Our objective when cold calling is to break the buyer out of the typical relationship between seller and prospect:
- Seller → Chase and sell
- Prospect → Avoid and run away
Sound familiar?
Our objective is not to book meetings. It’s not to qualify the prospect. And it sure ain’t pitching our solution. It’s to create an environment where authentic conversations have a high probability of happening.
In this 3-part series, I’ll teach you how to land 2-3x more meetings from your cold calls:
- The First 60 Seconds: How to succeed where 80%+ of reps fail
- The Hook: How to find problems and create urgency
- Saying Goodbye: How to eliminate no-shows
You’ll learn the same tactics I’ve taught reps at Gong, Zoom, Medallia, and many more.
Ready to dig in?
The First 60 Seconds
How To Succeed Where 80% Of Reps Fail
This is where cold calls are won and lost. The typical cold call lasts only 80 seconds. And only 10% of cold calls last longer than two minutes (Chorus.ai).
Your objective with the intro: Earn more time
Avoid these approaches (they are conversation stoppers instead of conversation starters):
⛔️ "I was calling about [solution]."
⛔️ "I wanted to inquire if [solution] is top of mind."
⛔️ "I wanted to see if you’re interested in exploring our platform.”
⛔️ “Have you heard of [company] before?”
⛔️ “How’s your day going?”
Permission-Based Openers (PBO'S)
The prospect didn’t ask you to call them. You’re an unexpected interruption.
Get their opt-in. It sounds crazy if you’ve never tried it before. But it works.
Here are a few pointers on tonality:
- Friendly: Be incredibly hard to be an a**hole to 🙂 Simple hack: smile during your call (just like you would in person).
- No uptalk or “customer service” voice: Remove upward inflection, high-pitched tones, and unnecessary formality. You aren’t on the phone with your insurance provider!
Here are a few variations of PBO's you can try:
- The Classic: "Hi David, it's Jason. I know I'm catching you in the middle of your day. Do you have a minute for me to share why I'm calling? And then you can decide if you want to keep chatting?"
- The Gong Opener: "Hi David, it’s Jason with Outbound Squad. I don’t suppose I caught you at the WORST time did I?” (a smile and slight chuckle are key with this one)
- Start With Relevance: “Hi Jessie, I’m calling about all the hiring it looks like you’re doing in Canada right now. Oh, by the way, it’s Jason with Outbound Squad. Do you have a minute? I promise to be brief.”
- Armand Farrokh’s Opener: “Hey Heather, we work with a few other construction firms in Texas. It's Jason at Outbound Squad. Have you heard our name tossed around?”
- Disarmingly Blunt: “Hi Chelsea, it’s Jason. You're going to hate me. I’m cold-calling you, so please feel free to hang up on me if you need to. Was just hoping I could have 30 seconds to explain why I was reaching out?"
How to put this into action: Pick one PBO from above. Practice a few dozen times out loud by yourself or with a partner. Start using it on your cold calls this week.
