Adding a personal touch to sales conversation
Published by
Jeppe Liisberg

Cold calling is often thought of as a lost art. In the age of email and social media communications, voice contact seems an outdated method to gather sales leads.
But unlike online platforms, the phone call adds a personal touch that lets prospects know an engaged individual is taking the time to speak with them and discover their product needs.
Since the purpose of the cold call is not to sell but to lay the
groundwork with a potential new client, that personal touch is
essential. Far from being outdated, the cold call helps establish
long-term relationships. Keep these benefits of cold calling in mind
when planning your sales strategy.
Establish Direct Contact
Online communication is quick and easy, which means consumers are often bombarded with emails, tweets and other social media messages. Often, people simply tune them out, deleting any contact that looks like a product pitch. Sales agents don’t even have the opportunity to get their message out.
But a phone call is much more difficult to ignore. People tend to pick up their cell phones or office lines, even if the number is unfamiliar. That gives you a prime opportunity to start the conversation on your terms without having to wait for a response. Since the average cold call should only be about three minutes, you shouldn’t cause too much inconvenience.
If you’ve done your job right, you’ve already “warmed” the call with
previous online
contact,
even if a response wasn’t forthcoming. If your contact has only scanned
an email you sent, she will still probably recognize your name or that
of your company when you introduce yourself on the phone.
Learn More About the Customer
Once on the phone, you can learn more about your contact’s business needs. There is only so much you can find out through your preliminary research, so even this brief conversation allows you to gain necessary information about what’s important to the prospect.
You can use this information to tailor a sales pitch at a later point
that acknowledges her particular pain points, offering a value
proposition
that may be difficult to resist. By showing interest in the contact from
the outset of the call, asking questions about her business, you give
her the opportunity to talk about herself without needing to commit to
buying your product.
Launch the Charm Offensive
Since the sales pitch will come later, you want your contact to end the call with a positive impression of you. Unlike online communications, cold calling offers the distinct advantage of allowing you to use your voice to make the interaction informative and pleasant.
Even on the phone, the smile on your face will come through. If you are
feeling tense or nervous, your contact will pick that up. If you have a
basic script and create a comfortable place to make your cold call, the
conversation should be easier. You can focus more on developing a
rapport with the client while still getting the information you need to
sell her a product at a later time.
Cold Calling Gives You an Edge
Cold calling takes more time than other forms of sales lead generation, but the response rate is often higher than other forms of contact. As sales agents become more accustomed to striking up conversations with potential clients, the process will become easier and more successful. Combined with other marketing efforts, cold calling can have a real impact on revenue generation for your company.
Hey, hello. I’m Jeppe
I'm an entrepreneur and web developer. I've built or helped build a handful of startups.
I strongly believe in dedicated software that solves one task, but solves it really well. During my experience as an internet entrepreneur, I never found that software for cold calling, so that's why I decided to build myphoner.
I'm very proud of what myphoner has become, and I'm dedicated to doing everything I can to make it stay a success. That's why I greet all new customers personally and always read and reply to the feedback I get.