subject: Knowing That You Have Cold Called Correctly [print this page] Here is a quick check list that you can go through to identify that you cold called correctly.
Ideal Prospect
One thing step that can often not get as much attention is the area of clearly identifying who we should spend our valuable time cold calling. Do you know what your ideal prospect looks like in terms of geography, industry, size and financial details, title, department, current processes, etc.?
We can often be quick to jump on the phone but when we do that, we may spend valuable time calling prospects that have a little chance of purchasing anything.
To eliminate this, simply go through an exercise of identifying what characteristics your ideal prospect has and then build your attack lists based on that.
Prepared for Cold Call Objections
Were you prepared for objections as well as you should have been? You will run up against cold call objections on every cold call. Whether it is prospects saying they are busy, not interested, or already use somebody, the prospect is going to through the responses at you to try to end the call.
Your ability to respond and deal with these will greatly improve your results when you cold called a prospect.
Qualified the Prospect
Did you qualify the prospect to see how well they fit with what you were calling about? This is a very important step as you do not want to spend your valuable time selling to someone that does not fit and does not have a decent probability of moving forward.
Qualifying on a cold call can also yield other benefits like making the call more conversational, uncover pain, and decrease the prospect's guard. You can simply compose 2 or 3 soft soft qualifying questions that you can ask prospects that you cold called.
Communicated Business Value
Did you communicate value during your cold calling? We can often get trapped into talking about our company, our products, and our features. But if you are cold calling, you are calling somebody that is not in "buying mode" and as a result, those details might not get their attention.
As a result, try to focus on communicating the value that you have to offer the prospect.
Used a Cold Call Script
Did you use a cold call script when you cold called? And script can mean a couple of different things. It could either be a detailed script that tells you each word that you are supposed to say, or it could be more of an outline detailing key points and questions that you will ask.
You could just "wing it" but having a cold call script will greatly improve results.
Tried to Find Pain
Did you try to find pain that the prospect was experiencing? If there is no pain, there really is no reason for the prospect to meet with you and to ever buy your products and services.
Reflected Back
Did you stop for a minute after the call ended to reflect on what just happened? This can be a powerful step as you can look at what went well and what went not so well and use that to make future calls better. You can look at objections you faced and how you handled them.
You can look at what questions you asked and what questions you could have asked when you cold called.
