Cold calling (cold calls) means contacting potential customers by phone. Importantly, the person we are calling has not been previously warned about this contact, so the consultant is talking to them for the first time. The concept of cold calling is related to the so-called cold lead, i.e. a potential customer who has no information about the product/service and needs to be "warmed up", i.e. convinced to buy. We can also come across the concept of cold mailing (sending commercial messages to chinese overseas america phone number data people with whom the brand has not previously established contact).
Cold calling is a difficult field of marketing. Especially in the era of new technologies. Each of us deals with a huge number of stimuli every day, including marketing messages, which is why a telephone conversation with a stranger is often accepted reluctantly. Nowadays, cold calling requires good preparation, as well as the consultant's skills to start and maintain a conversation.
Cold calling – how to start?
As we said, cold calls are directed to people who have not had contact with the brand before. Nevertheless, it is worth spending some time to check the database - whether there are people in it who can really be the target group of the company, whether the database is up-to-date and checked in terms of personal data (GDPR, consent to contact). If you are contacting large clients, especially as part of B2B activities, obtain information about them in advance - try to determine how your product/service can meet their needs. In the case of cold calling, there is a relatively high risk that the customer will not want to talk, so it is worth analyzing in advance whether spending time on research is justified - sometimes you can skip this step.
Read also: What is marketing research and what types do we know?
Once the database is ready, it is necessary to prepare the telemarketer. Among the important soft skills, it is worth mentioning patience, politeness, the so-called gift of persuasion and natural personal culture. A positive approach to the product/service is also very important, which can always be heard on the other side of the phone.
Prepare the appropriate script
If you need to make a lot of calls in a short period of time, you will need a conversation script. This is a conversation script that contains several different conversation options – depending on the customer’s response. This allows you to conduct conversations faster, with minimal attention span (no strain on the customer’s patience). This in turn increases the chance of a sale or other form of conversion.
Thanks to the script, consultants will also not stray from the main purpose of the conversation. This is a great convenience, because during a conversation on the phone, it is easy to lose the thread.
It is worth including elements such as:
A form of greeting and encouraging the interlocutor to continue the conversation (by presenting a major benefit or an attention-grabbing question),
Presenting the benefits – this is one of the key elements, but remember not to be too pushy. If possible, it is worth introducing specific numbers, e.g. a possible increase in revenue of x%.
Call to action – for example, sending an email with an offer, arranging a meeting, contacting at a different time. The most important goal is not to lose contact with the customer.
When creating a script, it is also very important to anticipate possible questions from the interviewee and prepare an answer to them. It is also worth "pulling out" as much information as possible from the potential customer.
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Tools to help with cold calling
In addition to the script, tools that automate work are a huge help in cold calling (especially when done on a large scale). These include applications and programs that guide the consultant through the entire conversation. The appropriate program will automatically select a person from the database and start the call. The consultant can read the script, important information about the client, and create notes from the meeting on the monitor.
Read also: Bulk SMS sending via API – is it a good solution for your company?
Such solutions, as well as the infrastructure necessary to maintain the entire process, are most often available at call centers /contact centers. It is therefore worth considering outsourcing telemarketing services, especially since cold calling can be supplemented with a number of other services, such as lead acquisition, arranging sales meetings, marketing research, or database management.
Cold calling in a few steps
For a sales conversation over the phone to be effective, it is necessary to:
appropriate preparation (including the selection of contacts and training of consultants),
creating a good first impression – the tone of voice, the consultant’s approach and what they say in the first seconds of the conversation are important,
engagement and (if possible) personalization of the conversation – referring to individual aspects (e.g. the specifics of the potential customer’s products),
defining the purpose of the conversation and indicating potential benefits – preferably at the beginning of the conversation,
conducting a conversation according to a previously prepared script , but also active listening – it should be a conversation that engages both parties, not a monologue,
focusing on delivering value , the benefits mentioned earlier,
ending the conversation with a call to action – planning the next step to take (e.g. a meeting, it is worth specifying as many details as possible, such as time and place).
In the cold calling process, it is also important to evaluate activities – verify previous campaigns, identify errors and fix them in subsequent projects.
