In our Prospector’s Academies, we hear all the time that, “I don’t cold call. I network and follow up on marketing generated leads.” So what’s the difference between a cold call and a ‘warm’ call?
There are 4 components to an appointment making call regardless of whether it is cold or warm.
- The Approach
- The target’s Response (No)
- Our Counter
- Asking for the Appointment again
The Approach will vary slightly as we want to invoke either the name of the person who suggested we call, or the fact that they had asked us to contact them through a marketing program of some kind. The processes of how we get through a gatekeeper, leave a message, send an email, gain their attention, introduce ourselves, etc., is the same.
If we really think about it, the target’s Response is generally the same as on a cold call. They’re just nicer about it. Ever run into a referral target that said, “Hey, I appreciate Barry suggesting you call, but we’re all set in that area”. Of course we have. That’s because in very few instances does the referrer know the target’s business in enough detail to know they need us.
Even in the case of an inbound request for information from a lead generation program, we sometimes are surprised by a response of “No”, to a request for an appointment. It’s not uncommon for an inbound request to be a tire kicker or information gatherer and not someone ‘In the Market’ right now for what we sell. Maybe they just want us to ‘send something’. Perhaps not often, but it happens more than we think.
There’s also many times a different challenge that occurs on these calls; the temptation to ‘sell’ on the appointment making call because of their interest. So how do we keep from falling prey to this? Easy, we use the same process we do on a cold call to provide enough value to get the appointment.
My point is this. The reason our curriculum is called The Appointment Making Formula™, even though we talk a lot about cold calling, is that process or ‘formula’ that we apply in a warm call also applies in a cold call. It’s all appointment setting. We must be prepared in order to be successful.
Caponi Performance Group and Contact Science jointly market the telephone prospecting and cold calling solution called The Prospector’s Academy™ under the brand name Coldcalling101. It is the only comprehensive solution to solving the biggest barrier to success in most selling organizations – the inability to secure enough Initial Appointments to begin the selling process. We accomplish that through simultaneously addressing both the efficiency and effectiveness of the process. We can be reached at 214 483-5800 or at barry@coldcalling101.com.
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