Tested Cold Call Introduction Tips

Effective B2B Cold Calling begins by qualifying your prospects.

How do you accomplish this in an efficient way?
Use a cold call introduction script.
Write it yourself. And be yourself! The cold call introduction tips below focus on this important aspect of cold calling.

• Say exactly who you are: The prospect you are calling is at a disadvantage. He or she does not know your name or anything about you. Prospects will refuse to speak with you unless you immediately confront these issues. State the exact reason you are calling. Make your cold call introduction specific and brief…twenty seconds or less.

• Immediately hit upon a benefit to your prospect. A benefit can be a key word or phrase. It should trigger an interest in your prospect — i.e., make your prospect want to learn more about you.

• Be provocative. Ask open ended questions that cannot be answered “yes” or “no”. Your cold call goal is to promote interaction…and get your prospect to reveal information.

• Don’t interrupt. Let your prospect do most of the talking.

• Take “No” for an answer. The number one complaint of B2B telemarketing prospects is that salespeople will not take “no” for an answer.

• Qualify your prospect for future contacts. Ask them to suggest what they would like you to to —- “when do you want me to contact you again?”. Drop those prospects who will not suggest a call-back date. Your call is designed to generate a sales lead  —- a prospect you can add to your sales funnel and recontact with a business development follow-up call.

Get More Cold Call Introduction Tips 

Get updates on ways B2B Cold Calling can help your business grow —especially in this economy.Also, go here for DMA 2012 response rate reports for lead generation marketing media. Plus this Advertising Age update on B2B phone marketing.

Also, if you do nothing else today click and read this:
7 New Rules for Prospecting In The Age of The Customer

•  Harvard Business Review on benefits of cold call lead development.