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    How I perfected my cold calling, and it might help you too Sales and Selling

    December 09, 2017

    How I perfected my cold calling, and it might help you too Sales and Selling

    How I perfected my cold calling, and it might help you too

    Posted: 01 Dec 2017 02:09 AM PST

    Hi all! Hope you're crushing it going into December; I know it's a tough time of year. I created a post on how I cold call, and I'd love to hear your tips and tricks too. I understand some may disagree with my methodology, and that's okay. Let's keep it civilised.

    This Cold Calling Script Booked Me Meetings With The Biggest Law Firms in Adelaide

    Cold calling is a unique weapon in the salesperson's arsenal. I send emails, texts, Linked In messages, and heck, even hand-written letters, but nothing compares to picking up the phone and making the call. It's like bringing a bazooka to a knife fight. Here's my take on a perfect B2B cold calling script which you might find helpful too.

    Alternative types of communication are all one-way. Through mediums such as emails, texts, social messages and letters, it doesn't require the other person to "buy-in" to the communication. Consider that for a moment.

    Those contact efforts are easy for the prospect to put-off, save for later, ignore and forget. They definitely serve a purpose, and I believe a great salesperson uses all forms of communication available, but nothing will replace a phone call.

    Phone calls are a personal, two-way, real-time interaction. I've achieved more in a single call than weeks of touches via other channels. Honestly, while prospects seem "annoyed" at cold callers, they also can appreciate the effort of a human wanting to get in contact with them, especially after multiple attempts.

    But there is a right way and a wrong way to execute a cold call, and it can be confronting for both the salesman and the prospect. Immediately, people raise their defences when they receive an unsolicited call, so we need to disarm them and instil trust.

    I'll explain the theories behind each section of my call so you can tailor it to your industry and company.

    I've conducted a lot of research on how to perfect cold calling, because it's arguably the most important call in your relationship with a prospect. It's the "first date" of the business world, so you'd best impress!

    The Cold Calling Open/Introduction

    Hi John, this is Michael from XYZ, have I caught you at a bad time?

    Let's break this down.

    • Introduce yourself in a happy tone. Keep it short, succinct and polite. Speak confidently – like you would talk to a friend.

    • Address the prospect by their first name, to infer you're of equal status. While saying "Mr." or "Mrs." can be a sign of respect, it also communicates that the prospect is more important than you. You're calling with a solution to help them and your time is also of great importance; don't put the prospect on a pedestal.

    • I stopped saying "My name is Michael…" and started announcing "This is Michael…" I found this yields more positive responses, perhaps because it conveys a sense of authority. It also cuts the total number of words down.

    • I also experienced better results using my first name and the company, but not my last name. I want to remove any unnecessary words, and simplify my message as much as possible for the prospect. Not to mention, when talking to a friend, you're on a first name basis.

    • I hate it when sales people ask me: "How are you?" I know they don't care, and it's honestly a waste of time asking. They're interrupting my day, they're a stranger to me AND they're asking me a shallow question? Save that for people you're acquainted with. Instead, I'd prefer to be asked "Have I caught you at a bad time?" for four reasons, so I tend to do the same:

    1) It's courteous and shows I respect the prospect's time.

    2) A question encourages the prospect to "buy-in" to the conversation; it takes two to tango.

    3) When someone receives an unsolicited phone call, their immediate reaction in their mind is negative and hence no, no, no. By asking if I've caught them at a bad time, the answer "no" is actually the positive answer. This isn't a Jedi mind trick, but it often buys you a bit more time to get your point across.

    4) Even if I have caught them at a really bad time, the prospect often says "Yes, but can you call back in an hour?"

    The Reason

    The reason I'm calling is because we're helping the big law firms in Adelaide with their property valuation needs, and I thought you might be interested too. Then stop talking and wait.

    • The aim of stating the intention of my call cuts to the chase and "sets a hook" in the prospect. I want to create enough interest so they want to learn more. But you don't have to hit the prospect with facts and figures; you just have to arouse curiosity. Remember, people buy from people. Be real and authentic.

    • The way you deliver this is crucial. You must be articulate, but excited; clear but upbeat.

    • I realise this pitch on paper doesn't sound exactly exciting, but the reason it works for me is because (most) lawyers are open to learning about how we can benefit them and their clients.

    • I tried different variations such as: "The reason I'm calling is because we help save lawyers time and money with property valuations…" but the response I got was that it was "too salesy," and they became more hostile over the phone.

