you look at the cold call as something that could be practical and economical, the cold call can be viewed in an entirely different light.”
There are some steps to follow that allow the cold call to be viewed in that different light. For instance:
Consider the why and the when of the cold call
“ Keep in mind that one of the key benefits of the cold call is its immediacy. I’ ve found that no matter how well-organized I might think I am, there’ s always going to be some time— some opportunity— when you’ re making a lengthy trip for just one sales call. Inevitably during the course of such a trip, there’ s going to be an opportunity to knock on some doors that you haven’ t knocked on before. And, when you do that, there can be some surprises in store for you.”
The rep continued,“ Probably because I’ ve got so many years under my belt, I’ m not afraid to encounter the ultimate rejection that accompanies the majority of cold sales calls. I see that fear of rejection to be more prevalent in some of the younger salespeople. They want to maximize their time and always hit the ball out of the park. As a result, they’ re missing some of the harder-to-find opportunities.”
While this rep is obviously a believer in the benefit of cold calling, he was careful to emphasize that when making cold calls, there has to be a plan in place— it can’ t simply be a seat-of-the-pants process. Among many suggestions for profitable cold sales calls, he offered the following:
Don’ t avoid or be afraid of making cold calls
Truth be told, a good number of salespeople simply don’ t like to make cold calls. And, if you’ re like most good salespeople, you like to plan your moves carefully. If you’ re willing to take on the task and the challenge of making cold calls, prepare. Make sure you have all the information you can have beforehand.
Prequalify cold calls
According to the rep“ I always do my homework before making a call. Whatever information I gather ahead of time, I keep with me whenever I make my regularly scheduled calls. That why when one of my‘ confirmed’ appointments doesn’ t pan out, I have everything I need with me to make an effective cold.
Don’ t waste time— This is a threefold bit of advice:
1. Don’ t waste time with lengthy explanations to number-two people. There are always going to be those times when it seems there are people whose only reason for being is to keep you from seeing the people you want to see. When that happens, provide some information for your call, but don’ t get into a lengthy discussion when it becomes apparent that the person is