Despite the truly infinite amount of information and buying opportunities available through the internet, for B2B sales, cold calling remains an effective and successful technique.
To begin with, a successful cold calling campaign is not truly cold calling. A B2B sales caller cannot simply cast a wide net of phone calls to widespread businesses and hope to catch someone in need of their product or solution.
There is work, and thought, that needs to take place in advance in order to warm up B2B cold calls and make them more effective and successful.
Two Simple Techniques to Warm up B2B Cold Calls
1. Start with a targeted list
Any cold caller has a prospect list, but is it targeted and relevant?
You will get a much better reception from your prospect if what you are calling about is appropriate to the needs of their business.
Does your product, solution, or service have any possibility of meeting your prospect’s industry-specific needs?
Use the information that is available through platforms like LinkedIn, or the company’s own website to narrow and target your list so that it is carefully curated and makes sense.
2. Understand the objective
Be sure you understand that the objective of a B2B cold call is not to close a sale.
The goal is to uncover opportunities and then schedule appointment or conference call so solutions can be discussed.
Always be cognizant that a cold call is only the first part of a longer sales cycle.
Consider the first call to be only about having a conversation that will qualify a lead and set the stage for next steps.
Experience and service are high on the list of what clients expect from their vendors – B2B Lead Generation, Why Does Customer Experience Matter?
With the amount of digital information available to everyone, it’s important to ensure your cold call contains what the internet does not.
Give your prospect something that he or she cannot gain from a pdf, whitepaper, or other widely available download; a meaningful conversation, an opportunity for real solutions, and thoughtful and relevant steps that will move them through the sales cycle.
Now that your cold calls are warm, you’ll find that a phone call is the best way to connect on a friendly, personal level and create a meaningful interaction that will resonate with a prospect and make them more inclined to take the next step in the sales cycle.
John
