As a salesperson, you know some things about talking to people on the phone, effective communication and relationship building. However, one aspect of sales that even the best sellers are afraid of is the dreaded 'cold calls'. The following 10 sales tips for cold calling will help you carefully prepare the tone and make effective cold calls part of your daily routine.

'Cold calling' is the business call with potential customers who have not had prior contact with the seller making the call. Picking up the phone and making these calls can be scary. Not only because you have not had any previous interaction with these people and do not know what to expect, but also because cold calls are not always received with the most open mind.

While sometimes it is a stressful process, the cold calling is an essential part for your business to grow. What you are trying to do is to present your company and yourself to potential clients and to communicate the value of your product or service to the person on the other end of the line.

We give you 10 sales tips for cold calling:

1. Know your potential customers

Before picking up the phone, do a general Google search for each potential customer, to know their companies and what they do. Find all the possible data for each potential customer. In this way, you can adapt the sales approach according to the person you are going to talk to. When you use the same script for all calls, it may sound impersonal and there are more chances that they hang up the call.

To manage it, create a general sales pitch template that you can easily customize with specific data. If it seems that you are only reading the script, your chances of selling will be much lower. You should strive to investigate to better understand your clients, in this way you will be able to have a better interaction.

Investigate what business the company participates in;

Find out why and how your product can help them;

Communicate the added value that your product or service will add to their lives.

Build a complete profile of your potential customers by checking their presence on social networks, and their online reviews. All this will give you a great vision of what they share, what they are interested in and what service could be provided.

2. Collect information in the correct way

After having collected all the information about potential clients, it is important to organize it in a useful and efficient way.

Your sales success depends a lot on how you keep your customer data organized. The best thing is to have a contact management tool to compile all the information in one place.

Let's say that while you're on a call, the information you need does not come to mind. You start to look around frantically to find that little piece of paper on which you wrote the note. Organize all the information of customers and potential customers in a database. This will help you to avoid stressful situations.

3. Think about your positioning

While you prepare your script for cold calling, remember to put yourself in the skin of the person you are going to call. Doing so allows you to anticipate and think about the different reactions you may have during the call. We've all received a cold call, and too often the salesman sounds like a faceless robot.

4. Prepare a good script

Having a script or a template on which to base your calls will help you to be confident and clearly transmit your message. When you begin to write it, start with a strong introductory phrase identifying yourself clearly. You have 3 - 5 seconds to grab the attention of the listener.

Secondly, ask the prospect if he is available and if he has time to speak. Make it clear that you will not waste his time and that your call will last a few minutes. Show respect for people's time.

Once you have presented yourself and expressed your gratitude, you can go ahead and communicate why you are calling and the services and the value you can offer. But be careful not to sound like he is doing something wrong. Just mention how and why you think your product could make his life better. Give a concrete example of the benefits you have made for other companies and customers. This will help sales and allow you to have a better idea of ​​how your product or service could be used.

Finally, remember not to read the script literally. Participate in a real conversation and get to know who you are talking to!

5. Practice

Practice is crucial to develop your skills in any field, and cold calling is no exception. Making test calls with your friends and asking them to be difficult customers will make you prepare for the worst. Try to explore all possible answers to the strangest questions of potential clients. You have to be ready for anything once you pick up the phone and start making calls.

Getting an overview of what might happen in your cold calls. This will help you figure out how to make them more successful.

6. Make it short

Do not talk too much If you do not stop talking, the first impression of your potential client will be that both of you are wasting your time.

Write your script to be short and sweet; try to be as brief as possible in your first sentences; once the person expresses an interest in your product or service, you can delve into details.

Remember that if you talk non-stop, your potential client will stop paying attention. You must use your sentences wisely, keeping relevant information.

With all the preparation you have done, you must be able to deliver your message effectively while keeping it updated.

7. Listen

What you say is important, but what is even more important is what the person with whom you are speaking says. Listen, listen, listen. This will help you figure out what to respond to him/her and really understand their needs.

What your potential customers tell you will be useful for your other calls as well. Most prospects often argue the same things. That is why listening, understanding and learning to respond effectively to them will be useful in the future.

8. Stay focused on the volume

Cold calling is a numbers game. The more people you call, the better results you'll get (and achieve). The results are driven by volume.

As a cold calling professional, sometimes the only thing you can control is the number of times you pick up the phone and call again. Use it as an advantage and call as many people as you can!

9. Feel comfortable with rejection

With cold calls, unfortunately, getting a 'no' is more probable than a 'yes'. Do not give up due to rejections but continue doing everything possible to be positive, friendly.

Think about getting a "no" as a starting point, not as an end. Overcome rejections while being nice, but persistent. You should also know when a 'no is no' and move on to another call.

10. Follow up

Sometimes no matter how prepared you are for your calls, some questions may be difficult to answer. Find out with your team what would be the right solution. In this way, when it happens again, you will be ready and will be able to answer future questions directly.

Cold calls can be a difficult activity because success depends on several factors. By following these sales tips for cold calling, the next cold calls will be of higher quality. Prepare, practice and personalize your calls to see how your sales success skyrockets! Customizing your calls will likely increase the chances of success.

These sales tips for cold calling will help you to feel more comfortable with all kinds of situations, just try to follow them and don't panic, remember that you need to be patient.