How To Cold Call Customers And Start A Conversation?

Believe me, when I say, this is the toughest blog I have ever written.  Cold-calling might seem to be an easy task, where you just have to dial up a number and talk to the person at the other end. It, unfortunately, is not.  For dialing up a number is easy, connecting the call, a piece of cake, but making a person listen to you is the hardest task in the world. And as a tele-caller, that’s what you have to do, that is your job.

So how to do it? How to make people listen to you? In a world where everyone has something to say, it indeed is tough to make someone listen to you.

Time for some pointers.

Alright then, it’s a bright morning and you have a list of numbers handed to you. Your superior has given you a target of closing at least 10 from the list.

Pointer one

This is something everyone swears by, “Know your product in and out.” For if you do not know what you are talking about and believe in your words, your listener is not going to be interested in hearing from you. So spend some time learning about the product or the service you are trying to sell, before jumping in to dial.

Pointer two

Save the technicalities. Your listener is not going to be interested in knowing what your product is made of. So cut them down. Highlight the things that make it better than the competition. But don’t send a barrage of details to your customer.

Pointer Three

Concentrate on his problem, and introduce your product as the solution. Focus on the problems, your product can be a solution to. This way, you are not only talking about your product but is trying to help him out, which is something every client looks forward to. And that is how you will get the thing you want the most, his ‘attention.’

Pointer four

Be intuitive, not everyone will want to talk to you at that very moment. People are busy with their lives, so understand their situation. Ask him, if he has time at first, to listen to you, then put forward your idea. Now, this may end calls faster as most would not want to listen at all. But it will not irritate them, and chances of you being blocked on his phone will lessen.

Also, start in the language you are comfortable in, but keep your ears opened, if he is not comfortable, switch to the one he is comfortable in. Now, this you have to make out from the surname and his accent. As the old saying goes, “In order to be a good speaker, be a great listener.” So listen closely and then proceed.

Those were the pointers, now let me give you an example.

Here’s a conversation between a tele-caller and a client, covering the points I mentioned.

Sam, is the best closure in his office. He works in a company that deals with self-driven car rentals. Let us see how he does it.

Sam dials the first number

Sam- Hello, I am Sam from XYZ Car rentals, can I have two minutes of your time?

Client 1- Sorry am busy at the moment. Cuts the call.

Sam types a message and sends it,

“Hello Sir, unfortunately, we couldn’t talk. Do tell me a suitable time to call you, I would like to share an idea that can make your travelling woes go away.

Sam,
XYZ Car rentals.”

His phone rings,
“Hey Sam,  sorry am busy right now, call me in the afternoon please”

Sam puts a reminder on his phone to call him in the afternoon.

He then dials the next number –

Sam- Hello, I am Sam from XYZ Car rentals, can I have two minutes of your time?

Client 2- Yes, tell me (In broken English)

Sam changes to a regional language – Good morning sir, we are running a survey to on “The travel choice of office goers.” Can you tell me how you travel to the office and back home every day?

Client 2- I take the bus.

Sam- I am sorry to say, but that is unsafe and am sure it takes a lot of your time. Why don’t you get a private vehicle?

Client 2- Yes it does, but I do not earn enough to get a vehicle. I have to take the risk.

Sam- Well sir, I have some good news, you see my company sells subscriptions for self driven cars. You can own one without actually owning it. All you have to do is pay a certain amount and the rest will be taken care of by the company.

Client 2- Yes I have heard, about these car rentals, but they are costly and I heard from a friend they are unreliable. So am not interested in this.

Sam- I understand your concern, can you tell me a rough figure you spend on public transport monthly?

Client 2- Around 5000.

Sam- Sir, our lowest subscription starts from 7000, I would suggest you have a look at it. I will send the details to you. It is a bit more than you spend currently, but keeping in mind the time a private transport saves and the safety it provides, makes it way better than using public transport. As for our reliability, I will share the feedbacks of our users, you can read them and decide on our reliability.

Client 2- Alright send them.

Sam- Thank you for your time, sir, do go through it and please tell me when shall I get back to you?

Client 2- Next week.

Sam – Sir, our subscriptions are in demand and I fear the lowest one will be sold soon.  How about I call you after a couple of days? I might be of help with other concerns you have after going through the details and customer feedback.

Client 2- Alright.

Sam- Thank you for your time, sir, I do hope our service will be of use to you. Have a great day.

Now you see, Sam followed all the pointers and created a chance for closure. He did not talk too much about his product nor did he push his client to subscribe instantly, he respected him and let him decide. No wonder he is the best closure. So it’s your time to be like Sam and close deals for your Company.