If you’re new to sales you’re wise to search for selling techniques online. Sales training will also help you become an effective sales person. Successful sales reps don’t simply offer a service or product to a prospect. Selling incorporates strategy, the sales process, and multiple techniques to close sales on a consistent basis.

A crucial component to making more sales begins with understanding how to do a cold call.

What is the purpose of your cold call?

Is the objective to sell something during your first phone call or is the ‘sale’ successfully scheduling an in-person appointment? The answer to that question will help you construct an appropriate sales call script. Sales call scripts can be modified to improve your success rate. If each phone call made is different you’ll have a difficult time understanding what helped close a sale. Practice your script until it sounds natural.

Next, develop a dozen questions designed to engage your prospect and get them to talk about their needs. New recruiters want to know what they can say to establish credibility with a new hiring manager. The answer is always the same. The people you call are not interested in you at all! They want to know WIIFM before they decide to talk further with you. Your opening sentences need to strike a nerve; the more painful the nerve the better. If they have pain and you have a solution, you’re one step closer to a sale.

Sales people establish credibility by asking intelligent questions. Make sure your questions require more than a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ response. In your introduction include a strong benefit statement designed to solve a problem. This approach allows you to talk with prospects who have a need. Your cold call script will help you use your precious time talking with qualified buyers.

Once you know a prospect has a need, take the time to understand their situation. Let them tell you about the issues that matter most to them. Your prospect will supply you with the information you will use to address their concerns best. Your goal is to make it easy for your customer to buy.

Don’t rattle off features or benefits without knowing whether or not your prospect has an interest in either. At the onset of your cold call there’s 30 – 40 seconds for your prospect to decide they want to talk with you or not. Your voice and demeanor are important tools in developing trust and establishing rapport. Speak slowly and clearly. Let your words be heard and allow your prospect to register your message. Speak from your diaphragm and use a deep, clear voice. These two things establish your authority and expertise more than a list of bragging points.

The way to make a cold call is to decide on your objective. Design a cold call script. Practice the script until it sounds natural. Speak slowly and with authority. Develop questions that engage your prospect. Address your prospect’s concerns with benefit statements. Before you talk about features, ask a question to see if your prospect cares. Close, answer objections, and close again. Cold calling is much more fun once you have a strategy. Your sales skill will improve with each call. As your cold calls succeed your bank balance will grow!