    • "…we're helping the big law firms in Adelaide…" is social proof that we're helping companies LIKE them, and we're local. This cements a trust in the prospect that we can actually provide some value to them.

    • "…and I thought you might be interested too." Who could be angry at that? I disarm the prospect but letting them know I'm not selling anything at this stage; all I've done is explain we've helped others like them and now I'm thinking we MIGHT be able to help them too. This provides a great avenue for more questions regardless if their response is "yes" or "no."

    • Then stop talking and wait for a response. In many instances, the prospect has already started talking, but if not, use the silence to create an atmosphere where the prospect HAS to say something. Often the prospect is interested and wants to hear how we can help, but on the odd occasion some they say they're not interested.

    Qualify

    The aim here is to "investigate" by asking questions. While my hypothesis is that we can help them, I want to make sure they're a good fit for us. There's nothing worse than a bad customer, or wasting time with someone that the product/service isn't going to suit.

    Using a date as a scenario, imagine if you just talked the whole time about how good you are. Personally, that would be an awkward situation. The typical salesperson (myself included) is a type-A, extroverted personality who enjoys conversing, talking and having a laugh. Our job is to ask questions, and then shut up, listen, and absorb what they tell us.

    If they say they're interested

    Great. If I could ask you real-quick, how many family law clients do you have at the moment?

    On average, what percentage of those would need their property valued?

    Who do you typically use for property valuations?

    What's your experience been like with those firms?

    Sounds like we might be a good fit for you. Lawyers find us useful because we service a bigger area across the state, and we also value all types of property. So we're able to save you time because we're more of a one-stop-shop.

    If they say they're not interested

    Oh, that's okay, I understand. If I could ask you real-quick, is it a timing issue or something else?

    If it's a timing issue, organise a time then and there of when they'll be able to give their full attention, and lock them into a meeting via email calendar. If it's something else, you should have your objection/complaint responses ready. Then, depending on how that goes, you can re-direct to the questions from the "interested" category.

    Closing on a Meeting

    I'd love to meet with you and learn more about what you do, are you free sometime next week? Preferably Monday morning or Tuesday afternoon if that suits you?

    • Emotional words like "love" create impact and show how interested you are, just to learn more about them. The sales process is all about the prospect and getting them to the "promise land" with your solution.

    • Narrow down their options to make it psychologically easier for them, but also leave it open to working around them if need be. That's polite.

    A better way to make sales scripts

    While scripts can boost your sales, conversations aren't linear. It can be difficult to work off of scripts on paper, because when you ask the prospect questions, the responses can vary. This is why I created SalesWolf.io, so no matter what direction the conversation takes, I can maintain control and work toward the goal.

    Conclusion

    To be a cold calling master, you need to be enthusiastic and deliberate in the words you speak, while engaging the prospect in a two-way communication. Being short, sharp and shiny is effective; don't beat around the bush. Keep the goal of the call in mind and never forget: people do business with people!

    TL;DR - simplicity, deliberate, short, sharp, shiny, script, questions, listen, close meeting and be an empathetic person

    submitted by /u/MVPhillips
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    [Selling to Fortune 5000] Warm intros vs. current email outbound

    Posted: 09 Dec 2017 04:52 AM PST

    Hello everyone,

    TL:DR I've come to the conclusion that our beloved cold outbound prospecting via email is broken (although it still works today). I believe it will be less and less sustainable in the future due to spam regulation, shorter attention span, saturation. Inbound via content marketing doesn't solve the problem either for b2b sales as it is slow, expensive, not laser-focused.

    Questions for discussion:

    • Anyone sharing my thinking?

    • What alternatives to we have as salespeople to do demand generation?

    • Anyone had success with an influencer program for high-ticket b2b sales?

    Long version

    For my job (AE selling a SaaS CRM product), I talk to many VP sales/growth in mid-sized (100-200 employees) b2b companies that are themselves selling high ticket contracts ($50+) to Fortune 5000. Having done this for a year or so, I now have a pretty clear understanding of how mid-sized b2b companies currently go about their bus dev.

    I noticed some patterns

    • Almost all mid-sized b2b seem to target the same accounts (e.g. they all want to open the door with AT&T, Walmart, Delta Airlines, …)

    • Almost everyone count heavily on outbound (e.g. they build targeted prospects lists, approach via email/phone, some even do custom ABM content, ...)

