The Purpose of Cold-Calling Is to Get Face-to-Face

The purpose of cold calling is simple and clear. But so often we become diverted from our objective. This is the second of several tips from Joe Friedman on how to make more effective sales calls. In the first tip, Joe highlights how prospecting is a game.

Transcript:

One of the first questions that we ask people when we’re talking about prospecting, cold calling, or introductory calls: What’s the objective? And I can tell you we normally fill a flip-chart full of people’s ideas: gain information, find out if we’re talking to the right people, maybe do some need discovery, get a meeting, have a discussion, present product ideas. It’s actually a trick question.

There’s only one objective when you’re cold calling and that objective is to get a meeting.

The real power in selling happens when you’re face-to-face. As a result of that, our objective when we’re cold calling is to do nothing more than that. And yet, frequently we get diverted: “Tell me a little bit more about your company.” By the way, if somebody says that to you, your response should be: “It will be better off if I show you.”

Remember: your objective is to get face-to-face. And that’s what you need to come back to—regardless of what they ask, what they say, and what the other person does in an attempt to divert the conversation somewhere else. You want to keep coming back to the need to be face-to-face. That’s where relationships get created.

Here are some other tips and topics on Selling Skills from Joe Friedman:

Previous Cold Calling Tips...

Cold Calling Tip #1: Prospecting Is a Game

Cold Calling Tip #2: Why Even Make Cold Calls?

Cold Calling Tip #3: How to Make a Cold Call Warmer

Cold Calling Tip #4: Plan Your Cold Calls

Cold Calling Tip #5: Value to “Them” Gets You in the Door

Cold Calling Tip #6: A Positioning Statement Puts Your Best Foot Forward

Cold Calling Tip #7: Handling Resistance to Meeting

Cold Calling Tip #8: Make Them an Offer They Can't Refuse

Cold Calling Tip #9: Be CHARMing When You Get Resistance Cold Calling

Cold Calling Tip #11: Handling the Objection “I’ve Got No Time”