How to make 10K every month just through cold calls
- January 10, 2020
It seems like everyone is looking for an excuse to say that cold calling is dead and therefore, they should not do it. People argue that "Social media and google ads exist now" and "Nobody calls, everyone just texts. Hell, even emailing doesn't work."
I say no, they all work, you just don't know how to do them, and that's why I am here. I'm going to teach you how to cold call.
Finding scripts and guidance on cold calling is really hard, and if you try googling it, you find a bunch of shitty scripts from people that have never cold-called before, or you'll find videos of people making cold calls where 99% of them are horrible at it or give you zero guidance on how to do it.
I have done a lot of experiments and studied the techniques. This article covers what I have found by experience, that works.
1. Always start with mentioning who you are and the company you are calling from
When somebody answers the phone, they do not know who is calling, so if you jump straight into the script, they're going to immediately shut down and not listen to what you're saying.
Imagine this: what would happen if you answered the phone and somebody just started going into a script trying to sell you something. You would get mad and would try to get off the phone as soon as possible. It's insulting. Sounds like you're a nobody and just want to sell them things.
The best salespeople are the ones that have empathy, and this applies to email, calls and any other form of sales. Always start by mentioning who you are and what company you're calling from and then ask what you want. Do you want to speak to the manager, CEO or someone else? (If you are interested in how to bypass the gatekeeper, this will be the subject of another blog post).
2. Mention the reason for your call
Once you get to the person that you want to speak to, you are going to mention the reason for your call. E.g., "My name is Hossein from Major Keys, and the reason for my call today is…"
So, again, let's put ourselves in their shoes. You just got a call transferred to you saying that they want to speak with you. What will be the first thing you'll be thinking? "Why are you calling me?" or "what is this call about?".
That's why you want to mention the reason for the call. They are mentally prepared ("oh this call is about xyz"), and they will actually listen to your pitch versus if you just jump into the script without mentioning the reason for your call. When you do that, they won't actually listen to what you are saying, and you will end up in that awkward state of being confused and not knowing what the call is about resulting in the dreaded "oh we are not interested" and just hanging up the phone.
3. Ask for what you want
Many people don't know what to do when they get to the end of the call and just blurt something out resulting in the other person also being confused and just turning down the offer (I'm guilty of doing this in my noob days). So, before you even pick up the phone, know what you want.
You want a meeting; you want a conference call; you want a bagel; you want a freaking date; whatever the hell you want: ask for it!
"I want to meet you next Tuesday to show you what we are capable of doing." "I want to meet you to show you some of the success that we've had." "I want to grab a cup of coffee to show you some of our client work." "A conference call to see how we can assist you in reaching your goals this year."
Whatever it is, just be prepared to ask for it!
4. Objections are not and no!
For the love of god, let's get this down. "We are not interested." - Not a no! "I don't have the time for right now." - Not a no! "We are already working with someone." - Not a no!
When someone tells you they're not interested, they are simply giving you an objection, and you need to give them a reason on why they should be interested. Someone says that they're already working with someone, you should have a response on why they should still consider you, your service, whatever.
Think about it this way - If someone called you and tried to sell your product and you just go "I'm not interested", is it most likely because you don't know enough about it and you don't feel like you have a trust or the bond with that person? Or is it because you actually don't want the product. Will that person follow through? Will they actually work? When you push back on an objection that shows that you are a legitimate business. You guys have come across such things before, and you are willing to respond to your potential prospects' concerns.
Businesses have an outline to follow and believe in their work. Majority of sales are lost here!
After making enough cold calls, you will know what the typical objections that people give are. So, always write them down and work on a response to them to add on to your script. Give the response and ask for what you called for.
"Majority of our current clients also thought they would not be interested when we first spoke with them until they met with us and saw that what we really complement what they are doing. Would you be able to meet next Wednesday at 9 am so I could go over some of the success that we've had?"
Recap: How to cold call successfully
With these few guidelines, you can improve your cold calling and start making more money today. I successfully made 10K every month this way:
- Always start with telling who you are and the company you are calling from
- Explain the reason for your call
- Know exactly what you want and ask for it
- Objections are not a no, but opportunities to prove yourself worthy!
Always remember that: Social media and all these other types of advertising are not replacing old sales techniques. They are simply complementing one another. So leverage all of them. When you don't know what to say or how to write your script, always put yourself in the shoes of your prospect, and it will come to you.
Written by
Hossein Ganji
Hossein's background is in mathematics, finance, and technology. He started an AI based marketing agency in 2016 and currently is working on building an AI based personal trainer application. He is always happy to help and answer questions.
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