Cold calling

About 10 days ago, the "salesperson" in me had her very first true "cold call". That is, a business call to someone I did not know, who did not know me or my company, and whose specific needs I did not know, but who was kind enough to receive me. Obviously, I had my introduction ready and well-rehearsed. True to a small market, it soon appeared that we had several common acquaintances. Of course, that made the conversation go smoother. Since, I made another few relatively cold calls. These are the best practices I liked best:

1. Send a short written introduction beforehand, perhaps by email, stating that you will be calling. By doing so, you will not catch your prospect totally off-guard. In addition, she may be able to refer you to someone else if for some reason she is not the appropriate one.
2. Do some research on your prospect beforehand. It may give you an indication ofwhat to highlight in your introduction. It also shows your interest in the company.
3. Prepare and deliver your short "introductory speech". "Short" is a key word. You want to reveal most of your information once your prospect has told you something about his challenges or needs. This enables you to tailor what you say to his needs and not put your foot in your mouth.
4. Restrain yourself. If you just went for an introduction, don't try to close a sale right then and there. Unless, of course, the prospect states an explicit need which you can readily fulfil.
5. Don't leave without asking who else might be a good person to talk to in the company or elsewhere.

Cold calls are never a lot of fun, necessary to grow your revenues. You see, the prospects that already know what your business offers are likely to consider you anyway when a need arises. It is those who do not know you that form the truly new opportunities.

I have also heard salespeople say that they don't cold call because prospects prefer to deal with providers whom they have a previous or personal relationship with. While this is true, it is also true tha potential customers are increasingly looking for the best possible product or service and are open to hearing about all there is on the market, regardless of previous or personal relationships. The challenge is up to you: start establishing those relationships!