Effective Cold Calling in a Changing World

by Tim Connor, CSP

Do you know the do's and don'ts of getting hot results from your cold calls?

In many ways cold calling is an ancient method when it comes to effective prospecting. And many modular, prefab and manufactured housing organizations rely heavily on this approach – from suppliers, to lenders to those who sell the nuts and bolts with which the homes are constructed. Cold calling can be an effective way to identify new prospects, but it can also be a stressful, time wasting and discouraging process as many salespeople over the years have learned.

Learning to make cold calls on new prospects is an important skill regardless of a salesperson's experience, ability or how long they have been selling. This is just as true when selling manufactured homes or other forms of factory built housing as in any other industry. Add to this mix the complexity and diversity of how the Internet is impacting the sales process and it's no wonder salespeople making cold calls begin this process with fear and uncertainty.

For starters, today's housing consumers are far better educated on an organization's history, products, services, reputation and overall customer satisfaction before a salesperson ever dials the phone to make an unsolicited call on these prospects. Add to this the simple ability of consumers to compare the products, services and pricing of all housing manufacturers, which adds to the challenges that all salespeople face.

To have an effective cold calling approach requires ten steps.

1. Learn to control your attitudes and your response to rejection.

The major cause of failure in sales is the fear of rejection. This fear can be reduced or eliminated by planning and a professional approach; but more than anything else, the ability to control your attitudes regardless of the reactions of others. Controlling your attitudes requires only that you are realistic in managing your expectations. When your expectations are in proper proportion, you are much freer to deal with the rejection and move on.

2. Be professional and respectful.

The major approach of most people who do cold calling is to see it as a numbers game. It is NOT a numbers game, but a game of QUALITY numbers. The other major mistake is to work from a script or predetermined process. This approach tends to assume that everyone you contact is in the same situation, with the same needs, and has the same buying habits. WRONG. A professional approach is to first get information from the person whom you are calling and then speak to their particular situation.

3. Have a specific set of routines and follow them.

Plan to make a certain number of calls every day. Set aside a certain time every day for these calls. Don't multi-task while making the calls. Be prepared with enough information about each potential call. Have an adequate number of prospects to call for each time period. Keep calling until you have completed these calls. After the calls are complete, take the time to enter appropriate information into a follow-up log or report of some kind. CRM or Customer Relationship Management software can be very helpful tool. Develop an action log of things to do as a result of your calls. This list is open-ended. The more you plan and stick to your plan, the better your results will be.

4. Pick up the phone.

Break the day up into small blocks of action. Too many people let little distractions keep them from achieving their objectives. Instead, just sit down, pick up the phone and dial. Or, get out of your car and knock on the next door. Don't wait. Don't procrastinate and don't justify waiting because of other things you feel you need to do.

5. Cold calling is about conversation, not talking.

The way to start all cold calls is asking for permission to ask questions. If given permission, you get to ask questions prior to launching into your message. If you are not given permission, ask why not. Is this a good time for you? If not, when would you like me to follow-up with you? Are you interested in __? Can you spare just a few minutes if I could __?

Got it? Ask before you sell.

6. Use humor.

Most people today are really stressed. Too much work and too little time. And now you show up. Well, guess what? Whether they will benefit from your product or service is not the issue. The concern is that you will keep them from getting their work done or getting to their tennis lesson. Be respectful and don't assume that just because you happened to contact them at this particular time, that they were just sitting waiting for your call. One of the best ways to disarm people and lower their stress is the professional and careful use of humor. Not jokes, but being sensitive to their circumstances. I always use humor on every contact, no matter what the call or who the recipient is. Yes, sometimes it doesn't fly, but most times it does.

7. It's all about selling - and prospecting.

Cold calling isn't just about closing sales, but prospecting as well. So, what's the difference? Cold calling to sell is when you contact someone, engage them about their needs, and ask for their business. Cold calling from a prospecting perspective is when your purpose is to gather information to see if this prospect is worthy of future time, energy or resources.

8. Leave the call with some kind of action.

Whatever the outcome, always tie up loose ends. If you make the sale, confirm your mutual actions prior to ending the call. If you don't make the sale, ask if the prospect would like you to follow-up at some future time. If they don't want to talk to you now, ask them when would be a better time?

9. Have a follow-up plan.

If you are making over 15 cold calls a day, whether in person or on the phone, there will be follow-up actions for every interaction. Keep several logs like: Things I can improve from what I learned. Mistakes I made. How to avoid them in the future. Things I did right. Future follow-up actions. Things I need to change. Etc.

10. Keep good records.

Using good CRM software or the above mentioned logs can help you with this step. It's hard to get better at anything if you don't know where you need to get better. Keep thorough records and comparisons - for example: number of calls per day. Successful calls per day. Number of rejections per day. Average time for each call. Common responses to my calls. Average sales volume per call. Conversion percentage. Again this list could go on and on.

If your primary approach to selling and or prospecting is cold calling, by following the above ten steps you will tend to have a greater degree of success than if you just start calling. The key here, however, is to also gradually develop other prospecting and selling techniques that over time will require less time, create less rejection and give you consistent increased sales results. Things like: strategic alliances, referrals, centers of influences, the use of advocates or champions. We will discuss these methods in future articles. ##

Tim Connor, CSP is an internationally-renowned sales, management and leadership speaker, trainer and bestselling author. Since 1981, he has given over 4000 presentations in 21 countries on a variety of sales, management, leadership and personal and business relationship topics. Tim has been a member of the National Speakers Assn for over 30 years. He is the bestselling author of over 75 books including the international best sellers Soft Sell, Corporate Disconnect, 81 Challenges Managers Face, Your First Year in Sales and Life Is Short. He can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 704-895-1230 or visit his websites at www.timconnor.com and www.CorporateDisconnect.com. Connect with Tim on FaceBook, LinkedIn and Twitter.