An actionable cold calling definition: an unsolicited call made by a salesperson to a person that hasn’t expressed interest in the product or service being offered. Cold calling is an important component of an established sales process – and something that can be mutually beneficial for both salesperson and prospect. Now you’re asking, what is cold calling going to help my prospect with? If it’s done right, you’re offering knowledgeable insight that can drive real change.
If you’ve done your research, you already know the industry shifts and changes that are impacting your prospect’s business. You understand the macro environment this person is trying to do business in. You also have good previous use cases and examples of how your product or service has helped similar organizations. With this information and research at the ready, a cold call can be a good opportunity to:
Cold calling works, but only if you do it right. There are common traps salespeople can fall into. Keep in mind – you had time to prepare for this conversation, your prospect did not. So don’t waste their time, or yours, focusing on:
Although you don’t want a cold call to be a monologue, you don’t want to rely on the prospect to fuel all of the conversation, either. There’s an important balance to strike by building trust and rapport before asking them probing questions.
Read More: How Should Sellers Differentiate Themselves?
It’s not just about “smiling and dialing.” There is a litany of cold calling best practices that you should add to your sales acumen. With time and experience, you may find approaches or lines that work better than others. One important cold call best practices is how to structure it:
Read More: The Comprehensive Guide to Cold Calling
Buyers are more informed than ever and are relying on sales professionals less. In the modern selling landscape, sales professionals need to adapt. If your cold calling definition is about scripts and services, you’ll soon be out of luck. Be aware of your prospect’s status quo, and work to offer knowledgeable insight that can help build trust and rapport.
Focus on the “why” and the “how” of cold calling in order to safeguard your skills against the changing selling landscape. Focus on the cold calling metrics you can control.
We did the research to construct proven methods that can help transform your sales team. Funnel Clarity studied 100,000 sales prospecting calls to develop a proven formula. Get in touch with our team today to discuss impactful sales prospecting training for your team.