4 Steps to Transforming a Cold Call into a Warm Call

Cold calling: Probably the most dreaded part about sales. I have spent most of my career selling international logistics solutions, and to be honest with you, it is absolutely my least favorite activity.

"90% of decision makers never respond to cold outreach", according to a study by Harvard Business Review.

Wow.

Many agree that sales is a numbers game. In today's fast-paced, overwhelmed, and hurried professional world, getting decision makers on the phone is more difficult than ever. Statistics show that the modern-day cold caller gets only 1 answer out of 10 calls. Out of those, he secures an appointment on 1 in 3. That means if you make 100 calls, you actually speak with 10 people, and you get 3 meetings. So if you need 10 meetings per week, then you need to talk with 30 people on the phone, and in order to meet with 30 people, you need to make 300 dials.

Simple, right? To get more meetings simply increase the number of calls to achieve the results! If it was as simple or as easy as that, I wouldn’t be writing this article addressing the issue. Cold calling was hands down the number one most daunting, time-sucking hurdle for my sales teams and me. Most sales executives juggle a myriad of responsibilities in addition to cold calling and prospecting. How would you manage your existing clients, conduct business reviews and work together with operations to ensure successful implementations if you spent all day playing the cold call numbers game? The smart answer is to use your prospecting time more effectively by making warm calls instead. So let’s talk about how to make a cold call a warm call.

Step 1: Connecting on LinkedIN.

Most people today are open networkers, or "connection collectors," as I like to call them. There’s nothing wrong with this, I’m not ashamed to admit I am one myself. But it’s for this reason I do not put too much emphasis on crafting a special email or invite. The standard one works for me. Because once my potential client sees my invite, then she’s at least seen my name, "Rasmus Nielsen," for the first time. Even something this simple means we are no longer complete strangers. While I’m not on the phone yet, the call starts here and has gone from zero degrees to 15 degrees.

Step 2: Becoming a Trusted Advisor

LinkedIN is a very powerful tool. This is a forum where you can share your career updates, professional articles, network, and become educated on the economy and market. I read my news feed every almost every morning like most people read a newspaper. Besides being an industry source for me, this is a window where customers can get a glimpse of who I am, what I do, and the potential value I can add to their business. I only share, post, and comment on professional content I deem valuable or that my target clients could find valuable. In today's world, decision makers are wearing numerous hats, and it can be hard for them to keep up-to-date on market happenings. So make it your job as a Sales Executive to keep them updated. Therefore:

a) Frequently post and share articles about what is going on in the industry in general. Make sure they’re from credible sources and share a sentence or two of your own commentary and insight to introduce the shared article.

b) Send out targeted information. Let's say the client you connected with has by now accepted your invite and your research on her business showed they are exporting products to Brazil. Find an article on recent market events in Brazil and send her a personalized message through LinkedIN. How about, "Good Morning, I thought you might find this article interesting..."

By now this prospective client has seen your name once in an invitation to connect, again in general industry article shares and a third time with a more targeted article based on her business interests. The cold call’s temperature has risen from 15 degrees to 30 degrees.

Step 3: Marketing Your Company

Your potential client and you are now connected on LinkedIN. She’s seen your industry posts. Now it is time to show her the company you represent is a market leader. Start posting case studies and news links or press releases where your company is featured. If someone in your company just got promoted and changed their title on LinkedIN be sure to congratulate them: “Way to go, Brian!" When your company brings on a new person, congratulate them and welcome them to the "Company ABC Family.” If you are all doing a team building exercise or a raising money for a charity share that on LinkedIN. Success attracts success so it’s critical your potential clients know you work for a successful company that’s building and growing. Now, if you belong to a sales team of five people who each post something about your company once a week, that is 20 posts per month and 240 posts per year going out to your potential clients. Unpaid. About you. About your company. For free.

Now that your potential client has seen that, not only you, but your company is adding value and achieving success, the call has gone from a chilly 30 degrees to a tepid 45 degrees.

Step 4: Pick Up the Phone and Make the Call

The optimal moment has arrived. The prospective client knows who you are, who your company is and has a pretty good idea of the kind of value you can bring to the table. So when you call her you’re a lot warmer than stone cold. You might still get a voicemail, but hey, just because you’ve raised your profile on LinkedIN doesn’t mean people stop going to meetings and taking days off. However, if you do, you can feel confident leaving a personalized, focused message that speaks directly to the prospective client and the business they’re in. And as a bonus, now she’s heard your voice which dials up the warmth to a comfortable 60 degrees.

These are critical steps that can help you increase your rate of success “cold calling” (which is now “warm calling”). As you are prospecting and connecting with potential clients on LinkedIN and sharing market-driven content with 100 or 1000 potential clients, that one click warms up the call to those 100 or 1000 people. If you’re reading this and thinking “Wow, this all sounds way too time consuming. I’ll stick to my traditional cold calls.” I say in return, “Then charge up that flip phone and keep dialing away!”

I hope this article was useful, and will help you reach your goals in 2017!