    • Every company is sending hundreds if not thousands of unsolicited emails/calls as cold outbound conversion is fairly low (1-2%) and need to fill the funnel to get results - however this is already limited in Canada, will be banned in EU with GDPR and progressively restricted elsewhere

    • No synergies are being made between companies targeting same prospects, even if they are not competitors (e.g. if 2 companies have 2 distinct, non-competing products targeting the COO of Walmart, they would both put him in a difference drip cadence – with the result of the COO receiving tens of pitches and follow-ups per day)

    I know outbound still works and it is high-precision (it serves us well), however this system looks pretty broken and I fear it will be increasingly unsustainable in the future (spam/regulations/shorter attention span). Inbound content marketing is an alternative, however it is not laser-focused, takes long time to get it to work and generates low volumes of leads. Also, once everyone generate "great content" there is no competitive advantage for the n+1 company.

    • Wouldn't that be easier if there was a way to get a referral to that C-xx or VP that everybody is trying to reach from someone who knows him vs. bombarding him with a 7-email cadence?

    • Has anyone implemented anything successful in terms of getting introductions from people connected to the target company (e.g. ex-employees, consultants, …) who can be ambassadors and create a meaningful connection?

    • What is the future of b2b lead gen for high-touch/high-ticket contracts?

    I know these are pretty vast questions and thanks in advance for sharing your perspective and helping me to make sense of this space and its evolution

    submitted by /u/federiconitidi
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    Strategies for inbound leads?

    Posted: 09 Dec 2017 11:21 AM PST

    Hi r/sales. I'm curious to see what you'd do in my shoes. I work for a martech Saas company as an SDR and every day I get anywhere between 20 and 60 leads. After sifting through BS ones I get about 10 or so actual leads to call a day.

    My products is in several verticals, SaaS, Credit Unions, Healthcare and I have a tough time managing my spiel about my product. And since they're mainly inbound leads(nothing like a demo or anything, just downloaded one of our white-papers, etc.)

    Is it worth spending some time researching each lead? Spray and pray?

    I usually put them in a specific vertical email sequence and rarely get them on the phone(I have maybe a 3% connect rate on the phone)

    Thanks,

    mic

    submitted by /u/manimconfused
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    What's some effective email wording I can use to sell our current customers a new, but still similar product?

    Posted: 09 Dec 2017 11:04 AM PST

    Example: Customer buys a Star Wars DVD gets an email a few days later trying to upsell them a licensed SW t-shirt, or something along those lines. - Thanks in advance!

    submitted by /u/devonthed00d
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    What are your favorite and most useful apps, tools, websites, etc. that you use in sales?

    Posted: 08 Dec 2017 09:08 PM PST

    What are some of your favorite apps, tools, and websites you use in sales? It can be anything, from a website that helps you with prospecting to an app that you use to to stay organized.

    My two most helpful tools have been the Wunderlist app and the Hunter google chrome add on. I use Wunderlist to set reminders and for to-do lists and Hunter has been extremely helpful in finding prospects emails.

    submitted by /u/tompigs7
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    Thanks in advance

    Posted: 08 Dec 2017 02:52 PM PST

    Boys and girls - I just want to say thanks to this sub in advance.

    Why, you ask?

    It may sound cheesy, but just for the pure support, positivity, enthusiasm and overall amazing knowledge transfer that I've seen here over the past few years.

    The last 8 months I (Canadian) was working as Sales Executive for a company (US) to open up Canada for them. Big SaaS deals that take time. Yadda yadda yadda, they've decide to withdraw from Canada and with that....my employment.

    It is what it is, and while not ideal - I know I'll land on my feet in an even better opportunity. And this sub will keep me focused, positive and I'm sure will be readily available for any questions or support I may need.

    So again, thank you in advance. And if you ever find yourself in a situation like this - support each other and raise each other up. Stay hungry!

    submitted by /u/lent12
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    Is there a service that provides intelligence about the financial services industry in the US?

    Posted: 08 Dec 2017 10:01 PM PST

    I am trying to sell to the financial services industry in the US (Banks, PE firms, M&A consultants etc.). Is there a lead source that gives more than just contacts? For example, I'd like to know the recent announcements from the bank, metrics that define a bank's health etc. I know of databases like ZoomInfo or Hoovers that give contact data. Is there something like that exclusively for the financial services industry with deeper insights? Thanks for taking time to answer my question :).

    submitted by /u/hai2ashwin
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    What are some great companies to start a software sales career at other than the ones I have listed in this thread?

    Posted: 08 Dec 2017 04:15 PM PST

    I believe I asked this a month ago but the answer came out to something like "start at a startup man, it will build character" so definitely not what I was looking for.

    I am looking to move into software sales after having about a year of experience in Account Management at a software company, this means I will likely have to start off as an SDR.

