5 EASY WAYS TO MAKE A COLD CALL A WARM CALL

Kingsgate, as a freight broker and logistics company, uses inside sales solicitations as the entry point to prospect new business. Our Logistics Solutions Managers make about 75 to 100 cold calls a day in their quest to find customers we can move freight for. This position takes a lot of determination and tenacity to find new clients and build a solid book of business, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few tricks that can make cold calls into warm calls.

1. RESEARCH THE COMPANY

In the age of technology, we have more access to information than ever before so before jumping on a call look up the company. Find out if they’re an ideal customer, what the company focuses on, what are their goals and what their pain might be. Also, don’t forget to go back to the basics and gain familiarity with where are the company is located, what they sell, what their industry is like, what’s on their company blog and etc. Then use this in your pitch, show them you’ve taken the time to research them.

2. RESEARCH YOUR CONTACTS

Again, in the age of social media and technology, you have access to a large amount of information about potential clients. Look up who the major players in the company are, but better yet look up potential gatekeepers. Research their LinkedIn, Twitter, and etc. Find common ground; do you have any mutual connections that could introduce you or shared interests that could connect you? Find and use these items to establish rapport and help pinpoint any potential problems their role might have.

3. PERFECT YOUR PITCH

Once you have a contact on the phone you have a limited amount of time to explain who you are, why you’re calling and get them to like you. Preparing and practicing key talking points in your pitch is a crucial way to make a cold call feel more warm, comfortable and natural. By practicing your pitch you can keep calls short, to the point and respects your contacts time. In addition, make sure you’re asking questions and listening to your prospect more than talking during these calls. With every call you make you’ll improve your technique. If you make a mistake don’t sweat it, just improve for your next call.

4. BE HUMAN

With everything I’ve said above, it’s also important to remember to be conversational during a prospecting call. Don’t stick to a script. Ensure you listen and react to feedback from your prospect, as well as, reflect their tone and demeanor. Use humor, establish a connection, make them feel comfortable and smile while on the phone – prospects can’t see it but they can hear it. Lastly, don’t forget they are busy and your call is interrupting their day, so be respectful of their time.

5. FOLLOW-UP

Again, your contacts are busy and they might not have time to answer your call. Leave a voicemail, follow-up with an email and then call again later. That being said, try not to bombard your prospect but make sure you get your name in front of them and give them multiple ways to contact you. Send them marketing slicks with more information about your company, so that the next time you call your call will be even warmer and they will have more information about you and your company as well. If you do reach your contact, be prepared with next steps and promptly follow-up with a tangible next step, so you can continue to move the prospect through the sales process.

Cold calling is becoming more and more difficult as time moves forward but with these five simple things, you can still reach your contacts, build relationships and grow your business. What steps do you take before calling a prospect?

All the Best,

Jeff Beckham