Crunched Blog

By Keely B.

You’ve got a fantastic, world-changing product or service and you’re ready to start pitching.  The questions is: how do you capture your prospect’s attention on a cold call to successfully schedule the all-important visit or online meeting?

Here are a few tips:

Know Your Customer

Do your homework on your prospect and his company. If necessary, hire a private detective to shadow his every footstep so you can find out what he wears, where he goes, who he sleeps with and why. Alright, we’re only kidding, but you get the picture. Use the Internet – It’s got to be good for something other than Facebook and online poker, right? Remember, you’re a problem solver. Treat your call like research and find out what challenges keep your prospect up at night.

They Picked Up The Phone…Now What?

DON’T PANIC! Introduce yourself, explain why the hell you’re calling, and ask if this is a bad time (it’s never a good time). Try to mimic their tone and pace. If they sound like a fast paced New Yorker, where time is money, make it snappy. If they are a laid back person, take it slow, use pauses. You will be surprised how quickly they connect with you and how much easier it will be to talk about what matters.

Have Confidence In Your Product

Cold calling sucks. A bad call can leave you drained and unwilling to pick up the phone again. We’ve all gone through this. The trick is to believe in your product more than the painful memories of previous calls. Put a smile on your face, even if you have to fake it. You’ve got to believe that your solution is better than the competition or no one else will. If you’re excited, they’re more likely to be engaged.

Tell Them You Mean Business

Start by offering some insights into their industry or competition. You’ll earn the right to ask some questions and learn about the challenges they face. Once they start talking, shut up and listen you fool! If you can unveil your prospect’s latent problems, discuss their implications, and show how your product solves their challenges, you’re on your way to earning a new customer.

Leave The Slouch For The Couch

Remember when your parents kept pestering you about sitting upright while working? I know they still use AOL 7.0 but they were on-target with this tip. The way you position yourself will affect how you feel, how you breathe, how you speak. Even your boss will notice (initiate fist pump). Imagine that your prospect is sitting right in front of you. If you’re not engaged and enthusiastic, you can’t expect to capture his attention. Having trouble with this? Ask your friend to slap you every time you slouch (this is a fun exercise for both parties). Alternatively, get a standing desk– your feet will hate me, but your numbers will love me.

Topics: cold calling, Crunched, online meeting, prospecting, sales, tips, top 5