Rapport Building Tips When Cold Calling
“My hardest part of cold calling is rapport building. I try to learn something personal about them before the call so I can connect with them without sounding fake. Any tips on how to sound sincere?”
Hmmm… So you want to do something fake but not sound fake? Let’s call a spade a spade. Trying to learn something “personal” about a prospect in order to “build rapport” just so you can try and sell them what it is you have to offer isn’t sincere, it’s a tactic.
The approach you are using is a common one yet tons of salespeople still struggle with it every day. Why?
Because it is a flawed strategy! It’s a manipulation and there’s nothing “sincere” about it.
Remember the rule of “treat others the way you’d want to be treated”? How many of us would like to receive a cold call and have our “personal” information used by someone we don’t know, in a way to try and “warm us up”?
If you want to sincerely HELP your targeted audience, instead of trying to find something “personal” to use against them, why not lead with an opening value statement that within 15 seconds lets them know WHAT’S IN IT FOR THEM so that they WANT to learn more about what it is you have to offer?
Not only will you have more success, but you’ll also disqualify prospects faster as well (Wouldn’t knowing sooner rather than later that you aren’t speaking to a qualified prospect be beneficial? Think of all the time you’ll save from chasing low % prospects)
CAUTION:
This WHAT’S IN IT FOR THEM strategy doesn’t mean doing a “DATA DUMP” (also known as the SPRAY AND PRAY) in your opener to the prospect. If you do, you’ll run the risk of giving too much information away to where your prospect will feel forced to make a quick decision and it will mostly not be in your favor. The next thing you will hear is “No thanks”, “Not interested”, or “We’re all set” followed by a dial tone.
If cold calling success is vital to ensuring you hit your numbers and make quota in order to collect your bonus/commission checks, you’ll need to learn a better end-to-end sales process (what you say, when you say it, how you say it, why you say it, who you say it to and how you handle their responses).
Improving your sales process will not only raise your sales confidence but will also increase your win rate as well.
– Michael Pedone
Founder of SalesBuzzz.com – The on-demand Sales Training Program that Converts More Cold Calls to Sales.
NEED TO BE BETTER AT COLD CALLING?
Access Our Phone Sales Improvement Program – Online
- How to Warm Up and Close Cold Leads
- Eliminate “No, Thanks”, “Not Interested” & “We’re All Set” Responses
- Neutralize Gatekeepers & Get Voicemails Returned
- Ask Engaging Questions Instead of Probing
- Improve your Qualifying Skills
- Give Stellar Presentations & Handle Objections
- Close Follow-up Calls and Get Targeted Referrals
- How to Set & Achieve Your Toughest Sales Goals
- Improve Your Time Management Skills
Duration: 1 hour per week for 8 weeks
Where: Online @ your desk, conference room, or home
Presenters: Michael Pedone
