“Cold Calling” implies something less than “warm” and pleasant. I prefer to think of it as “Dialing for Dollars”. “Dollars” is a more positive mental image than anything that is “cold”!

When dialing for dollars, most people are trying to “get” something from someone. They are trying to “get” an appointment or “get” an order. No one wants to “give” something to someone they do not know, like, trust and respect. This is why most salespeople fail miserably at this process.

But “Getting” is not the purpose of dialing for dollars.

Dialing for dollars is a “discarding” or “disqualifying” process. It is just like panning for gold or digging for diamonds. You have to turn over a lot of dirt before you find the gems. If you do not understand this principle, then you will become frustrated and think that your efforts are not working. Your objective in dialing for dollars is to “disqualify” as many people as possible, as quickly as possible. That eliminates the time, money wasted sending literature to people who will never buy, and it stops the fruitless “follow-up” calls that lead nowhere but to frustration.

You only have 30-45 seconds to deliver a specific and compelling reason for the person on the other end to “want” to continue the conversation. Skip the small talk and get right to the point.

You will be most effective when your 30-45 seconds causes the prospect to identify a problem in their business that you can help them fix. People will talk to you if you illuminate a problem they need to have fixed. Problems in business typically focus around loss of money, wasted time, inefficiencies in business processes or equipment, loss of market share, etc.

If the prospect (not you) identifies something that is having negative ramifications on their business (a problem) AND they are serious about getting rid of that problem, then you “may” have a possible reason to continue.

If there is a possible fit, then you can set an appointment to explore the possibilities of helping that prospect in some way get rid of that problem.

A few essentials:

• Tell them your name and company
• Ask permission for 45 seconds and tell them they can end the conversation after that if they want to.
• Get right to the point
• Help then identify their business problems by offering a short “menu”
• Never try to convince a prospect, instead let them convince you it is worth your time and effort to meet with them.
• Honor your agreement and let them off the hook if they do not want to engage,

Here’s an example:

Rick, this is Josh Snider from Ace Delivery.  May I take 45 seconds to tell you why I am calling and then you can tell me if we should continue speaking? I work with owners of small manufacturing companies that from time to time are frustrated because their customers do not get their shipments on time as promised, even though you completed the job on time. They are concerned about retaining their customers in the face of more competition and they are looking for ways to increase the reliability and consistency of product delivery. Rick, are any of the things I mentioned issues for you or is everything running 100% smoothly?”

In less than 45 seconds you will know if you have someone on the line who you can help or not. If they do not have any problems that you can fix, then it’s over (for now).  Remember, they may not have a problem today, but they may have it in the future.

If you make dialing for dollars, a scheduled event in your calendar and you do it with consistency you will be amazed how much new business you will dig up.

The best thing about “cold calling” is that you do not have to do it forever. Once you have a client base and they are more than satisfied with your products and services, they will, with your nurturing, become promoters of your business and you will have more referrals and less need for “cold calls”.

1. Plan and prepare an opening statement.
2. Get in the right state of mind.
3. Know why this is important.
4. Practice your delivery.
5. Plan relevant questions.
6. Have support tools to hand.
7. Divert calls and minimize disruptions.
8. Set clear objectives.
9. Don’t put your phone down.
10. Master your physiology.

Tip
Don’t put the phone down between calls.
Putting the phone down between calls can slow you down and impede your motivation. Keep the energy going by keeping the phone in your hand once you start your cold calling sessions.

Tip
Wear a headset if at all possible.
Wireless ones are the best. Holding the phone to your ear can impede your movements and impact your ability to communicate naturally. By using a headset you allow yourself more freedom of movement. The more freedom of movement you have, the more you can express yourself.

Tip
Sit up, or better still, stand up, when on the phone.
This is a particularly useful tactic at the start of cold calling sessions or when you are feeling your enthusiasm beginning to cool off. Sitting up or standing up will inject much needed energy and vitality into your calls.

Tip
Keep your head up and breathe naturally.
Maintain the correct physiology by keeping your head up and breathing naturally. This helps to improve your focus, your attention and your motivation.

Tip
Be well prepared.
Being well prepared not only enables you to make more targeted and more professional calls but it also increases confidence because it helps you to know that you are going to make a great call.

Tip
Learn from your mistakes.
Everyone makes mistakes. The real question is not whether you make any missteaks mistakes but whether you learn from them or not.

Tip
Remind yourself of past successes.
Think of a time when you achieved success through cold calling; maybe when you won a piece of new business or secured a sales appointment with an important decision maker. This will help to get you thinking positively and feeling more confident.

Tip
Accept that you can’t win them all.
So stop beating yourself up when you don’t! Even the best cold callers don’t get that appointment or close that deal every time so get over it already!

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