Alexandra
Rynne Award-Winning Content Creator @ LinkedIn January 2, 2020
The
common cold call has been known to cause severe discomfort among even the
sweetest-tempered of sales prospects. Fortunately, sellers have discovered a
cure: warmth.
Cold
calling as we once knew it has been declared dead at a rate rivaled only by
disco. And for all intents and purposes, it is: Only 1% of cold calls ultimately convert into
appointments; roughly 90% of top-level B2B decision makers say they won’t
respond to cold outreach at all.
Technically
though, I guess there’s a chance that a sales rep could commit to some crazy
call volume and find enough prospects to fill their pipeline using the
“classic” edition of cold calling. But how long can the rep keep up this pace
before they become demoralized by such a high rate of rejection? And who wants
to work like that?
An Up-To-Date Definition of Cold
Calling
Cold
calling used to refer to dialing one’s way down a list that typically only
included a name, a phone number, and a company name. Today, this approach is
almost laughable. Sales pros simply need more context if they are to expect any
level of engagement because today’s B2B buyer doesn’t just
expect personalization, they demand it.
Today,
a cold call refers to any call that a sales prospect is not expecting from you.
Calling
a former customer to check in? That’s a cold call. Calling someone who’s been
consuming your content with vigor? Also a cold call. Calling someone from a
list that includes names and numbers only? That call’s been frozen solid for
years.
3 Cold Calling Scripts to Make Your
Cold Calls Feel Warmer
Let
me start by acknowledging the glaring discord between saying that B2B buyers
demand personalization, then offering scripts as the solution. For any sales
pro serious about personalization, I recommend checking out these cold calling tips, strategies,
and techniques to avoid.
The
scripts you’ll find below include more blanks to fill in than you might find in
sales scripts of yesteryear, which traditionally only called for adding the
prospect’s name and company name to the spiel. This is intentional. The idea
here is to create scripts that essentially “unlock” when sufficient
personalization is in place.
Also,
because the purpose of this post is to help you fill your pipeline with
qualified prospects, the three scripts you’ll find below are suited for sales
scenarios in which success is entirely plausible.
The “I’m Straight-Up Prospecting”
Cold Call Script
The
situation: You’ve used your ideal customer profile as a
guide for filtering a list of sales prospects who most closely
match the description of those who’ve already bought from your company and are
generally satisfied with your product or service.
Why
this script might just work: B2B buyers are adamant about
working with sales pros who demonstrate expertise with, or knowledge of, their
industry. By filtering based on ideal customer profile, you can
demonstrate your (or at the very least your company’s) relevant experience and
expertise.
The
script:
Hi
_____,
I’m
calling you today because I noticed that your company regularly works with /
deals with _____. That caught my attention because in working with ____ and
____, we’ve come to learn that companies like yours often struggle specifically
with _____. I also couldn’t help but notice you / your colleague, _____,
talking about _____ on social media.
_____
ultimately solved their problem but I also know each company works differently
and I’m curious to know how _____ affects you personally?
The “I Noticed You’re Interested”
Cold Call Script
The
situation: Your marketing automation system spits out the name of someone who
downloaded one of your gated assets.
Why
this script might just work: They’ve indicated an interest, but that doesn’t
necessarily mean they’re ready to hear about your solution. By ignoring the
sale for now and tailoring your message to satiate your prospect’s thirst for
specific information, you can demonstrate that you have your prospect’s best
interests in mind, making it more likely that you’ll eventually land the
appointment.
The
script:
Hi
_____,
I
noticed you’ve been learning more about _____. That’s been a popular topic
around these parts. Most of the people I talk to know they have a _____ problem
but aren’t quite sure how best to handle it yet. How have you and your
colleagues been feeling about the whole ____ thing?
Interesting,
we have another _____ I think you’d be interested in, particularly the section
about ____. There’s also a customer story in that section, which, based on what
you just told me, will probably sound eerily familiar. Can I send over a
PointDrive link?
The “I Know Someone You Know” Cold
Call Script
The
situation: Because you’re familiar with the stat below, you perform a LinkedIn search that further
filters your prospect list down to 2nd degree connections.
Why
this script might just work: Sales pros are 4.2x more likely
to schedule an appointment if they already have a personal
connection with the buyer.
The
script:
Hi
_____,
I
noticed you and I are both connected to _____. I met _____ through _____ and it
looks like you two go back even further. How did you all cross paths?
I’m
also calling you because [common connection’s] company and yours are similar in
that you both _____, and if you’re anything like them, you deal with ____ quite
a bit. What’s that been like over at _____?
A Final Word on Cold Calling Scripts
Clearly
these scripts make a few assumptions. Rarely will you be able to use these
scripts in their exact form, but the key here is to create a framework for
instantly establishing relevance and building rapport so that your prospect
feels comfortable enough to open up.
The
“it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it” principle also comes into play
here. From a prospect’s perspective, if it seems like the sales rep is reading
from a script, it won’t feel personalized, even if it is.
Whether
you decide to use the scripts above or create new ones that better fit your
situation and personal style (which I recommend), get to know them intimately
so that you can listen intently without getting lost, and communicate your key
points conversationally.
For
more ways to make sales prospects feel more comfortable with you, subscribe to the LinkedIn Sales blog.
No comments:
Post a Comment