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

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What happens when you’re cold calling and someone answers the phone? There are some basics you need to have ready. You won’t have a lot of time. What is the purpose of your call in terms of value to them?  Expressing the purpose of your call in terms of value to the person you’re calling can get you the time you need to get the meeting.

Transcript:

What happens when you’re cold calling and someone actually picks up the phone? Yes, there’s a process of steps you ought to go through even given the reality that this is a live event.

  1. Introduce yourself
  2. Mention your company
  3. The positioning statement one or two sentences that sums up who you are (previously discussed).

Here’s the next thing that could go into the Opening Ceremony of a cold call, at least: What is the purpose of the call in terms of value to them? We don’t have a lot of time when we’re cold calling. We need to make an impression fairly quickly.

What’s the purpose or value to them? I'm calling with some ideas that might help you save money. I'm calling with some ideas that might help you save time. I'm calling with some ideas that might help you increase your top-line or manage your bottom-line more effectively. Yes, you need to a guess. But you need to put some value in for them.

You don’t have a lot of time when we’re cold calling, so you really need to contain what happens in the opening seconds of the call.

I can tell you, having done a lot of training and done a lot of cold calling, I am horrified by what happens typically at the beginning of those calls. I’ve had clients say, “Well, can you tell me what you know about us?” Ooo. There’s a real client focused question right up front. I’ve had people go right into a pitch to find out if this resonates with that person or to see if I’m talking to the right person in that organization. That’s of no value to them.

Think about the curse of cold calling: that we’re interrupting someone away from what they would normally be doing. So, to hear somebody blather on about the amazing products that you offer is going to be a waste of their time. And so you really need to contain what happens at the beginning in these opening seconds: your name, who you are, your positioning statment, value to them, or some combination of that has got to be how you open a prospecting call.

ZEHREN♦FRIEDMAN offers a full range of selling skills courses to help you sell better.

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Joe Friedman

Joe has over 20 years experience in sales, training, and consulting.  Selling and delivering training is Joe’s passion. Joe’s career path has taken him from the faculty at Northeastern Illinois University to First Chicago, to another training firm before joining his friend David (who kept calling, and calling, and calling) to form ZEHREN♦FRIEDMAN. 

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