Cold Calling Sucks! I Read the Book so You Don't Have to | BoostBC

Cold Calling Sucks! I Read the Book so You Don't Have to | BoostBC

We all know the cold calling sucks, but as Armand Farrokh and Nick Cegelski explain in their book, it actually works... If you do it right. Cold Calling Sucks (And That's Why It Works) outlines the different ways to make cold calling work for you. What to say and what not to say to get past the first 30 seconds of a cold call, and even book the meeting.

One of the first things they talk about is practice makes perfect. And not just practicing on calls, but taking the time to go over the script in your car, in front of the mirror, or even while walking round town.

Pro Tip: Find an accountability buddy, someone who also needs to master cold calling, you cold calling partner in crime if you will.

Cold calls are won or lost in the first 30-60 seconds, and so the first goal is to earn the next 60 seconds. The next part of the book outlines the different ways you can open the call in order to do just this.

The 'Heard the name tossed around' opener.

For this opener, you need to open with context, introduce yourself and then ask if they have heard of you. For example "Hey Bob, we work with other entrepreneurs in the local area, my name is Paige and I'm with BoostBC, have you heard my name tossed around?" This opener needs to be delivered with confidence, and an assumptive casualness that you are certain they have heard of you. When they answer that they have not, it is very important you play this off with a relaxed laugh again, a casual confidence. For Example "Oh haha, I guess I am not as popular as I thought."

The 'Tailored Permission' opener.

Once again, you need to open with context, admit that this is in fact a cold call, and ask permission to continue with the call. For example "Hi Bob, I am calling about the out of date website your business is currently using. I will admit, this is a cold call, but a well researched one. would it be okay if I took 30 seconds of your time to explain why your website prompted me to call you and then you can tell me weather or not it makes sense for us to speak?" With this opener, you want to be cheeky and casual. Humanize yourself, especially if they say no. Agree that no one likes cold calls, it's hard to be mad at someone who is agreeing with you.

The book talks about how these openers differentiate you from scam callers and telemarketers who often use generic opener.

Openers you NEVER want to use include:

"How is your day going?" - The truth is, you don't really care how their day is going, making this opener insincere and uninteresting.

"Did I catch you at a bad time?" - Of course you did, this is a cold call!

So, now you have made it past the first 30-60 seconds of the call, now it's time for your pitch. The book talks about the 'Problem Proposition' method, where you show you have a strong understanding of the problem you are trying to solve. Most people will try to jump right into selling the solution, but the truth is that problems sell. For example, instead of "Speedy home cleaning" use "Let us deal with the scum behind the toilet". Or instead of "Dog food delivery" use "Tired of carrying big bags of kibble to your car?". You need to remind them of their problem, before you prove you can solve it.

Now, in order to convince the prospect that you can solve their problem, you need to prove you fully understand the problem. The book outlines these 3 steps:

1. Offer a problem description. Be specific!

2. Offer a one sentence solution. Again, be specific.

3. Offer an interest based call to action.

All together, this could look something like this, "We have heard from many local businesses that creating a good website is frustrating, takes way too much time and is beyond expensive, and they cannot find the right fit willing to work with them and their business. BoostBC is local and affordable, are you interested in looking at the options we have to offer?"

Now we get into the third part of a cold call, how to land the meeting. You don't want to be too vague with the options of when to have the meeting, or it is easier for them to decline, but you do want to offer range for them to choose from. For example, "I know I interrupted your day, we can meet later at a time that works for you, are you available Thursday between 1 and 3?" Do not let them hang up without setting the meeting, or the chances of it being booked become much lower. Instead, confirm their email over the phone and send an invite anyway, for example, "That's okay if you can't confirm right now, I will send over the invite with a few time options, and you can pick the time that works best for you." This way, you are getting something into their calendar. You should end the call explicitly asking them to watch for and accept the calendar invite, this way it will show in their Google calendar.

When you put all of this together, tone is going to be the other most important part of the equation. Don't be weird and over excited, but also don't be monotone. It's very important you don't come off as scripted or canned, which can happen when following a script too closely. You want to know your opener and your pitch, but you need to know it well enough to roll with the call, rejections and all, which leads us to the next topic, How to handle rejection.

When you call a prospect, and they immediately have an objection to the call, they are reacting to the interruption, not the pitch. There are a few ways that you can handle the objections.

1. Agree with the objection. It is very difficult to be angry with someone who is agreeing with you. "Yeah, it probably doesn't make sense for you to switch now anyway."

2. Ask why they are objecting. Using a phrase like "just so none of my colleagues call you again, is this just a bad time, or do you get too many cold calls in general" This will get them talking and find out the real reason they are not interested.

3. Sell a test drive. "I get it, you probably aren't going to buy this now, but are you interested in taking a look now, in case you are in need for it later."

This layout will help you to remove the pressure of the call, and get them talking with you, which makes them far more likely to book the meeting in the end.

Next, the book focuses on gatekeepers (receptionists and assistance) and how to get around them using the 'Triple Bypass' method. You need to act like you belong, like you already know the prospect you are calling to talk to.

First is the 'Slide By' - Simply ask to be put through. Assume that they will put you through and use that confidence in your call. "Hi, can you put me through to Bob, it's Paige."

Second, if that does not work, is 'Context no Product' - "It's Paige from BoostBC, I am calling about the upcoming mixer he is planning."

Third, if that still does not work is 'Social Proof to Explain what you do' - Do not lie or be rude, the gatekeeper is only doing their job. "We work with a few other local businesses in the area, I sent him an email earlier, can you let him know it's Paige from BoostBC."

One of the final parts of cold calling talked about if voicemails. Leaving voicemails can double your email reply rate and still maintain your connection rate. There are a few rules you want to follow when leaving a voicemail:

1. Lead with context. And only leave context in the voicemail, follow up with an email including your pitch.

2. Direct them back to the email. Ask them to watch for the email you are sending with more details.

3. Keep it short. No more than 30 seconds, no one listens to long voicemails all the way through.

4. Only ever leave 2 voicemails.

Lastly, the book talks about how to become a cold calling machine. How to maximize you connection, conversion and show rate.

• Prioritize mobile and direct lines to skip gatekeepers.

• Mark your tracks, keep tabs on the numbers you call, flagging any bad numbers or tacking gatekeepers you connect with, and avoid calling the impossible ones over and over again.

• Prevent yourself from getting spam tagged. Register your phone number, rotate phone numbers, and occasionally call yourself to make sure you are not tagged as spam.

• Reasearch your list, and start by calling the most likely to book candidates.

• Call the right people, make sure you know who within the company you should be talking to.

• Get your calls done first thing, the longer you wait in the day, the less likely you are to get them done.

• Get your prep done the night before so you are not wasting time researching in the morning when you should be calling.

• The only way you can defeat call reluctance, is to do so many calls that you become numb to the rejection.

All in all, this book had lots of good information, tips and tricks around cold calling and why it works. The only way to improve your cold calling success rate is practice, and only practice will build your confidence for making these calls. Make sure to follow BoostBC for more helpful tips for your business.