Cold calling has long been one of the most common and effective ways of boosting sales and making meaningful connections. But with the recent advancements in different marketing strategies (such as social media, cold calling has seen a massive decline in popularity. In fact, the success rate of cold calling is now at an alarmingly low rate of around >5%.
But wait—please don’t get discouraged just yet!
Studies have shown that cold calling can still be extremely effective if done properly. This requires effective planning, coordination, and a whole lot of patience. If you want to learn more, here are 5 must-know tips for successful cold calling in 2022.
1. Scripts. Make One. Practice it.
Probably the most awkward thing you can ever do as a cold caller is to call someone at a completely random time of the day, ask them if they’re interested in your service whether it’s relevant to them or not, and do so while sounding like an unconfident sales robot.
Well, theoretically, that’s what is cold calling in essence.
But you can mitigate the awkwardness and increase your chance of landing a client by making a script and rehearsing it. Start by creating a killer opening line, as clients are most likely to hang up or reject you within the first few seconds of answering.
You might also benefit from making the call personal and informal. Don’t sound too over the top, but be real with your prospects. Go forth with a confident tone, and show them you are reliable and trustworthy.
2. Call During the Right Time
Is there any reason to cold call someone at 7 A.M. or 11 P.M.? Not at all.
Find the best time to cold call and stick with it. A study by PhoneBurner shows that between 9 A.M. – 4 P.M is optimal, with the best time being between 10 A.M. – 2 P.M.
3. Ask or Schedule a Follow-Up
Did you know that even if your cold call goes smoothly, only about 2% of cold calls actually end in sales? One of the reasons behind this is the lack of follow-ups that many cold callers miss out on.
Whenever you finish your call, ask your prospected client if they are willing to follow up in some designated amount of time. Or, if you’re feeling lucky, schedule a time for them and double-check that it’s okay. A little bit of gentle assertiveness (as ironic as it sounds) can go a long way!
4. Hire Trained Professionals to Do Cold Calling for You
Okay so maybe calling isn’t your thing, but you still want to try it out as you think it can boost your sales in 2022.
That’s where you should look towards hiring a third party to help you cold call. SalesHive has a great program that you should look into, as they have years of expertise behind their back. Their reps make over 1000 dials every week and have helped dozens of businesses win over clients with their unique and effective marketing strategies.
5. Try to Do Longer Cold Calls
You would think that shorter calls would be better, right?
Well, in the case of cold calling, that’s not exactly true. Most calls last only a few minutes, but ones that result in sales or follow-ups can actually last twice that amount.
Set up your script to be more than just the normal “Hi, we are XYXYX, do you want our service”— go in-depth. Write down some potential answers to questions that may arise at any given time. The more prepared you are, the higher chance you have of landing a client.
More Help With Building Your Business
So, cold calling, are you going to try it out?
We hope these tips helped you feel more comfortable with cold calling as a way to boost sales and make deeper connections. As with all marketing strategies, you need to expect and be okay with failure and rejections. That is the only true way to learn and grow.
Need more help growing your business and increasing sales? Please visit the business section of our blog for more useful tips!
