When most people think of cold calling prospective clients, they don’t get very excited. In fact, many dread the idea of calling someone out of the blue and pitching them a product or service. Cold calling can be an effective sales tool, but the levels of failure and outright rejection can take their toll on anyone.
Cold calling isn’t easy, but there are ways that you can maximize your selling and keep yourself from dejection and frustration. At BOX, we understand that you may be going through this scenario every day in order to find new clients for your energy brokerage, so we thought we’d put together some of the best tips for getting the most out of your cold calls.
Do Your Research
What’s the best way to cut down on the number of cold calls you make each day, but increase the number of sales you make? The answer is by doing your homework and narrowing the list of people you call. Weed out the prospects on your list that you feel have a smaller chance of producing results, and do as much research as you can on the ones that you do call.
It could be as simple as doing a Google search, or you may want to use LinkedIn to research who you’re calling and what their business needs are. LinkedIn is also a great way to introduce yourself to a potential client and let them know that you’ll be calling soon. That way, you’ve already broken the ice when you call, and they know who you are and what you’re selling, as well.
Don’t Try To Sell Too Fast
In all likelihood, your initial call is not going to make the sale. Following up, as well as giving the prospective client time to look at your service, both play an important part in finally making a sale from a cold call. There’s no need to jump right in and start pushing a potential client to buy. In fact, this comes off as desperate, and makes you sound like every telemarketer that’s ever called them during dinner. Simply introduce yourself and explain why you’re calling. Engage the prospect and find out what they need before you start trying to sell them anything.
In the same vein, if you’re working with a script, make sure it leaves you plenty of room to operate, and don’t be afraid to go off script if you need to. Calls won’t always go the way you planned, and that can be a good thing.
Don’t Fear The Voicemail
There’s something about getting another person’s voicemail that can be a little off-putting to a caller. You were ready to have a conversation, and now you have to make your pitch to a machine. But here’s the thing—you don’t have to make that pitch. Simply tell them who you are and why you called. Then let them know you’ll be calling again at another time. No need to go overboard on your message, but you should at least take the chance that they will call you back.
Cold calling can be an effective way to find more clients, especially if you take the above tips into consideration. But once you’ve sold them on your services, what’s the best way to get them set up with their new energy services? From presenting them with up-to-date pricing options to contracting, our proprietary energy broker platform, EnergyEngine, will help you every step of the way. Contact Broker Online Exchange today to find out how.
