Don't give a traditional sales pitch
Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2024 8:25 am
One of the biggest mistakes that many companies make is tying salespeople to a script for cold calling. This is a fatal mistake as it eliminates the possibility of the salesperson finding their own voice and is generally not effective most of the time.
One of the keys to success in cold calling is generating trust in the prospect. If you follow a script, you will surely be told to start your call with something like:
“Hi, I’m José, I’m talking to you from EMPRESA PATITO, I’m looking for Juan…”
Let's be honest, if you received a call similar to sales directors email lists that you would hang up after 2 seconds, this is due to the obvious intention to sell on the call and the lack of familiarity and trust that comes from hearing something like that.
By saying things like the above we only make the prospect wonder: Who is José? What is EmpresaPatito? Why are they calling me? etc.
Instead of making that mistake, try to be more familiar by starting the conversation with something like:
– “Hello, John?”
“Yes, who is speaking?
” “Hey, hello John, I hope you are not too busy…”
As you can see, although this way of starting may seem simple and short, it is also effective and direct. Within seconds you are talking to the customer instead of just receiving a *click* to hang up in response.
Value the prospect's time
People often perceive sales calls as a waste of time, and that's because most of the time they are!
Many companies have abused cold calling, turning it into a headache for many people. That is why it is important that you are different from the rest and do not do what the majority does. A good start is to be empathetic with whoever you talk to.
You will have a successful call if you manage to convey to the prospect a true intention to help and collaborate instead of projecting that you only want their money at any cost.
A common way to want to generate empathy is by asking questions like:
How was your day?
This is one of the most common mistakes, this is because it is the most common way to greet, besides being a real waste of time, the prospect knows that you really don't care much about his day or how he feels, much less if you are a complete stranger, if you are lucky you will receive a cold "Fine" or failing that (and again) absolute silence from a hung up call.
One of the keys to success in cold calling is generating trust in the prospect. If you follow a script, you will surely be told to start your call with something like:
“Hi, I’m José, I’m talking to you from EMPRESA PATITO, I’m looking for Juan…”
Let's be honest, if you received a call similar to sales directors email lists that you would hang up after 2 seconds, this is due to the obvious intention to sell on the call and the lack of familiarity and trust that comes from hearing something like that.
By saying things like the above we only make the prospect wonder: Who is José? What is EmpresaPatito? Why are they calling me? etc.
Instead of making that mistake, try to be more familiar by starting the conversation with something like:
– “Hello, John?”
“Yes, who is speaking?
” “Hey, hello John, I hope you are not too busy…”
As you can see, although this way of starting may seem simple and short, it is also effective and direct. Within seconds you are talking to the customer instead of just receiving a *click* to hang up in response.
Value the prospect's time
People often perceive sales calls as a waste of time, and that's because most of the time they are!
Many companies have abused cold calling, turning it into a headache for many people. That is why it is important that you are different from the rest and do not do what the majority does. A good start is to be empathetic with whoever you talk to.
You will have a successful call if you manage to convey to the prospect a true intention to help and collaborate instead of projecting that you only want their money at any cost.
A common way to want to generate empathy is by asking questions like:
How was your day?
This is one of the most common mistakes, this is because it is the most common way to greet, besides being a real waste of time, the prospect knows that you really don't care much about his day or how he feels, much less if you are a complete stranger, if you are lucky you will receive a cold "Fine" or failing that (and again) absolute silence from a hung up call.