Improve Your Cold Calling Skills
Five Telemarketing Techniques That Will Transform Your Business
Aug 27, 2008
Cold calling is a necessary part of building most businesses. At some point in their careers most sales people face telemarketing challenges. Apply these simple cold calling tips and techniques and you'll be a telemarketing success.
1. Be Clear When Cold Calling
Successful telemarketing begins with knowing your purpose before you initiate the call. Are you trying to find out the name of the decision maker? Do you want to send information? Do you want an opportunity to pitch your product or service? Are you conducting a survey? If you know your purpose in advance you'll communicate the right message in subtle, subconscious ways. You'll be more confident and everyone knows that confidence wins mindshare, which is what sales is all about.
2. Be Prepared for Each Cold Call
One of the best kept secrets of telemarketing is to know your script. Cold calling is a numbers game and the only way to skew the numbers in your favor is to be prepared. Confidence in your purpose and control of your message shows your prospect that you are a professional and that your product or service is of value. If you like dial tones read from the script but if you want to transform your business know your message cold.
3. Be Efficient While Telemarketing
They're called cold calls for a reason. Even if the message is welcome it's an interruption to what your prospect was doing before they answered your call. Show them that you respect their time and yours. Get to the point. Project confidence. Be upbeat. Smile and walk around if you need to. All of this will come across in your tone. Use colorful, motion-oriented language. Transfer your enthusiasm to your prospect and you'll find more enthusiastic buyers.
4. Be Interested and Interesting During Cold Calls
Prospects are used to the sales pitch. In fact they've all-but become immune to it. When you call, grab their attention with power words that provoke interest, then try to get them talking about themselves. Take notes, then use what they said as you relate the reason for your call. People will care what you know when they see clearly how it applies to their life. Remember that people don't buy products, they buy results. They want better, faster, stronger, more efficient, saves time, saves money ... you get the picture.
5. Be Someone They Want to Call Back
Voicemail isn't a dead end. Too many telemarketers lose opportunities by not leaving messages for their prospects via voice messaging systems. To catch attention on voicemail begin with the end in mind. You want them to call you back so leave your name and number. Tell them to write that down. People write numbers when they are dictated anticipating that the information might be necessary. Use that to your advantage. Next state a compelling reason why you're calling and an even more compelling reason for them to call you back. Project confidence but don't sound slick. Finally leave your name and number again in case they didn't get it.
Want to learn more about leaving effective voicemails? Be sure to read my article on how to leave effective voicemail messages!
Cold calling is a tough racket. But that's okay. If you understand that every no gets you closer to a yes and focus on transferring enthusiasm for your valuable product or service with every call you'll a successful telemarketer before you can say, "Hello!"
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