Cold calling technology verbatim scenario of telephone conversations. Sales scripts: templates for cold calls

Cold calls are relevant in two moments, namely, when you need to sharply raise the volume, since the incoming stream does not suit you.

Or there is no flow at all and cold calls are used when it can be called almost the only adequate way to attract customers in your business.

In any case, in order to do it well, you need to invest pounds of money in training managers, who may become a star and leave as a result.

Or just write a cold call script, according to which any newcomer will sell like an experienced one in your company.

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE

For cold calls, it is normal that the client is not waiting for you and that you need to be extremely careful with phrases and approach.

Since an unsuccessful conversation can not only not attract, but also scare away, create a bad opinion about you as a company. And you will hear at the end of the wire "beep-beep-beep ...".

What can not be said about an incoming call when the client is already interested in your company or in your product. And it is important on a psychological level that he himself called you, and not you. Feel the difference?

Therefore, the first thing you need to do before creating your conversation script is to decide on two things:

1. Result

You need to decide for yourself what you will bring the client to. This is very important, since all arguments will need to carefully hint at what you need, and not how the conversation will go.

And therein lies the problem with most sales. Three such goals can be roughly distinguished:

Appointment of a meeting;
Sending CP;
Sales by phone.

The result is selected based on how warm the client is and how easy it is to make a decision to purchase your product or service. And we move from top to bottom.

That is, if everything is complicated, then we agree on a meeting, if everything is fine, then we send a quotation, if everything is simple, then we immediately close it for sale.

Important. The cold call algorithm will depend on the final goal.

Let's imagine a situation: we are selling forestry equipment for several tens of millions, would it be logical to try to sell it right away?

Of course not. First you need to at least meet. And if we sell printer maintenance, then in this case it would be more logical to first send an offer, and only then press for a purchase or meeting. I'm sure you got the idea.

2. Occasion

You also need to decide on the reason for the phone calls. If the result is to be a sale or send a commercial offer, then everything is simple, your main reason is to solve the problem of the client or offer better conditions.

But when we meet, things are different. The reasons may be different, as well as the scripts for the conversation themselves. And here are a few examples:

Conduct an audit;
Implement one free method;
Carry out diagnostics;
Agree on special conditions;
Issue a free sample.

Ideally, even when sending a commercial offer, you need to come up with a reason, as this will help you in all your phrases.

What's next?

After we have decided on the scenario, we already take our initial data and start writing the cold call script.

We start with the passage of the blocker, which can be a secretary, administrator or even a cloakroom attendant.

And believe our experience, for most companies this stage - to pass the secretary in the case of telephone conversations, and becomes the most difficult in the whole algorithm.

But we will cover the passage of the blocker in detail in another separate article, the only thing I want to say is that now the classic version of “Contact me with the director on cooperation…” no longer works.

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When we first started, we were sure that our created cold calling algorithm would be suitable in all cases.

But experience has shown the opposite. Our phone sales script, although it works well, does not always lead to a result. And all this is connected with the sphere of the client.

Important. If the customer’s sphere is not competitive and other companies practically do not use cold calls, then you can use the classics of the genre.

If the niche is complex, has its own specificity and is very competitive at the same time, then you have to come up with more complex entries, changing the script, structure, phrases, reasons, sequence.

Therefore, be sure to take this fact into account when you develop your cold calling algorithm.

It seems that in the last paragraph it was possible to end the entire article with the words “Everything is individual”. But then it wouldn't be us.

Therefore, now we will consider the most effective and standardized algorithm, which can partly be designated as a script template. This template consists of seven steps:

Greetings;
self-presentation;
Designation of the purpose of the call + offer;
Asking questions;
Offer for “result”;
Closing a conversation.

The sequence of stages is strictly observed from the first to the last. The only thing that can move is the development of objections, or they are still called excuses in a simplified version.

Also, the FAQ block (frequently asked questions), which is not here, also periodically appears during the conversation.

The main task when developing a scenario for a cold sale or a call is to make sure that the client does not have the opportunity to leave the tunnel through which you lead him.

You won't leave!

If he “jumps off the hook”, then he can go in any direction, where all your structure and phrases will break like waves on rocks.

Script Structure

Before we start, I want to convey another very important idea - the sales structure in the b2b and b2c segments is radically different. KA-R-DI-NA-L-NO!

That is, a call to a company or a person representing a company is fundamentally different from a call to an individual.

This article is focused on b2b sales. If you need a script for the b2c segment, then use combinations of different solutions that you can find in this and our other articles.

So, below we will analyze what a sales script for a cold call should include.

1. Greeting

The easiest block that you can quickly skim through and move on to the next step. But still. At the beginning of the conversation, we, as polite people, say: “Good afternoon, Stepan Pavlovich.”

And I advise after that to wait for a pause for a counter greeting, to make sure that the client is listening and hearing you at the moment.

Notice we say the client's name. It is very important to verify the decision maker in advance, or at least get the name from the blocker.

Thus, the director is no longer a faceless character, but a person with a name, which means that, firstly, he will focus on you, and, secondly, you say with your whole phrase: “I know everything about you, I am prepared. And I don’t need to hang noodles on my ears.”

2. Self-presentation

After the greeting, you need to say who you are and where you are from. Moreover, you can say where you are from in different ways, here are examples for you:

Plant "Ingetrik";
Rail production plant “Ingetrik”.

As you can see, in the first case, I deliberately do not open the company sphere, when in the second I open all the cards at once, knowing that this will increase efficiency.

