6 Keys to a GREAT Cold Call
- Ask for permission to speak
- Once granted, make it PERSONAL
- Establish yourself as an EXPERT
- Then qualify and use social proof to book a meeting
- Be politely pesky
- Objection Handling
Cold calling is still Magellan’s most effective channel to book meetings, even though we sell (and leverage) personalized emails. So what’s the best way to personalize and crush cold calls? I’m glad you asked!
Step 1 - Ask for permission to speak (i.e., pattern disrupt)
Most salespeople barge into a pitch when they call and try to steamroll the person on the other line into a conversation. Today (as of March 2024), it’s effective to ask for a minute of their time and assure them you’ll be brief.
Here are three sample openings, use one that matches your personality and resonates with you.
- Hi PROSPECT this is NAME from COMPANY, do you have a moment? I promise I’ll be brief.
- Hey PROSPECT this is NAME from COMPANY, can I have 60 seconds of your time? Since I hate cold calls too, I promise I’ll be quick.
- Hey PROSPECT this is NAME from COMPANY, I didn’t happen to call you at the worst possible time for a cold call, did I? [Wait for response] I promise to be quick.
Step 2 - Make it PERSONAL (say a quick line about THEM)
Show the prospect you’re unlike 90% of other sales reps who call down a list using the same opener and pitch, word-for-word. Reps do this because it’s easy. They don’t have to think. They don’t have to try. They don’t have to risk rejection. But just like in life, the easy way in sales leads to disappointment.
Instead, add Magellan’s custom variable onto your call notes so you can use the custom subject line + email we wrote for the prospect and use to create your one liner. At first, it’ll feel weird but with time you’ll get used to it.
If you don’t have Magellan, open the prospect’s LinkedIn profile and quickly scan for a unique nugget that is NOT company, name, or title (practice doing this in under 10 seconds). Company, name, and title have been so overused that prospects know it’s not personalized.
Showing the prospect you’ve done your homework and you want to talk to THEM will get them to open their ears for a few seconds at a MUCH higher rate than a generic opener.
Takeaway: Hook a prospect with a persona nugget which earns you 3 - 5 seconds to convice them to have a 3 - 5-minute conversation, to hook them into a 15 – 30-minute meeting.
Step 3 + 4 - Establish yourself as an expert + leverage social proof.
Prospects ALWAYS have time. I promise you on the weekend they’re binge-watching Netflix, they hang out with friends and family, and they spend hours on social (maybe even daily!).
What they DON’T have time for is a newbie sales rep that’s going to waste their time and try to sell them a product no matter WHAT their particular circumstances are. Why? Because those salespeople don’t care about the prospect. Those sales reps only care about their quota. And if a prospect feels you don't care about them, why should they care about you? (click).
Instead, demonstrate you are NOT that rep by doing two things:
- DEMONSTRATE your subject matter expert, and
- TALK to them do NOT just PITCH them.
The quickest way to establish your expertise is to outline a common major problem that people in their role face - which your service/solution addresses - and asking if they struggle with this same issue.
For example, Magellan helps boost email open rates, replies, and conversions. We know, however, that the average sales email receive a <25% open rate and <2% reply. Therefore, we show the prospect our expertise by asking if them if these metrics align with their experience - typically the answer is yes!
If yes, we assure them that this is in line with the average sales team.
"Now before I jump into how we helped Client 1, Client 2, and Client 3 [value prop]. Do you mind me asking [second qualifying question]?"
This question provides social proof and further qualifies the prospect.
Assuming their answer doesn’t disqualify them, ask one more qualifying question:
Last question before I let you get back to your day, does your team currently [qualifying question]?
Regardless of a yes/no answer, listen and engage in a conversation where appropriate.
Once you’ve had a brief conversation end the call with:
I’m know I’m calling out of the blue so I don't want to take up more of your time. Because of [A, B & C nuggets gleaned from the conversation] I suggest we schedule a 15 - 30 minutes call to speak later today or tomorrow at SPECIFIC TIME? The goal is to determine if we can help you like we've helped [ insert comparators].
Takeaway: What relevant facts/figures can you insert in your first question to establish your expert in the field and initiate a qualifying conversation?
Step 5 - Be Politely Pesky
Sales is a game of inches.
With every interaction you need to PUSH yourself to nudge the needle forward even if it’s just a tiny bit.
If the prospect doesn’t want to talk, then quickly qualify them with, "quick question."
If the prospect isn’t the right person to talk to, then "what department is (every company is a little different)?"
If the prospect isn’t interested, is it because they’re against the idea of your product generally, timing, budget, or something else?
Find a way to walk away from EVERY interaction with a W, no matter how small.
You can leverage this information to toss out the account if it's a bad fit and save time. Leverage that new piece of information in your future outreach to other people in the account.
Takeaway: Remember, being pesky gets you paid. How can you win an inch with every interaction?
Step 6 - Objection Handling
Objection handling has been written about so much that this is it's own topic, which we'll revist for another time.
I'd love to hear from you, how do you have your cold calls stand out and rise above the noise?
And If you found the article useful, please share it with a friend or someone on your team.
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