How to Structure Your Cold Calling Script?

A cold call is an outgoing call to someone who doesn’t know you or the company you represent. This means they are not waiting for your call. They aren’t seeking to establish a relationship with you. In these situations, you can’t count on a warm and welcoming reception. A challenging prospect –  this is where the art of the cold-calling script comes into play. There are many benefits of making strong cold calls. Let’s take a look at some techniques to strengthen your process. 

 

 

What is a cold call and cold calling process?

Let’s consider a few examples to better understand how to cold call a business – and what types of calls exist:

 

• When you call your client to follow up after a sale, remind them of a meeting, or wish them a happy birthday, these are – of course – not cold calls.
• Suppose you call the company’s client (where you work but with whom you have not previously communicated) and inform them about a new product or service. Or congratulate them on a holiday. These aren’t cold calls either.
• If you call someone who doesn’t know you or the company you represent, for the first time – This is a true cold-call.

 

When you initiate calls of the last type the person on the other end doesn’t think they need anything from you. Their interest in this case is much less than when they make the call themselves. The same applies to sales cold calls.

It’s easier to establish rapport with a contact who is familiar with you, but when it comes to cold call selling – it’s more of a challenge. There are special tools and techniques that can help you through this.

Let’s look at key points to find personal solutions for how to cold call a company effectively.

 

What are cold calling scripts and why are they useful?

We briefly discussed what cold calling is in sales. But the main question remains: What is the proper approach to this process?  You won’t find success without knowledge, practice, and experience. Let’s discuss how to cold call a company in more detail.

 

Experienced salespeople are always prepared – and masters of communication. A lot of us don’t have years of experience.

What if you haven’t clocked up hours of practice on the job conducting cold calls? You will need preparation and planning –  and a strong cold call script is a perfect solution for this.

 

 

According to statistics from CrunchBase: Companies that don’t cold call have 42% less growth than those that do. The reason for this is that well-written scripts give you general guidelines for the conversation and how it should flow.

They give you access to useful and proven phrases. So you can focus on what’s most important – your prospect’s needs.

In a well-planned script – you will even have answers to awkward questions and curve balls that your client may throw at you. All are important steps in improving the success rate of your calls. 

 

How to cold call for sales: Cold calling templates and how to use them

First and foremost, you need a proper structure for successful cold-calling scripts. Be sure to include the following:

1. A greeting.
2. An introduction of yourself and your company.
3. A short story about the product and the benefits to your prospect.
4. Making an appointment.
5. Time for the conversion and answering questions. 

 

With this structure in mind, let’s move on to what to say on a cold call.

 

You have 10 seconds to grab your prospect’s attention. This makes your opening lines vital. If you don’t pull them in, right there and then, they won’t listen to the rest of your conversation – and you will lose them.

 

This is why you need to know how to start a cold call:

 

• Choose a quick and clear greeting. 
• Remember! You have interrupted this person and need to win their attention.
• Don’t use general small talk phrases and greetings.

 

It’s better to start by using the person’s name, for instance, ‘Please, connect me with Mr. Jones’ or just ‘Mark Jones, please.’ When they answer, repeat their name.

 

What to pay attention to while creating a cold call script template

When you write an effective cold-calling script, keep in mind the main goal of the intro: Make sure the prospect understands that this is a sales call.

Most people are resistant to wasting their time on something unknown – Engage them.

If they are not sure that you can help them straight out the gate, you’re starting with a disadvantage –  you need to strengthen your opening.

Therefore, make sure to mention the key benefits of your product/service in your cold call introduction script. How will this solve your prospect’s pain points? Introduce these ideas early and elaborate on them later:

 

• Start with an introduction of yourself.
• Don’t hesitate to create an engaging, expert title that reveals your experience. Among different successful cold call techniques, this one may seem tricky. Remember, you need to establish trust and authority, and the use of professional terminology can help you achieve this.
• Then proceed with the so-called elevator speech. These are a few sentences about what your product or service is, and why it is special. 
• You can find many cold-calling script examples but it’s best to create them on your own to stand out – PERSONALIZE THIS MESSAGE OR YOU WILL LOSE THEM!
• Cold calling businesses require you to quickly and clearly reveal the main benefits of your products and the use of your services. This step should be a logical continuation of your introduction, in which you have already given some hints. 

 

In addition, a B2B cold calling script has to deal with the client personally. Try to get some information about them and their needs beforehand. Social networks can be very useful for this.

You can gain a better idea of what to mention to grab your prospect’s interest and how to make a cold call sale.

Being personal will encourage them to want to learn more about your product or company – and ultimately make a purchase in the final step.

 

How to close a cold call effectively?

What about your goal? All cold call examples should include this. The close. Keep in mind that it’s almost impossible to cold-sell something on the first call. Even for the most successful and experienced salespeople.

Don’t be discouraged.

Your main goal here is to organize a real meeting or a longer call that would allow for a more detailed pitch. 

 

So, how to make cold calls for sales? Closing a meeting is similar to closing a sale. You need to be simple and precise, for example, ‘I would like another 20 minutes of your attention to tell you about the personal benefits that await you, on Wednesday at 3 PM?’

 

Be sure to leave some open questions and expectations for the next call.

 

At this stage, you may hear objections. The client could say that they’re not interested in your product at all or they have no free time. Therefore, a good cold call script sample always contains responses to possible objections listed at the end.

They make you more confident and allow for quick-fire responses to possible objections. Preparation is key. After responding, return to your initial question and close your appointment.

 

 

These are some key points on how to get better at cold calling and benefit from the extra reach they provide. After you gain some experience and personalize your scripts, you can achieve significant results. 

 

It’s definitely better to have and use a cold call phone script than not. As it gives you the confidence and structure that your success depends on. Go close that call.