"Cold" sales - what is it? Method and technology of "cold" sales

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-17 18:37

For any company, the issue of finding new customers is always relevant, which is associated with work in the "cold" market. How are cold sales different from warm sales? How to make a stranger skeptical person a "hot" client?

How are cold sales different from hot sales?

Negotiations with customers without intermediaries are called direct sales. "Hot" and "cold" sales are carried out in different markets. The "hot" market is regular customers, store visitors, that is, the target audience.

For any company, the issue of finding new customers is always relevant, which is associated with work in the "cold" market. As a rule, "cold" sales are business trips, telephone conversations and a mandatory meeting with a potential client, a product presentation.

Cold calls are telephone conversations that should result in a positive attitude, an appointment or a deal.

Specific work oncold market

Working in a cold market has its pros and cons.

Positives	Negative sides
Productive work gives a significant increase in sales and allows you to increase the competitiveness of the company, product, service.	Salespeople who are not taught how to use cold sales and calling techniques get many rejections and lose enthusiasm.
Cold sales means unlimited leads.	Developing professionalism in this business takes time.
Minimum financial costs and reduced advertising costs.

Every cold sales department needs technology to help them work effectively with customers.

10 Rules for Successful Cold Selling

Cold Selling Rules are guidelines compiled from business articles and books by several well-known authors.

1. Before negotiating, let go of stress and relax. A successful salesperson is an energetic and confident person.
2. Positive attitude. Self-motivation.
3. Know the product to be sold thoroughly.
4. Create a comfortable environment for the client, arouse sympathy. "Hook" the buyer, just get interested, but do not "shove" the product.
5. Feel the client. What language, with what intonation does he speak? Canuse similar vocabulary, tone of voice, style of speech.
6. Generate interest in yourself, in your product, service, company with the help of the media and participation in customer meetings, forums, fairs, exhibitions and other events. Creation of newsletters, leaflets with useful information for potential customers.
7. Record effective cold calls with appointments.
8. Constantly and daily replenish the base of new customers.
9. Remember that every "no" brings you closer to a deal. In order to make a good deal, you have to be ready to hear a lot of rejections.
10. Be sure to prepare before calls and meetings using cold sales scenarios.

The ability to respond to failures

Business negotiations in the "cold" market are always associated with objections and excuses from potential consumers. A negative response can be predicted and used as a fulcrum to turn the negotiations in the right direction. The first refusal is usually formulated as one of four options.

Rejection Form	Exemplary manager reaction (desired outcome - make an appointment)
"No thanks, we already have this product" or "We are satisfied"	Very good that you already have this product. Representatives of many organizations (list) said the same thing until they got acquainted with our product (service), especially with … (get interested in the unique feature of the product). They realized that our service helps … We shouldmeet. Will it be convenient for you on Wednesday at three o'clock?
We're not interested	Many reacted the same way when we first approached them. But later they had a chance to understand what benefits they can get with our offer (include an example of the organization with which you collaborated in the phrase).
I'm very busy	I approached (calling) you to arrange a meeting.
Submit Materials	Maybe we should just meet and talk. Are you comfortable on Wednesday at three o'clock?

All the secrets of "cold" sales come down to elementary rules, confidently address the interlocutor by name, tell the truth, interest, avoiding stereotyped phrases. Cold sales are the result of a lively dialogue, not an exchange of trivial phrases. Refusal is not a sentence, but an opportunity to “open the right door.”

Cold Sales Technology

The selling process can be broken down into four steps. The main task at each stage is to ensure the next step and accelerate the sale.

First stage	An easy conversation. Without spectacular introductions, a simple acquaintance with the client as a person. Talk about the product simply and to the point.
Information gathering stage	Takes up to 80% of the time and effort of the entire sales process. Whatinformation will help to make a presentation and make a deal? This information is not about the needs, but about the activities of the interlocutor. To get it, you need to ask the right questions and use cold calls. The result is the answer to the question of how a particular product (service) will help the client do what he wants.
Presentation	Presentation is the result of the previous process. Its goal is not to show the product, but to convey to the consumer the rationale for his choice and close the deal.
Deal, conclusion of an agreement	The logical conclusion of the presentation. For example, addressing a customer: "What do you think of this?" "What do you think?"

