Hello!
I wrote another (but short) article in which I cited real examples their own dialogues on the phone...

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The topic of cold calling seems to be endless. There are many articles about cold calling technologies and the risk of repetition is very high. Therefore, I decided to describe my non-standard view on this topic. I want to get to the bottom of it so I can understand for myself how to increase personal motivation and efficiency.

Hopeless indifference.

So, let's put ourselves in the place of the person receiving our cold call. What do you think it (this person) is doing at this time? That's right - anything. Sits on the Internet, compiles some report, talks to someone, drinks coffee, smokes a cigarette, fills out a spreadsheet in Excel, feels like going to the toilet, etc. In short, he has no time for us and no time for our proposals.

Let's make the first conclusion. They don't care about us. They don’t know us, and we distract, therefore, we create the first reason for irritation, which results in a desire to quickly send us away.

Do you know what we have to work with? I answer: with indifference. They don't care about us. However, you can work with it!

First of all, let's get ready to work. Our job should be to make those who answer the phone work. We are not to blame for distracting someone from an important task or idleness. We do our work and try to do it well, because our work feeds us. Our boss, by and large, also doesn’t care that those we call from morning to evening don’t care about anything, and they don’t want to talk to us. Therefore, the only way out is to call yourself the “Architect of your own happiness” and become the MANAGER of the work of others.

We should also not care that we distract people and this is the first instruction that we need to give to ourselves. “I make a call, I distract someone from some work, which means that someone should now be working for me. After all, taking calls from me is part of his job. And don’t care.”
The habit of sending everyone to...

Any form of refusal, even if expressed in a cultural or veiled form, is precisely “fuck you...”

This is quite logical, because no one wants to work, and with our calls we force people to do work, some actions, and force them to think. This is unbearable for many. We must understand that people quickly get used to doing monotonous things. And if the company we call receives countless calls like us every day, it means that any employee of this company will quickly get used to sending everyone away. It's clear?

You can fight this too)))

We need to get used to the fact that we will be sent and not pay attention to it. I suggest you realize that we are “Architects of our own happiness” and MANAGERS of other people’s work. We love ourselves very much and no one is allowed to wipe their feet on us and practice their habits on us.

Simply put, you need to say to yourself “you go to..., with your “go to...” and overcome the habit of sending, the habit of not hearing it.
Get in touch.

Let me give you an example from my own practice. Dialogue (I am me, She is she). Names have been changed.

Option one - result: “you go to...”
She: - Hello!
Me: - Hello, my name is Alexey Dmitrienko, Optim company. Who can I talk to about supplying small appliance accessories?
She: - We don’t need this (read: “fuck you...”)
Me: - Sorry, are you making a decision?
She: - No, director, but we don’t deal with small matters. household appliances…
Me: - We are talking about accessories, not equipment. Can I talk with the director?
She: - He won't talk to you. I told you, we don't do that.
Me: - Let me, in yours Online store Various available for sale household appliances. I want to make you an offer on related accessories for many samples of the equipment that you sell. This will make your store more attractive and increase your income.
She: - Young man, I told you, we don’t need it.

The conversation is over. She hung up.

Option two - effective
She: - Hello!
Me: - Hello! Is this an online store?
She: - Yes, what did you want?
Me: - I would like to buy a vacuum cleaner brand “X”. And I'm wondering if the kit includes a set of disposable dust bags?
She: - Oh, I need to clarify...
Me: - Unfortunately, I didn’t find dust collectors in your assortment...
She: - We don’t sell them...
Me: - So, are dust collectors included with the vacuum cleaner? Excuse me, what is your name? (Stirlitz technique - answer the last question)
She: - My name is Oksana.
Me: - Very nice, my name is Alexey. Tell me, Oksana, where can I buy dust collectors?
She: - I don't know. Most likely at service centers.
Me: - Excuse me, am I the only one asking about dust collectors?
She: - No, sometimes they are interested.
Me: - I see. Why don't you sell dust collectors?
She: - Well, I don’t know, you need to ask the management...
Me: - What is the name of your management?
She: - Dmitry Leonidovich.
Me: - Oksana, can I talk to Dmitry Leonidovich?
She: - What do you want to tell him?
Me: - I want to suggest that he include dust collectors in his assortment. Because it's uncomfortable to run around service centers and order the necessary dust collectors from them! How can I talk to Dmitry Leonidovich?
She: - Call after three o'clock.
I'm fine thanks. By the way, this “X” vacuum cleaner is equipped with disposable dust collectors.
She: - Let me clarify. Can you call me back?
Me: - Okay, Oksana. I'll call you back.

The conversation is over. I hung up.

What is the result? I brainwashed Oksana and found out who makes the decision and when it will happen. I made Oksana feel guilty and a “bummer” because I was interested in a vacuum cleaner and wanted to buy it, but the purchase was postponed. My next call again led to Oksana and I asked to connect me with Dmitry Leonidovich, to whom I did commercial offer.

The conclusion that can be drawn from this dialogue is very simple. I forced Oksana to work. I asked her to clarify an essential detail that stood in the way of making a decision. In addition, I blocked the attempt to send me away, because I am a “BUYER”!!! She doesn’t decide anything, but for some reason in the first dialogue she allowed herself to send me away on behalf of her director, who, by the way, for some reason did not send me))). Therefore, it was necessary to send her away. Actually that's what I did.

