How to Get New Salespeople Ready to Make Cold Calls

Few people look forward to making cold calls, especially those just starting a new sales job. But there is no denying that this is one of the most effective ways to get new clients. But it has to be done right, so getting proper training is well worth the effort. If your job is training new salespeople how to make cold calls, you’ll find that it’s better to put less focus on teaching tactics and more effort on the basics of what makes this type of outreach effective.

Here are some of the fundamentals that can help new salespeople when they’re just starting out:

Develop the Right Mindset

Your mindset will determine whether your cold call is effective or not. If you’re thinking about all the money you’ll make when this deal closes, your prospect will pick up on your intent. This is a common mindset among beginners, so it’s important that you explain to your trainees that the purpose of their call is to help their prospect solve a problem they’re having.

To help your trainee change their mindset it’s important to train them on how valuable your product or service is and how it can help their prospects. People can feel when a salesperson on the phone doesn’t understand what they’re selling or the value it offers. The more enthusiastic you can get your trainees to feel about what they’re selling, the more it will come across on the phone.

State Your Objectives Ahead of Time

The purpose of cold calls is not to try and make sales. The goal is just to reach out to a prospect and to find out if they are a viable lead. In essence, you’re qualifying them with the idea of arranging another time to meet for pitching your products and/or services in detail. Knowing this, your trainees can more easily set goals and objectives, while determining who they’re targeting. For example, their goal for one session may be to speak to 50 prospects on the phone and get 10 of those (20%) to agree to a one-on-one meeting.

Once you’ve clearly laid out your objectives, the next step is to train your new salespeople how to identify which people would likely be most receptive to what they’re selling. See if they can determine who has the most need for your products and/or services. As part of this process you’ll want to explain the importance of researching their prospects to find out as much as they can about them. This would include what they do, their core values and what they might need that you can supply.

Understand Today’s Buyer

Today’s buyer is evolving rapidly. They’re spending huge amounts of time researching everything online. They are consuming voracious amounts of information and discussing it all with like-minded consumers they also find online. This especially prevalent in the SaaS world in which buyers educate themselves with “freemium access” and free trials.

 

By training your new salespeople about these behaviors, they won’t be surprised if their prospects already know all about your company and what you offer. They’ve done the research. That being the case, they may find some cold calls turning into formal sales presentations. This is something you need to prepare them for.

Value Takes Precedence

Salespeople that offer prospects the most value will likely close more deals. It’s human nature. People would rather work with someone they think will make their life easier, than with someone who’s really just pitching a product and/or service.

 

Buyers today are getting their information online. They don’t need to speak to a trainee making a sales pitch. They are much more receptive to salespeople with the ability to engage and build a relationship with them based on the value they offer. Teach your trainees the importance of sharing helpful articles, and to help them connect with others who might be helpful to them – even on their cold calls. A value-driven approach will pay many dividends over time.

Provide Scripts for Cold Calls

Once your new hires understand how important cold calling is to your business’ overall success, have them write scripts, so they are prepared in advance to clearly explain the value they offer clients.

For most new agents, having a scrip they can easily glance at takes much of the anxiety out of making cold calls. This gives them the confidence they need to pick the phone up and get started. If you have your own scripts, hand them over while encouraging them reword them in their own style of speaking.

At the very least, they should have scripts so that prepare them to discuss the benefits as well as the objections. They also need scripts for calls that go to voicemail and they need to leave a message.