Picking up the phone and cold calling prospects you’re trying to sell to and build relationships with works like magic. As an executive buyer, I don’t always pick up the phone, but when I do I love it when the person calling me is prepared, articulate and respectful of my time. 

Cold Calling Story

A few mornings ago, on my walk to work, I got a cold call from a sales development representative. I didn’t know the number but I looked on my phone and decided to answer it. 

Hello. In one sentence the salesperson introduced herself and her company to me and asked for a few minutes of my time. The call started off well. I was still walking and now listening and engaged.

Since I love hearing company and product pitches, I asked the salesperson to give me her pitch. She did without hesitation. The pitch was tight. I asked a few clarifying questions. Looking back, I’m sure the questions I asked were frequently asked questions. 

I asked: Does your product it integrate with…? She answered it well.

Then I asked: How would I use it as CEO? She gave me another good answer.

Then I asked: How much does it cost? She explained the pricing simply and clearly.

She got my attention and I was impressed. She moved the needle on the deal and the relationship. This gives hope to all cold callers out there that they can reach decision makers over the phone.  

The Moral Of The Story: Cold Calling Works

Calling works. Picking up the phone and calling executives at all levels works. Be respectful of their time. Be ready to answer questions. Practice your pitch. Know it cold. Know your frequently asked questions. Get comfortable and confident with your pitch and answers to common questions.  

Cold calling is hard. The truth is, salespeople who make cold calls are interrupting their prospects and their calls are not immediately welcome. 

Coaching Tips

Here are some ways to motivate your teams and coach your teams pick up the phone and call prospects. We have based this list on what we see in the industry and what’s worked well for us at SalesHood too.

1. Create buyer personas to get your teams comfortable with people they are calling. Help your salespeople be relevant.
2. Document short pitches and voice mail messages to help prepare your salespeople.
3. Document typical objections to overcome and frequently asked questions to help your salespeople be more confident.
4. Have your teams practice them using video role-plays and also calling peers to help them be more conversational. See better and faster results by making this part of coaching competitive with Sales Coaching Huddles and Team Leaderboards
5. Rinse and repeat. Do this for every sales campaign to get more scheduled meetings and win more business.

Do cold call coaching at scale with SalesHood. You can request a demonstration and start sharing your content and coaching tips to your teams today. Click to request a demonstration.