Let us finally understand that the seller is a person and, as a person, he is a buyer. We are all connected. If you send, then be prepared for the fact that they will send you too. And vice versa. And for any bolt you can always find a nut.
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In fact, sometimes your nerves are at their limit and sometimes you force yourself to restrain yourself through an effort of will.

Discussion Question:
Has anyone ever had a situation where, unable to bear it, you sent the person you called away? They were rude, cursed, ruined the mood, etc.

In general, does it make sense to sometimes cause emotional stress on someone?

Surely at least once you have received a call and been offered to purchase a product or use a service. And you probably answered “no” at least once. The topic of this material is the technique of cold calling clients. You will learn how to make cold calls correctly, how to interest a client, as well as what sales techniques and samples to use.

What is this?

Cold calling is so named because of the cool, wary attitude of clients towards them. The main purpose of the conversation is with the potential client. In most cases, you shouldn’t try to immediately sell a product or service over the phone, it won’t do any good. It is more important to interest the client.

The purpose of the conversation is to set up a meeting with a potential client.

Calls also perform another important function - replenishing the client base. Technology requires thorough preparation and careful consideration of your words.

Expecting to receive universal instructions For any type of cold calling, entrepreneurs are wrong. Calls are tailored to a specific market, sometimes even to each individual. Learning how to make cold calls effectively takes constant practice.

An important role is played by the balance of “cold” and already base. You need to constantly make outgoing calls to new clients; customers periodically leave the main base (to competitors or lose the need for a service), this is inevitable. In order not to be left without a base, the cold calling system requires about 100 conversations with new clients per day + calling a “warm” base. The basic principle of a cold call is the manager’s ability to anticipate the client’s questions and answers and be prepared to continue the conversation.

The main principle of a cold call is the manager’s ability to anticipate the client’s questions and answers.

Organize your search and attract customers based on the market segment for which your products/services are useful. Determine the places where potential clients hang out, get your contact base.

The process of obtaining information about executives can also be approached cunningly by calling, for example, under the pretext marketing research. This way you can find out whether the client is aware of the existence of your company or brand. Having acquired email client, you can send him .

Stages of cold calling

1. Collection of information. If you show yourself to be an informed interlocutor, you will receive a friendlier attitude.
2. Compiling a cheat sheet (). Until a manager becomes a professional (and even after that), he needs short plan conversation. Such a script, regularly updated with new data, will help answer any client questions.
3. . Introduce yourself (sometimes don't be too direct about sales) and ask to speak with the decision maker. If this is not possible, find out additional information about him (full name, what time he can be contacted).
4. Conversation with the client. Be sure to ask for a few minutes to talk and explain the purpose of the call. Find out what interests him, what he needs, and whether he is satisfied with everything about working with current contractors.

If you want to interest a client in a meeting, tell them about the main benefits. If the client wants to talk about details, offer to meet. This way you will weed out those who like to occupy other people’s time with empty talk. You will waste time, but the client will still not order anything.

The technique requires you to monitor the client’s mood, record new information for the base and even took into account the time of the call. It happens that the client refuses to talk to the manager or disappears in the middle of the day. But if you try to call in the morning or evening, he will be more willing to contact you.

In general, the conversation should not last long; three minutes is enough to interest the client. The results of these stages are the sale of the product.

Dealing with objections

For the client, your call is unexpected and (usually) unwanted. An experienced manager knows the difference between a categorical refusal. In the latter case, you should not be intrusive and continue the conversation - just end it on a positive note. But you need to work with objections so as not to lose potential buyers. Here are the typical excuses.

• “I’m busy/in a hurry to get somewhere.” Explain that your goal is not to take up the client’s time now, but only to arrange a meeting. As a last resort, agree on when to call back.
• “Call back later.” You need to get the exact time of the call - this way the client will not be able to use this objection over and over again.
• “Send your proposal by email.” It leaves hope, but in reality it is almost hopeless. You can immediately state why not meet and offer a specific time. Or agree and ask when they will answer you about what was sent. In general, turn your submissions from the end of a conversation into a transitional step.
• "I don't need anything." Do you feel guilty? It’s not worth it, usually it’s just an excuse, and the client doesn’t yet know that he needs it. Here you should go straight to the product, appealing to companies that were not interested in it either, and now they only use it. You can simply promise that the client will be interested, and the meeting is not obligatory to anything, and offer a specific time.
• “My counterparties suit me quite well.” This is where the information you have prepared about them will definitely come in handy. Tell them you're not trying to replace them, but are offering an alternative. Say that it is more reliable to work with several suppliers, or explain exactly why you are better than the client’s partners, and then offer to meet. If the client insists on his own, this will be a reason to get to know the competitors better. Find out what benefits make their offer better than yours.

Cold calling manager

The basic rules of communication when selling over the phone come down to minimizing pressure on the client, confidence, friendliness, and the ability to control one’s voice. Don't forget about a smile - it is perfectly audible on the phone. Add calmness to your voice, your main weapon. It's easy to blow a call if you sound monotonous, unsure, and bored.

