posted 20th March 2024
Why is cold calling so hard? Probably because the thought of the outcome is more negative than the actual outcome.
When a cold call comes in, to a senior manager in a company, the first thing the recipient says to their Assistant is 'what do they want'?
Why? Because you don't have time to talk to them, or you want to understand whether what they can add value to your day before talking to them. Sometimes the targeted recipient will answer the call directly if their support team are unavailable or not at their desk at that moment.
So often, when asking someone what they can do for you, the answer you get is 'I would like to spend 1 hour with you to better understand your business'. Great, but that is a benefit for the caller, not the recipient.
What's in it for the recipient?
There are many ways to approach a new contact, either have a compelling benefit statement to hand or start with an unsolicited email doing the same thing. The key is that there are benefits contained within either option.
Most senior execs are listening or asking for a benefit, to them or their business, to agree to a meeting. If the caller can't give them a benefit, the call will be very short and either the caller will call someone else, lower down the chain or the company will not be a prospect.
If a senior person makes the cold call, you will probably take it, but the same thing applies.
Imagine if the person on the other end of the telephone provides a clear benefit statement, one that would really help your company. Then what action would you take?
Therefore, the action or decision is more about the statement made rather than anything else.
What to do
You do what needs to be done, not what you want to do.
Learn constantly, never assume you know everything, because nobody knows everything.
Don't be afraid of making mistakes - they are the best and only way to learn.
Measure everything, if you cannot measure it, don't do it.
Practice, practice, practice.