In this piece I will be presenting an example of a mock cold call to an executive’s office. I will decipher the call and make points in between the conversation areas to help clarify why I said certain things and why they are important.
A couple of things to look for over the course of this series are how important it is to present yourself as a professional, don’t try to close the deal on the initial call and how to control the conversation and keep them talking as much as possible.
That would then mean that you try to talk about your firm as little as possible. Contrary to what people think, when you don’t talk about yourself or business much, but allow the prospect to talk about their company you can take notes and use them for negotiating and closing leverage on the second call, which is the presentation call.
So basically the purpose of this entire call (the whole series) is:
1. Introduce yourself and your company (very brief introduction)
2. Gather information on the client.
3. Get your company literature in their hands.
4. Set up another appointment for a full sales presentation.
In Part I of this series we will only cover point number 1: Introducing yourself and your company. This aspect of the call is very basic and short. It is just saying who you are and trying to gain confirmation from the prospect to enter into an extended conversation.
Scenario: This scene takes place at an equipment supplier/distributors company, after already speaking with the receptionist; I find out that I need to speak with Tina Ross who is the Sales Manager. I have now been transferred to Tina’s office by her assistant.
Ring Ring
Tina: Good morning TNT Equipment Suppliers, this is Tina, can I help you.
Hello Tina, this is William Quisenberry and I’m the Owner of Net Empire Consulting, how are you this morning
(Tell them you own the business, they will take you much more serious than if you’re just some telemarketer).
Tina: Good thanks for asking.
Great, Tina I didn’t catch you at a bad time did I?
(This is a very professional question that does many things: first it shows concern for others besides just your own selfish intentions, second it keeps you from starting your pitch and being interrupted by a “Sorry, but I’m very busy this morning!”
Third it gives the buyer a chance to weed out of the call if they truly have absolutely no interest from the start, because if that’s the case then pitching them will just be wasting your time.
Last and not least if they don’t terminate the call here, then they have just given you a confirmation to enter into a conversation with them, which is great!)
After getting past this introductory stage of the call, you would then move into the body of the phone call which is where most of the information is exchanged and gathered in a full fledge conversation. I will handle this section of the call on Monday morning.
(Now after reading Part I of Making a Solid Cold Call, be sure to check out Part II-The Body of the Call. and also Part III-Wrapping Up the Call)
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don’t think anyone wants to cold call, and yet we often find a need for it. I’ve read books on it, done it for my biz and even been employed as a telemarketer for 3 horrific months of my life. I suppose I’m not BAd at it. But I still dread it. Couldn’t you get more in depth about what works at the beginning of the call? Maybe offer some alternative solutions. This is a topic I need to improve on. If you’re an expert please help!
Great article. I especially like when you spoke about the “presentation” call — this is definitely the most important call and sets the tone for all call to follow. A deal is made or lost with that first call!
Gina,
Thanks for your comment you’re right about cold calling not being the most desirable activity in the world. However, with repetition it really does become much easier and natural just like everything else in life.
I do plan on writing more in depth articles about cold calling and sales in the future because they are important topics for entrepreneurs, so hopefully in some of my future articles I can answer more of the questions you may have. One topic that I know is important and that I plan on writing on is explaining how to get past receptionist and secretaries, because you have to win them over first before you can talk to the decision maker. Thanks again.
David,
You said it right, that first call is so very important. It’s just like meeting somebody face to face, first impressions mean a lot. If you get off to a strong start on the first call and gain the prospects interest and possibly build a little rapport, then that second call can almost become a breeze. Thanks for your input.