Cold calling! Don’t you just hate it? Even ‘warm’ leads can be hard work on the phone. However the telephone still is one of the best ways to generate new business. You’ll have an even higher success rate if you follow this checklist:
- Do you research before you touch the phone. Your data must be up to date and relevant. Get the name of the person you want to talk with.
- Define your goals for the call. Is it a new order? Or are you just looking to increase your understanding of the potential customer. Write it down. THINK IN INK.
- Rehearse. Don’t sound like you’re reading from a script like every other telesales call you receive.
- Don’t be phased by voicemail. You’re bound to encounter this so leave a clear, concise message. Say you’ll call back at a particular time/day.
- Follow up on your voicemail message.
- Ask questions in order to engage the target contact. The more conversational it is, the more likely the call will succeed.
- Evaluate. How did the call go? What do you need to change before picking up the handset another time.
Happy Dialling!