It's easy to blow a call if you sound monotonous, unsure, and bored.

Your goal is to interest the client, evoke emotions, and be on the same wavelength with him. You must understand what the client will say now and be prepared. Stock up on short and detailed answers to the client’s basic questions: why are you calling him and what are his benefits. Avoid closed questions, “not” and complex terms.

The cold calling method often exposes the manager to clients who refuse or are rude. Therefore, resistance to stress is vital here, and even more so, careful preparation for conversations. You should be (or at least seem) professional, and such an image is easy to achieve: instead of template phrases and reading from a cheat sheet, speak in your own words, confidently and exactly what interests the client.

Telesales techniques are easy to understand, but making quality cold calls requires constant practice. Listen to recordings of conversations, think about what you could say, read examples and improve your skills. As you get better at it and earn money, you won’t notice how you will become an expert in cold calling.

Many who decide to work as a sales manager are faced with the need to make cold calls. However, not everyone understands what this is and does not know the rules by which they should be implemented. Against the backdrop of the enormous importance of such activities, inability to make sales over the phone can lower the employee’s authority in the eyes of management.

The essence

It is not difficult to understand what cold calling is in sales. Their technique involves calling potential clients who are not yet familiar with the company. The goal is to interest a person and encourage them to contact the organization to purchase a product or service, as well as expand the customer base.

Some people think that cold calling techniques are quite simple. However, this is not at all true. To achieve success in this area of ​​activity, you should study a huge number of nuances and pitfalls. That is why managers who master this technology are in demand among employers.

There are three characteristics that an employee must have in order for the effectiveness of cold calls to be quite high: a sufficient level of self-control, complete knowledge of information about the goods and services offered, knowledge of the tastes and preferences of potential clients.

Shortage of professionals

Specialists who understand how to make cold calls are in high demand. However, their number in the labor market is very small. The reason lies primarily in psychological factors.

Many people cannot overcome themselves and call a stranger. They are afraid that a potential client will simply reject them and refuse to talk, because no one likes when they call stranger and at the same time trying to sell something. That is why cold calling can become a very serious test of strength for a specialist.

However, a manager should not be afraid to hear “no.” All objections can be predicted in advance, so when correct behavior you can try to prevent them. At the same time, it is important to conduct the conversation not with template phrases, but to develop your own answers in accordance with the situation. It is also necessary to learn to determine the intonation of the voice and respond to it adequately.

Rules

There are a number of rules that must be followed by managers making cold calls. Telephone sales techniques involve following the following principles:

1. You shouldn’t immediately try to sell a product or service during the first call. It is even useful to emphasize that the manager’s goal is not bargaining. It is much more important at this moment to collect information about a potential client and gain his favor.
2. It's important to ask the right questions. This will create an impression of both the specialist and the company he represents. Competent dialogue increases the chances of attracting the interest of a potential client. That is why you should prepare very carefully for the conversation. If a manager has information about the company and navigates the market situation, he will create an impression of himself as a competent specialist. The goal of the first call is to collect the maximum useful information about the potential client’s problems, so that during the next conversation you can offer him effective solution similar difficulties.
3. It is important to try to arrange a personal meeting. If the manager manages to do this, the chance of converting a potential client to permanent status will increase significantly.

First difficulties

Anyone who decides to use cold calling techniques will have to face a lot of difficulties. Most of them appear at the very beginning of a conversation.

The first problem is that most large companies All calls go first to the secretary. He very quickly recognizes standard telephone sales patterns. Many secretaries have learned to competently interrupt calls before the manager has time to convey any information.

The next difficulty is that clients usually do not want to communicate during a cold call. In this case, the manager must arouse some interest in the opponent. However, this is difficult to do because the potential client rarely wants to talk. Many cold calls last no more than 60 seconds. The manager should not delude himself if he was asked to send a commercial proposal and was even given an email address. This hardly means anything yet. The fact is that most of the offers from unfamiliar companies are deleted without reading them.

Reasons for not liking cold calling

The phenomenon of cold calling techniques is that they are unloved by both sides of the process. Managers are afraid to use such technologies and try to avoid them in every possible way. Clients listen to a lot of cold calls from specialists. Moreover, often those who sell are not even able to properly make an offer. However, those managers who are truly interested in what cold calls in sales are and how to make them correctly are able to overcome all the difficulties of this complex technique. To do this, one should study the technologies on which such negotiations are being conducted. It is important to gradually let go of the need to follow a script.

How to increase your chance of success

Cold calling technology can be very effective if certain rules are followed. It’s worth starting the conversation with a question that will help you quickly find out whether the company receiving the call can be classified as target audience. The reason should not be the desire to sell or impose a product or service. In this case, the conversation is unlikely to last long enough. It is much more effective for the manager to offer a free trial service or seminar. At the same time, he should not be afraid of refusals. They are inevitable. Only by going through them can you achieve success.

Call script

Any business event will be much more effective if you prepare for it in advance. In this regard, there is wide scope for creativity for managers making cold calls. Telephone sales mean that the interlocutors cannot see each other. This means that you can lay out various cheat sheets, diagrams and tips around.

