How to Warm up Cold Calls

Cold-calling is probably the most dreaded activity in a sales person’s day.  The reason? Nobody likes to be rejected. Fear of cold-calling has ended thousands of sales careers.  How can you make cold calling easier and reduce the fear of rejection?  There is something you can do that will warm up your cold call.  It has worked for me time and time again.

The Numbers Count

It is true:  the more prospects you talk to about your products or services, the more sales you can make.

But . . . spending five minutes and the cost of a postage stamp can make cold-calling more comfortable for you. Sending an introductory letter ahead of time to a specific person in the company you plan to call, will pave the way for your cold call.  If the letter is well written on your business stationary, you will set yourself apart as a professional.  Your cold call will then be a “follow-up” call.

If you intend to call 50 people each day, send 50 personalized letters each day.  Personalized meaning “Dear [prospect’s name].”  Write a note on your calendar to call these 50 accounts on a specific day – 5 to 7 business days after you mail the letters.  You can say – after introducing yourself and your company – to your prospect:

“I have a note on my calendar to call you today.” And then: “I’m calling to follow up on the letter we mailed to you last week with the [insert $$ amount] savings coupon good through [insert coupon expiration date].”

Trust Building

The fact that you are “following up” on a letter or a pre-printed postcard gives you a legitimate reason to make the call.  And even though it is a “cold call” (meaning you are calling a new prospect), you will have more to talk about during this initial call.  The first telephone call can begin a trust-building process – and the first step of a business relationship.  People will buy from someone they trust.

Remember this:  Marketing studies show it takes five to seven contacts within 18 months to get a new sale.  These contacts can consist of phone calls, letters and/or postcards in addition to other forms of marketing which require permission in advance – namely, fax marketing and e-mails.  Don’t be discouraged if the prospect does not buy from you during the first phone call.  If they have a need for your products or services, follow up on a consistent basis with letters, postcards and telephone calls.

Get Less Rejection

One of the major problems faced by telephone sales reps is how to make cold calls with less rejection and more success. Marketing research has found that your success rate will soar when cold calls are preceded by a well-written introductory letter on business letterhead.   Why?  If the letter is written well, on attractive business letterhead stationary, you will be perceived as a professional – someone who has taken the time to carefully compose a letter to introduce himself or herself before calling.

What should you write in your introductory letter?

Introduce yourself, your company and the products you sell – and especially the benefits the prospect will get when s/he buys from your company. Written benefits will answer the prospect’s mental questions as s/he reads your letter, and the most important question your prospect asks is: “What’s in it for me?”

Four Key Points for Introductory Letters

Sending a good introductory letter before you call will set you apart from fraudulent telemarketers who are calling your prospects.  There are four key points to remember when writing introductory letters.

#1:  Always include the contact name – for the person you are writing to – in the letter and on the envelope, otherwise your letter will end up in the trash and you will have wasted time and money.

#2:  Short paragraphs are easiest to read and the letter should be no longer than one page.

#3:  Don’t mail out too many letters at one time. If you intend to make 50 telephone calls a day, mail 50 letters each day. Don’t mail out 500 or 1,000 letters at once. By the time you call the 500th or 1000th person, s/he will have forgotten about your letter.

#4: You will create more interest if you include a ” limited time – special offer” in your letter.  For example: A monthly special “good through September 30th” or whatever month you choose to mail your letters.  An offer available only for a limited time will often prompt the prospect to call YOU. Repeat the offer in a P.S. to get the prospect’s attention. Most people read the P.S. before they read the body of the letter. Enclose a flyer on brightly colored paper to increase your success rate.

Your Benefits

It is exciting to hear from sales reps who tell me how they have benefited by sending introductory letters in advance of cold calls to prospects.  It makes a big difference.  Taking the time to write an effective letter will pay off with easier access to the decision maker and will warm up cold calls.