8 Sales Hacks: A Cheat Sheet for Cold Calling Techniques

John Greene

May 27, 2022

11 min

Table of Contents

Cold calling can be a daunting process. Many feel that it's an overly intrusive method of selling that irritates prospects, and as a result, they avoid it as much as possible.

But the real reason why this sales method is often shunned is that most people are simply not good at cold calling and refuse to practice. Don’t be like this. Instead, treat cold calling as a golden opportunity to bring in more business.

If you want to be more successful at sales, becoming an expert cold caller will definitely help get you there. And to do that, here are the 8 best cold calling techniques that any salesperson can use to achieve greater sales success.

1. Smile

Smiling is powerful. It conveys positivity, kindness, and hope. When people see you smile, it triggers a warm signal that can welcome conversation and trust.

According to a study by the University of Kansas, smiling during a stressful situation (like cold calling) can lower your heart rate and reduce your stress, even if it’s a fake smile. Not only does it affect how people see you, it also changes the way you speak to people. Therefore, there’s never a bad time to smile.

In regards to cold calling, smiling can also improve your success rate. Even though your prospects cannot physically see you, they can still sense your demeanor by listening to the tone of your voice. If your voice is warm and inviting, you will have better chances to strike a conversation. If you sound forceful and rushed, they will quickly decline.

2. Stand Up While Talking

People can sense your energy levels by the tone of your voice. For example, when you sit or hunch over, the tone of your voice will naturally be lowered and can create a boring conversation with your prospect.

As a cold caller, you only have your sales calls to rely on, which means that you not only must smile when you speak, but you also need to be full of energy and passion.

To bring in this energy, all you need to do is stand up!

Standing up will make you feel more confident and in control of the conversation. It’s also a more natural way to speak.

Here are some good tips on how to improve your speech while standing:

  • Practice power poses to give yourself more confidence
  • Stand with your chest wide open to give your lungs as much room to expand as possible
  • Use your hands when speaking for better clarity and more energy

3. Have a Great Voicemail Script

Every cold caller ends up on prospects voicemails many times each day. And while it’s defeating to not be able to directly speak to someone, it can be a great opportunity with the right technique. This means that it’s time to stop improvising your voicemail messages and deliver perfectly with a prepared sales script for voicemail.

A prepared script will help you always say the right words when you end up on someone's voicemail. But you must remember that different people and companies have different ways of communicating.

Therefore, you must craft voicemails that will cater to your respected audience. To get a better understanding of which scripts work best, make sure to track the results and measure the success rates of every script so you will always know which worked best.

4. Practice Selling by Having More Conversations

Any great salesperson knows that they shouldn't hop right into a sales conversation without speaking to anyone all day. Good sales teams always have a pre-game warm-up session preparing them for a great day in successful cold calling. But you could also practice by having lengthy conversations with the people you see every day.

Here’s who you can easily strike a conversation with:

  • The cashier while they process your transaction
  • The barista while they take your order
  • Your neighbor who you see frequently
  • Your own sales colleagues who you can practice your pitch to

Make it a priority to have more interactions prior to calling prospects. This will help you build social momentum and improve the conversations you have with potential customers.

5. Use Power Words

Words can be powerful and have a real impact on making decisions. As a cold-caller, all you have are words, so it’s crucial to know which words will engage your prospects to listen and foster a relationship.

Tim David wrote an impactful book called Magic Words, which dives into the semantic meaning of how words are influential and can inspire people to take action.

Here are seven of his power words to use on your next cold call:

  • Yes - Saying “yes” enacts laws of agreeability, which David says, “eases tensions, creates rapport, and opens minds.”
  • But - Whenever you say the word “but”, you’re essentially erasing everything you said before it. So if you must say “but”, have the following words be positive and memorable.
  • Because - Using the word “because” adds depth to the original statement which can add strength to your pitch, giving prospects more reason to buy.
  • Their Name - A person’s name is their favorite word and it breaks through an important attention barrier. When you say a person’s name, it heightens their interest and focus which makes selling your product/service much easier.
  • If - It’s not easy to get people to imagine themselves using your product or service. By including the word “if” to a scenario, selling will be much easier because you got them to envision themselves as the perfect customer.
  • Help - When you ask for help, you are showing vulnerability. Asking for help is also a way to connect with others and foster engagement. According to David, fostering engagement “is a powerful force in creating connection and rapport.” which makes people more willing to do business with you.
  • Thanks - Thank your customers, they love to feel appreciated. Because customers know that you deal with many customers a day, they will be more in love with your brand if you sent out a personalized message of thanks.

Add these words to your next sales pitch to get the most out of your cold calls.

6. Sell Them on the Benefits

Buying decisions aren't made based on the features of the product, they're made based on how it will benefit the consumer. So on your next series of sales phone calls, discuss how your product will benefit your prospects, and avoid focusing too much on the features.

Here are some keywords that your prospects see as "benefits":

  • How your product will save them time
  • How your product will better their output
  • How your product will better their health
  • How your product can maximize their profits

Spend a good portion of your time practicing how to focus solely on your prospects. You will have a deeper understanding of who they are and what pain points they really want to solve, thus fostering a healthy relationship.

7. Ask Good Questions

The better you know your prospect, the easier it is to sell. In order to learn more about your prospect, you must ask questions about their needs, wants, dreams and desires. It also helps to get to know them on a personal level.

Here are some sample question to start:

  • What are some short or long-term goals that you want to achieve?
  • What’s holding you back from reaching your goals?
  • What’s your greatest strength or weakness? And how can you overcome this?
  • Why did you choose this particular product?

By digging deeper, you’ll uncover more valuable information you can use as an opportunity for your product to solve.

8. Be Genuine

People buy from those they like and trust. If you lie to your prospects, it will destroy not only the relationship you have fostered but all the potential referrals your prospect could have given you.

So be honest. Show your prospects every detail of information that will help them make the right decision. Even if the sale doesn’t go through, they could potentially refer you to more leads just because you fostered a genuine relationship.

With even sales executives still nervous about making cold calls, you now have the advantage to outsell your competition. By implementing these eight strategies to your next cold call, you should be well equipped to build a healthy pipeline of deals, and out-sell the competition.

Summing Up Our Sales Hacks

The telephone remains a very powerful tool for selling. But being effective at cold calling takes practice, skill, and confidence. Use the techniques above to improve your mindset as well as engage in more productive, solutions-oriented conversations. Those are the kinds of calls that ultimately produce sales.

Still need help? Going back to cold call basics is always helpful too.

Now it’s your turn! What is your favorite confidence boosting or result boosting cold calling technique? Let us know in the comments.

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