of communication barriers, as the conversation will be between complete strangers. Therefore, the manager uses various well-designed tricks so that the interlocutor does not hang up and continues to carry on the conversation. The call can end effectively only if the manager at the first stages can interest the interlocutor in something. The manager making cold calls must feel the mood of the interlocutor and must competently build the entire conversation in such a way that there is a direct interest in what will be said in the future. Such a specialist must train all the time, improving all skills and abilities. It is recommended to rehearse at home in front of a mirror. Do not forget about the nuances of diction, because it is very important that a potential client understands you.

The cold calling technique is used in network format marketing, as well as in B2B areas. This is an active sales tool, today it is actively used by companies of various formats. Statistics show that this sales method is extremely effective, but only a specialist who has a deep knowledge of the structure and methods of conducting conversations can get the necessary performance parameters.

What are cold calls?

This is a tool that is used to generate active sales. The essence of the method lies in the fact that an experienced specialist makes systematic calls to completely unfamiliar citizens, offering them to use the services of a company or organization, offering to make an acquisition. Such calls are necessary for:

• In order for the company to have the opportunity to significantly increase the influx of new customers. For the development of any business, it is not enough to have a standard base of regular customers. An element of development is needed, which is precisely to expand the customer base. The search for potential buyers and users of services has a lot of difficulties. A limited sphere of influence is being formed, so cold calls are one of the few options for the most active recruitment of a new client base;
• Such call options are used when starting a new project. You can launch expensive advertising campaigns to notify potential users of services or buyers of goods about the opening of a new organization. But at the initial stage of the project, such expenses are unaffordable. A much more accessible, but no less effective way to build a customer base is cold calls. The option is relevant because of its availability;
• In order to create the most profitable customer list. That is, from the standard list of potential customers, the manager, through calls, selects those who actually use the company's services or products. This technique, as a rule, is used by large companies that have an established customer base for updating data on them.

The cold calling method in our country is used by various companies. The method is of particular relevance in the work of advertising agencies, as well as in wholesale and retail trade companies and real estate agencies. However, the efficiency parameters of the methodology are so high that at the moment it is used almost everywhere in both small and medium-sized businesses, as well as in large, steadily growing businesses.

Conversation scheme

In order for a cold-type call to be successful and also give the necessary results, you need to plan the conversation in advance and rehearse it. That is, you need to draw up a communication scheme, given that a person may have a lack of free time, which means that information must be provided clearly, accurately, concisely and concisely. We invite you to study the standard conversation scheme, which you can independently upgrade to suit your requirements:

• First of all, the process of representing the company, as well as the person who represents it, is carried out. Be sure to use the name of the company, as this greatly increases the level of potential trust. In fact, within the first minute you need to establish contact. Be sure to specify how to address a person, this forms a kind of trust in you as a company specialist;
• The presentation of the company follows. That is, in any case, you should say what kind of company you represent, what it does, what goods or services are offered to you;
• There is a process of presentation of services, goods or product. It is very important that the presentation is concise, but at the same time interesting and complete. Do not forget that a person is unlikely to have a significant amount of free time. This means that the entire conversation should take no more than five minutes;
• With the right introduction, the client will listen to you anyway. The marketing specialist should ask if the person has time to listen to your offer. If the person answers in the negative, then you need to ask what time it is better to call back, so that it would be more convenient for the client to listen to you. Then, at a clearly set time, you call back and conduct your presentation;
• Keep in mind that often clients immediately refuse to communicate with you, delicately ask why your offer was not interested. Such actions must certainly be carried out in order to further work out aspects of objections and exclude from your conversation that which can annoy a person;
• If your offer is of interest, you can immediately accept the order or specify the time of visiting the office. Write down the individual details of the potential client so that you can contact them if necessary. Point out that you have made an appointment with a manager, specialist, etc. Give importance to the figure of the client;
• If your contact has indicated that he is interested in the offer, but at the moment is not able to place an order or visit your office, you need to immediately clarify when you can call back to consider options for visiting the office or placing an order;
• Be sure to competently, regardless of the outcome of the conversation, say goodbye to the client. This should be done so that a negative impression is not provoked towards you and your company. After a while, you can contact the person again and make another offer.

There is a fairly significant number of trainings that are aimed at studying schemes and methods for effective cold orders. Accordingly, if you want to become an experienced specialist in this field, you should definitely attend such trainings. Note that an experienced cold call specialist will be in great demand in any company, while the salary of such a specialist will be quite substantial.