The method of "cold" sales is productive if enough information is collected for a presentation.

Argumentation at the presentation

Arguments must be presented in a specific order during the presentation. First, it is worth talking about the strengths of the product. The first 2-3 arguments should touch on the emotions and feelings of the interlocutor. In the middle, draw the customer's attention to 1-2 simple properties of the product, for example, utility. At the end, give the three strongest arguments justifying the purchase.

7 Secrets to Effective Cold Calls

"Cold" sales are the natural result of the chain: a call - a meeting - a presentation. Calling a stranger and arranging a meeting is not as difficult as it seems, ifplay by the rules.

1. Negotiations on the phone are best done not hunched over while sitting at the table, but standing, as the voice will sound livelier. A high stool will also work.
2. The voice will be perceived more pleasantly if the muscles are relaxed. Smile! You can rehearse by putting a mirror in front of you to see your smile.
3. He who trains hard is doomed to success. Dialogue with a client can be repeated at home with a loved one. Training helps you remember cold sales scenarios, answers to possible questions, and practice your technique.
4. Recording your conversations on a voice recorder. Only by listening to the conversation from the side, you can hear your mistakes. Analysis of voice recordings improves the efficiency of calls by 40%.



5. Discipline and timing. Productive negotiations with one client are held within two to three minutes. For example, 10-15 cold calls daily at the same time for 30 minutes.
6. A simple "Call Recording" table will help you evaluate your performance. It should be entered in the table not just the number of dialed numbers, but the number of conversations completed, appointments made and meetings held.
7. To hear the interlocutor and not to interrupt. According to statistics, 99% of newcomers, having introduced themselves or asked a question, cannot pause and wait for an answer. A pause helps the interlocutor switch to the conversation.

Psychology as the key to sales

Applying psychology will help make sales successful.

• Facial expressioncan tell a lot about the mood and thoughts of the interlocutor.
• Smile and eye contact - customer trust.
• Many open-ended questions to keep the conversation going and gather information: “What do you think about the product?”, “Do you have any suggestions?”.
• Correct presentation of information. First, a positive image of the product, a vivid image. Secondly, commercial materials. Thirdly, the cost, if interest arose and contact was established.

How to prepare a sales training?

Active forms of learning to gain knowledge, develop skills and consolidate skills are called trainings. Sales training on cold calls allows you to work through the difficult moments of negotiations. Before the training, participants are taught the theory of negotiation needed to complete the tasks.

Theme	Exercise content
Our market segments	Break into groups of potential consumers. For each, formulate the main argument for purchasing the product.
Product presentation	The goal is to interest the interlocutor. Come up with a key phrase about the benefits of the product in three versions.
Successful phone conversations	Listen to the recording of your telephone conversations, evaluate them using a special questionnaire.
	Determine the purpose (select from the list) of telephone conversations with the secretary,sales department manager, head of department.
	Compiling a form (table) for entering information received during negotiations.
	Work in pairs. Conversation with the manager, head of department and director. The goal is to make an appointment.
How to bypass Cerberus?	Choose a tactic and come up with a wording to get around the inflexible secretary.
Objections	Memorize the responses to common objections and work in pairs. "We have entered into an agreement with another firm." "We're not interested." "We don't need this." "We can't afford it." "Call another employee."

As statistics show, almost 90% of the information received at trainings, seminars is forgotten in a month. Trainings are useful if the sales manager regularly trains, repeats and consolidates the knowledge gained during the training.

Conclusion

All the secrets of "cold" sales are constant work on yourself. The one who is capable of self-motivation succeeds. Faith and love for your work help to resolve any difficult situations!