January 19, 2022

Cold Calling: 10 Do’s and Don’ts for 2022

We know that cold calling tends to have a bad reputation, but we don’t think it needs to! With the right tips and tricks, cold calling doesn’t have to be a painful endeavor, and instead, can actually pay off with potential leads and new customers! In order to really get the most out of your cold calling strategy, you need to make sure to go about it the right way. Whether you’re focusing on making sales in a B2B industry or B2C, using the right tools and techniques can make a huge difference to how you approach cold-calling.

Statistics show that 69% of buyers have taken one or more cold calls from a salesperson in the past year. That’s a pretty large number of people who could make for potential sales! When targeting this group of people, the right efforts can go a long way. Cold calling doesn’t need to be dreaded and instead can be used as a successful strategy in your sales toolbox. So without further ado, we’ve compiled five do’s and five don’ts for cold calling in 2022.

How to cold call the right way

Solve a problem – When you’re cold calling about your product or service, you want to make sure that you’re offering a solution to a problem that your customer might have. During your conversation, try to find what pain points your lead might have that your product could directly address. You can also always offer supplemental materials to your lead like e-books, blog article links, and videos that may address or target their specific pain points.
Keep it brief – Because getting someone on the phone is already hard enough as it is, you want to make sure to keep their attention by being brief, concise, and straightforward. Put together a 15-second pitch where you can explain what your company specializes in and how they can benefit from using your product. Always make sure to be as direct as you can be during your call.
Call at the right time – Depending on who your target market and group of people is that you’re trying to reach will dictate the right times of day to call. Calling too early in the morning, for example, may end up leaving most of your calls unanswered and you are also more likely to end up having conversations with people who are frustrated or annoyed. If you find the right time to start cold-calling, you’re more likely to have a successful conversation.
Be prepared for rejection – When cold calling, you’re bound to experience a lot of conversations that either start or end with a “no” and the best thing you can do for yourself is not take it personally. Don’t get discouraged by rejections and instead see each call as a new opportunity. With each “no” you receive, you learn more and more about how to approach each pitch and call.
Be yourself – When you’re confident about your pitch and confident about the product you’re selling, you’re more likely to answer all the questions the recipient might have and you’re less likely to sound like you’re reading from a script. Each cold call represents a relationship that you can build and therefore, prioritize letting your personality shine through the call and make it a point to make your potential lead feel important.

Things to avoid when cold calling

Never end a call without follow-up – Whether it’s leaving a voicemail after someone didn’t pick up your call or setting up a meeting, you should always end a call with a follow-up if a recipient is interested. Without follow-ups, you’re less likely to close a deal and less likely to retain the customer’s attention.
Don’t argue – If the recipient says anything negative about your product or service or disagrees with any claims, make sure to not object. When you offer objections, you’re more likely to sound argumentative. If the recipient does get defensive or offer objections, instead, slow down, take a breath, and try to offer a solution.
Don’t primarily focus on closing – During your cold call, if you’re only focused on closing the deal you won’t be able to truly figure out if your customer genuinely needs, wants, or is interested in what you are selling them. Before focusing on closing the deal, first, find out if the customer is willing to learn more about your product or service and is also interested in closing the deal.
Don’t make yourself the center of the call – Make sure to always keep the customer in mind when selling. When you’re making cold colds, focus on quality over quantity. If you can tell that your product is not the right fit for the customer, put their needs above your own. At the end of the day, by making your customer the focus of the call, you end up saving time which you can end up using by focusing on people who could actually benefit from your product.
Don’t waste their time – When your customer picks up a call and lets you know that it’s actually a bad time to talk, take that into consideration and offer to reschedule your conversation. When cold calling, make sure your call isn’t interrupting something important, and if it is, offer an apology so that the recipient knows that you value their time.

How to step up your sales game

While cold calling is a sales strategy and technique used by many successful salespeople, it might be a good idea to have multiple strategies in your toolbox. One of those strategies being video email. Video email is used by many successful salespeople and can truly personalize your sales approach. Covideo is a video email platform that allows you to record, edit, and send video emails with ease.

See how our video platform works for yourself with Start a free trial where you can record and send unlimited videos. With Start a free trial, you’ll get instant access to all of our standard features, and you’ll be able to upload, record, send, and track video emails within minutes. Try it out : Start a free trial!