Cold calling is daunting. Got any tips?

Trent, I am pleased to see you ended this article with a piece of advice on how to cold call better.

The fact of the matter is cold calling can be a very successful tool in generating business, if it’s done right. From an ROI perspective, cold calling certainly can be superior to many forms of marketing.

Some businesses have products and services where the only way they can get their product to market is to pick up the phone.

If you approach cold calling with a three contact approach, you’re likely to increase the effectiveness significantly.

1. First contact, aim just to get an email address to enable you to send something through. No high pressure tactics, just say something like: “I know your busy, if I could send you an email…”

2. When you call them back, they are then semi-warm because you generally have a name and an email to reference. Encourage them to read the email and ask some questions.

3. They should have read the email and know who you are and you can then schedule a meeting or talk about the product and service with an aim to get some form of commitment.

Sometimes it will take up to seven to 10 times, but if you focus on low pressure and asking the right sort of questions, you will have more success.