Mastering the Art of the Cold Call: 5 Tips for Successful B2B Sales

Cold calling is tricky, no two ways about it. You may have gatekeepers to deal with, and you also hope to sway someone who may have had no idea who you were five minutes ago. To help you with B2B cold calling, just check out the five tips below.

1. Plan for Common Objections

Objections such as, “I’m too busy to talk at the moment,” and “Send me an email instead,” are common enough that you can plan for them. For instance, if you are hit with the email request, you can reply with something such as, “Of course. Could you tell me your main concern so that I can address it when I email you?”

2. Search for Mutual Connections

One of the best things you can do actually occurs before you pick up the phone, when you look for mutual connections that you and your B2B prospect share. For instance, you can call and say something along the lines of, “I supply widgets for John Smith at ABC Company, and he gave me your name.”

If you cannot find a mutual connection, you can use similar anchors such as a speech the prospect gave or an engaging post he made on LinkedIn.

3. Use Metrics

Imagine that you have three scripts you plan to use in cold calling. You might believe that all three are effective, but you will not know for sure unless you track what happens during and after a call. In the end, you might realize that one script proves quite ineffective, while another makes a tremendous impact. Other metrics to track could include time of call, level of the decision-maker, the specific voicemail you left and whether you referenced a certain mutual connection.

4. Pre-Record Voicemails

Do you leave a lot of voicemails? Probably so! Instead of saying a message every time, pre-record your voicemails to save your voice and prevent distractions from creeping in. Avoid tics such as “ah” and “um,” and your message will be snappy and engaging.

5. Track Who Opened Your Emails

You can cold call prospects who opened an email you sent them, but do not confuse the fact that they opened your message with the belief that they want what you are selling. Circle back to tip 1, and know how to overcome their objections (i.e. “I don’t know what email you mean,” and “I remember that email, but I don’t need your product). One possible script solution is, “I’m sure you get a lot of emails a day, and I respect your time. Let’s take a minute now to discuss your needs.”