How to Cold Call Via the Telephone

Cold calling is a little bit unnerving, even to the most seasoned sales rep. Having had intensive training by medical and pharmaceutical companies, I have found the secret to self-confidence. It stems back to getting back from sales training and being psyched to go out and sell as a result of this training.

If you work for a company that does not provide the level of sales training that discusses opening statements, Unique Selling Proposition, and what objections to anticipate and how to overcome them, then you have some work to do.

Here is a list of what you need to hit the ground running:

1. A phone script to explain who your are, where you work and what they do, and the purpose of your call.
2. A paragraph of what your company's "USP" or "Unique Selling Proposition" is. This is a summary of what makes your product and/or service stand out from the competition.
3. A list of features and benefits for the product and/or service you are presenting.
4. A list of anticipated objections and written responses to these objections.
5. A list of open-ended questions to ask the customer/client. 

Once you have this list completed, reread the information and rehearse it aloud with a friend. Call them and practice the phone script. Meet with them and practice delivery of the USP and features/benefits. Tell them to give you one or two objections from the list. Practice setting a conversational style by using the open-ended questions to get and keep the conversation flowing.