How to Crush a Cold Call
This month my goal was to learn everything I could about how to succeed in sales. I read books, listened to podcasts, did a ton of research, and then put what I learned into practice. This is one part of my project; check out my entire project here.
I have noticed in my research that there isn’t one set in stone way to do a cold call. There are lots of different opinions on this subject. Cold call tactics also vary based on the industry, the product/service, and more. But after doing a lot of research, I’ll be going through a cold call script that I think would have the most success for the company I’m working with.
The example company I wrote this cold call script for is a SAAS company called Drift. Drift uses a chat box to qualify incoming leads faster & more efficiently. I will be focusing on selling its ability to help companies book demos effortlessly without any sales rep.
Start with familiarity.
In almost all of my research, the articles, books, and podcasts talk about the importance of leading with a connection or something familiar to the person when writing cold emails.
Yet, not as many people I researched started their calls the same way. Most of these people still used personalization later in the call, but they didn’t start with it. I like the method of talking about the connection between you and the prospect as soon as possible, so it doesn’t seem like just another cold call.
“Hey Matt, I work with a number of other Ivy League colleges. It’s Caysen from Drift. Have you heard our name tossed around?”
Why I did this:
I get really specific about the task I can solve for them. I didn’t just say colleges, I said Ivy League colleges.
Another example is if I was selling to an Injury Law Firm, I could say:
“I work with a number of other Injury Law Firms in the Winston Salem area.”
The more specific the better. But this means that I cannot just go into a cold call without doing any prior research.
My goal with constructing this introduction this way is to make it casual and make it seem like we are already in the same network. The idea is that they probably should have heard our name tossed around because we work with a lot of folks like them. It’s almost like it’s a casual networking call instead of a cold call.
The answer will most likely be no, but that doesn’t matter because the goal is to state something familiar to them. It already makes it seem like there is some sort of connection between the cold caller and the prospect by asking the question, even if the prospect personally doesn’t know about it.
I have read that asking them “have you heard our name tossed around” just to get a no is a mistake because you are wasting their time, and you’re going to have to explain your company anyway. But I have also read about people that have great success with the tactic.
If the tonality of your voice is right and if you did a good amount of research before picking up the phone, this is the ultimate strategy.
When they answer no, be 100% honest with them.
“Oh, well, I’m sure you hate getting cold calls, but can I get 32 seconds of your time to tell you why I am calling, and then you can hang up on me. Is that alright?
Why I did this:
The first sentence that came out of my mouth was super casual and non-salesy. But I know that Matt will realize this is a cold call, so I want to disarm him (not let him get mad about getting sold to) by being 100% honest with him. The goal is to tell him it’s a cold call before he realizes it himself.
Telling him that I will only be 32 seconds and that he can hang up after puts the power into his hands. Informing him gives him the awareness that I will not take up a significant amount of his time.
People are busy and are probably stressed about a lot of different things they are dealing with at their jobs. They have better things to be doing than spending a bunch of time on an unplanned cold call. So, I am not trying to try to get them to do something they didn’t sign up for. They did not schedule this as a meeting, so they should know that’s not what it’s intended to be or going to be.
I have read a lot of different opinions on this strategy. Some people say the most challenging part is getting someone on a call, so when you have them on the phone, you should try to go all the way and sell them.
I disagree with this opinion because I think people like a schedule and a plan. If you respect their time by being brief and honest when you are cold calling them out of the blue, then they will be more likely to give you the time of day to listen to you.
They say yes to 32 seconds; now what?
“The reason I called is that normally when I am working with an Executive Director of Marketing like you it seems like they are frustrated with the amount of time it takes recruiters to find mutually convenient times to connect with potential students. We integrate with your website to streamline that process, so your team can save countless hours and never have to get aggravated about that problem again. Does that sound even moderately interesting?
Why I did this:
One of the easiest ways to personalize calls is by simply stating the person’s job title. Stating their job title can make the person feel good about themselves because I am stating that I recognize they are the decision-maker. I am also indicating that I work with a lot of people just like them.
I pinpointed a specific problem that they have. Instead of making it feel like I am just selling a product, I talk about how I can solve their specific problem. The goal is to show that I have done my research and know the problems I can help them solve.
In these entire five lines, I said nothing about the software I am selling. I talked about a problem and told them that we could solve that problem for them. That’s it. I chose to do it this way because people only care about how something can benefit them. So, the goal in the initial outreach attempt is to showcase one of two things: That I can solve their problem or make them more money.
If they say “yes” to it being moderately interesting. Book the call ASAP!
“Awesome, well, I told you I don’t want to take up too much of your time today, but based on what we have discussed, does discussing this further make sense?
Why I did this:
I didn’t just ask, “Do you want to talk again.” I instead referenced that we have had a good discussion and that we have already agreed that we might benefit them.
I didn’t ask, “Do you want to meet next week?” I asked them, “does it make sense” because adding an extra meeting to their schedule might not be something someone wants to do, but asking them if it makes sense to meet based on what we discussed is an entirely different and better question.
I am also not forcing their hand by just deciding for them. Before getting any sort of verification that they want to discuss further, I will not infer and ask, “okay do you want to meet Tuesday or Thursday of next week to discuss further.” It might be a psychological trick, but I would not use it because I want to form genuine interest instead of using a manipulation tactic to set up the meeting. Doing it this way will make it more likely for the prospect to show up to the meeting and be genuinely interested.
“Awesome, what day next week works best for us to meet?”
Put the scheduling in their hands. Let them be in control of when they and a random cold caller talk again. Give a little bit of direction with the question. It’s good to say what day next week, instead of just “what day in the future works for you.” But ultimately, giving them control is what I believe is the best option.
That’s all for today
Thanks for making it to the end! If you want to see the rest of the project that I did this month, check it out here!
