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Introduction

Sure, you’ve heard that cold emails are the bomb, or LinkedIn blank connection requests/InMails work, but truly only if you SPAM YOUR TAM (which you don’t want to do).

Having the apprehension of picking up the phone is natural; no one wants to make a cold call and face rejection day-in-day-out. However, once you’ve been doing it long enough you start to realise it’s not that bad. Sure, you’ll get sworn at, hung up on, and told to never call again or worse, but you will find that over time you build up resiliency, which makes that next rejection not so bad.

If you came here to find the “Secrets to Cold Calling” I’m afraid you’re in the wrong place. Instead, this is a set of resources we use to train our XDRs who work for Pointer. Some of our staff came from a non-sales background but have other traits and abilities that will make them successful. Qualities a cold-caller should possess:

• tough skin
• perseverance
• quick on their feet
• positivity

There is also no quick way to become used to rejection. Most advice posted out there tells you to pick up the phone and start dialing, and get used to it. It’s paramount that you don’t dwell on bad calls or dissect your performance after every connection; we are human and we make errors all the time. The goal is to get incrementally better. A 1% change over a day a year equals 300%+ change overall.

Permission-Based Openers

PBO’s or “permission-based openers” is a very hot topic in the sales world. Some people love it, some people hate it. A lot of people, including Jason Bay of Blissful Prospecting support it, as you need to ensure you are cleared to pitch, before doing so.

Some prospects will not react favourably to any opener, so you know to try another approach or completely different channel the next time you reach out.

Also, be reminded, that you don’t know what has gone on in the prospect’s life in the last little while. They may have had a fight with their significant other, or their boss putting on the pressure to get something done.

Tonality

How you say things, is as important as what you say. ”Upward Inflection is a change in pitch from a lower to a higher note specifically in a vowel. Most often, this change in pitch indicates questioning, insincerity, surprise or suspense. So don’t use it when you’re stating facts or closing a deal. Downward Inflection is a change in pitch going from a higher to a lower note again specifically within the vowel. A downward inflection at the end of a sentence makes it more powerful and tells the prospect you're confident with your message. Level Inflection is a lack of change in pitch within the vowel. Most often, this indicates disinterest, indecision or boredom.” - Source: Abstrak Marketing Group “From Monotone to Moving: The Power of Voice Inflection”

Pacing

When speaking to prospects over the phone, don’t ever change your pace. Sometimes you’ll get a chance to pitch on a call but the prospect will say “you have X seconds” or “make it quick”. In all situations this happens, DON’T SPEED UP. Deliver your pitch with the same pacing as you would talking to a friend, or a colleague. “… speaking too quickly can make you sound nervous or stressed; speaking too slowly can make you sound disinterested or unprofessional.” - Source: Myphoner “How to Master Your Tone of Voice in Sales Calls like a Winning Closer in 2022”

When to re-engage after a “bad” call?

If you had a bad connection, the general rule is to revisit the prospect in 2-3 weeks’ time. By then, your prospect will have forgotten about your botched trial, and you can start anew. *Time between will vary depending on your ICP, vertical and size of TAM/niche (small TAM/niche, probably higher chance they’ll remember you).