Cold calls aren’t only for salespeople. Everyone has been in a situation where you have to contact someone new, personally or professionally, and don’t want to pick up the phone. Let’s admit it; cold calls are scary, and it’s easier to email, text, or direct message than actually call someone. The problem with these non-verbal approaches is twofold:
Easy Rejection: Building a business or personal relationship through email is nearly impossible, especially if your end goal is to make a request. “Want to buy a widget? Volunteer for my cause? Go on a date?” Emailed questions like these will often be rejected or ignored.
Your Time: In a team meeting your boss asks, “Where are we with Bob Smith?” and you answer, “Umm…I sent him like ten emails and he hasn’t even responded!” We’ve all been there and it’s embarrassing. If you made a phone call from the beginning, you could have saved time and received your answer much faster.
"But Porter, what if they don’t pick up? I bet Bob Smith wouldn’t pick up. No one picks up their phone anymore! It’s a waste of time to call anyone; it’s so 1990!"
I’ve thought the same thing in the past until I actually TRIED IT. If someone doesn’t pick up, leave them a message and write an email. You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take, Wayne Gretzky...you get it.
Ok, you are ready to dust off your desk phone, what do you do? Here are three tips to make cold calls easier:
1. Ask for Permission: It sounds crazy, but I want you to ask for permission to talk to whomever you are calling. It shows respect for this new person and most of all; it takes the cold call jitters away. I say this:
“Hi this is Porter from XYZ, is right now a good time to talk?”
What is the worst that happens, someone says no? If so, even easier. Say that you understand and ask when a better time to call is. You just cold called someone and set a meeting! Congrats, you rock.
2. Don’t Throw Up: It’s not what you think. A technology executive recently told me they have a saying about new salespeople that say their pitch all at once, as fast as they can. These people “show up and throw up.” Don’t be this person.
The best way to make sure you don’t throw up is to let the other person speak. If someone is speaking more than you are, they most likely are enjoying speaking with you. A few tips that help are to keep your introduction short, ask questions, and if you don’t understand something, ask them to explain (people like being smarter than you). The more you can get someone to speak, the better the relationship you will form with them.
3. Next Steps: You made a cold call, spoke with someone for the first time, completely kicked butt, and hung up and had no idea what to do next. Then it hits you; you have to call them cold again! To make sure this isn’t you, set next steps before the call ends. If there isn’t an obvious next step, try this:
“I don’t want to bother you too soon, so when would you like me to reach back out?”
As long as their response is time-related (Monday, this evening, two weeks, etc.), you can pick a day and time and ask them if it works for them. You just scheduled a follow-up call!
Is it really this easy? Of course not, but these steps will help you overcome the initial cold call jitters, not throw up, and determine next steps. Pick up the phone and try them when you find yourself emailing Bob for the tenth time. When your boss asks you, “Where are we with Bob Smith?” I promise you’ll have a better answer.