Cold calling technique

Effective calls are based on an initial analysis of how average citizens feel about certain offers. Remember that the first call does not necessarily make a sale. The main goal is to collect information for the subsequent compilation of a more profitable offer. It is better not to mention that you are a sales manager of a company. During the first conversation, interest is formed based on the provision of data from your company and the relevance of the offer. The technology of effective cold calls is as follows:

• The main credo of the specialist is politeness, attentiveness, but in no case fawning;
• Try to leave specific numbers, as well as a specific proposal for later. It is better to discuss the specifics in a personal meeting;
• Consider all recommendations that relate to the duration of the call. Statistics show that you can keep the full attention of the client within 5 minutes, during this time you need to invest;
• The main purpose of the call is effective communication. That is, you do not need to do everything possible and impossible to sell. The main thing is to establish contact for further interaction, to get to know each other, to highlight your offer, to set up a personal meeting. Only such calls can truly be considered the most effective;
• During the conversation, you must speak confidently, briefly and concisely, at the same time, you must provide the potential client with as much information as possible in order to interest him;
• It is very important to feel the mood of the person you are talking to. For example, if a person has some problems at work, it will be felt by the intonation of the voice, and you will agree that in such a situation it will be extremely difficult to arouse at least some interest in the proposal. If you see that the client is not configured to talk with you, it is better to immediately agree that you can call back in the future;
• Cold calling specialists say that you should smile when talking with a client, this forms your good attitude and mood. This positive charge, in turn, is transferred to the client. Accordingly, the efficiency of your call is increased;

Your interlocutor should be called exclusively by name. To do this, after you have introduced yourself, you yourself will certainly ask your interlocutor to introduce himself, and this aspect should be done extremely unobtrusively. For example: it is worth asking how a person can be addressed;

The effectiveness of your event depends on how accurately you will feel the mood of the client. By adjusting to the interlocutor, you thereby evoke positive emotions in him, and as you know, emotions are the basis of making purchases.

It is important that the presentation is effective. To do this, it is recommended to include certain discount programs, promotional offers, etc. in it. That is, you need to indicate what kind of benefit the client will derive from such cooperation. That is, you need to do everything possible to clearly highlight your offer against the background of all the others. Only in this way will a cold call bring the desired effectiveness.

Dealing with all kinds of customer objections

At the very beginning of the conversation, one can often hear peculiar objections. Moreover, such objections often come after the presentation. You shouldn't be upset about this. All objections can be skillfully and competently eliminated. But to know how to deal with objections, you need to know what they are. This may be an objection indicating that the proposal is not interesting, the person already has it, a refusal to further communicate, indicating the lack of free time. Often they are asked to simply leave a proposal with an indication that it will be considered later. Many specialists in such a situation begin to object, in fact, forcing the client to listen to the proposal, such actions are fundamentally wrong.

Your task is not to convince the client, but from the very beginning of the conversation to exclude the possibility of their formation. Try to be more interested in the client's situation, try to immediately interest the current offer. For example, an action, try to be attentive to your interlocutor. This approach ensures that the client still wants to listen to your proposal due to your attentiveness. If the objection still sounded, then you need to answer it quite easily and interestingly so that the potential client still remains intrigued. If the objection is specific, and you see that you will not achieve the desired result, then it is better to immediately stop the conversation, but ask to indicate at what time it will be convenient for you to call back and tell in more detail about your proposal.

Common Mistakes in Cold Calls

In no case should you demonstrate an aggressive desire to sell during a conversation with an interlocutor, do not mention that you are a sales specialist. These are the most common mistakes that lead to the fact that a potential client completely refuses to cooperate with you and your company. By eliminating such aspects, you will seriously improve the structure of your conversation with a future client or buyer.

If after greeting the client does not want to continue the conversation with you, you need to come to terms with his decision. In this case, the most important thing is to keep a good impression of yourself. Don't be rude by pointing out that you haven't even been heard yet, just as you shouldn't use outright lies to promote your company. Competent cold calls should be carried out with a clear demonstration of a positive attitude towards a person, at the same time, keep in mind that you should not fawn, beg and persuade, this has an extremely negative effect on the overall impression of you and the company you represent. When organizing cold calls, it is best to think over the structure of the conversation in advance, taking into account all kinds of failures that a potential client will form. Remember that all obstacles in communication can be removed by your positive attitude. Accordingly, in no case should you make spontaneous calls, each call should be worked out in detail.

Common mistakes in the process of making cold calls also include the fact that the specialist inattentively assesses the needs indicated by the person with whom he communicates. That is, it is necessary not only to work out the structure of the call and speech, but also without fail it is better to approach the study of a possible modernization of the style of conversation and its structure. By acquiring one client, you can subsequently count on the fact that he can recommend you to his friends and acquaintances in the future. And this means that one competently executed call can become the basis for creating an entire base of buyers or service users. Today, the effectiveness of such calls is beyond doubt, but there are few specialists who can really make effective calls. Accordingly, either you will have to study the technology yourself, or approach the issue of choosing specialists in an extremely detailed way. We invite you to additionally watch an interesting video on this issue.