Good sales calls are mostly prepared before you pick up the phone. What helps most is consistency, a positive attitude and thorough preparation.
- Make a list of the people you are going to call, with their phone numbers, email addresses and notes from any earlier conversations.
- Find out what each client needs and how your product or service could help them. Go into every call knowing which next step you want to agree on.
- Write a short, clear script with your main arguments and answers to objections. You have about 10–15 seconds to make the other person curious.
- Practise the call in front of a mirror or with a friend, and notice which phrases get a reaction straight away.
- Start with warm-up calls to people you already know. It builds confidence before the cold ones.
- Set realistic daily or weekly goals, for example 20 calls a day, and block the calling time in your calendar.
- Stay positive and confident. The person on the other end can hear your energy.
- Listen more than you talk, and ask open questions to understand what the client actually needs.
- Prepare answers to the objections you hear most often, and show how your product or service solves the problem behind them.
- After each call, write down what worked and what did not, and adjust your approach for the next one.
When to hand the calls over
If you have tried cold calling and it just isn’t your thing, it can make sense to give it to someone who does it every day. An experienced salesperson knows how to talk to prospects, handle objections and move the conversation towards a sale. More on that: why hire an external salesperson.
If you would rather hand the calls over, see how I do B2B cold calling and appointment setting in Estonia or send an inquiry.