Cold Start to a Cold Call

jonah hill phoneAt first, calling a prospective client seemed to be something of a daunting task.  However, I knew I needed to adjust as quickly as possible as I was a new member of the team.  I began to feel the comfort and confidence that is needed to be successful after learning the ropes of Mudd EQ.  I started to make calls and soon began to realize that it isn’t as bad as one presumes.  After all, you aren’t calling your high school crush or your best friend; you are calling someone that you probably won’t ever see in person.

Cold Calling Tips

Cold calling is basically the art of knowing your product and knowing how it can help someone.  That way, the task of cold calling becomes easier.   If you don’t actually believe that your product/service can assist someone then you are not going to have an easy time selling it.  If you call Pizza Hut looking for a special then the employee who answers the phone better know what the deal is and why it’s their current “special.”  The same goes for a product.  When someone wants to know why your product is so good then you need to know why it is and believe that it is.

When approaching someone in a call, keeping interaction with them is very important.  It is critical to make the client feel like they are important, because they are!  If you can get them engaged and responding to your questions then you have almost instantly gotten your foot in the door.  After your potential client is engaged, it gets a little trickier.  You can’t have a planned approach for the whole call, you need to have the ability to be flexible.  With flexibility comes knowledge and confidence.

No matter how good the conversation is going, you need to be able to lock “it” in.  “It” is a specific way to re-contact the client, either by sending them more information, or getting another call time.  If you can’t, chances are you can kiss any sale or relationship with this client goodbye.

During my internship, I’ve learned that cold calling isn’t as bad as everyone thinks. Once you can do these things, it definitely gives you the confidence to communicate with clients better and more effectively. Cold calling is not so much of a daunting task after all.

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