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Regular cold calling is like healthy exercise. If you make it a habit you will reap the benefits tremendously. If it’s something that you do every once in a while then you’re really not doing the “body” of your business any good. You’re probably better off hiring someone else to do it for you for better results. Here are some tips and tricks on how to significantly improve the health of your business.
• Cold Calling makes for good Hygiene / Wear Clean Clothes to the gym: Ever shake hands with someone, only to be blown away by their bad breath? Imagine yourself as a Marketing Director being approached by a half hearted phone call. You can smell “cold caller breath” a mile away. Cold calling keeps you sharp and on your feet. It ultimately provides you with the breadth of skills you need to achieve an appointment.
• Don’t take NO too personal: Never, ever, take a cold call personally. You will get…no, not interested, brother in-law handles it, personal friend of the owner, or don’t ever call me again, to name a few. If you let your feelings get hurt on a “no” then you are setting yourself up for future failures.
• Read the label on the protein shake: A lot of times the very thing that keeps you from getting the appointment with the prospect is by not adapting to their tone and pace of work. If you get someone who talks really fast, try to keep up. If you get someone on the line that talks really slow, then slow down. Understand the pace your prospect does their work and follow suit.
• Exercise log: Take notes on every call you make. Write down any names or other information you can get which could be useful on a follow up call to help you schedule an appointment.
• Work Out (a) Schedule: Plan out your cold calling days accordingly. Make a commitment to spend at least 30 minutes on the phone before getting up for a drink of water, sending a fax, or returning a call. This helps you build momentum and increase the overall delivery of your pitch.
• Get a personal trainer: It helps exponentially to have someone keep you accountable for your calling. This usually works great if both the people are making cold calls. In my experience at the gym, a workout partner helps me push myself to the next level, and in the long run I accomplish more. Find someone that has the same goals as you do and train with them.
• Set Goals: Every time I get under the bench I set a goal to lift the bar 15 times. The same can be applied in calling. Make 15 straight calls with the goal of getting someone on the phone, a contact name, e-mail address, and/or company needs. Whatever it is, make sure you have a strategy to make progress in reaching your goals.
• Pack your gym bag: How often have you gone to the gym only to realize you forgot your towel at home? It’s very important to sit down and prepare yourself for making cold calls. One effective way of doing this is by making an excel sheet with a list of prospects. Having a list helps you save time, become more organized, and take notes on each call
Now, if only we could hire people to exercise for us…