Professional Cold Calling

By definition, a cold call is where you know absolutely nothing about a particular account and you drop in unannounced to qualify them. You have never made a visit to that account before. The only familiarity lies in the fact you have been driving past it for a year.

Often a lack of cold-calling confidence, driven by fear, sabotages the best intentions. Overcoming that fear begins with an effective, professional cold-calling strategy. Most authors would agree that cold calling in itself is not unprofessional, but the approach has tarnished its reputation. Nowhere is it written that cold calling is taboo. In fact, without cold calling, your customer base is not as rich and varied and you seriously jeopardize real growth and the success of your business. The reality is that fear is the biggest barrier to an effective cold calling campaign. Fear of rejection, embarrassment, and feeling awkward in a strange environment. It's much easier to pursue the comfortable route and have businesses come in by other means rather than expose yourself to the possible perils of cold calling.

You can no longer afford to deny yourself or your business the tremendous benefits of cold calling. To that end, I offer you the following three steps as a guideline to making professional, results-oriented cold calls. This approach may not be applicable in all situations so massage it to fit your sales arena. By the way, one big plus of cold calling is that you'll never be late.

1. Introduction. When you arrive, introduce yourself to the receptionist using these four components, in order: 1) your name, 2) your company name, 3) what you do, and 4) that you are cold calling. Don't try to skirt the issue, tell the receptionist up-front that you are cold calling. Next step is to ask them for their help. Most of the time they will be quite receptive to helping. Gatekeepers see a lot of salespeople come and go throughout the day so be sure your approach is professional, friendly, and respectful. Heck, the absolute worst thing that can happen is they ask you to leave. That's OK—next.

2. Planning. Because it's a cold call you know nothing, or very little, about this business, so do some homework. First, ask the receptionist for her help. "Would you mind helping me out by answering a few questions?" In most cases she will oblige. Second, ask her for a corporate package; i.e., annual report, company brochures, newsletters, anything that will help you better understand the business. Refer to Chapter 3 for more detailed information that may be helpful with your cold-call planning and preparation. Take some time in the lobby to review the material. Don't leave yet.

3. Announce Yourself. Now it's time to announce yourself but be sure it's to the right person. Throughout your planning, you have learned that Bert is the manager and he may be your contact. However, it's not Bert you want to see, at least not yet. Ask who Bert's boss is and announce yourself to that person. Go at least one level up, to Susan. Follow the theory that it's easier to work downhill than uphill. Pick up the phone in the lobby, or use your cell phone and call Susan directly. Why have a busy, overworked gatekeeper announce you. Announce yourself. Who is better suited to introduce yourself than you!

When she answers, you need to restate the four components of your introduction, including the fact that you are cold calling. (I have found many executives are impressed when you tell them that you are in their lobby making a cold call.) After your introduction be sure to say this: "Susan, I realize you generally work with appointments and that I am unannounced, but would you have a second to exchange business cards?" It's very important to acknowledge that you are unannounced and without an appointment. That's what makes your cold call professional and different from the others. Also, by asking to "exchange business cards," Susan will associate that with a shorter time period than if you had asked, "Do you have a minute?" The other advantage is that it attaches a purpose to your introduction whereas, "Got a minute?" is somewhat ambiguous. If Susan comes out to meet you, offer your business card and again acknowledge that you are unannounced, without an appointment. If Susan declines your request to meet in the lobby, ask her when she is available and use your time management system to book an appointment.

Now that you have met Susan and exchanged pleasantries, (use PSIP—Chapter 7—to guide your conversation) ask her if she has a couple minutes to answer a few quick questions. If she says yes, take advantage of this opportunity and ask questions to further qualify the account and also identify who the decision maker is (who is the bag of money?). However, your first question should be, "How much time do I have?" Show respect for her time. After all, you are unannounced. During your conversation ask Susan these five questions:

1. Does Bert make the decisions?

2. Does Bert have a budget?

3. Will Bert talk to you prior to a decision?

4. Will you introduce me to Bert?

5. If Bert approves of our proposal may I accompany Bert when he presents to you?

If the answer is "yes" to #3, you know Susan makes the decisions, not Bert. However, you will have to respect Bert's position and sell him on your proposal. Otherwise, it will never go any further.

Question #4 is what I refer to as corporate cascading. Susan introducing you to Bert. Powerful stuff. Because your introduction to Bert was through Susan, Bert will be receptive to meet you. Bert won't be upset with you for going over his head because you have never met him before. He can only be curious as to your approach.

If Susan is not in the office or is unavailable, try to meet briefly with her executive assistant. Assistants can be informative and helpful. They may also book appointments for Susan. If not, ask her to check with Susan for available meeting times.

The Susan/Bert strategy is a very effective approach to cold calling. I have used it successfully for years. Rather than do a typical cold call where you leave a business card and a brochure and depart empty-handed, consider implementing the Susan/Bert strategy.

However, before you throw this book down and protest your resistance to cold calling, you don't have to do it all the time. I'm not suggesting that cold calling become your modus operandi, but it can be very effective at appropriate times. The two best times are to fill in blank time caused by cancelled appointments, or to plan a half day in a certain area of your territory to cold call. For example, upon learning that your 10 AM appointment was cancelled, don't go back to the adult daycare center, go cold calling and make productive use of the time before your next appointment. My informal research suggests that 50% of the time you cold call, you find at least one new potential account. As Woody Allen says, "80% of life is showing up."

Although prospecting is the lifeblood to any successful business, it remains one of the most feared and avoided activities of selling. Overcoming reluctance to prospecting means developing a plan, setting goals, and keeping good records. To help build your confidence, you may want to consider doing a "ride-along" with an experienced sales entrepreneur who is good at prospecting. Tag along for the afternoon and simply observe how it's done. Observation is a powerful learning tool.

As you build your confidence, experiment with different methods and ideas to find the prospecting combination that works well for you and your business. There is no single universal method, no optimal mode to fit all situations. Your prospecting strategies need to be situational to your sales arena, maximizing your ROT (return on time equity). I don't suggest that all 22 ideas will work for you but do concentrate on developing a combination of methods and you will see it stimulate your business and drive real growth. Become an expert in the methods that have the greatest impact on your productivity.