We use the first case when our field of activity initially causes a negative (each field has its own list of stop companies).

The duty “Is it convenient for you to talk now?”, It is not always necessary to use it, since there is a type of client who starts to get nervous at this question with the words: “Say what you need!”.

I know it sounds weird, but remember, this is a cold call, you need to act differently here. If you are still worried, then believe me, with a real impossibility to speak, the decision maker will tell you about it at the beginning of the conversation.

And besides, with such a question you bury yourself in a hole, giving the interlocutor the opportunity to say “No, it’s inconvenient” and hang up.

PTYSHCH! On the spot!

3. Designation of the purpose of the call

In this case, it would be logical to tell the client why you are calling, because if you start asking him questions without explaining the reason, then you are unlikely to hear anything pleasant in your direction.

Again, there are different ones on the phone, namely, voicing the purpose of the call, any can be used, there are many of them, we will study three options right now:

The “We-You” Technique Aims to show the client the connection between you:

Example: - Ekaterina Dmitrievna, your company is engaged in holding banquets, and we just specialize in attracting customers to restaurants and cafes. That's why I'm calling to s_____...
Technique "In the forehead" What could be better than to tell the client directly and without tricks what you want? But in this case, immediately get ready for excuses like “Not necessary”, “Not interested”, “We work with others”, which will be 100%.

Example: - Veronika Viktorovna, we are servicing computers in companies and would like to start working with you. How can we do it?
Technique “Does it make sense?” This approach is very relevant when you need to verify a decision maker whether he is suitable for you as a client or not.
For example, if you only work with companies that print more than 3,000 documents per month.

Example: - Egor Alexandrovich, in order not to insist on a meeting in vain and save your time, please tell me, do you print more than 3,000 documents a month?

4. Asking questions

If you are closing for sending, then you just need to ask a few clarifying questions in order to send what you need.

If you are arranging a meeting or an audit, then the questions in question (sorry for the tautologies) can only shift the focus of attention and distract from the topic. But again, everything is individual.

Example: - In order to send me exactly the offer that will be relevant to you, just answer a few questions, please.

It is advisable to ask no more than three questions, since we do not forget that a cold call is when the client was not waiting for you, so you need to work out this moment very well and create such powerful questions that will reveal all the needs.

There is definitely an option that you will be told “I don’t need questions. Send the CP immediately.”

And then the amount will not change from changing the places of the terms, and the needs will be studied 😉

5. Offer for “result”

In the previous sections, we have already discussed with you the different reasons for moving to the next step (meeting / cp / audit, etc.).

But, if you are selling by phone, then it would be logical that after the questions you should offer something to the client, unless, of course, he has already hung up. And then close on occasion.

Why am I saying this? Because it is very difficult to sell to a client from the first call if your product is not mass-used and does not cost several hundred rubles. But notice I didn't say it was impossible 😉

Example: - Peter Nikitich, based on your answers, s___ is perfect for you. Therefore, in order not to immediately insist on a meeting and save your time, I propose to proceed as follows.

I will send you an offer by e-mail, and tomorrow afternoon I will call back and clarify the decision. If there is interest, then we will start working, if there is no, then not this time. I write down mail.

We sneak, the main thing is not to scare

6. Handling objections

How did they get these phrases “Not interested”, “Expensive” or “”. Got it and yet without them nowhere. They were, are and will be.

Therefore, your sales scripts must contain an objection processing block, where the manager can find answers to all possible objections. In our company, only when selling sales scripts (it sounds strange, I know) there are as many as 17 of them.

As some gurus say, objections appear only when the past stages have been poorly carried out.

We fundamentally disagree with this, because we believe that objections are a natural test of any product for reliability, reliability, honesty. It's like in the Middle Ages people tried a coin by the tooth to make sure it was not a fake.

Also, this stage can be very doubtfully called the sixth, since it can appear at almost any stage.

And in order not to leave you unanswered, I’ll tell you about the universal formula for working out objections. It looks like this:

Agree with client You are right, we cannot be called the cheapest company on the market…);
Make a transition ( That's why);
Argument/alternative ( We work with those who do not want to pay twice.);
Question / call ( By the way, have you already determined the approximate volumes for the month?).

Of course, you can replace any phrase in brackets with your own. The main thing is that it should be in the same context, which is confirmed by one of the points.

7. Closing the conversation

You can say victory if you have reached this step when talking with a client. So your phone sales script justified all the work.

But it happens that the interlocutors agree to everything that you offer, if only you are behind, since they are embarrassed to send directly.

In this case, of course, there will be difficulties in the next step, but in order to minimize the risks, you need to fix the outcome at the end of the conversation and be sure to agree on the next step, if you have not done this before.

Example: - Nikita Andreevich, then tomorrow at 13.00 our specialist for s____ will come to you, and you will further agree on s____ with him.

Briefly about the main

That's all. Although no. You then need to run thousands of tests to create a cold call script that will work 100%.

That is why we always give subscriber adjustments when developing scripts, because we know that there is no limit to perfection and even an individually written ready-made cold call script does not always show the necessary indicators right away.

You also need to provide scripts for phone calls after sending a CP or meeting.

For us personally, this is an integral part of a cold call. Therefore, it is also included in the price and the most interesting thing is that sometimes it is even several times more than the first call.

In this article, I specifically did not touch on the creation of the script in terms of visualization of how it will look in the end. This is a separate, large topic, which is devoted to a separate article.

Word, Excel, or maybe a sales script designer? Choose for yourself, for this read the article.

Someone loves them, and someone terribly hates.

