#and actionable steps to unlock your company's highest potential. Get ready to be inspired and walk away with a clear roadmap to multi-milli

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by Rex Biberston

Cold-calling aims to reach out to potential customers who haven’t expressed any interest in the offered products or services. Cold-calling technique refers to solicitation of a prospect through different mediums —telephone or person — without having any prior contact with the salesperson.

Now imagine the challenge of trying a sales pitch on someone who has never heard about you or your offerings, and is stuck on the blindside.

In this article, I’m going to explain why cold calling has stood the test of time, along with my most actionable cold calling tips and techniques to help you improve your win rates.

And look, I get it. You hate cold calling. Everybody does.

Everybody, that is, except the salespeople using it to generate millions of dollars in actual sales today.

The inspiration for this article was sparked by a semi-controversial LinkedIn thread.

So, here’s where we stand with cold calling.

6 Effective Cold Calling Tips and Techniques

With all this negativity, it’s hard to see how cold calling is worth even considering. And that’s exactly why cold calling can be so effective for you.

If you master the art and science of cold calling, you can become the highest paid sales rep at your company. Like all other forms of prospecting, bad cold callers are easy to spot, so you will stand out in stark contrast. And that will make you successful.

Here’s the foundation you need in order to use cold calling to close more business, help more people, and write your own paycheck:

1. Embrace Rejection (Don’t Run From It).

Rejection is a necessary part of all sales activity, from prospecting through close, inbound and outbound. No one closes 100% of their prospects.

How to get over your fear of rejection::

Actionable Takeaway #1: Create a “funniest rejection” Slack channel where team members can compete to win a prize for the worst thing someone said in place of “No, thank you.”

Actionable Takeaway #2: If someone says no, but is nice about it, ask why not.

Try something like this:

“I appreciate your honesty. The hardest thing about my job is not knowing whether we can help someone. For my own edification, do you mind telling me why you don’t think we can help you?”

Don’t try to sell them here, just try to learn.

Actionable Takeaway #3: Run a practice call with your colleague and have them shut you down in the rudest way possible. Every time you get told no afterward, remind yourself that at least it wasn’t as bad as that rejection.

If you keep getting told no, and you can’t shake the negative feeling, go read/watch testimonials from clients who love working with your company.

Remind yourself that you are helping people.

2. Set Your Sights on Immediate Learning, Not Immediate Sales.

You know cold calling can’t be mastered overnight, so set a goal to learn something in every conversation with a prospect, good or bad.

Here’s a quick and dirty guide on how to be a better cold Caller:

Actionable Takeaway #1: Start with a script and do not deviate (yet).

Actionable Takeaway #2: Figure out where you consistently get stuck in the script (people shut you down >50% of the time you say it).

Actionable Takeaway #3: Rewrite that section of your script until you stop getting rejected.

Actionable Takeaway #4: Repeat this process until you can get through your entire script on >50% of your conversations.

Actionable Takeaway #5: Analyze your sales calls. Specifically, listen to the answers prospects give to your open-ended questions. The better the question, the more they talk.

Actionable Takeaway #6: Record your learnings in a journal (physical or digital) so you don’t forget how much good came from early failings.

Actionable Takeaway #7: Share your learnings with your manager and other reps who are struggling.

Setting your expectations correctly and constantly learning as you go will put you years ahead of the average salesperson.

3. Leverage Technology to Eliminate Tedious Tasks.

There are so many tools available to the modern salesperson that you should never have to suffer through tedious, inefficient sales activities again.

Here are some of my favorite tools:

ConnectAndSell – I use their service to avoid everything I hate about cold calling (manually dialing, navigating phone trees, waiting on hold, talking to gatekeepers, scheduling follow up). I just get placed into live conversations with my prospects right when they answer.

Outreach – Outreach’s product has continuously improved to meet the needs of modern sales teams, and their service and support are second to none. It’s useful for many things, including full sequence management (phone, email, SMS, and social).

DiscoverOrg – You’ve definitely heard of them. They’re basically the gold standard in company and contact data, but they also provide insights into buying triggers that would normally add hours of research to your plate.