A pre-drafted conversation script will help you overcome fear and make your speech more confident. It must necessarily contain the following blocks:

• The greeting should be in the form " Good morning! or “Good afternoon!”
• Introduction: you need to state your name and the name of the company that the manager represents.
• The purpose of the “acquaintance” block is to find out the name and position of the person who is dealing with the issue of interest.
• Presentation: briefly outlines the scope of the organization's activities.
• The proposal is to indicate the purpose of the call. This could be an invitation to a seminar, a story about discounts and promotions.
• A question that helps test whether a company belongs to the target audience.
• Final. Ideal option will make an appointment.

It should be understood that it is not always possible to fit a cold call into this scheme. This example is approximate; it may change depending on how the dialogue unfolds.

Stephen Shiffman

There are a huge number of authors who study cold calling techniques in their works. Shiffman Stephen is one of the most famous. His books contain not only descriptions of techniques, but also practical advice on their application. The author is a fan of telesales research. He carefully breaks down all the mechanics of calls and gives a huge number of recommendations. One of the principles that Stephen Schiffman advises to adhere to is that cold calling should not be annoying and repetitive. The books give specific advice on how to respond to customer objections.

Objection processing

An important step in the sales process, including over the phone, is handling objections. Managers who have not studied methods of working with them most often get lost during a conversation, begin to stutter, and behave insecurely. Here are a few examples that can help a merchant answer the most common objections of potential clients.

In the case when a manager hears a standard phrase asking him to send an offer by email, he must understand that this is just an excuse. It is best to state that the company’s assortment is huge and try to persuade the client to meet in person for the purpose of presentation. In response to the phrase “I’m not interested,” we can say that there is not a single person who is interested in what he does not know.

An interesting thing is the use of the boomerang method. It means that objections should be returned to the client. In the event that he declares that he does not have time to talk, you can answer the following: the manager seeks to save his time and for this very purpose offers a certain product or service. It is best to prepare possible objections and answers to them in advance, write them down on a piece of paper. It is important not only to learn them, but also to keep the list at hand just in case. If a new objection is identified during the call, it is worth writing it down. Subsequently, it will be possible to come up with the most successful answer.

Probability theory

Every manager must understand that there are no ideal sales techniques. Regardless of what methods a specialist uses, failures cannot be avoided. However, there is one principle that is important to know when using cold calling. Conventionally, it can be called the theory of probability. The first call is unlikely to lead to a deal. However, the more contacts a manager makes with clients, the higher the chance of concluding deals. This is why you should regularly make calls in large numbers.

Customer knowledge

An important condition for successful telephone sales is knowing the client. That is why the manager must first collect as much information about him as possible.

First of all, the Internet can help in collecting data. A huge amount of useful information is contained on the company’s website, as well as various official resources. At the first stage, you should find out the need for the product and services of this particular company. It will be useful to know the name of the leader. This will make an impression and increase the chance of achieving a positive effect.

Keeping in touch

Once you have established contact with a potential client over the phone, it is important to follow up with him afterwards. We must not let them forget about the company's proposals. There are several ways to regularly remind yourself by sending the following elements:

• news brochures that should be of interest to the client and relate to his occupation;
• invitations to events, seminars and exhibitions;
• cards with congratulations and small gifts for the holidays.

All this helps maintain a positive impression of the company.

Without training and gaining experience by making a huge number of calls, it is impossible to achieve significant results. However, following a number of recommendations will help improve and speed up the result. Let us summarize them at the end of the article:

1. The conversation script should be drawn up in advance. It should be carefully thought through.
2. During the conversation you need to be calm and confident. The manager must be able to overcome anxiety. A trembling voice will not bring a positive effect.
3. Don't get involved in conflicts.
4. If the client states that he does not have time to talk, it is best for the manager to clarify when it is most convenient to call back and politely say goodbye.
5. If in response to an offer you receive a categorical refusal, you must apologize and say goodbye.
6. It is important to mention promotions and discounts and offer product samples.
7. You should listen carefully to the client without interrupting. Any objections can be raised only after he finishes speaking.

It is possible to achieve success in cold selling. But this is quite difficult and will require some effort from the manager.

What are cold calls: definition of the concept + description of the 5 stages of conversation + basic techniques.

Anyone who works in sales probably knows about cold calling.

And at the mention of this concept, many people feel a shiver running through their bodies, since not all salespeople like to call potential clients with an offer of possible cooperation.

The calls got their name for a reason; it is directly related to the fact that the interlocutor will not be notified about the upcoming telephone conversation, so with a high probability his answer will be “cold” and not promising anything.

Arrangement for a meeting

Already during the conversation it will be clear whether the purchasing department employee is inclined to continue communication or not.

In this case, you can schedule a face-to-face meeting to discuss all the details.

To do this, offer several dates yourself so that the interlocutor certainly does not refuse.

Confirmation

Whatever you come to, bring the conversation to its logical conclusion.

If a meeting is scheduled, reconfirm the date and time; if not, thank them for their attention and say goodbye.

During a conversation during a cold call, so-called objections may arise, which may be related to a banal lack of interest in your goods or services, as well as unsuitable conditions, etc.