At the same time, x Cold calls in conservative industries and narrow niches remain one of the best ways to find new customers and customers.

Even an experienced manager on the phone experiences some stress during a phone call. But all the experiences are more than paid off by inner delight and jubilation from closing the sale after cold calls.

In this case, everything happens according to a well-known law of nature: you must first give in order to receive something. You are investing your personal emotions and energy in developing business success.

Online marketing is now becoming the "default" tool for most companies that want to quickly and inexpensively get new leads and new customers.

Cold calls have lost their place in the ranking of the popularity of promotion tools over the past 10 years. However, they remain an extremely profitable form of marketing when properly configured for you.

In this post, I will show you 10 ways to improve your productivity on your phone. The material is based on personal research and on advice that I have collected on the net and that I have been able to test in my work.

To become a master of cold calling, use these tips and you will definitely collect the contacts of the right people and start working with the most profitable buyers.

Find out who to work with

Without up-to-date data on the industry of your potential customers, even the most talented manager will not get results.

I didn’t do this before, but now I see a deep sense in lingering at the start in order to save strength and energy. The first thing I do when preparing for a cold call is to research the industry or field of my choice. The most inhuman alternative to this step is to call everyone indiscriminately from the directory.

If you do not have data on the decision maker ( Decision Maker), his full name and position. You do not know the role of the decision maker in his company. First you need to find out how working in the selected companies is related to the questions that you plan to ask.

First, collect information and find "points of entry" in the interests of your chosen group of clients. To do this, use search queries and information about the industry from Wikipedia, LinkedIn, Facebook.

Find relevant posts on forums, job openings and resumes on job search sites, discussions at industry events, and other information about how your potential clients solve problems.

The collected information should meet the basic requirement - in given industries they use and purchase similar services or goods that you plan to talk about.

Learn how to use search engines before you start making calls. At the beginning, it may be difficult for you to digest a large amount of information that is not relevant to you, or you may be faced with a complete lack of necessary information.

Narrow your search, use key phrases + industry name. Constantly upgrade your research skills.

For example, I really want to believe that companies from the oil sector use translations from foreign languages when conducting business correspondence and preparing documentation for export deliveries. Previously, we have not worked with this industry, there are only assumptions.

How to choose the right keywords for requesting information about translations? First, I am looking for vacancies for full-time translators in this area.

I collect information on the Web about their level, qualifications and the requirements of employers with such requests: “an oil company is looking for a translator from a foreign language”, “an oil company is looking for a vacancy for a foreign language translator” and I receive a sample of answers and several resumes of translators from the oil industry.

I look through vacancies and resumes and see that a full-time translator closes most of the issues related to translations in the company.

This means that there is a lot of work and it is preferable to keep a full-time translator than to work under a contract with a company. Therefore, it is not worth asking the question about the expediency of transferring written translations to our company. They will answer me - we have a full-time translator.

This scenario will be repeated over and over and I don't want that.

The only way to get started with a company like this is to help out with a full-time translator, who may not be able to keep up during periods of hectic (seasonal) activity. Or who will be able to transfer his routine "to the side."

You can test this hypothesis on forums or social networks by asking industry translators about the need to help them.

After reviewing the information and conducting a brief survey, I decided not to test my hypothesis with further calls. The industry was "closed". Negotiations and correspondence have a high degree of confidentiality. Remote assistants are rarely involved. "The game is not worth the candle" - this industry is not for us. At least for the entrance "from the street."

It took me only 1.5 hours for this investigation. I would not have learned even a share of such information, even if I had called for 1.5 days.

Make a plan, not a script

The rules of cold calling, imposed on us by marketing and sales gurus, state that success or failure depends on the quality of your script. That's right, you can do a script with verbatim phrases for cold calls. But when you start to pronounce it on the phone, it looks like a monologue of a telephone robot reporting a debt.

Such a dialogue sounds uninteresting and even offends your interlocutor, and therefore deprives you of the prospect of establishing contact with him.

Create a plan instead of a script. General map of your calls. And approve the rules of permissible freedom in communication.

Some calls require spontaneous thinking. To successfully and sincerely overcome objections - the script will not help.

The cold calling map allows me to digress from the topic, but eventually return to it again. I personally don't like hard scripts.

Remember what happened at school. We stubbornly crammed the correct answers, retold and rewrote word for word, exactly the same. But many things remained serrated, but not understood. A understood and accepted plan with key phrases distinguishes a successful manager from a market-scanning robot.

Managers don't like detailed scripts because they have to speak their own language. And managers are right when they say that scripts don't give them the wiggle room to answer a potential client's questions. Instead of working on the map, you constantly adjust the conversation script and still have questions. It's also annoying that after working on a script for a long time, you can stop noticing new objections, new facts and events.

Refusal does not mean offending

Very often they “hang” me on the first bitch, do not answer my questions or do not switch (although they say they do). It is important to understand here that this will always happen.

Even if the offer is completely free or carries fantastic benefits. People working in the IT field who have developed a new unique product or service will understand me now. Even from an indefinite free test drive, people refuse.

But this does not mean at all that no one wants to deal with you personally. You just have to get used to the fact that it is not you who is rejected, but your call.

The market in some industries is “scorched” by cold calls. The subscriber on the other end of the wire often subconsciously rejects all attempts to start a dialogue.

Still there is a call to the wrong place, out of business, at the wrong time or at the wrong address. Don't let yourself be convinced that your product or service, idea or opportunity is useless.

