There are few things in life more daunting than picking up a phone and trying to schmooze a stranger. But with a smart and strategic approach and enough practice, anyone can cold call. Mastering the art of cold calling requires significant time and effort, but even those who do not intend on spending their days pounding the phones or dialing for dollars can and should learn the fundamentals of cold outreach.
Defined as the “solicitation of potential customers who were not anticipating such an interaction,” cold calling is a “technique whereby a salesperson contacts individuals who have not previously expressed an interest in the products or services that are being offered.”
At a fundamental level, most people do not like when salespeople cold call them and, in turn, feel uncomfortable cold calling others, understanding that they would be creating the kind of interaction that they intrinsically disdain. However, in business and life, I believe that people who can embrace uncomfortable situations rather than run away from them are more likely to achieve success.
Set Yourself Up For Success
Paramount to successful cold calling is developing as strong a list of potential leads as possible. Target prospects with profiles similar to customers who have bought from you before or who buy from your competitors. Take advantage of the lead generation services available in the marketplace or build out your own proprietary method for identifying leads and gathering intelligence on them. The more information about a respective prospect at your disposal in advance of your call, the better equipped you will be during prime time.
Ensure that you are targeting the decision makers, not people in the company who do not have the authority to buy what you are selling. And prioritize: If you go after huge prospects, you will increase your chances of landing a big customer.
