Sales Training: increasing cold calling results

Cold calling is still an effective lead generation method. Cold calling is just one method and the professional sales person should have many fishing lines in the lake. The marketing methods should complement each other and in time, will produce a steady stream of leads into your company.

After years of winging my cold calling approach, I now script my messages for every cold call I make. The script can change as I measure and track results. I script the opening for live connect to a prospect, and i script the voice mail message which I leave. This keeps me on track.

Cold calling is a numbers game. We know this yet many sales people make a call, then get on the web to research, or some other task, and then make another call. This is way too slow, will limit dials and will limit leads. Treat cold calling like a game, the game is won with the most dials and connects. Use these cold calling techniques to increase call rate:

1. Use a sales software system to collect your leads and your notes. Use a tool that is fast, not CRM. Use a lead specialist tool to call and add sales data and to hit next to go to next lead. Our sales software presents the call list in a grid. Users can click to call and move very fast.
2. Use more than one phone lines. You have your base phone, and get a skype out or vonage. With internet phones you can copy and paste a second number to be dialed while the other number is connecting or while you are leaving your voice mail message. This doubles your calls.
3. Get two headsets. Wear both. One for main line, one for your computer. A simple usb headset is cheap. I overlap them one on each ear.
4. Set a time to cold call. Put a block of time on your calendar to do this task. Then you will warm to the phone. Get into the flow of dialing, talking, dialling on second line, leaving a voicemail, dialling line one. Cold calling, to me, is like meditating. I find I get into a mind set and flow through my list.

Cold calling is, considered by some, a chore. Considered by other professional sales people to be beneath them. If your lead generation systems are banging out sales leads and your day is full of following up with incoming leads, great. If not fill time with cold calling.