“In the moments before a word is spoken, anything is possible,” Barbara Brown Taylor

Cold Calls v. Intelligent Phone Prospecting

Using the telephone to connect with prospective customers has been accused as inefficient. “Cold calling is dead” has been the proclamation. But, unfortunately, many sales teams take this proclamation as a license to avoid calling prospects on the phone, avoiding the rejection and the dreaded “hang up” or irate prospect asking, “why are you calling me?” or stating, “don’t call me again!”

Intelligent Phone Prospecting

Intelligent phone prospecting is not cold calling. Cold calling is when you call someone on your call list without knowing anything about them, their companies, or the issues they face. Intelligent phone prospecting uses the telephone to connect with prospective buyers after you have researched and understand how your product or service meets the needs of the other person on the phone.

Intelligent phone prospecting answers the who, what, when, where, and why questions –

• Who would buy your product or service?
• What are the issues driving the decision (be specific)?
• When does the choice have to be made?
• Where are they in their decision process?
• Why should the prospect spend time with you?

While “cold calling” may be dead, intelligent telephone use to connect with prospects thrives. Even some most admired marketing organizations, like Hubspot, use intelligent telephone prospecting as part of their lead generation strategy.

We still find companies that use “boiler room” and cold calling methods for their outbound selling efforts. Compared to high-performance organizations that use intelligent phone prospecting, these companies generate costly and unsustainable results.

Opening Statements are Important

Opening statements are one of the most critical components of a telephone sales call plan when using the telephone to connect with prospective customers. The opening statement comprises those first few words spoken to put the prospect in a positive frame of mind and open to a conversation. Opening statements are no longer than 7-10 seconds, meaning each call must be well-planned. There is no room for being unprepared. A well-planned opening statement determines whether a call turns into a conversation or a rejection.

Building Powerful Opening Statements

Powerful opening statements are conversational and to the point, highlight your knowledge of the prospect’s issues and a hint of potential value, and do not end with a question. The four components of a well-constructed opening statement are:

• Introduction
  “Hi, I’m XXX”
• Information found in your research about the company or prospect
  “I’ve been following your Twitter conversation on XXX.”
• Hint at the potential value
  “Working with other companies like, we have been able to help them “
• Closing Statement
  “We might have a few options that could possibly be a fit for you as well, If I’ve reached you at a good time, I’d like to ask a few questions to see if I could provide you with some information.”

The Takeaway

Intelligent phone prospecting can be a valuable tool in your lead-generation strategy. When leveraged correctly, you can connect with prospective customers and begin those conversations which generate revenue and increase your customer base. Strong, well-planned, and executed opening statements are critical to intelligent phone prospecting, but they are only the beginning.