10 Ways to Persuade Someone to Take Your Cold Call

No matter how long you’ve been doing sales, the cold call is still the most difficult aspect of the job. Cold calls are those times when you stop by someone’s business place in an attempt to gain a new client. Cold calls can also be made by phone, but the term is more generally understood as physically ‘calling’ on someone, who is not a regular client already.

1. Name dropping. Being able to use the name of a business associate, family member or anyone who has a personal connection with the person you are calling on, is much likelier to get you an invite into their office.
2. Offer information of value. Since you’re going to be asking for a part of their day, bring some information of value that you can share with them. This may entice them to give you some of those precious minutes of theirs.
3. Phone ahead. Simply calling to let them know that you’d like to stop by on a certain day can provide a greater assurance that they’ll be available and willing to talk to you, than if you just show up unannounced. It doesn’t need to be a specific appointment, just a general time frame to stop in and say hello.
4. Make them smile. Tell a joke, and make it at your expense, if you can. If you can get a person to smile, or better yet, laugh out loud, they will relax. It will take the tension out of the air and make them feel more at ease with you, which in turn, should improve your chances of getting a warm welcome.
5. Ask for information. “I’d like to find out a little bit more about your company.” Entrepreneurs love to share their passion for their business, and their dreams for its success. Giving them the opportunity to do that could get you an invitation to either sit down at the moment or come back for a bonafide appointment.
6. No selling today. Let them know up front that you are not going to give them a sales pitch during your visit. That will allow them to let their guard down a bit and find out what they can expect from your visit.
7. Know your client. Do your homework before you arrive. Knowing what the business does, who the owner is and what projects they have in the works, shows a higher level of interest and professionalism than having to ask those questions when you arrive.
8. Peak their interest. Ask them a question or provide a bit of information that will peak their interest and make them want to hear more. “Did you know that…” can be a be a great way to get a conversation going.
9. I’ll be back. When someone isn’t willing to take your first cold call, make sure and let them know that you will be stopping back, and ask for a suggested time of day for you to call again. This lets them know that not taking your call today will just be a postponement. They may change their minds and decide to ‘get it over with’ today, rather than have you come back a second time.
10. Email introduction. If an individual has provided you with the prospects name, ask the referring person to send an introduction email to the prospect before you call on them. That gives you an immediate lead-in for your introduction. “I believe your colleague, John Doe, emailed you and told you that I’d be calling one you.”

Be friendly, be genuine and be courteous, ALWAYS. To give up, even a few minutes of their day, is a big sacrifice for many people. Show respect for that. And remember, the more relaxed you appear, the more relaxed they will be in their response to you and the more likely they are to give you a ‘yes’.

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 14th, 2011 at 11:46 am and is filed under phone. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.