If you are using Salesforce CRM, you’re in luck. Just about every single sales productivity tool in the world plugs in with them.

If you are using another CRM, never fear. There are standalone versions of many products, plus you can use Zapier to connect disparate systems.

Look out for the two most common excuses of the lazy seller: “Someone else picks the tools” and “I don’t have a budget for sales tools.”

If you need help figuring out how to overcome these obstacles, find me on LinkedIn.

4. Don’t Waste Anybody’s Time, Including Your Own.

The burden is on you to build the most targeted list of people to contact so you’re not wasting time on every call figuring out whether you can help the person who picked up.

You’re going to get rejected a lot less if you’re smart about who you reach out to. Be sure that you are only adding companies and contacts to your prospect list who you believe you can help.

Common company traits to look for:

Industry

Size (revenue, employee count, # of locations)

Geography

Related technologies

Common contact traits to look for:

Role/title

Tools they use to perform their job

Who they report to

Who reports to them

If you call someone who doesn’t fit your ideal criteria, you’re stealing their time. If you call someone who can benefit from your offer, you’re helping improve their life and business. Don’t spend your precious time trying to reach people who don’t need what you’re selling.

5. Follow Your Cold Call Script Like An Actor, NOT Like a Damn Robot.

Cold calling is a performance. You need to be able to get in a zone just like actors do.

Actors use scripts for most of their work. Yet somehow not all television shows and movies sound like a bunch of robots beeping at each other.

They’re full of real human emotion! So it must be possible to use a script and talk like an actual person, but you can’t just read your lines.

It’s easy to get great at utilizing a script in cold calls if you’re willing to put in the work.

How to Utilize Cold Calling Scripts (With Examples)

Step #1: First, memorize your introduction and value proposition. If you know how to explain who you are and why someone should care, you’ll be better able to adapt to the conversation without going totally unscripted.

“Hi, this is Rex with Company XYZ. I wanted to see if what we do to help sales reps gain insights from historical win/loss data can benefit your team. Did I catch you with two minutes?”

Step #2: Then, write out open-ended questions that will unlock your conversations. When you ask these, you have to be prepared to listen, not just wait for your turn to talk again.

“Once your sales team closes a deal, how are they leveraging that success to source and close the next deal?”

Step #3: Next, come up with clear answers to common objections. When you’re first learning to cold call, you won’t be great at these on the fly, so, write them out word for word.

Example Objection:

“We’re really more focused on top of funnel right now. Our closers are great. So we’re good for now, thanks.”

Example Response:

“That’s actually one place where win/loss analysis can do the most for your team. Imagine having an analysis of all opening pitches based on how much revenue they brought in. Your entire team could be optimizing their call and email messaging to fill their funnel 2-5X faster.”

Step #4: Finally, practice until you’re blue in the face.

Get someone else to pretend to the be the buyer. If you’re in the same room, close your eyes so you can only hear them, not see them.

Ask your assistant to slowly increase their level of resistance to your script.

This one tip alone will yield incredible results.

Start with zero objections. Just walk through the process of winning the next step.

Then move to one small objection up front that you have a scripted response for.

Eventually, you should practice handling up front objections like, “I’m not interested,” and end of call objections like, “Just send me an email.”

6. Live at the Intersection of Quality & Quantity.

TLDR: Cold calling is effective if you’re following these best practices.

DO make rejection fun instead of fear.

DO practice, practice, practice

DO prepare great questions and rebuttals.

DO NOT waste even one dial on a prospect you can’t help.

DO NOT go off-the-cuff before you’re ready. (Stick to the script!)

DO NOT spend time with tasks that can be eliminated or automated with technology.

Now you’re prepared with the right mindset, the right tools, and the right techniques to live at the intersection of Quality and Quantity. That’s where all the success is!

Cold Calling is NOT a Waste of Time! Stop Listening to the So-Called “Experts”

6 Cold Calling Myths Debunked

Cold calling is dead.

Cold calling is an outdated practice.

Cold calling is a forced activity.

Cold calling is too interruptive.

Cold calling causes reps to become too “robotic.”

Cold calling does not abide by the rules of quality and is just a guerilla quantity sales tactic.

