5 Keys To B2B Cold Calling In 2015

Cold Calling in 2015 is critical to your success. 

In a digital world, business-to-business sales people will need to rely on the basic, fundamental practice of cold calling to raise their game in 2015.

by Rodney Fisher, Sales Coach


Everywhere you turn and look you see us all become more voyeur than communicator. We walk, drive, and sit with our phones in our hands scrolling through social media watching everyone else. In business, workers spend more time scanning their computer screens than on the phone.

I'm sure you have emailed prospects hoping that they will read your message and respond only to realize that they deleted your email as soon as it popped up in the lower right corner of their screen. Face it, we do the same thing when we get unsolicited emails.

With that said, you as a sales person have to think different in 2015. Go back to your sales roots and pick up the phone that sits on your desk and call somebody. The art of communication gets lost in text messages. In order to convey true confidence in your product and service to a potential client you are going to have to talk with them face-to-face or at least over the phone. That is what the blanket email you are sending is for anyway, right? Save you spell check for writing a proposal and pick up the phone and start dialing.

Before you do, here are a few tips to warm-up your cold call:

1. Research Before You Dial

Who are you calling? What is the decision maker's name? Take the time and do as much research on your prospect as possible before you ever make a first call. You need to be convinced that they have a need for what you are offering. Ask for the decision maker by first name. The gatekeeper that answers the phone, with the job function not to allow sales people in, will be more receptive to you if he or she knows you are on a first name basis with their boss.

2. Disruptive Statement

As soon as you here, "My name is Rodney. I calling on behalf of Rodney and Associates. Can I speak to the person that handles (advertising, supplies, staffing, etc.)?"

You immediately can identify that person as generic sales person. Trust me, gatekeepers get 50-100 calls a day from sales people using the exact same introduction. You need to different right away to disrupt their thinking.

"Hey (gatekeeper), who handles new customers?"
"I have roughly X,XXX people that live in the greater Dallas area that will be looking for a (type of business) in the next 12 months. Would you like them to take a look at your company when they make a decision?"

Who would say "No"?!?!?

Use that same type of script with whomever answers the phone. The gatekeeper knows exactly how busy the company is and if he or she feels they need more customers she will be your strongest advocate to getting you in front of the decision maker.

3. Your Goal Is To Get An Appointment, Not A Sale

Business owners and Executives are busy. You are not going to be able to hold their attention for a long period of time on the first call. Show them that you respect their time and ask for another appointment in person or over the phone to talk about the details of what you are offering. In order to get them to have a second call you have to tell a compelling story about a similar business that you have helped before. Business owners like to hear success stories. This makes them feel like they can get the same results and if you are the key to making them more money, then they are all in. We will talk more about storytelling later...

4. Do Not Leave Voicemails

I learned this from one of my sales mentors. You would think that by leaving a voicemail that you are at least contacting the person. The truth is you are giving them time to make a decision about working with you before you ever had the chance to speak with them. When they hear you voicemail, if they listen at all, they immediately start to research you and your company. "Have a done business with them before? Is that the company I heard those bad things about? Let me Google the sales person and the company and see what comes up."

Just keep calling until you finally get them on the phone. Without leaving a voicemail they never know that you have been calling them everyday for the last three months.

5. Be Confident

It is simple. Believe in yourself. Believe in your product and service. If you truly believe you possess something of great value for the business you are calling then you will be able to cold call with no problem. Do not be so scripted that you don't sound like a real person. Show them that you are as passionate about helping them as they are about their own business.

Don't keep sending out emails and waiting on your phone to ring in 2015. Get proactive and make your own success...

Follow me on Twitter @RodneyRFisher and on Instagram @RodneyRFisher_SalesCoach