Cold Contacting a Prospect

First up, you need to create a script for when you contact the prospect. Record a copy of this script using the form field below.

Rehearse through your mind what you would say to someone when you start calling them on the phone.

• Never start your conversation by asking questions like, “How are you?” you may sound pretentious. Avoid pleasantries with people whom you do not have an established relationship.
• If you are calling to make an appointment, give a short introduction of your company and its services. Make sure that you are talking to the right person and ask if it is the appropriate time to talk. If it is the right time, you can now deliver the sales talk. If not, ask if there would be a more convenient time to call back and make a note to follow up.
• During your conversation, make sure you include as convincing a benefits statement as possible.
• Include questions in your sales pitch. They are the effective means to have good interactions with the prospect. Prepare structured questions to create the opportunity to obtain the appointment.
• If possible, make reference to completed projects similar to theirs in terms of size or industry sector. Remember, though, you would rather have the prospect be talking/answering questions than have you talking more about specifics.
• The more specific you are, the more effective your statement will be. You can then ask if he would be interested in learning more, if he says yes, then you can set for the appointment.
• Finally, read your script aloud. Make sure it has a natural, conversational flow and it allows interaction. Rehearse it with your colleagues to get their feedback.

It is a common experience to realize that your sales pitch is not quite right at the beginning and needs improvement. Try practicing it by calling your colleagues to make sure it works. Record their reaction using the dropdown form field below.

If needed, revise your list or your sales pitch and record the new version of the script using the form field below.

Enter your list into an organizational system by using a simple spreadsheet or a CRM system such as Salesforce. You need to record your call logs in order to determine when to make follow up calls.

When cold calling a prospect the best way to promote your products and services is to use the Sniper Approach. This sales promotion strategy usually involves working on customized sales pitch for each targeted prospect to influence their purchasing decision.

• Customized sales pitches should involve using product presentations to emphasize the benefits or services offered, to influence the buying decisions of targeted consumers in specified marketplaces.
• All customized sales pitches are reviewed and revised several times before applying it to cold calling the prospects in order to target highly-identified consumers.
• You'll need to spend a lot of time on each prospect in order to influence their buying decision.

Contact the manager after you have made the necessary preparations. Follow the sub-checklist below to prepare and note the time of the sales call in the form field below.

In cases that you cannot contact directly the manager, consider passing your call through the assistant manager. 

Work on this as a marketing professional having a positive attitude and always dial the phone with a smile.

Conduct research on your potential prospect before cold calling them. Record any useful pieces of information using the form fields below.

Set as many sales appointments as you can. When the person you are calling is not around, call them back the next day.

You can leave a voice mail when you cannot contact the person whom you are calling.

When you leave a voice mail without getting any responses, know how many times you can leave it without making them feel harassed.     

When someone calls you back, make sure you are prepared to get all his/her information such as; his/her last name, the company he/she works for and to answer his/her queries to enable you to take control of the conversation.     

Keep in touch with the prospect by sending relevant newsletters, time sensitive special offers and promotions, events and trade show invitations and holiday cards.

Develop a fool proof follow up system to enable you to keep track of the schedules you have with the prospects.

While practicing your sales calls, it is but normal to hear various kinds of objections. Be prepared by following the sub-checklist below and remember to note down all valid objections using the form field at the end of this task.

Keep in mind that even good scripts need improvements. Your expected outcome cannot be realized upon the first time you try it out. Make sure you do the following steps:

Most often people are using emails rather than answering phone calls. Thus, using a combination of emails and phone calls is a much better way of communicating with the prospects.

Prepare and rehearse your scripts for phone calls and emails communications before calling your customers to ensure that adequate preparations have been made in terms of marketing strategies and responses.

Scripts should be designed to capture the interests of prospects and convert them into customers in order to generate sales.

Sending individualized emails is not as risky as sending group emails, but you must ensure that your emails do not violate anti-spam regulations.

• US emails for commercial transactions usually have an unsubscribe option as well as personal contact information.
• If someone asks you to stop communicating with them through emails, immediately remove their email addresses from your email account.
• You are liable if you keep on emailing someone who does not want your email communication.

Strengthen your communication with your prospects by sending emails with generalized information with a formal request for a response call.