We will talk about what to do in this case in the section on preparing for cold calling.

Cold calling is easy if you prepare for it.

Still don't believe us that cold calling is easy?

In fact, this is true, but only with careful preparation.

If you act blindly, you will quickly lose the desire to work with this technique, and you will be afraid to call strangers for a long time.

Therefore, we suggest that you prepare in advance:

Cold calling techniques

Now we invite you to understand what a cold call is, which can bring positive results.

The duration of the entire telephone conversation should be no more than 5 minutes.

The golden mean would be a 3-minute call.

Therefore, you shouldn’t waste yourself on unnecessary phrases, but there’s no point in speaking quickly either.

Find the golden mean between the pace of speech and the amount of information provided.

We remember that we do not sell anything.

It is important for us to arrange a meeting.

Just because you can’t see your interlocutor through your phone doesn’t mean you have to sit with a sour face.

You can tell your mood by intonation, so smile.

If possible, find out the full name of the decision maker.

This can be done at the stage of visiting the secretary, or by making a preliminary call.

The fact that you address your interlocutor by name will, to some extent, endear him to you.

When creating a cold calling script, do not use template phrases.

They immediately hit the ears, and those involved in purchasing listen to them ten times a day.

Focus on the buying company.

Less “I” and “We”, more “You”, “Your company”.

Be more specific in your proposal.

Not “Maybe we can meet..?”, but “How do you feel about meeting on Thursday or Friday?”

It’s easy to get a refusal on the first question, but on the second, the interlocutor will think about it, and perhaps he himself will suggest a more suitable day and time.

You will learn from the video what you need to pay attention to when creating a script for successful telephone sales:

4 Cold Calling Mistakes That Are Ruining Sales

And the last thing I would like to talk about in analyzing the question of what cold calling is is their typical mistakes, because these failed moments have long been part of this topic.

Cold calling is a real failure if you:

don't prepare for the conversation

A cold call is always a specific conversation, which is also subject to regulations.

All remarks must be clear, confident and thoughtful.

you will conduct a monotonous monologue

There may be a two-in-one error here, or maybe separately.

In any case, no one wants to listen to monotonous speech, as if recorded on a tape recorder.

The situation is also the same with a long monologue.

In addition to talking about yourself, you need to listen to the client and collect information about him.

will not use words that show politeness

Basic “thank you,” “please,” and “all the best” demonstrate good manners.

you will sell the product on the fly

This is what causes irritation the most, which is why many immediately say “no.”

During a cold call, you need to interest the interlocutor, win him over and invite him to a meeting to which he will agree.

In the end, let's say one thing, it is important not only to know what are cold calls, it is important to use them in practice.

If you give up after the first failure, you will never be able to understand how to work with this tool, which can still bring profit to your company.

So don't be afraid to call and talk to people.

Having made 100 calls, 101 will probably end in success, because you will be able to understand the psychology of clients, and you will already know in advance what they will tell you next and how to respond to it.

Only in this case can you get buyers.

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The first thing to understand is that 90% of the success of cold calling depends on discipline and conversational techniques. A cold call is nothing more than a set of algorithms worked out to the point of automation.

Cold Calling: What to Avoid

Here are the 8 biggest enemies of cold calling.

1. It’s not enough to call

Cold calling is the law large numbers in action. There is a directly proportional relationship between the number of calls made and the number of sales. If few calls are made, this will immediately affect revenue.

2. Don't use a script

As already mentioned, cold selling is just a technology polished to a shine. And any technology implies the presence of a clear algorithm of actions. In our case, a conversation script. Without it, almost every client can take the initiative and lead the conversation to nowhere.

3. Do not record agreements

If the sale does not take place, but you regard the cold call as promising, you should not lose your head. In this case, you need to record the agreements in order to use them in further steps. Remember, some people tend to talk and promise a lot. And only a clearly formulated result of the conversation can somehow discipline them and force them to pay.

4. Not finding out the reason for the refusal

Very often, with cold sales, people automatically refuse. But this does not mean that your offer is irrelevant. Ask the person, using leading questions, why he said “no.” If you bring him up for objection, you will receive material with which you can work and even successfully close the deal.

5. Do not listen to conversations between managers and clients

Cold talking by managers should be assessed by the manager using a manager development worksheet. The latter is a table with salesperson skills and conversation control points. This table evaluates the quality of negotiations with clients from the first contact to the final stage.

6. Selling to a Non-Decision Maker

A cold call and a conversation with the person on the other end of the line, initially pleasant, can turn into real disappointment. This happens if a manager forgets to find out whether he is talking with the person making the purchasing decision.

7. Be impressed by every rejection

A manager should not take customer refusals to heart. This is normal, everyday cold calling practice. A quick “no,” even if sometimes expressed in a rude manner, is not at all a reason to endlessly reflect and take pauses to think. Forget and move on.

8. Not sticking to a work schedule

The lack of a clear schedule for managers making cold sales, with clearly defined permitted breaks, will have a detrimental effect on the level of sales. A good practice is for salespeople to continuously call for 50 minutes straight and rest for every last 10 minutes of the hour.

