Cold calling is often a salesperson’s least favorite part of the job. However, it is arguably the most necessary skill you need to succeed. Without leads at the top of your funnel, you can’t hit your quotas. If you’re looking for new ways to warm up your cold calling list, try these strategies.
Why Cold Calling Fails
Cold calling fails because it’s an impersonal method of communication. Decision-makers are far too busy to talk to people who obviously know nothing about their business. They must pick and choose valuable interactions throughout the day. Even if you do a little research, cold calling often fails because:
- The research is cursory
- You talk too much
- You don’t offer specifics
- You brag about your product/service
- You make assumptions about the prospect’s needs
Outdated cold calling techniques will result in failure almost 100% of the time. In today’s corporate climate, you must adjust your approach and focus on turning a cold call into a warm lead.
“Sales teams operate as a unit, working closely with marketing and operations to have synergy with a targeted audience and consistent messaging. Artificial Intelligence and paid advertising make a big difference in warming up a lead for your next phone call!” says Sharon Tsao, CMO, Contemporary Staffing Solutions.
Strategies to Warm up A Lead
Taking a little bit of time upfront can warm up a cold lead and improve your chances of making an appointment. These strategies yield strong results when cold calling or cold emailing:
- Get social-media savvy: Thanks to LinkedIn and social media profiles, you can now get corporate intelligence with just a few clicks of your mouse. Read your prospects’ content and posts to get a feel for their priorities and focus. Research the decision-maker and see what he or she shares to get some insight into their interests, as well.
- Research the industry: If you sell in one vertical, you probably know your industry well. However, if you sell to many industries, you’ll want to brush up on a prospect’s niche before your pick up the phone, so you sound like you know what you’re talking about.
- Personalize communication: This means more than just using a prospect’s first name. Customize every interaction (that means stay away from scripts or canned emails), so that it feels relevant to the person you’re talking to.
- Leverage inbound marketing techniques: You can draw people to you by taking a page from inbound marketing strategies. Take time to position yourself as an expert on LinkedIn and other social media platforms, and spend time crafting blog posts for your company website, or for a blog you create using your own name as the URL (ex: firstnamelastname.com). If you effectively create an active online presence and brand yourself an expert, it will lend credibility to every interaction and it may generate warm inbound leads, as well.
“Managing marketing campaigns allows us to measure the ROI and supply the sales team with real results. We can target a specific industry and location to give your audience a specific message from you. Account based marketing allows us to tailor your message one on one or to a group of very similar prospects – join the CSS team if you want to see how we do this!” says Marybel DiScala, Digital Marketing Leader, Contemporary Staffing Solutions.
Are Your Salespeople Warming Up Their Leads?
If you are looking sales or sales management talent for your organization, the expert sales recruiters CSS are here to help. Whether you need to attract and retain top sales talent, or you are looking for advice on how to manage them for success, contact CSS ProSearch today.
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Contemporary Staffing connects job seekers to hiring managers nationally in the following professions: Accounting & Finance, Call Center & Office, Human Resources, IT, Salesforce, and Sales & Marketing.