Cold Calling Tips from the Queen of Cold Calling

1. Try not to ask your prospect what they like about their current vendor. This approach will frequently backfire and remind your prospect what it is they do like about their vendor making them even more resistant to change.

2. A better approach is to ask about specific challenges, challenges or issues that you know you can resolve:
“When (fill in the blank) happens, how do you handle it?”
“What are you doing about (fill in the blank)?”

3. Use the word “pencil” to set up a meeting with a prospect who seems skittish. “Let’s pencil something in…” This implies that it can be erased or rescheduled. It keeps your prospect from feeling trapped. You get what you want: a meeting; they get what they want: low pressure.

4. Keep in mind, once a prospect has scheduled a meeting, they are more likely to keep it, or if that scheduled time turns out not to work, they are more likely to reschedule.