Cold calling: how to write a script

What are cold calls? If you still think that this is some kind of brilliant improvisation by the seller, then you are mistaken. Cold calling is, first of all, a thorough preliminary preparation of the script.

To prepare a sales cold calling script, use this four-step plan.

1. Information collection and preparation

Determining the goal. We register, invite or sell immediately.

Product. Search for arguments for value formation through the HPV algorithm: characteristics – properties – advantages – benefits.

Target audience. We assume the “true” values ​​and needs of potential buyers.

Internal sources. Analyze records of managers' cold calls that resulted in a purchase.

2. Development of a test version of the script

When all the preliminary information has been collected, start writing a test script. At the same time, consider 3 points on which cold calls are based. The technique here is simple.

Structure

Remember the sales classics when thinking about the structure of the script. The cold calling technique involves the use of the “5 stages of sales” algorithm: discovery - identification of needs - presentation - - closing.

The length of text a salesperson should say during a cold call varies depending on the purpose. If the goal is (register, invite), then 5 minutes is the limit. When you need to “close” a deal directly over the phone, it may take a little longer. The fact is that then the employee needs to move in a cyclical scenario as objections arise. However, there should also be a time limit. Usually 10-12 minutes is enough to close 3 to 5 objections. If the buyer continues to resist, then there is no point in continuing the conversation.

Flexibility

The text of the conversation can be as detailed as possible. And the one who makes the cold call in this case cannot even be called a salesperson. He simply reads with expression what is “slipped” to him smart system. Moreover, even working with objections can be automated. It remains to monitor the tone and mood. This is possible when the product is extremely clear and the contours of the audience are strictly defined.

3. Tests

The text is ready. Let’s put the resulting cold calling script into action. We monitor employees’ compliance with this checklist.

• The manager speaks clearly over text
• The buyer does not take the initiative in the conversation
• All objections to the product have been taken into account
• Words and phrases that led to refusal

4. Implementation

After testing and working on errors, we automate the “submission” of the cold call sales script. To do this, use special services, for example, HyperScript. They allow:

• write, correct, update text in one place;
• compare the effectiveness of scripts and employees;
• display the necessary parts of the script directly during a conversation;
• find the stages at which failure most often occurs;
• integrate all data with .

Cold calling: first impression

In cold calling, it is very important to make the right impression in the first 3 minutes. Use the right intonation, be positive and friendly. And follow the algorithm below.

Greetings

Even after the two hundredth call, you need to make sure that “hello” sounds sincere.

Performance

The Hook of Clarity

Then be sure to explain how it happened that you are calling. You can use a variety of reasons: an application directly from the client, previously established agreements, a call based on a recommendation, etc. These are the so-called “hooks” of clarity.

Voicing the target

When timing the call around a clarity hook, you should communicate your goals and intentions. This way you can save time and bring understanding to the subject of conversation.

Programming

If, after voicing the purpose of the cold call, the conversation continues, you need to “program” it, that is, agree on regulations and timing. Then, most likely, you will not be interrupted.

"Yes-yes/no-no"

If after this the person agrees to continue the conversation, then the “programming” has passed. If you do not agree, clarify what exactly the client is not happy with, establish other agreements and act in accordance with them.

Cold calling: client qualification

Qualification of the client is very important when you use a channel like cold calling. The quality of contacts with such ringing can be quite low. After all, you just assume that you are calling someone who might be interested. That is, in essence, you are engaged in lead generation, trying to sift through the cold base in order to get a truly targeted lead.

You need a lot of leads. Therefore, you cannot afford to waste time on empty talk. In this regard, certain “filters” must be hidden in the script to quickly qualify a contact. These “filters” are questions that, when asked, will help you understand:

• whether the person has a potential interest in the product;
• whether he has the means/budget to make the purchase;
• if there is a fundamental interest and money, then what could be the potential value of the transaction.

Cold calling: identifying and shaping needs

If the opening of the deal, as a result of which the first impression is formed, was successful, then the cold call moves into the second phase. This is the phase of identifying needs and forming them if they are not identified with the clarity necessary for purchase.

To identify and formulate needs, questioning techniques using the SPIN method are used.

S - situational questions. They are asked to understand the current situation.

P - problematic issues. With their help, the seller tries to find the client’s “pain” - his problem. In this case, the first “pressure” occurs on the painful point.

And - extractive questions. They hint at the consequences of “not solving” the problem.

N - guiding questions.“Open their eyes”, demonstrating best solution and relieve the “pain”.

This technique is effective because it is based on the mechanism of “Socratic” dialogue. As a result, the client gets the impression that he comes to the purchasing decision absolutely independently.

In the process of identifying/creating a need during a cold call, you must qualify the interlocutor according to the following 4 parameters:

• the person has a fundamental interest in the transaction;
• in front of you is the decision maker (DM);
• what and to what extent a potential customer can “master” it.

Cold calling: presentation

According to the cold calling technique, they should contain presentation phrases. The presentation is a list of benefits from purchasing the product. The seller comes to the benefits through the above-mentioned HPV algorithm and presents them according to the following scheme:

1. Based on the identified/formed needs, the key property of the product in the buyer’s value system is stated.

2. Using a transition phrase, the advantage of a certain property is indicated.

3. The advantage is translated into benefits: the advantage is “the laptop is very fast”, and the benefit is “it can work with powerful software packages and not irritate the user with its “dumbness”.

