It’s a rather daunting prospect: you, a telephone, a potential client and a thousand possible outcomes. Cold-calling is a nerve-racking experience. Everyone has his or her own, unique, style, but a number of common elements can help you to be persuasive and successful when speaking with potential clients.
1. Attitude
One of the simplest ways to increase your effectiveness at generating new opportunities on the telephone is to be yourself and smile. You need to have confidence in your product. Believe that the products and services you offer are genuinely excellent, and unique. Interestingly, the physical act of smiling changes the tone of the voice and gives off enthusiasm. This makes people much more willing to listen.
2. Objective
Having a clear objective is critical. Before you make a call, it’s worth reminding yourself what the objective of the call is. Above all, remember that you’re trying to establish a long-term relationship with a client. What’s more, it’s useful to express your objective to the person on the other end of the line. People are frustrated if they don’t understand the reason for your call. Typical objectives are:
- to obtain the name of the right person
- to gather information about a company’s current situation/needs
- to give information on what you provide
- to arrange an appointment or webinar.