Yes, several people refused. Use denial for personal learning. Record failures in a notepad or save audio recordings of failures on your computer.

How can you use the rejection to your advantage?

When your presentation has already failed, don't hang up - ask the person why they said "no, not interested." Through such a simple survey after unsuccessful calls, you will learn a lot about what makes people refuse.

This unexpected technique I often use in new industries. And it is very important not to make assumptions for the client: “They probably have full-time translators. Yep, that's understandable."

Don't do it! Let the customer speak for himself!

For example, use such a direct question: “Let me ask, why is it “not interesting”? So I can understand your specifics ... "

And very often they answer me like this: “In general, we are a branch, and all services are purchased from the parent company. You can call there. Write down the phone."

Stand up when the conversation is important

You should not think that since the interlocutor cannot see us, then you can lie in an armchair with your legs on the table.

People are sure will hear your insecurity or arrogance over the phone. Believe me, the person lying in the chair can be heard. I listened to my audio recordings. I didn't want to talk to myself!

Once upon a time, at one of the first sales trainings, we were recommended to get up with the phone handset if an important contact occurred.

When I do this, I feel like I get extra energy. A straight back makes my voice clearer and more persuasive for discussing details. I understand that I am already participating in serious negotiations, and this technique allows you to catch the right wave at the physiological level.

This is a psychological trick, just like smiling during a conversation.

It also helps me to remember those people who managed to influence me personally in a conversation or during a meeting.

Try to imitate the body language, tone of voice and confident phrases of such people “on the screen” during cold calls.

You won't be able to do it right away. But each time it will get longer and better.

These are learned skills. Start by simply getting up from your chair.

Prepare responses to objections

Very few clients will say “Oh, we just need this!” from the first call. Almost every call will have objections from customers.

Of course, more often than not, we ourselves disagree when someone slips an opinion that is not adapted to our needs. Or when they ask questions that distract from current affairs.

But if you tell more about yourself or your way of helping in an original way, then you pass the test of trust and expertise. The client becomes interested enough to be distracted for a few minutes from their affairs.

The key to overcoming objections is to know ahead of time what they will object to. Just as you plan a conversation, prepare strong arguments and colorful explanations in your favor.

If you cannot immediately address all objections, then, as I said above, collect and accumulate them from the very beginning of your work. This way you can prepare and test good answers on the next call.

Every objection is important to use!

If you hear - "It's too expensive!" - do not try to declare your (as it seems to you) “features” without a clear example, such as the high quality of the product or an acceptable price.

And do not try to tell the client about the strong personality of your director, who is known to everyone in the city.

Clients know that the strong personality of your director will not help them in any way, that today the quality of services is similar across industries, and reasonable prices and high speed - all this must first be proved!

Most often I use the technique: “Divide the price into components”
It is so convenient to show the client what he refuses if he wants to save money.

Consider the example of my typical dialogue with a client (there will be question templates in parentheses to adapt to your needs)

Customer: We are now translating 300 rubles per page, and you have 450 rubles in the price list. It's too expensive for us.
I: So, let's stop there. Do you order translations from an agency or from a private person? (Who are you paying? What level of current competitor?)
Customer: In the company, under the contract. Looks like Translife.
I: Great, but what volume of translation are we talking about now? And what are the deadlines usually? (Request for volume and urgency of execution)
Customer: Our volumes are 1000-1500 pages, project documentation. Within 2-3 weeks, it usually "endures". There are a lot of repetitions and identical tables, but they edit and finalize everything for us at this price.
I: Fine! If such serious volumes and with numerous repetitions, I think that we can agree on 300 rubles per page. Can you send a sample with a document for an accurate calculation? At the same time, look at the level and quality of work of our translators. It will be free.
Customer: Well, the quality really does not always suit us. We finalized the last project for another whole week. If you can do better and at the same price, we can try to work together.

Break your objection handling into a series of small clarifying questions.

You seem to be telling the client - I don’t just call the base on the list, I want to work with you, I want to make cooperation profitable for you, I know the market and will seek a compromise.

Offer to do a free quote based on a recent project that has already been completed with your competitors so that the client can appreciate the big picture.

The usual comparison of positions in the price list is biased!

Also, immediately clarify whether everything was perfect in working with a competitor, or there is something that you would like to avoid in the future.

With the original wording of the answer to the objection, you have the opportunity to show the client that you are not like other managers who constantly call the office.

Perhaps a masterfully crafted objection is the best opportunity to continue the conversation and build trust.

Get my bonus list of top customer objections for free

Prepare your own original answers instead of the suggested ones and become just an unstoppable phone salesman!

The habit of hearing "no"

In the world of sales, rejection doesn't always mean you don't stand a chance. Many interlocutors answer “no” as soon as they identify you as a seller. This reaction is more like a reflex than a reasoned response.

Don't worry just because you got rejected in the beginning. This does not mean that they will not agree with you later, after hearing your arguments or clarifying questions.

There is a rule: "Use refusal as an invitation to ask questions." Do you think the client needs more information? Maybe yes, maybe not. In any case, this is not at all an excuse to “apologize for the bother” and end the phone call.

Do not persist right now if you feel that the moment is not the best.

Often, when I get rejected for no reason or even “rude rejection”, I just set an alarm for another date.

Toward the end of the day or even the end of the month.

So I check that that hasty refusal was not due to seasonal or weekday peaks of a person's load on the phone.

I've turned down calls myself, simply because it wasn't convenient to talk, or because I'd already talked to a few salespeople, or because the kids were too noisy around me.

