Many modern small business owners have given up on the “old-school” practice of cold calling in favor of “new-school” methods of marketing such as social media outreach. While this can be effective, your company can still benefit from some good old-fashioned smiling and dialing.
There is nothing more important to an entrepreneur than generating new business, establishing contacts, and setting appointments. To effectively generate new business, you must be open to all possibilities, regardless of how uncomfortable they may be. There’s an old saying that goes, “anything worth doing is worth doing right”. You must be serious and dedicated enough to do it right.
When launching a telemarketing or appointment setting campaign, there are a few guidelines to live by:
1. Properly prepare before launching your campaign.
Start by establishing an objective for each individual phone call. Write a script detailing an umbrella view of everything you need to say. If you’re really uncomfortable with the idea of reading off of a script, you should take into consideration an outline as an alternative so the call will sound more natural. Write down what you expect the prospect to say in response to your questions. This will help frame the conversation in your mind and keep you from getting caught off guard.
2. Know that you are a nuisance…and embrace it.
This can be critical when framing your mindset when approaching a campaign. You probably know from experience that business decision makers typically try to avoid telemarketing calls. Instead of deterring you from participating, you should use this knowledge to customize your pitch. Be friendly. Let the prospect know that you are a human, face similar challenges, and are only there to help. The trick is to make your cold call feel like an important consultative experience.
3. Be studious and diligent.
There’s nothing that will turn a prospect off more quickly than an unprepared telemarketer. Take the time to learn your prospect’s business and industry as well as your own. It can be immensely deflating to finally get an interested prospect on the phone, only to be unable to answer his legitimate questions. If you fall into this trap, your prospect will quickly lose respect for you and decide that you aren’t worth speaking to. After all, you are representing your business.
4. Use knowledge to your advantage.
If you’ve taken the time to learn industry terminology and company details, don’t be afraid to share it. Casually incorporate industry lingo into your pitch, and show off the fact that you’ve studied their business! Furthermore, understanding the target company can extend the length of your call and help you establish a deeper relationship.
5. Target the right people.
Part of your research should be to determine who makes the necessary decisions for their business. If you can’t get the decision maker on the phone, let the gatekeeper know that it is a cold call, and have them forward you to the right person’s voicemail. Getting shutdown by a person who doesn’t make decisions can derail your efforts.
About the Author
Adam Shore is a former sales and marketing executive, and currently focuses on small business outsourcing services such as cold calling, telemarketing, and lead generation.