To call or not to call

How to improve your cold calling skills

It’s pretty obvious that the majority of employees dread cold calling. Let’s face it; calling a stranger and trying to convince them to not only give you their time, but also business, is a challenge. However, as stated in Inc Magazine, “cold calling remains a part of life whether you are a business owner, a job seeker, or even a volunteer looking to raise money for your local non-profit group, says Eliot Burdett, co-founder of Peak Sales Recruiting in Ottawa, Canada. "Even with the rise of the Internet, which has changed the way people buy, having the ability to connect with someone cold on the phone remains a valuable skill for anyone to have.”

Here at The TNS Group, cold calling is an important task. Our account manager makes calls daily to follow up on leads and create opportunities with potential clients. Without cold calling, we wouldn’t have as many clients as we do today.

According to INC Magazine, here are some tips for improving your cold calling skills:

1.       Set a cold calling schedule (schedule a specific time to make these calls to create rhythm)

2.       Communicate value (promise brevity and answer the question, “what’s in it for the customer?”)

3.       Know how to head-off objections (know every reason why your potential customers might not want to give you their time)

4.       Think research (think as the calls as research time)

Don’t be hesitant, pick up your phones and call away because every call is an opportunity!

Tara McKenna