Many professionals are leaning toward contacting new prospects through means other than picking up the phone. Cold calling is not dead. It is very much alive. To kick it up a notch, it makes sense to schedule first conversations and pitches via Zoom or other digital visual means.
Nothing beats picking up the phone and having a real live voice to connect with. Combine this with facial expressions and enthusiasm and you are closer to building rapport with others.
But in order to set up the Zoom call, you still need to pick up the phone. Do not rely solely on using email and social media (LinkedIn or other platforms) to schedule first meetings. It’s a quick way to avoid rejection, but the number or meaningful connections you make will be fewer.
When you do land the Zoom call, follow these tips to make your meeting more successful:
1. Have an agenda
Select a few key areas to focus on. Have open-ended questions to ask the prospect. Close the video meeting by asking for the next step.
2. Be confident
Know and believe in yourself, and that you have something worthwhile to say. Smile. Be excited to share success stories about your business or background experience. Sounding monotone will kill any audience. Use vocal variety to sound upbeat and engaged.
3. Close the call properly
Assess whether your prospect is interested, inexperienced and where you will take the meeting from there. Have two or three “next steps” ready. Will you schedule a follow up Zoom call? If so, pick a date right then and there. Will you send more information? If so, schedule a follow up call to check in on a specific date.
Cold calling is not for the weak of heart. Always be specific as to what your next step will be. And do so, right then and there. You will quickly learn who your real prospects are. This is exactly what you want. They will either play ball or not. Saying “thank you for your time” is not a powerful close. In fact, it’s a sure way to get nowhere.
Nicole Attias is the owner of Prospect2Win. Prospect2Win is a sales-based company in Canada that is dedicated to helping businesses get in the door through cold calling and presentation training. Nicole facilitates workshops and webinars for real estate agents and various real estate boards. Contact – nicole@prospect2win.com
Stay tuned for my upcoming eBook, “Transform your sales approach – More than just a cold call.”
