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It’s time to Ditch Cold Calling
Cold calls are turning to warm calls which in turn are leading to successful lead conversions. Here is all that you want to know to make this transition.
Internet has really changed the world for the better! All types of businesses have become simpler and people have become approachable. If we specifically talk about B2B businesses, then we can easily say that finding prospects and linking with them has become much easier than what it was. However, competition has increased, and therefore, smarter strategies need to be employed to ‘warm up’ the prospect.
Cold calling is gradually transitioning to warm calling with the company as there are many preliminary engaging techniques employed with the prospect before making that ‘cold call’. The rapport building happens early on and a call is then a follow up to the information exchange that has already taken place.
Here are five such techniques that will ensure that the so called ‘cold call’ will actually turn out to be a warm one:
- Use the power of social media: You need to be present on Twitter and LinkedIn and that too in an actively engaging manner. Understand the profile of your prospect, consider his preferences and try to engage through a common platform. The best part about engagement on social media is that it is a one to one engagement, so chances of misunderstandings and misinterpretations are reduced.
- Research your prospect: In a busy world, where your prospect is as busy chasing his goals as you are, how do you grab his attention? The key to this is to understand your prospect and strike a conversation by stating the problems that he could be facing in his business at the moment and how you can help him find a solution. For this, you will have to closely follow your prospect’s social media posts, the latest blog articles that he may have written or shared and so on.
- Use Emails: Before you are set to make that call, it is better to send an email to your prospect. This email could be a piece of information that you could share with him or some interesting links of the latest in business or a whitepaper of his subject of interest. You may not strike gold with your first email, but remember, this is just to ensure that there is a certain recall when you make that all important ‘call’.
- Look for references or common people: The comfort level of the prospect will automatically build up, if he knows that there is a common person linking you two. If you know of such a person, then you can even begin your conversation by asking, “You know XYZ, right?” This will set the ball in motion. This technique, however, has to be used with discretion, as telemarketers may not be able to do this effectively and a personal touch is needed while mentioning another person in the call.
- Establish similarities: As human beings, a sense of similarity often warms you up to that person. This may also be the way to establish a connection that could further materialize into business. If you have a common thread like the same hometown or the same alma mater or the same mentor, you may use this in your conversation to get your prospect talking.
Warm calling is the way business will be done in the future. Everyone needs the personal touch and the assurance before they take a decision. Make sure you work towards this approach well within time, before your competitors master this art.
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