Cold calling technique: description, features and recommendations

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

The phone in the hands of a sales manager is an excellent tool that allows him to effectively promote the product. However, this task will become feasible only if the specialist builds a productive dialogue with a potential buyer.

After all, most people do not like it when they get a phone call and begin to impose something that they absolutely do not need. However, this method can hardly be called an empty pastime. Cold calls, as they are called, in the hands of qualified managers are not at all a banal call. The main thing is to know their main features and follow the necessary recommendations.

What do we mean by cold calls?

Recently, a new sales technique has begun to gain momentum. It's called "cold calling". What it is? The phrase cold calling came to us from the English language. These are promotional calls or visits. Their main goal is to attract potential customers and buyers.

All talkwhich are carried out by phone can be conditionally divided into two categories - warm and cold. The first of these is a contact with a client who already has an idea about the company. Maybe he has already bought a product offered by the company, or was interested in its services. Warm calls are a reminder of yourself, which helps to restore cooperation. In other words, with this form of product promotion, the operator already has information in advance about the buyer and what he can be interested in.

What, then, are cold calls? When they are executed, the operator knows practically nothing about the client on the other end of the wire. Such communication is carried out according to a script prepared in advance. The manager calls potential customers on his list, offering them the company's product.

Cold calls tend to have low productivity. However, sometimes they are the only way to talk to the head of the enterprise.

According to statistics, only one customer out of a hundred agrees to the offer of the operator and purchases a certain product or orders a service.

Mastering the technique of cold calling

What in the hands of a manager will become an effective tool with which he can achieve an expansion of the customer base and an increase in their number? This is a well-mastered cold calling technique. To interest a potential buyer in your product is not so simple. No wonder this technique is called "cold calls". And they are not called "cold"because of the tone of the operator, but because of the attitude of the person who answered the phone. Very often, sales staff are wary of such calls. After all, often their unexpected proposals receive rude and unpleasant answers.

Listeners show disinterest, indifference or distrust. All this clearly does not lead to an increase in sales of products. That is why marketers have developed a large number of different techniques that allow you to conduct cold calls as competently and efficiently as possible. And it should be borne in mind that there is no single recipe for any business here. Each industry has its own specific characteristics and features. They should be taken into account when applying certain telephone sales techniques - "cold calls".

What do you need to get the result?

A cold call manager should be prepared for a lot. After all, it is not for nothing that applicants strive to get a job as an operator working with an already prepared customer base. These buyers know the organization well and are interested in its products or services. But if it was not possible to take such a place, then you need to understand that working using the cold calling technique is only suitable for those people who have a fairly high stress resistance. Such a character trait will allow you to easily survive defeats and not fall into a depressed state, which will reduce the risk of psychological disorders.

So, what do you need to do to get the sales technique with cold phone calls to the desired goal?

Keep confident and calm

A manager should always keep in mind that customer failures that are the result of a dialogue he has conducted will take place all the time. The sales technique of "cold calling" involves the need to maintain confidence and calmness. The manager must keep in mind that repetitive failures should not be considered failures. They are an inevitable outcome, especially in the initial stages of a specialist's work. And even professionals with extensive experience often get rejected when conducting cold calls. The main thing at the same time is to adhere to the rule that provides for the preservation of spiritual lightness and balance.

Ideally, you can train with your colleagues or supervisor. They consist in trying to sell them a product and getting a refusal. This practice allows you to accurately describe the feelings that arose during this, understand for yourself which of the forms of answers hurt the interlocutor the most, and also learn how to make extraordinary decisions and ways out of the current situation, which will ultimately allow you to attract a client to your side.

Have full product information

The manager needs to know well the products that he offers to potential buyers. Unfortunately, often operators are not ready to answer even the most elementary questions of the client. But telephone sales (cold calls) require free orientation in the company's products. That is why managers need tobe fully aware of the benefits of the products or services offered, know their features, important information and history. All this is intended not only to interest the person who answered the phone, but to solve his problem. Cold calls can become warmer if the manager can describe with confidence and ease all the attractive aspects of the product they offer. To do this, it is recommended to study the positive reviews of consumers. Such knowledge will greatly increase the trust of the client and set the person in relation to the seller quite benevolently.

