Cold Calling: The Phone is Your Friend

Jun 18, 2010 by mandeewidrick

Email. Facebook. Text messages. IMing. They’re all ways that one can avoid picking up the phone and talking to a real person. I once hated making phone calls. I was afraid I’d sound stupid and make a fool of myself. (Sometimes I did, too!) But the truth is, the phone is still one of the best ways to make a connection.Many of us are aware that social media and technology have stepped in front of actual one on one conversations. Yes, modern technology allows us to build new relationships through use of social media, email, and texting. Yes, it opens doors and brings us new opportunities. And yes, it’s a great way to build a business. However, it’s still second rate in my mind.

Tapping out quick messages on our keyboard or cell phone typepad is easy. I do it daily and I do it often. I many times receive replies immediately, yet, there are still those prospective clients who cannot be reached in this way. Would you text message the CEO of a company to introduce yourself and try to set up a meeting? I wouldn’t. I might email them, but CEOs and presidents of a company don’t exactly have time to read every introduction email you send, let alone reply to all of them.

That’s when it’s time to pick up the phone. It might be a bit scary the first time, and it surely was for me. Calling up a total stranger knowing that they may say no or hang up on you is enough for many people to give up before they even get started. That’s why it’s good to know what you’re going to say in advance.

Here are some suggestions:

• Know who you’re calling. Know their name and what position they hold at their company. If can’t pronounce their name, figure it out in advance if at all possible.

• Can they use your services? In my line of work, I often times check to see if a prospective client has a website and an online presence. If they already do, I check around to see who is managing their marketing and find out if there’s potential for me to compete for their business.

• Think about your approach carefully before making the call. “Hi, I’m Mandee, and I’d like to sell you [insert product or service here].” Uh, no. The goal is not to close the sale on the first call, it’s to introduce yourself and find out if they have any needs you can assist with. If the answer is maybe or yes, then set up a face to face meeting if possible.

• Get the right person on the phone. You don’t want to talk to the receptionist if she’s not the one who makes purchases or does the hiring within the company. Talk to the decision maker. If you don’t know who that is, ask, then do everything in your power to reach that particular person. Don’t waste your time on people who don’t have the power to spend the company’s money.

• Ditch the scripts. This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t practice or take notes about what you’re going to say in advance. I usually do, in fact. But whatever you do, just don’t sound like you’re reading off a piece of paper! I tend to hang up on people that sound like a automated recording because they always have a comeback to my objections and won’t take no for an answer. It’s just downright annoying.

After learning the above tips for myself, I have a confession to make. Once I became comfortable with cold calling prospective clients, I actually found it to be quite fun! I think that the only reason it seems scary to most people is because we pretend like it’s a huge ordeal to be rejected. So what if somebody says no? I bet if you think for just a moment, you could come up with a list of times that you’ve been turned down, rejected or ignored. If it happens over the phone, just move past it and dial the next number.

People are going to say no more than you’d like, but with a little determination, you might just land that amazing client that everyone’s been after. (Watch a clip from the Pursuit of Happyness below to see what I’m talking about!)

Photo Credit: CELAL TEBER