As written and published for Home Builders Weekly (June 30, 2021) by Solovei Consulting, Inc. | Author: Erika S. Carruth
Back in April, we reviewed five ways to sharpen your cold calling game in a post titled: Warming up to Cold Calling – Part I. Today, we are closing the cold calling tips sheet with Part II, providing a few more easy ways to get the most out of your cold calling efforts.
Here are five more ways to make sure your cold calling is a little warmer during your next campaign:
- Keep it Brief – Don’t provide an overwhelming amount of information over the phone; you can provide that in email or a mailer. Keep in mind that the average attention span of a human is approximately 8 seconds (or less); plus, there is a high probability that this timeframe decreases when the visual component is removed, and you are limited to audio exchange on the phone. Make your pitch clear, concise, and easy to understand.
- Discuss. Do Not Dictate – You never know what your contact may be doing when they decide to answer your call, nor will you know if they are having a good or bad day. For this reason, it is important to stay open to discussion and be prepared for any possible situation. Rather than approaching the call with a mission focus, be ready to listen and offer appropriate options.
- Connect with Connections – People like to do business with people they like, people they know and/or people who know their contacts, so make sure to capitalize on your shared contacts. It can be as direct as a current customer referral or business contact to as indirect as a shared network or neighborhood.
- Close with Purpose – No matter if your call closes earlier or later than you expected, make sure you provide the contact with an action and/or an agreed upon future discussion. Whether you direct them to your website, collect their email to send additional information or leave them with important information, do not hang up until you have made the contact aware of next steps.
- Follow Up – So you had a great conversation, now what? Make sure you follow up with the contact on any information you agreed to provide and/or check in with a quick email or call to see if they had a chance to review your offer. Without some form of follow-up, even the best of efforts can be wasted.
While cold calling involves a strategy that develops and must be fine-tuned over time, you can start off strong by using the tips from Part I and II to help guide you in the right direction and set you up for success in your next calling campaign.
To learn about how you can improve your marketing strategy and build your brand and business, contact Solovei Consulting, Inc.