At the same time, do not forget that the benefits are not only logical, but also emotional (you will be happy and proud of yourself), psychological (“a real woman”, “ a real man", etc.), social (now you belong to the most advanced part of the population, etc., because you have an iPhone).

Cold calling: typical customer objections and what they mean

Cold calling objections vary by industry, but some common ones include:

1. "Expensive"
2. "I will think"
3. “I’ll call you back myself”

Clients do not always openly express their doubts and may “disguise” the real reasons for refusal under these phrases. The task is to identify them and help the buyer make the right decision for himself.

Objection "Expensive"

So, when a person says expensive, it can mean:

• "give me a discount"
• "make it cheaper"
• “Competitors are cheaper.”

If you are asked for time to think, start “thinking” immediately with the client, because in reality you are being told:

• "not now",
• "I will think",
• "put it aside"
• "I need some advice"
• "give me a reprieve"
• "I will consult"
• "Let's do it next week."

Objections “I’ll call you back”

When you hear the words “I’ll call you back myself,” this is most likely the result of some mistake in the early stages of a cold call. Most likely, the manager simply does not inspire confidence in the client.

Read more about ways to deal with objections in the article “: “expensive, I’ll call you back, I’ll think about it”

Notebook for working with objections

The notebook must contain the following sections:

The most common objections. Customer objections received during cold calling, in question format.

Options for responding to objections. All possible responses to objections are recorded. Especially those that were worked out collectively.

Best answers. The column contains pros and cons depending on when the answer was voiced and whether this objection was successfully passed in practice.

It is very important that working with objections in cold calls is carried out in practice, and not studied in theory. Managers must know everything thoroughly possible options answers and apply them almost spontaneously during a cold call.

Cold calling practice

To achieve this, the seller must follow an algorithm.

1. Connect reception active listening. Let's hear the objection. In the right places we say: “aha”, “uh-huh”, repeat the last 2 words of the phrase with a questioning intonation.

2. We express our understanding. This is exactly how we pronounce the phrase “I understand you.”

3. Joining. You need to move from stage 2 to stage 3 quite quickly. Here you need to explain what exactly you understand: let’s summarize in your own words.

4. Counterargument. This is a “bullet” of benefits. Moreover, clips with such bullets, that is, lists of benefits and counterarguments are prepared in advance. Each of them corresponds to a specific group of objections.

Cold calling: how to speed up the purchase

Reducing the duration of a transaction is relevant for a company in any business segment. And if cold calls are used for this, then each manager should have tools at the ready that can ignite the buyer and motivate him to quickly make a decision.

Tools for clients during a cold call:

Early booking for the product. Describe the benefits if the buyer makes a decision in advance.

Additional functionality. Offer something at the same price when buying right now.

Present. Think of something to give that will not bring you additional material costs, but will be valuable to the client.

Special offer at a reduced price. Give a discount that will be valid for a limited period of time.

Special conditions for the second purchase. Think about what conditions you can offer when contacting you again.

Create reasons to buy. Make proposals for holidays, anniversaries, and birthdays.

All of the above offers must be limited in duration. This provides motivation for making the final purchasing decision.

Cold calling: bypassing the secretary

If you are engaged in B2B sales, then the cold call script should contain options for “bypassing” the secretary. Use one or more of the methods below.

1. Find a “material” reason for the secretary to serve as a reason for a conversation or meeting with the decision-maker: a book, a flash drive, an insider presentation. Of the working words that the secretary understands, you can also use the words “samples” or “gifts.”

2. Come up with a complex phrase that will be replete with professional slang, relating to the specifics of the purchasing company’s activities. The secretary will most likely not understand anything, but will either be filled with respect or be afraid to take on the responsibility of judging what you just proposed. The result is a transfer to the decision maker.

3. Find yourself a “secretary”. Have someone call, introducing themselves as your secretary, and arrange a telephone conversation/meeting with the decision maker. This technique can be strengthened with the DDL (Deadline) technique: “My manager is in town for only 1 day, he urgently needs to meet with your manager.”

4. Call after hours. Usually secretaries do not work before 9 am and after 6 pm. But their “wards” really work. Try calling at a time when you don't have to talk to the secretary at all.

Cold calls: why and how to set up their wiretapping

Sellers should not make uncontrolled calls. A cold call script is only the first line of defense. But, as professionals say, you still need to check how the employee “walks” through the script. Therefore, record telephone conversations between subordinates and customers and listen to them.

Why set up wiretapping?

Let us immediately explain all the benefits of recording and listening. There are at least 3 of them.

1. You have an accumulation of priceless material on your hands that can be used either as reference example cold call, or as a “sample” of the seller’s worst decisions. The cold calling technique is honed in the process of working on mistakes. The recordings and their transcripts can form the basis effective system training and advanced training of personnel. Build your training around the contrast between the best and worst conversations. The best ones will tell you how to create the most optimal cold calling script. And the worst ones will allow you to typify mistakes that lead to the failure of deals.