Follow tone of voice

A manager needs to remain calm in any situation. Before making cold calls, each operator undergoes preliminary training. Such training should not bypass voice training. Intonations during a conversation should be calm and friendly. Only in this case they will be able to inspire confidence in a potential buyer. The best cold calls are made with confidence in your voice.

In order to develop this quality in yourself, you will need to practice first. To do this, for example, you can read your telephone conversation on a recording device. When listening to the text, you will need to make out the mistakes made in it in the form of parasitic words, long pauses, inappropriate humor, uncertainty and incorrect construction of sentences. It is sometimes quite unpleasant for a novice manager to hear his conversation on the record. However, this method will revealweaknesses to work on.

Cold calls are carried out using a variety of intonations, which will win over customers. This can be achieved with a simple exercise. It involves the repetition of a passage of any text using different colors. At the same time, notes in the voice should express sadness and joy, condescension and discontent, conviction and perseverance. Such an exercise allows you to train well the skills of control over the voiced text.

Another method that allows you to develop the necessary intonation is to highlight each word in a sentence, considering it a key one. Such training will allow you to get rid of haste in a conversation, add confidence and persuasiveness, and also help you to focus on the most important words in the future.

It is worth remembering that for the most part cold calls cause the same type of reactions from customers. The answers are usually the same. You should learn to reflect them with correct phrases, in which there is a certain keyword that allows you to smooth out sharp corners in a conversation.

So, the most common response from customers is: "No time to talk on the phone." It will be correct if at the same time the manager asks a clarifying question: “Is there no time to talk on the phone now?” Such a keyword, most likely, will allow not only to extend the dialogue with a potential client, but also to take it to a completely different level. For example, agree on a time to call back.

Good if for holding coldcalls manager will train and the pace with which he will deliver a speech. The same phrase during such classes should be pronounced at different speeds. Thus, the operator will learn as quickly as possible to adapt to the mood of the client and his speech. Without this skill, cold calling is much more difficult.

The text of managers sometimes contains complex fragments. A specialist can easily stumble on them. Such a pause is sometimes mistaken for uncertainty, confusion or incompetence by the client. How to prevent such a situation? To do this, complex fragments will need to be read according to a previously prepared template.

Also, the manager needs to say his text with a smile. With tension of the facial muscles, certain shades appear in the sound of speech. Smiling will give a friendly voice that will win over the client.

A cold calling agent needs to take breaks from work. This will allow the vocal cords to relax. You should also drink only warm drinks, refusing to take cold drinks. This is important for keeping the vote.

Be prepared for stressful situations

Proper preparation of a manager involves working out various options for reactions to his proposal. After all, conflicts and awkward moments arise quite often, especially for beginners. This may be ridiculing the company, tricky questions, increased tone, etc. This reaction of the person on the other end of the line can unsettle anyone.

In order to avoid stress, you need to consult with experienced colleagues. They will tell you how to work with objections and respond to rudeness. A manager who does not know the answer to a question asked by a client should not be told about it. In such a situation, you should leave for just a minute and consult with an experienced colleague.

Remember the main goal

A manager working with cold calling should be aware that the end result of his activity involves concluding an agreement with the client, familiarizing him with the products, inviting him to a presentation, arranging a meeting and much more. The operator should always clearly remember the goal set for him, going towards it, without being distracted by the many questions of potential buyers along the way.

