simple sales strategies for cold calling

1. Have fun! - It’s my first simple tactic for cold calls: YOU have to have a great time! If you’re not having fun then nobody is going to want to talk to you because you won’t want to talk to anyone. So do what you have to do to make sure you have a good time making calls. Listen to music, make funny jokes to your prospects, load up on a ton of caffeine, do whatever you have to do to be in a fun, positive mood!
2. Make friends with everyone - I mean everybody, and not just people you’re calling or the people in their offices, I mean everybody! Your job, cold calling, is to try and connect with people, and the best way to do this is to develop a habit of connecting with people. Make friends with everyone in your office, your colleagues, the doorman, the baristas in your coffee joint. Now, carry that energy into connecting with your prospects.
3. Ask for permission - It’s simple, but it works. “Is now a bad time?” is the best line to open a call with a cold prospect. If they say anything besides “It’s a terrible time, sorry, can’t talk right now,” then you have permission to pitch to them.
4. Don’t use a script - Nearly every call room leader says the same thing to sales people “Just stick to the script.” Nah, don’t do that. Your job is to make a human connection. Sure, it’s about business and eventually about making a sale, but being a robot and not a human is a great way to not make a human connection. Go off script, engage with someone at a human level.
5. Find something interesting about your prospects, open with that - Once I had a conversation with the digital loyalty director at a major retailer. I discovered he loved New Jersey wines. WHAT!? There’s wine from New Jersey? As soon as I got him on the phone I opened with that line “So, you love New Jersey wines?” And he immediately lit up. His entire demeanor changed and he set a time for us to talk.
6. Win over your prospect’s administrative assistant - Get on a first name basis, ask for their help. “Hey, I’m trying to get a meeting with Nancy Barber, what’s normally the best way to get her attention?” I’ve even gotten a prospect to put a sticky note with the message “Call back Brendon Lemon” onto a prospect’s computer screen. Is it aggressive? Yeah, it’s a little pushy. But if you’re a fun, funny person and you’ve been nothing but that over your outreach then this will be received in good humor.

1. Have fun! - It’s my first simple tactic for cold calls: YOU have to have a great time! If you’re not having fun then nobody is going to want to talk to you because you won’t want to talk to anyone. So do what you have to do to make sure you have a good time making calls. Listen to music, make funny jokes to your prospects, load up on a ton of caffeine, do whatever you have to do to be in a fun, positive mood!
2. Make friends with everyone - I mean everybody, and not just people you’re calling or the people in their offices, I mean everybody! Your job, cold calling, is to try and connect with people, and the best way to do this is to develop a habit of connecting with people. Make friends with everyone in your office, your colleagues, the doorman, the baristas in your coffee joint. Now, carry that energy into connecting with your prospects.
3. Ask for permission - It’s simple, but it works. “Is now a bad time?” is the best line to open a call with a cold prospect. If they say anything besides “It’s a terrible time, sorry, can’t talk right now,” then you have permission to pitch to them.
4. Don’t use a script - Nearly every call room leader says the same thing to sales people “Just stick to the script.” Nah, don’t do that. Your job is to make a human connection. Sure, it’s about business and eventually about making a sale, but being a robot and not a human is a great way to not make a human connection. Go off script, engage with someone at a human level.
5. Find something interesting about your prospects, open with that - Once I had a conversation with the digital loyalty director at a major retailer. I discovered he loved New Jersey wines. WHAT!? There’s wine from New Jersey? As soon as I got him on the phone I opened with that line “So, you love New Jersey wines?” And he immediately lit up. His entire demeanor changed and he set a time for us to talk.
6. Win over your prospect’s administrative assistant - Get on a first name basis, ask for their help. “Hey, I’m trying to get a meeting with Nancy Barber, what’s normally the best way to get her attention?” I’ve even gotten a prospect to put a sticky note with the message “Call back Brendon Lemon” onto a prospect’s computer screen. Is it aggressive? Yeah, it’s a little pushy. But if you’re a fun, funny person and you’ve been nothing but that over your outreach then this will be received in good humor.