You understand, the first refusal is not real. Like make-believe. Instead of giving up immediately without a fight, ask clarifying questions about the reason for the refusal and then use your plan to answer the objections received.

These phrases are like shots: “no”, “we don’t need it”, “not interested”, “don’t tell, it’s not necessary” can be intimidating and paralyze novice managers. But their pluses are that tremendous opportunities lie behind them.

Alas, in order to make sure of this, it will take some time and regular practice.

Talk to the secretary

In the corporate world, the manager traditionally shields himself with subordinates and assistants. Almost all incoming calls go to secretaries and administrators.

In sales, these are the people who stand at the “gateway to the company” and ruin all your great plans. The answer to your offer or question is often the default “we are not interested”.

Despite the secretary's immediate reaction, they, like everyone else, react to proven psychological tactics.

One of the best ways to get the right information or action is to introduce yourself as a client or partner of the company.

Ask the secretary for help finding the information you need. When they switch you and they answer there, say that you don’t know why you were connected to this department and ask them to connect you to the department that you were originally looking for.

Here, the expectation is that the internal employee recognizes the secretary's mistake in dialing the number and performs his function smoothly and without objection.

Good afternoon, Sergey Sedykh! Please tell me, do you have an estimate engineer in your company? Do you calculate custom projects? Who can I discuss my project with?

... Switch to the budget department

Good afternoon, Sergey Sedykh, SPHERE company, is this the department of foreign economic activity? Not? Where did I get to? And how can I get into the foreign trade department now? Can you switch?

This trick works because it slightly changes the usual notion of "secretary's passage". All secretaries and administrators are used to being “pushed through” or asked in a friendly way to connect with a specific person.

And when someone asks them for help, it breaks the stereotype of a brazen or cunning salesperson. After all, only clients or partners ask for help. Try this tactic with those who have turned you down before and you didn't know how to approach them.

Know Your Product

There are only three types of customers who buy from you.

The first ones, the most numerous and the most unreliable in the long run, become customers because of the low price.

The latter become customers thanks to a convincing presentation and technical boost from the fourth or fifth attempt.

Still others always want to know more about the characteristics of the product and how to use it before you buy.

The most valuable “for life” customers are the third ones who need to know the technical details and how to use the product or service after purchase.

You are selling these customers a new world, in which you describe in detail its new opportunities from using your product or service.

And they live in this new world thanks to you! They are grateful to you!

This rule is even more true if you are selling a technical product or a specific service.

Consulting, auditing or new IT infrastructure may not fit into the current needs of the company. In this case, knowing the technical data and exceptional features of your product will help you close the deal with your most valuable customers.

Instead of focusing solely on mastering sales techniques, speaking culture, and writing cleanliness, rather than endlessly overcoming objections and rejections, take the time to learn about your product's key technical features and know how valuable they are to your customers.

Prepare a special offer

Each of us loves to get something for free.

What could be better than getting a discount on the right product or service. Especially if you feel that this offer is exclusive, and even with a limited duration.

One of the best ways to negotiate a deal over the phone is to offer a bonus or discount for those who are still hesitant or hesitating.

How excruciatingly painful and insulting it is when you sell a new world to your client and he mentally buys it, but delays paying the bill.

And he pulls because he needs this world, but he really wants to get a small discount. Tiny.

But you think that you can not give it. And you lose the deal because your competitor gives you a discount.

When there is a fundamental decision that the client cannot live without your product or service now, swing the swing of the transaction in your direction. Just use as an argument not the amount of the discount, but its exclusivity or limited duration.

Prepare in advance two or three justifications for additional bonuses for new customers - from free samples to a physical discount. Use them only to overcome the indecision of a potential client.

An additional five percent "new customers only in March" discount is often all it takes to get started with your new customer.

Track call results

Analyze the results of your work. Think about what methods work and what don't. This way you can gradually increase your level of performance.

Factors such as the time of day you call, which departments you are transferred to, who you spoke to in your position, which conversation plan worked best - all this will allow you to notice the difference.

This will allow you to see which combination of variables works most effectively. This way you can optimize your next steps.

Based on the statistics of past years of work, I determined for myself that calls on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12 pm to 3 pm have the maximum efficiency. This does not mean that I do not call at other times. But if I need to leave for a meeting, then I will schedule it for the morning or evening so that I can devote myself to calls at the best time.

Recording cold calls becomes easier with a CRM system. There will be a lot of phone calls. In addition, we experience work stress and often forget who we called a week or a month ago. I demonstrated a convenient CRM for cold calls with a recording of negotiations.

1. Reread this post again

2. Choose for yourself those items that "respond within you"

3. Start Making Other Cold Calls

Personally, I love cold calling. Cold calling is scary right from the start.

When you found confidence in yourself, realized that rejections and objections are your opportunities, and not obstacles at all - cold calls become a favorite way to acquire new orders and customers.

Do you like it when strangers call you and offer something? I don't think any of us like it. “You call me without knowing anything about me and offer something that I will never need. Why are you wasting my time?” - this is the reaction that causes an uninvited call.

The main reason why cold calls cause irritation is thoughtlessness and unpreparedness. Many salespeople turn cold calls into banal calls, forgetting that their goal is not to call a directory, but to set up a meeting with a client. If your goal is not to torture, but to sell, then the following rules and techniques of cold calling will allow you to achieve it.

Rule 1. Find a reason

A cold call is a call that your potential client does not expect and without prior preparation, the chances of establishing contact with him are very low. Gather as much information about the company as possible before contacting the company. Talk to someone in the service department and find out what they offer to their customers.