1) “Experts” and so-called “Gurus” have declared that cold calling is dead.

With as much negative press as cold calling has gotten, it’s hard to stay faithful. Leaders of emerging industries have been calling for an end to the cold call for years – everyone from social sellers to inbound marketers.

And for the record, cold calling is NOT DEAD.

2) It’s easier to claim it doesn’t work than figure out how to do it right.

If you have tried cold calling once or twice and not found immediate success, you’ll find it easy to join the haters. Like any sales skill, it takes a lot of sustained effort to master.

3) Many salespeople are being forced to cold call, and the tedium is driving them crazy.

There are lots of ways to not enjoy the activity of calling strangers to sell them things. All it takes is one manager demanding “50 dials a day” to ruin your appetite.

4) We’ve begun overcompensating for the “buyer’s journey.”

I personally love the idea that we need to sell how customers want to buy, and I’m a huge proponent of setting up a sales process accordingly. But we’re applying this concept to all parts of the process equally, so now we’re afraid to interrupt people.

5) Nobody wants to be a robot.

Scripts are a cold caller’s friend, but most people haven’t learned how to use a script in a natural way. This forces them into talking like a robot or going off the cuff and not knowing what to say at all – a sure recipe for disaster.

6) Fast food taught us that quality & quantity are enemies.

For decades nobody walked into a McDonald’s expecting a high-quality meal – they expected a lot of food for a low price (I’d bet this is why they’ve launched a host of new fancy menu items). This is how people tend to view cold calling, as some low quality, high volume means of getting business done.

  Go to our website:    www.ncmalliance.com

  Why Everybody Hates Cold Calling… And Why That’s Good News For You by Rex Biberston Cold-calling aims to reach out to potential customers who haven’t expressed any interest in the offered products or services.

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May Tarotscopes: The Spring Cleaning Edition

Aries- 10 of Cups/ The Emperor

This is the month where you finally feel you made it! Happiness is flowing, and your hearts joy is radiating the abundance you feel. You've found your place on your throne, now that you've conquered your demons. Its true, you are no match for adversity, it fuels you and theres nothing like a challenge to the savagery of an Aries. Your root chakra is on point this month, making you feel extra grounded so you do the inner work. Now that you've made it to the top. who are you bringing with you? Don't forget to share this happiness and fulfillment with the people that supported you on this journey. 

Advice - Remember to stay humble, and presence gratitude for those who have helped and honor you for your greatness. You wouldn't have gotten here without their support.

Taurus- 9 of Pentacles/ 4 of Pentacles Rx

You're really growing and grounding into yourself this month. Financial growth is on the rise because of a change in perspective you might experience. You are the abundance you seek, material possessions don't go with you when its time to leave Earth. Consider how you can leave a legacy that'll out last you, and be here for the generations to come. Release any feelings of scarcity, and any emotions that keep you feeling unworthy of your blessings. 

Advice - You've got the power to make this life as fruitful as you want it to be. Unlock your potential to the abundance you hold within.

Gemini- 8 of Cups/ The Moon

What are the things you've decided to release from your life? Who are you walking away from now that you've chosen yourself. You're in a state of true inner awareness that may come with making difficult decisions, but don't fret this is the Universe giving you the opportunity to empower yourself. Trust your intuition, and the intuitive pulls of the soul. There are messages that are resonating with your spirit, don't let your ego and the fear of the unknown let them go over your head.  

Advice - Trust your emotions. This is a brand new path you're embarking, your soul is your compass.

Cancer- The Emperor/ Page of Wands

Wear your spiritual and emotional power like a badge. Your intuitive abilities, and your power to be able to connect with people on another level give you an advantage on life. As humans, we crave emotional connection and you know exactly how to meet people where they are. There will be some who will reach out to you for advice, and or for healing if thats what you do for a living. This will benefit both parties, and will bring in change to your life as well as theirs. They will feel a sense of release and reinvigorated passion and you will feel fulfilled and proud of yourself. 

Advice- Your empathy isn't a weakness, its your power.

