Recently, I have been reading articles mentioning that cold calling is no longer effective with the rise of digitalization. Is that so?

Before touching on the topic of cold calling, let’s discuss a bit about one particular tool that has generated traction in the industry – LinkedIn Sales Navigator.

LinkedIn’s Sales Navigator is designed to help sales teams better use the +706 million-strong LinkedIn business network in sales. 

It is the perfect tool for modern sales professionals and offers useful features for every sales phase – from customer acquisition to closing sales.

The question is: does it work for everyone? More importantly, does it reach everyone you want to reach?

Unfortunately, it doesn’t work on me, and neither does it for most of my Lead Generation troop.

There are still people who don’t want to reach other people this way or are not visible in social media. In fact, some prefer to call the company traditionally via a switchboard since it seems to be the only way to get to the target – a method which we commonly know as cold calling.

Cold Calling Isn’t All That Bad

Let’s admit it: cold calling has a bad reputation. It is considered as an outdated method that can’t keep up with current advancements. 

Nevertheless, you should not cross this sales measure off your list as it is still an effective way to acquire new customers. It all depends on how you deploy it.

Below are some useful advice for a successful telephone acquisition, and of course, the advantages of cold calling in this era.

Cold Calling Tips

1. Choose the right person to talk to

Before getting started, think carefully about whom you need to call for a successful telephone acquisition. Do not contact or call anyone whom you don’t have information on.

Some things you could consider when choosing the appropriate person: Is this person really the best contact for your call? Or do you need to contact several people to reach all relevant contacts in a buying center?

Additionally, you’ll need to point out which ideal platform you should reach through – Linkedin, Facebook, Xing, Google, website, or switchboard?

2. Don’t just think business

The point of cold calls is not to directly sell something to every person on the other end of the line. Use “cold calls” to find out more about your target company, their needs, and the appropriate contact persons.

3. Get to the point quickly

Some telephone acquisition coaches advise you to engage the person you call in a conversation to build trust. Besides trust, efficiency is required as well.

Try to find out as quickly as possible whether you have the right contact person on the line. Additionally, you’ll need to figure out whether they are interested in your offering, their budget, and whether they are authorized to make decisions.

4. Know your contact person

Never call someone without preparation. You should have as much information as possible about the contact person.

Below are some crucial information you should prepare:

1. What is their name?
2. What department do they work in?
3. What are their areas of expertise?
4. What characterizes the company where the person works?

5. Think through the interview process

Plan in advance regarding what you want from the contact person. In addition, prepare yourself for objections and possible courses of conversation. 

Proceed according to the lift pitch. You only have 1 minute at first to get into the conversation and move on.

Always try to steer the conversation from your side by asking questions that encourage the other person to continue and arouse interest.

It is not what you tell but what your counterpart wants to talk about and reveals.

6. Pitch with confidence

You must always explain your offer and your product or service in a precise and understandable way.

Convey your product’s features and advantages in a few easy sentences. Use the Elevator Pitch technique.

Always obtain the contact person’s email address afterwards. This allows you to send a summary later on with thanks for the conversation and include a call to action again.

Does Cold Calling in B2B Make Sense at All?

Yes, because there are several advantages to telephone advertising in the business customer sector.

1. With cold calling, the entry barrier is very low because everyone has a phone.
2. The inboxes of your potential customers are filled with impersonal/generic or even false offers (spam) every day. A classic telephone call with a human voice sets you apart.
3. You have direct contact with people, your potential clientele.
4. Even in the case of rejection, you learn important information about the called company (e.g. business structure).

If you have further questions about this or would like to book a training or workshop, please contact https://kvp-solution.com/.