    So far the companies I have on my list that are great places to start a career in software sales at are:

    Oracle, SAP, and Salesforce

    I feel like there are other good names I am leaving off of the list and would like to grow my list a bit more than just those 3. What other companies are thought of as great places to start a software sales career at?

    submitted by /u/anlbcore
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    SDR selling reputation management SaaS

    Posted: 08 Dec 2017 07:17 PM PST

    So, I recently got a job selling reputation management software to companies who want to improve their online reviews. My question is can I use the experience I gain from this job and use it to get into some of the billion dollar software companies like Salesforce, Oracle, and my personal favorite SAP. Thanks!

    submitted by /u/Spatz90
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    Christmas e-cards

    Posted: 08 Dec 2017 02:19 PM PST

    So I joined a new company this year and I've traditionally dropped by to all my clients to give a Christmas card and a box of chocolates or whatever it is as a small token of appreciation.

    My new boss said he "doesn't like Christmas cards" and is planning to give us a template for an e-card. My sales manager is highly respected and very smart so it shocked me that he prefers the e-cards as a better alternative.

    Even though I'm still a millennial am I crazy for preferring physical cards? E-cards are basically spam to me.

    Does anyone have positive experiences with ecards?

    submitted by /u/twitinkie
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    How can i improve on inbound

    Posted: 08 Dec 2017 01:30 PM PST

    Hi everyone, i've read the 'best of' threads.

    My question is how I can improve on inbound?

    The company I work for sells to customers, in specific, I get called by customers to place orders, deal with complaints and track orders. All of which I could 'pitch' on.

    I think i know what to improve on, but not sure how to go about it. This is a list of what I feel i can improve on:

    • Confidence in the pitch of another item.
    • Struggle to paint a picture, due to badly describe products
    • I dont actually receive blatant objections. So, im not sure how to handle them.
    • Fear of pitching.

    I can go into more detail about each one, per request, to save you the time of reading so much text.

    Any chance anyone can give some insight. I've read a lot of the threads on here, but obviously some are to companies and some are cold calling. I need to try and find a way to apply this information

    Thank you guys in advance, this is my first sales job and im 4 weeks in, im excited!

    Extra Info if you'd like to know more

    Confidence in the pitch of another item.

    So, I got told by one of our best sellers that when I pitch is one of the biggest things I can change. I must agree, instead of pitching after I placed the order, I should pitch before I finalised the order. It's helped.

    However, I don't really create ugrency. I check the stock and let them know it's in stock, but I always preface things with "Dont worry i wont push you into anything". To me, it's a bad habit i fall back on, as I feel it portrays no confidence in the product; if the product was so good, I shouldn't need to ever 'push' anyone into anything

    Struggle to paint a picture, due to badly describe products

    We actually have some bullet point notes on the 'features' of the product on the item, so I don't have to improvise. The problem being, I sound like a robot and I stutter. Again, not inspiring any confidence.

    I dont actually receive blatant objections. So, im not sure how to handle them.

    I believe this is down to my pitch or not ASKING enough questions, I just take no, as no. Our calls get audited and we can 'fail' and get warning for pushing past 3 no's. So I think this is just a fear for me.

    Fear of pitching

    Lastly, fear. I fear I will upset a customer, especially one has suffered a tradegy. Operating under the thought that the customer would actually be recieving a product that's meaningfull to them, rather than me just getting that commision. I still struggle to sell value of the product, as I dance around the subject. Rather than cutting the crap and getting to the point.

    submitted by /u/NemiX_TV
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    Strategic Account Expansion for a B2B SaaS product. Field execution software consisting of a mobile app and web app to collect and analyze retail and CPG data.

    Posted: 08 Dec 2017 01:46 PM PST

    I'm currently working as a Customer Success Manager (CSM) at a B2B SaaS company. After expressing interesting in getting into Sales, I've been asked by our leadership team to step into a role to focus on 'strategic account expansion' (they still don't know the title for the role).

    The general idea would be to pursue breadth expansion with our existing customers (new divisions, new regions, etc.) rather than depth expansion (more users on the existing use case, more products/add-ons, etc.).

    Ultimately, it was decided that it would be better to have a resource on the Sales team dedicated to this rather than having the existing Account Manager (CSM) go after this growth on their own.

    Nevertheless, I still have a lot of questions about the strategy and how this type of growth is executed at other companies.

    Does anyone have any experience with this type of role or is there such a role at a SaaS company that you work(ed) for?

    Any and all input is appreciated!

    submitted by /u/slimachilles
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