Leo- The World/ Knight of Cups

Cycles are changing Leo you better be ready for this brand new life you're embarking on! before you get ahead of yourself and jump right in you'll be asked to do a bit of soul searching. Ground yourself into the duality of life, and the ebb and flow of your emotions. Accept the parts of you that aren't the prettiest and amplify what is. You've got so much to offer the world and its great to do a quick check in with yourself just be sure not to dwell on anything that comes up. Experience your experience but don't try to overanalyze what comes up.

Advice- The Universe wants you to see what has worked, and what hasn't. What lessons need to be learned before this rebirth?

Virgo- The Moon/ 6 of Coins

Virgo, this month you're healing generational trauma, and family wounds. It doesn't sound pretty but boy will you be so happy you got deep and dirty this month. I see apologies being said, forgiving words being spoken, true heart awakenings within family dynamics and a shift of the stories you've told yourself since you were a child.  You are not your past, and you aren't a victim to your circumstances. The tables are turning this month bringing in healing and balance.

Advice-  Focus on intention, no matter what.

Libra- 8 of Swords/ The Lovers

You may be feeling like your'e stuck between a wall and a hard place this month and thats because you aren't being driven to make choices. This month you settle into yourself and come to an inner-standing of who you are. There will be a situation that'll arise because you've chosen inner union, to heal, to be true, and to honor yourself completely. The heavy emotions you may feel this month will arise every time you try to people please, when you choose yourself you choose happiness and show the world how much you matter to yourself. .

Advice- Stand strong in your convictions, when you stop explaining yourself people will finally stop questioning.

Scorpio- Ace of Swords/ 10 of Coins

Your mind is as sharp as a knife right now and you are able to easily cut through the mental static . You're clearly seeing what gets to be implemented in order to build your legacy. What is working for you right now? Follow your intuition and make sure your mind and your heart are an energetic match for the things you say you want. Success isn't built overnight, take a look at what is missing in the gaps thats going to make your dream a reality. This month you'll have your epiphany that turns out to be the bridge that will lead you to greatness

Advice- Stay focused on your goals like tunnel vision

Sagittarius- Page of Coins/ 6 of Coins

This month you're getting a taste of  true financial freedoms. You're bringing in some serious equilibrium into your life, and you're starting to see things from a different perspective. Stay open to huge opportunities because your horizon is expanding massively. The universe flipped the switch on you when you least expected it, and this is teaching you patience and most importantly to trust. Your karma is being paid for, so lose control because those blessings are coming in.  

Advice- Welcome to the good life!

Capricorn- Ace of Swords/ 7 of wands

Cap, you better hold your ground this month. I'm seeing many of you really start to speak your truth with a no bullshit attitude and rightfully so. You've held in how you really feel for the sake of keeping the peace but its come at a hefty price.This month its all about mental clarity and spoken truths even if it means starting a war. Your mental health is important, and you wont lower your standards for anyone anymore. 

Advice- Fact is fact, ignorance loves company but thats not your crowd.

Aquarius- Wheel of fortune / Page of Swords

FINALLY! The shift you've been waiting for is here and ready to serve your highest good. You've asked the Universe for signs and this month you're getting the biggest one yet.,  pay attention to your dreams and how easily things are falling into place in the physical reality. There is no reason to be on the defense, so try not to self sabotage thinking the world is out to get you. what has the past taught you about yourself, what are you stepping into in this moment, and what do you see for yourself in the future? The Universe is trying to get you to see something deep within yourself. Through the adversity all you've ever been is courageous and loyal.

Advice- Make sure you've got some tissues on you, i see tears of joy and throat chakra flow. Release emotional insecurities, this is a brand new life.

Pisces- 7 of Cups/ King of Wands Rx

You're in your head a lot this month trying to find the answers that will come when you take action. Your fear is keeping you at a stand still and ruminating over what comes next wont make the difference. This month you're called to bring the life force out from deep within the gut to inspire you and harness your personal power to get shit done! Be a visionary, and follow through. Trust yourself, and try not to think to much about how things will come to fruition. Your lesson here is about declaring without evidence and still knowing youve got it in you to make it all possible.

Advice-  If what you're stepping into is brand new and you feel like a rookie, don't judge yourself. There is always a first time for everything. 

For more check out  @opalsaura https://opalsaura.com/