On cold calls, to grab attention your message and approach needs to be relevant. There are 5 questions to answer before you make that cold call that will help you develop a message that engages your prospect.

At some point in your sales career you’ve had to make a cold call. Pick up the phone, call a complete stranger, and quickly gain their trust – at least enough to keep them engaged and on the line.

Relevance Matters

There are dozens of approaches to cold calling, but they all center on quickly getting your prospect to stop and engage.

The best approach is to talk to the other person about something that interests them.  This could be something related to their business, their Alma mater, career, hobby, etc.  If you’re calling me about an incredible new service for selling books that has brought five of your clients a million dollars in sales, I’m listening to you.

Preparation Matters

The most effective cold callers prepare before making the call. As you prepare, open the following windows on your computer so you’re ready to gain insight about your prospects:

• Google (or any search engine)
• LinkedIn
• Twitter or Instagram
• Facebook

Five Questions to Answer

There are five questions that when answered will help you craft a relevant message and approach. Start with your targeted list of prospects – 10 to 25 will do. Then, answer these 5questions before making that cold call.

1. What companies have they worked for?________________________________________
2. Do you know anyone else at those companies?__________________________________
3. What part of the country do they live in?_______________________________________
4. Where did they go to school?________________________________________________
5. What activities do they participate in and did they win any awards?_________________

With this information in hand you’ll be prepared to grab your prospect’s attention, engage them in a meaningful conversation, and convert your cold call into an appointment.

Top sales reps are getting through to more prospects on cold calls by leveraging sequencing campaigns. Find our how in our FREE GUIDE.