Anyone in sales has to face it: cold calling. Anyone who wants to sell often has to actively look for new opportunities and new leads. Yet many salespeople are reluctant to start calling, especially if you have to call in another language.
This uncertainty is quite understandable as the success of cold calling is often very limited. The chance of getting a 'no' is many times higher than that one 'yes' you hope to get. So the fear of getting rejected is somehow justified.
But he who does not dare does not win. With these tips, we want to help you to enthusiastically pick up your phone and start calling!
Cold calling requires good preparation. Think in advance of how you can attract the attention and convince people of the added value of your product or service.
Write out a script so that you have your text in English in front of you. You obviously don't need to know the text by heart or read it word for word. But your text can be a handy cheat sheet during your conversation.
The time you take to think about your script is also especially good practice for your calls.
Cold calling in English requires a little more preparation than you would do in your native language. Be extra prepared for what you want to say and make sure you know some standard phrases so you can make your conversation flow smoothly.
These standard expressions can be useful during your conversation:
Do you feel particularly unsure about possible reactions? Think in advance of what questions people might ask and try and formulate an answer to these questions. Even if they don't ask the same questions, you will feel a lot more at ease because you've prepared well.
The people you want to call are not really waiting for your call. Everyone is busy, so think carefully about when you call someone.
Usually you wold be calling a list of possible prospects, but the person you're calling should not feel that way! Make sure you can start your conversation in a warm manner so that you can gradually build the conversation towards your ultimate goal.
Let your interviewer feel that you have taken time to prepare your conversation. You can for example use one of these examples:
This tip is actually the easiest of all tips on our list: stop talking and overloading the person you're calling with all the input you want to give. Don't make your call a one-way conversation, but listen to the other person.
You want to sell something that can be a solution. So try to get your caller to talk about the problems they are experiencing. That way, you can offer your solution for that problem.
How can you do that? These phrases can help you:
Calling is step one, but it usually doesn't stop there. Hang in there and stay in touch with all your prospects so you are not immediately forgotten:
I'm sure you can think of lots of other options, but make sure you have a few different ways to keep your contact warm.
Are you interested in more tips for sales professionals?
These articles might also be interesting for you:
Then you can book a session with one of our language coaches at Squidll.