Tips on Cold Calling & Cold Emailing to up your income

Debt_Robot

Sammyantha wrote: »

I'm sadistic. I like cold calling ROFL. Used to get through 150 - 200+ cold calls per day when working for a large well-known company. Have done some telesales as a favour for a friend recently, and the pace was so slow I almost fell over. She asked... are you ok making about 20 calls per day?!!!!!!!!

Love, you are hardcore! Amazing!!

:T

Sammyantha

Done it for a long time lol. Thing with cold calling is that you have to be comfortable. Your main goal is to establish rapport with the person on the end of the line. Some people go straight for the kill/ sale, and sometimes it can work.. but mostly it doesn't. On average it takes 3 call backs to get a decent shot at making an appointment/ warming up to a sale. But in that very first call you need to - establish if you're talking to the right person, or who the right person is, find out when and how you can contact them (then follow up!), find out their main need (don't make the mistake of telling them what you can do for them at this point, they don't care!!!), then have them elaborate on it. Get them talking with open ended questions, and mirror their conversational style. Make them feel comfortable, and allow them to talk. You will be able to judge when the time is right to ask some more leading questions, and then when to qualify the lead or if at all possible, close the deal there and then. If you can't close the deal right now, make an appointment to call back and speak again (then send a follow up email with your info, thanking them for your time and confirming when you will call again).

Keep all records written down/ in excel etc. If you've gotten through all of the above with a potential customer and built up their trust, then next time you call you forget their name/ don't ask about their recent holiday etc, you've fluffed it! That's just bad manners!

Cold calling isn't about bugging the heck out of someone, or pushing something on them that they don't need (ok so we can stretch this a little ). It's about building a relationship with someone so you can find out what they could genuinely use to make their life better/ more functional etc, and then giving them an honest, and genuinely helpful service.

One *cold* call can lead to a very loyal customer over a number of years if done with the right intentions :T

Personally I've never had to bug someone if they asked me not to call again. That's their prerogative, and I have plenty more fish in the sea (it's a numbers game - more dials, more leads, get out there!!) It's nice to send a follow up email anyway, thanking them for their time, and giving them your contact details. It's unlikely they'll ever call, but it's a nice touch

CharlieBilly

MSE cold calling advice

Despite what some businesses think not all of us want to be pestered, we deserve the right to be left alone at home without being bombared with spam and cold calling. So

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/phones/no-more-junk

RichTeaBiscuits

Debt_Robot wrote: »

Bill Gates and many successful people all built their brands through cold calling.

Just because someone, especially well known person, does it, it doesn't make it alright.

I take it robbery and murder is ok for you because there are lots of them who do it.

Debt_Robot

Sammyantha wrote: »

Done it for a long time lol. Thing with cold calling is that you have to be comfortable. Your main goal is to establish rapport with the person on the end of the line. Some people go straight for the kill/ sale, and sometimes it can work.. but mostly it doesn't. On average it takes 3 call backs to get a decent shot at making an appointment/ warming up to a sale. But in that very first call you need to - establish if you're talking to the right person, or who the right person is, find out when and how you can contact them (then follow up!), find out their main need (don't make the mistake of telling them what you can do for them at this point, they don't care!!!), then have them elaborate on it. Get them talking with open ended questions, and mirror their conversational style. Make them feel comfortable, and allow them to talk. You will be able to judge when the time is right to ask some more leading questions, and then when to qualify the lead or if at all possible, close the deal there and then. If you can't close the deal right now, make an appointment to call back and speak again (then send a follow up email with your info, thanking them for your time and confirming when you will call again).

Keep all records written down/ in excel etc. If you've gotten through all of the above with a potential customer and built up their trust, then next time you call you forget their name/ don't ask about their recent holiday etc, you've fluffed it! That's just bad manners!

Cold calling isn't about bugging the heck out of someone, or pushing something on them that they don't need (ok so we can stretch this a little ). It's about building a relationship with someone so you can find out what they could genuinely use to make their life better/ more functional etc, and then giving them an honest, and genuinely helpful service.

One *cold* call can lead to a very loyal customer over a number of years if done with the right intentions :T

Personally I've never had to bug someone if they asked me not to call again. That's their prerogative, and I have plenty more fish in the sea (it's a numbers game - more dials, more leads, get out there!!) It's nice to send a follow up email anyway, thanking them for their time, and giving them your contact details. It's unlikely they'll ever call, but it's a nice touch

You are talking my language!!

So true. One day I really did not want to do a new cold campaign but knew I had to get out there. From that, I converted a new lead which led to new business.

:T Well done you by the way. You sound hardcore about it which is brilliant because it is the only way to build your business on the side.

Sixer

I hate cold callers at home too - but I read this thread as being about business-to-business cold calling. And that's a completely different scenario. No sales rep could get by without cold calling, cold emailing or cold visits!

incensicle

Exactly, this thread is about business to business calls. There are other ways to spread the word about your business, but I'm afraid none of them come close to making a direct contact with a potential customer. Why would you not use it if it works? If someone has on there website or shop an indication that they don't accept cold calling I will not bother. If someone says no thankyou I wont bother them again. Why on earth would you waste your own time listening when your not interested, don't you have anything better to do?
This is about business calls at work. At home my time is my own. At work some of that time is for making and taking calls, its part of what I'm being paid for!

Zaga

Cold Callers should be banned, period. If you want your business to be noticed or advertised put a website up and give potential customers the choice to call when they want, and not to be harrassed in their own home. It is outrageous and absolutely ridiculous.

Debt_Robot

Zaga wrote: »

Cold Callers should be banned, period. If you want your business to be noticed or advertised put a website up and give potential customers the choice to call when they want, and not to be harrassed in their own home. It is outrageous and absolutely ridiculous.

The point of this thread was to help anyone who wants to up their income by cold calling.

If you are a brilliant designer, you can make a side living by doing graphic design on the side. No one is going to beat down your door to help you get clients: this is where cold calling comes in.

This thread is not about cold calling consumers so I don't get why people are getting so stressed about it.

Anyone who is serious about breaking into business to up their income has to cold call. It is just how it is.

Debt_Robot

incensicle wrote: »

Exactly, this thread is about business to business calls. There are other ways to spread the word about your business, but I'm afraid none of them come close to making a direct contact with a potential customer. Why would you not use it if it works? If someone has on there website or shop an indication that they don't accept cold calling I will not bother. If someone says no thankyou I wont bother them again. Why on earth would you waste your own time listening when your not interested, don't you have anything better to do?
This is about business calls at work. At home my time is my own. At work some of that time is for making and taking calls, its part of what I'm being paid for!

I think this is what I was trying to get across in my original post.

All I was saying was to up your income on the side, cold calling does work. It is all about how many people you can get.

Anyway, if anyone wants tips on starting a side business from cold calls/cold emails, I am happy to help.

NOTE: Not cold calling consumers, but businesses here! :beer: