Breaking Down The Wall: A New Approach to Cold Calling

There are two things in life that everyone can't escape......death and taxes. There is one thing that everyone in either sales or marketing can't escape.....cold calling. Cold calling, the monotonous task of approaching businesses by phone or in person without an appointment in order to gain their business and increase clientele. Cold calling can sometimes be demanding, repetitive, and demoralizing. I'm not going to lie to you, there are times when it feels as if you are a door to door salesmen selling encyclopedia's or spreading the word of some religion. The constant fear and rejection can take it's toll, but the act of cold calling is often pivotal and one of the most effective ways to gain new business in either marketing or sales. I stumbled upon an article the other day entitled 7 Cold Calling Secrets Even Sales Gurus Don't Know that was written by Ari Galper and featured on ezinearticles.com that presented a new outlook on the process of cold calling.  Galper suggests that "cold calling the old way is a painful struggle and that the new way which is explained in his article can make it a positive and productive experience." This post is an oversight of that article. Bum Bum (Any Law & Order fans?)

The "New Way" to Cold Call:

1. Clear the Mechanism
- Before you pick up the phone or walk in the door re-evaluate your mental mindset and objective.
- Disregard the feelings of fear, rejection, and failure (These feelings are stemmed by personal expectations, goals, quotas, etc.)

2. Put yourself in their shoes
- Imagine you are a "cubicle drone" confined to an office all day. The last thing you want to deal with is receiving a call from a "sales person."
- As soon as a salesman begins their pitch, the majority of cold call recipients put up a wall with graffiti of the word NO!
- Demanding a YES with a robotic sales pitch creates sales pressure and lands you within the negative stereotype of being labeled as a "sleazy salesman."
- Instead, use language that will grasp them, not repel them.

3. Find a Core Issue and Discover a Solution
- Before even picking up the phone or opening that door, identify and relate to a specific problem to THEIR business, not YOURS.
- Don't be fooled or mesmerized by your reflection (Are you familiar with Greek Mythology?) Ask questions about them and learn about their business.
- Spend 80% of the conversation listening.
- When addressing the core issue, Galper suggests using the phrase " Are you grappling with..blah blah blah...you get the gist."

4. Present Dialogue, Not a Presentation
- Nothing is more annoying to a potential consumer when you begin a conversation by automatically beginning your sales pitch
- Approach the conversation with the "Buddy System." Not that system where 7 girls go to the restroom at once, but the system of creating conversation and talking to them as if they were your friend, buddy, pal, or amigo (don't overdue it because that's just plain creepy)
- Avoid Sales Mentality (at least during the first call) with simple and innocent conversation.

5. Start the Process with a Core Problem Inquiry
 -  As an ice breaker, I usually begin the conversation with a potential customer with the following statement:
            "Hello, my name is (insert name here) and I'm your local multi-media rep with (insert name of company here). Maybe you can help with something? I'm just calling (or visiting) to see if (insert name of business you are prospecting) is grappling with any issues in regards to (insert core problem here)
- Honesty is the best policy. Create a circle of trust.

6. No Hidden Pressures
- Being overly enthusiastic about your presence there or your product can be interpreted as a hidden pressure.
- Natural conversation is not only comforting, but it diffuses the possibility of hidden pressure. Galper suggests "letting your voice be natural, calm, relaxed...easy-going."
- Avoid chiming in to control the conversation or determine the next step
- Make a game out of it by creating hidden check points throughout the conversation

7. Find the Right Pieces to the Puzzle
-  "Is this need a top priority?"
-  To conclude the article Galper discusses the procedure to determining the right fit by rejecting the "numbers game theory" by saying:

"Have you ever wondered where the "numbers game" concept came from? It came from someone making a call, getting rejected, and the boss saying, "Call someone else."But with the new way of cold calling, it's not about how many people you call. It's about what you say and how you come across. Do you remember the definition of insanity-continuing to do the same thing but expecting different results?"


  FUN FACT: Did you know that according to marketingforecast.com  "58% of cold calling can be eliminated by social networking/marketing?"