Inside Sales Tips Blog

Warming your Cold Calls

One of the hardest things about cold-calling is opening the call.

The goal of the lead-in should be to quickly establish yourself as a peer to the executive, build credibility, and smoothly transition into the conversation. Executives LOVE talking to peers, they HATE talking to salespeople.

Below are some tips on starting your cold calls:

• Use the executive’s first name: Many salespeople refer to their prospects as Mr./Ms. Bigshot. Big mistake! If you are referring to your prospects by their last names, by definition you are placing yourself below them. They will treat you as such.
  
  
• Ask if this is a good time to talk: Many salespeople get their prospect on the phone and launch into their pitch because they fear if they ask the executive if they have time to chat, the only answer will be no. This couldn’t be further from the truth. 90% of the time executives will say “sure” and then you know you have a captive audience and have built rapport by being respectful of their time.
  
  
• Use their titles/responsibilities to build credibility and get them saying yes
  
  
• Scrap the script, use talking points: To be on a peer-to-peer level with your prospects, you need to engage them in a conversation. This is impossible when using a script. Instead, stick to a series of talking points but let your prospects needs/concerns drive the conversation.

Below is an intro script we have found works well to position yourself as a peer, build rapport, and smoothly transition into the pitch so that your cold calls become much warmer:

• Hi, Mark, this is Eric Young calling from Vorsight. How are you?
• Fine, what is this regarding?


• Well it will only take a minute or so but you sound a little busy, do you have a quick minute to chat?
• I’m always busy, Eric, but I can spare a minute, go ahead.


• Well I was pointed in your direction as the Head of Sales at Widgets Inc. Is that correct?
• Yes


• Great, are you familiar with Vorsight?
• No


• We are…