A good reason for a cold call can be a discussion of materials published on the company's website or in online media. And viewing publications or interviews will give you an excellent opportunity to contact a company representative directly, for example:

“Good afternoon, Sergey Stepanovich! My name is Igor Makarov, StarNet company. I read your interview in Vedomosti yesterday and I am calling to express my respect for you as a far-sighted leader.

I agree with your words that a large company should have a resource that unites all departments and creates an integral structure of the organization. We are just dealing with intranet systems, I would like to drive up to you to tell about our solutions and get to know you personally.”

Rule 2: Don't Sell Over the Phone

In telephone conversations, all you have is your voice and your smile, which is always heard over the phone. Knowing the product and believing that you are offering the right product will give your voice confidence.

Start the conversation by introducing yourself and the company. Remember that you are not selling by phone, but call to understand the interest. The phrase “We want to offer you” is perceived by the client as “We want to sell you”. It's better to start like this:

“Good afternoon, Sergey Stepanovich! This is Viktor Mikhailov from the PromElectro company. We are engaged in the supply of welding and electrical equipment. Could this be of interest to you?”

The undoubted advantage of communication by phone is that you can be anyone and in any position. It's all about how you control yourself and how you control your voice. When used correctly, this cold calling technique is very effective.

Rule 3: Respect the customer's choice

The company you call most likely already has established relationships with suppliers of products similar to yours. Always respect the choice of the client and do not question it. Cold call pressure doesn't work and beeps on the other end of the line.

I also want to warn you against aggression and farce. Do not say: “I will make you an offer that you cannot refuse” Communicate with people in a human way simply and with their permission: “Let me tell you about the opportunity ...”

When you get the answer: “We are already working with another supplier, everything suits us”, you can clarify: “Understood. Are you completely satisfied or is there still a need to improve something?”

Focus on discussing what your client likes about working with his supplier and what is most important to him. By establishing good contact without showing obvious interest, you will be able to understand whether everything is perfect in reality.

Rule 4. Distinguish a waiver from an objection

Be prepared for the fact that no one is waiting for your cold call and a potential client can:

a) do not want to talk to you;
b) not be able to talk to you.

When talking on the phone, immediately include the client in the dialogue - it will be more interesting for him, and it will be easier for you. Forget about your presentation, save it for a face-to-face meeting.

When you hear the answer: “I don’t have time for this,” this is an objection, not a refusal. Make an appointment in person: “I understand. Let me come to you to tell you everything. Will Tuesday at three o’clock suit you?”

Learn to feel the line between importunity and perseverance. When you are told a categorical “no” - this is a refusal. Don't call fire on yourself, just end the conversation.

If you know that there is potential interest in your product, then keep calling from time to time. The situation in the company may change and, perhaps, after a series of refusals, they will say to you: "Okay, let's see what you have there." The advantage of this technique is that over time, a cold call ceases to be cold.

Rule 5. Make an appointment

Use every opportunity to make an appointment. Remember that sales cannot be made over the phone and it is easier to refuse over the phone. Sometimes you can say directly to the client: “We are engaged in .... and we want to become your supplier. Let's meet and I'll tell you about our products."

The optimal duration of a cold call is 2 minutes, the maximum is 5 minutes. If the call lasts longer, the likelihood of an appointment decreases sharply.

Separately, I want to dwell on the answer as: "Send your proposal by fax." You can continue the conversation like this:

“I will gladly prepare all the information for you. In order for me to offer exactly what you need, let me clarify ... ”or like this:

“Of course I can send you our price list. But it is on 10 sheets and I feel sorry for your paper. Tell me, in order to shorten the information and save your time, which section of our product list might be of interest to you the most – this one or this one?”

After clarifying your questions, prepare an offer on letterhead and take it personally, explaining that you want to get to know each other. Be sure to bring a positive attitude and recommendations from your clients to the meeting.

The job of an active sales manager is complex and has a lot of nuances. Among the methods that this specialist regularly uses, one of the most important is the cold call script. What it is and how to compose it - our article will tell about this.

In the field of active sales, phone calls are divided into two types: cold and hot. Under understand telephone conversations with those clients with whom business contacts are already established. Cold-type calls are more difficult because the communication is with an organization or individual with whom there was no contact before. The addressee is not prepared for communication and may react negatively.

How to have a conversation

It is not difficult even for a beginner to do it, the main thing is that the manager has a compiled script at hand (in fact, this is a conversation script). Before writing a script, you should decide on two things:

The expected result of the call. An active sales manager must clearly understand what a person needs to be led to. It can be a sale, sending a commercial offer (or any of these options).
The second important point is the reason for the call (that is, what is the essence of, and what benefits does it promise to a potential client). Depends on the specifics of the company: conducting an audit, diagnostics, introducing a free method, etc.

After that, the specialist proceeds to write the text itself. It should be borne in mind that at the beginning of the conversation you can get to the so-called blocker. This is the name of the person who answers first, but is not the goal of the manager. These are executive assistants or random employees who are near the phone.

Popular script

The scheme of the conversation will vary depending on many factors (with whom the conversation is being conducted, how much the person is configured to communicate, etc.). The most popular looks like this:

A short opening speech.
Introducing yourself and your company.
Information about the purpose of the call and the offer to the person.
Questions to the client.
Competent responses to objections.
End of conversation.

The scheme of the conversation will vary depending on many factors (with whom the conversation is being conducted, how much the person is configured to communicate, etc.).