2. When managers know that they are being listened to, this encourages them to work more technologically and follow the rules. Of course, you won't be able to monitor every call. But the employees don’t know who they’re listening to and when. Therefore, they will try. Again, you don’t want your call to end up in a textbook called “The Worst Examples of Cold Calls.” Nobody needs such “fame”.

3. A data bank with records is a kind of insurance in case of conflict. And they are different: with employees and customers. Keep in mind that the evidence base in hand is a serious advantage for the owner.

How to set up wiretapping

To set up the call monitoring process and make it regular, you need to take a number of measures.

1. The first thing you need to do is integrate CRM with IP telephony. This is the only way to technically ensure that cold calls are recorded for subsequent analysis.

2. Constantly ask the head of the sales department () about the most problematic stages of transactions. To answer, he will have to listen and analyze calls on a regular basis.

3. With enviable frequency, ask ROP for links to the best and worst recordings of telephone conversations. This again will “force” the manager not to abandon work on the sellers’ mistakes and will replenish the data bank with fresh cases.

4. Develop manager development sheets - checklists with the necessary sales skills. They will make it possible to turn wiretapping not into a subjective assessment, but into a technological analysis of the qualitative parameters of telephone conversations.

Cold calls: how to analyze their quality

The quality of cold calls is monitored, analyzed and corrected using 2 tools:

• manager development sheet;
• assessment of a telephone conversation using the traffic light system

Let's look at each of them.

Manager development sheet

The development sheet is a checklist of skills necessary for the successful sale of a certain product of a specific company. It must correspond to the accepted skill model. Development Sheets Help Improve Cold Calling Telesales should be tracked against this checklist at regular intervals.

Skills to test on the development sheet

For convenience, all skills are divided into blocks according to the stages of the business process.

1. Making contact

• welcomes;
• recognizes the position;
• voices the purpose of the call;
• speaks positive language;
• finds out where the client learned about the company;
• uses techniques: compliment and small talk;
• recognizes the site;
• visits the site, etc.

1. Identifying needs

• enters the funnel;
• asks questions on the questionnaire;
• uses open, alternative, closed questions;
• listens carefully and hears the buyer;
• uses the SPIN technique, etc.

1. Presentation

• applies the “goal-benefit” technique;
• builds presentations according to markers about purchasing motives.

1. Dealing with objections

• works with objections using an algorithm and a list with typical types of resistance, obvious and false

• records the agreements reached;
• finds out the contact phone number;
• uses triggers to quickly close a deal;
• informs the client about subsequent actions, etc.

Rules for working with the development sheet

Rule 1. One checklist evaluates only one conversation of an employee, and not his skills as a whole. Therefore, measurements of quality parameters should be carried out in 2-3 conversations of each seller with a monthly frequency.

Rule 2. The checklist includes only behavioral issues:

• Greeted/not greeted
• Called by name/not addressed
• Uses the “clarity hook” technique/does not use it
• Uses/does not use active listening techniques
• Uses SPIN technology/does not use
• Offers solutions/does not offer, etc.

That's all value judgment should be excluded. Do not include options such as " competent speech", "confident tone", etc. Such things are very relative.

Rule 3. All skills are assessed on an alternative scale: 0 or 1 (passed/failed). Subsequently, the points on the sheet are not summed up. The main function of the tool is a control function, which allows you to identify certain weak points of a specific company representative and work with them.

Rule 4. All checklists are accumulated in the personal development folders of managers. This is done so that later it is possible to track the dynamics of the development of each employee individually.

3 Key Skills

There are 3 main skills that should be checked on the development sheet and on which cold calling should be based involves working in the following areas.

1. The ability to create the value of a product. It is expressed in the fact that the seller uses TOVP-language (characteristics-advantages-benefits), knows additional benefits product, aware of the company's history, its awards and key partners.

2. Product knowledge. It is expressed in the fact that the employee can provide benefits of the product that will meet the true needs of the client, knows how to correctly justify the cost, and understands how his product differs from competitors’ analogues.

3. The ability to formulate a buyer’s need. The personnel of the commercial department must master the SPIN technology or at least its individual elements, learn not to give up after the first refusal of the client, not to wait for a hot buyer, but to warm up their customer to the desired “temperature”.

Traffic light system

After the next evaluation session of cold calls on development sheets is completed, it is necessary to pass the entire array of received data through the “traffic light” system. This is a fairly simple tool that allows you to take an “X-ray” of the quality of work of the entire department. How is this done? To do this, all calls are transferred to the summary table in the form of separate cells and colored in accordance with the following criteria:

You need to understand that if the quality of calls is at a good level, then a reasonable increase in the given indicators will lead to an increase in revenue. Again, do not forget to control the duration of calls.

With all these statistics in hand, try to understand:

• at what duration a call most often ends in a deal;
• how many calls on average do the most successful representatives of the department make;
• what is the best ratio between duration and number of calls that leads to particularly high results

After that, work with the script to adapt it to the optimal parameters.

We have considered the necessary minimum principles and tools that will allow you to transfer the results of cold calls from the category of chance to the category of predictable sales. Use scripts, work with customer objections, evaluate the work of managers, adjust algorithms and techniques.