Using cold calling technique

The manager who picks up the handset must remember that during the dialogue the advantage should always be on his side. To do this, you need to know everything about cold calls and work out your professional skills to perfection. Each call is a new way out, a small battle for the result, because the interlocutor hears only a voice and, as a rule, does not have the desire and time for communication. In order to reach the intended goal, it is necessary to study the conversation scheme developed for cold calls. It should be followed by every manager. It is a series of successive stages, consisting of the following:

1. Collecting information. At this stage, the operatoryou need to get as much information about the interlocutor as possible. This will allow you to learn about the client's problems, needs and behavior patterns.
2. Preparing a plan for a telephone conversation. After viewing the information collected about the interlocutor, it should be carefully studied in order to understand in what form it would be better to offer the company's products or services to a potential client. In this case, a small plan should be drawn up. Before starting the conversation, the prepared template must be spoken aloud. Of course, if the operator has the ability to improvise, that's fine. However, having a cold call scheme at hand will not allow you to forget about important points that require special attention.
3. Introducing and getting to know the client. According to what scheme should the telephone conversation itself be carried out? Already at its beginning, after the uttered greeting, you need to introduce yourself. In this case, you must name your position and the name of the company in whose interests the cold call is made. If the company is well-known, well-known, then this will greatly facilitate the work of the manager. In this case, the client is unlikely to begin to express dislike, especially if he has already purchased the company's products. Well, if the call is made on behalf of an organization whose reputation has already been somewhat damaged by its obsession, then its name should be reformulated somewhat. In this case, it is better to simply name the type of activity of the company (for example, the field of investment or cosmetology), omitting its name.
4. Additional collection of information about a potential client. In the technique of cold callsit is planned to draw up a portrait of the buyer in the process of dialogue. To do this, you will need to obtain additional information, finding out whether these customers use the company's products or services, and if so, for how long and what types of them. All this the manager finds out during the conversation, asking control questions. Such tactics help him understand whether the call can end with a positive solution to the issue.
5. Increased interest. When conducting a dialogue with a client, the manager does not need to try to sell a product or impose services. It is necessary to focus your efforts on warming up the buyer's interest in the company's offers, as well as its products. Implementation should be handled by other managers using special sales techniques. These specialists will later conduct specific negotiations with the client, contacting him through other services (e-mail, skype, etc.).
6. Working with objections. This moment in the activities of managers is considered a key one. After all, it is precisely the “no” said in a categorical form that indicates that the conversation did not lead to the desired result. As a rule, the interlocutor really does not have any desire and time not only to conduct a dialogue, but also to delve into the essence of what was said. How to respond to objections during cold calls? To do this, there are a large number of tips and templates. The main thing for a manager is not to cross the line that separates persistence from obsession. After all, customers absolutely do not like the latter. Perhaps the potential buyer really does not have time to conduct a dialogue due to being busy. ATIn this case, it will be possible to contact him periodically in the future, which will gradually turn cold calls into warmer ones.
7. Respect for the client himself and his preferences. During a telephone conversation, the interlocutor must be aware that he is treated confidentially. In no case should there be even the slightest hint of pressure in the manager's voice. You can ask the client about personal tastes, about what he sees the positive aspects in the company's activities, as well as in the product it offers. Interest in the interlocutor and a trusting attitude towards him will give an excellent opportunity to get a favorable outcome of the dialogue.
8. Talking time. The manager needs to tell the client all the information in a short period of time, in just 2-4 minutes. This duration is optimal. This is enough time to arrange a meeting during a cold call. In 2-4 minutes, the essence of the offer is briefly stated to the client and he is invited to the office, where he can get acquainted with the subject of the offer in more depth.
9. Repeat calls. Based on our experience, one effective conversation is often not enough for successful sales. Customers need to be periodically reminded of the company's offer. After all, a person due to being busy can simply forget about the call, although he is interested in it. That is why it is worth periodically reminding yourself. At the same time, bringing communication to the end, it is necessary to be attentive to the client, keeping the line between polite courtesy and annoying obsession.

Contracts withCall Centers

Cold calling task can be outsourced. This solution has a number of advantages. First of all, the services provided by cold calls bring more positive results. After all, Call-center specialists have sufficient experience in applying sales techniques, which makes it much easier to reach the official who makes the decision.

Third party services will also be effective when the customer already has a customer base, but it is so large that the whole process will require a significant amount of time.

The disadvantage of this way of promoting a product is that it costs money, since such services are quite expensive.