This pattern is classic, but the specificity of cold calling is such that it is not suitable in all cases.

For example

Now we will take a closer look at each item from the scenario using an example and tell you how to apply them more effectively in practice in a cold call.

First, greetings are spoken in a friendly voice. Examples: "Hello, Ivan Anatolyevich" or "Good afternoon, Valentin Stepanovich." After that, a short pause is maintained by the manager so that the person can respond to the greeting. This allows you to show a sense of tact and make sure that the subscriber is listening to you. If it was not possible to find out the name and patronymic of the decision maker (decision maker) in advance, you can ask the question: “Hello, who can I talk to about the supply of porcelain stoneware?”
You can represent your company in a variety of ways. In some, the scope of the company's activity is worth naming, in others it is not. For example: “My name is Sergey, I represent company X” or “My name is Sergey, construction company X”. These speech modules depend on the assumption whether revealing the scope of the company's work in this case will increase the effectiveness of the call or not. The extended view makes sense if it is known for certain that the company may need the proposed product / service.
Telling the client about the purpose of the call can be done using several techniques. The first is called "We-you" and is aimed at creating a sense of connection between the client and the manager. Example: "Your company specializes in wedding events, and we provide a banquet hall for rent." Less often, the cards are revealed immediately. That is, the manager, without preludes, directly announces the purpose of his call. Statistically, this is more often met with resistance.
Questions will be required if the manager wishes to make the client . In this case, clarifying questions are reasonable. If the purpose of the call is a meeting, then you should not ask unnecessary questions. Focus on the essentials.
can be the following: “It's expensive!”, “We need to think”, “The offer is not of interest.” The manager prepares in advance a whole block of 10-20 points dedicated to answering these objections.
Many people agree with everything in order to end the conversation faster. Therefore, before completing the communication, you need to bring the client to an oral agreement. Remember that people never keep promises to call back.

Such an algorithm helps the active sales manager to adapt to a specific person or company. Therefore, it is a responsible task and requires a lot of attention. Often leading experts do this, and beginners are taught from ready-made texts.

Finally

A manager who specializes in cold calling needs to be well versed in cold calls because they are aimed at attracting new customers and establishing strong bonds with them. Sales technique is diverse, it takes all the best from psychology, sociology, economics and other sciences. Ready-made scripts and templates are convenient because they allow you to automate the process of communication with the client as much as possible.

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From this article you will learn:

How to make cold calls

How to make cold calls to new salespeople

How to make cold calls without making mistakes

In any business there is a need to call customers. And for an active sales manager, the phone is the main working tool, like a car for a driver. You need to call often and a lot, often you also have to receive incoming calls. The beginning of the sale is a telephone conversation.

And how are cold calls organized in your country, have any standards and schemes been developed for managers? You may be surprised, but the more detailed and standardized the process of making cold calls, the easier and less scary it is for the seller to start communication. Our article is a short overview of how to make cold calls correctly.

The main goal of a cold call

A call that is unexpected for a potential client is called cold. In principle, a person may be interested in your product or service, but you will have to make an effort to get the conversation to the presentation of the product.

Why are these calls called cold calls? Because the people that the manager addresses treat them rather coolly. Being in the role of a subscriber who constantly hears a peppy or monotonous “Hello, I represent the Horns and Hooves company, a leader in the market for such and such goods since 1900 ...”, it is easier to understand the reasons for this coldness than from the role of someone who makes such a call.

For example, imagine that you are waiting for some important conversation at work, but it turns out that on the other end of the line is a cosmetics consultant selling lipstick. This is annoying and time consuming. You don't need lipstick. In general, you are a man. What will be your reaction to this cold call, what warm and friendly words will you want to address to the manager?..

Warm calls, and even more so incoming calls, imply the client’s interest in the product, the intention to buy the product, and with a cold call, you still need to make sure that this interest arises. The difficulty lies in the fact that a potential customer does not want to talk to a stranger with whom there are no topics for communication, and he is not going to purchase your product or service. Statistics on failed projects show a high, over 90%, proportion of failed cold calls lasting less than a minute.

Thus, you can characterize the bulk of a manager's day as listening to rejections ("Thanks, we don't need that") or requests for a commercial proposal, and this will be quite correct. But such a result discourages the salesperson from continuing to make cold calls.

The answer: “Send a commercial offer” is also interesting. Beginning managers think that by sending out a lot of quotations, they are doing everything right and are already close to successful deals.

However, those sellers who have been actively looking for customers for at least three months by making cold calls understand that it is too early to rejoice at this stage: people do not read letters and do not look at a commercial offer if they have not had a competent conversation before.

So why do cold calls at all? Their task is to expand and correctly filter the base of potential buyers.

Algorithm of actions during the "cold call" to the manager:

Stage 1. Break through the secretary.

Stage 2. Explain to the secretary the purpose of the call.

Stage 3. We talk to the decision maker.

Stage 4. We stand apart from competitors.

Stage 5. We justify the price.

Stage 6. We send a quotation after a cold call.

Stage 7. Further interaction with the consumer.

A quick sale is not the goal of cold calling. The client still does not know anything about your company or its products. The best thing a cold caller can do is to establish a positive relationship with potential buyers. Therefore, before making a cold call, it is advisable to find out more about the client himself: his needs, problems, business specifics. This will help give the first dialogue some warmth.

8 Basic Principles for Making Sales Cold Calls

Shell client base.

The manager draws all contact information from the database. It must be kept up to date, correctly and carefully filled out (an error in the phone number will negate all the efforts of the one who makes cold calls).

There are free software products for maintaining single client bases. Once upon a time, all information about consumers was stored in Microsoft Office Access, where there was a separate reference file for each potential buyer, and several employees could have access rights. This do-it-yourself system was not user-friendly and certainly cannot match today's functional CRMs. But still, it was better suited for maintaining customer lists than Excel, with its limitations and slow data processing. Now they have already given up on it.

Base content.

You can replenish your list of potential buyers with information from information databases (reliable, up-to-date and with paid access). For example, Interfax is the most valuable source of data on legal entities, individual entrepreneurs, etc. The FIRA PRO database, which contains information from the National Bureau of Credit Histories, is also rich in information about legal entities. Popular directories such as the Yellow Pages can also be used, but be prepared for a lot of errors to be found when calling.

Experience and professionalism of managers.

If you think that making cold calls is useless, then you most likely simply did not manage to organize them correctly. The main thing here is to put managers in a mode that is comfortable for them. Operators who make hundreds of such calls in a week and a thousand in a few months will sooner or later develop a sales technology: based on their experience, they will already be able to predict how their interlocutor will react and what questions he will ask, so it is easier for them to build a dialogue correctly.

Having entered such a pace, it is very important not to knock it down - it will be difficult to restore it later. Leaving cold calls for a long time, the operator loses his grip: complexes, uncertainty, fear of communication return, speech becomes monotonous. Interlocutors notice this, and the results are disastrous.

Therefore, a sales manager needs not only knowledge of how to make cold calls correctly, but also practical experience. Although, of course, there are people who are naturally gifted in terms of communication and are able to easily convince, win over, establish contact with anyone, but there are not so many of them. Everyone else will have to actively learn this.

Cold calling scripts.

Professionals call scripts scripts according to which a conversation is built during a cold call. They are a great help to a manager who wants to sell effectively. A script is a clear dialogue plan that provides for various options for the development of events, includes ready-made phrases and the right questions that help to keep the attention of a potential client. If cold calls don't lead to sales, improve your scripts.

The right attitude.

Managing your emotional state and influencing the emotions of the interlocutor is an extremely difficult skill, but it is necessary for everyone who wants to make cold calls correctly.

In one corporate sales department, where cold calls were the responsibility of operators, a curious phenomenon was noted: the maximum effect of the call was achieved in the last days of December, right before the New Year. At this time, managers were already looking forward to the holiday and called customers in a joyful mood. This helped them loosen up and connect even with those potential consumers who would probably refuse to talk. Confidence and high spirits were transmitted to their interlocutors, who began to feel interest and listened to the operators more willingly.

Work with objections.

Fear of getting a sharp "No!" or facing difficult objections is one of the main problems that prevent managers from making cold calls correctly. However, experienced salespeople know all the typical customer excuses. Whatever products a company sells, consumers will always have 7-10 popular objections. They can be written out in advance, disassembled and made up answers to each. This measure relieves anxiety by helping the seller to properly tune in and not be afraid to make a cold call.

Make a good impression.

The first contact with the client is the decisive moment of the entire sale. If you miss the chance to create a favorable first impression of yourself, you lose this opportunity forever (and the buyer along with it).

The person answering the phone has no idea who you are, why you are calling and what you want from him, and immediately imagines the image of a tired, indifferent operator with a headset, making a thousandth call in a day and similar to a robot who repeats learned phrases . It is unlikely that anyone would like to talk with such an interlocutor.

Therefore, the manager should strive to give the client, first of all, pleasant and interesting communication, to be on the same wavelength with him, to correctly understand what worries him. For sales, for example in b2b, knowing how the company is doing business and what it needs becomes the basis for building a conversation. But such information is difficult to get, you have to act according to the situation.

Usually, managers who deal with cold calls focus on the interlocutor’s emotions (even negative ones), and try to “hook” him. For this, provocative questions and statements are used that make the client worry, make excuses (for example: “Do you have the competence to make decisions on this topic?”, “Do you take responsibility for what you want to refuse me?”), As well as a comparison of the company with competitors. If a potential buyer begins to argue and defend himself, the task of an experienced manager is to correctly build a further discussion and bring it to the desired result.

However, awakening negative emotions in a client is quite risky. Positive impressions have a much greater effect on cold calls. You can, for example, make compliments, praise the company you are calling, and then unobtrusively move on to questions about its development plans. In order to make cold calls correctly and effectively, it is recommended that you record all the information received from the client and use it in the future.

Useful knowledge and professional secrets of successful sales.

To make cold calls correctly, it is advisable to know some professional tricks. For example, the use of only open-ended questions that can be answered in detail and in detail. Closed ones do not lead to a constructive dialogue: the interlocutor answers only “no” or “yes”, and the conversation is curtailed.

Direct questions like “Would you like a credit card with a three-month grace period?” are also undesirable - the client will immediately refuse, the call will end. A series of closed questions (“Do you visit such and such places?”, “Do you use such and such products?”) has a similar effect. But if you build a dialogue with a potential consumer correctly, there is a chance to get him talking.

Experienced salespeople always know how to describe the proposed product in the brightest colors. At the same time, many managers focus only on its attractive features, forgetting about the shortcomings and vulnerabilities (they were not taught this at trainings, and they themselves also did not understand the qualities of the product). If, during a cold call, such a manager gets to a client who is familiar with the weaknesses of the product (from personal experience or from the reviews of friends), then he will not be able to correctly respond to criticism and give answers to uncomfortable questions, that is, the sale will not take place.