70% of my own clients — yes, you read that right — are a result of cold calling.

No doubt about it: cold calling is harder than it used to be. But that doesn’t mean it’s not worth the effort. I freely admit that it’s a bit — OK, sometimes very — nerve-racking to pick up the phone, even for a seasoned salesperson. But that’s why cold calling can turn a new lead into your best customer.

With a few simple strategies — most rooted in solid research and planning — you can make successful cold calls without getting cold feet. Let’s dive in.

What you will learn

• What is cold calling, and why are cold-calling techniques still important?
• Eight-step guide to an effective cold call
• Cold-calling regulations
• What to look for in a sales CRM

What is cold calling, and why are cold-calling techniques still important?

Cold calling is a type of sales solicitation from a salesperson to a prospect who has never interacted with the company before. The goal is to develop a business relationship with a new customer and, eventually, close a sale.

While the thought of calling someone out of the blue can be intimidating, the right cold-calling tips can help you feel more confident going into each conversation. And it’s worth it. Using best practices for cold calling — rooted in solid research and planning — can help your reps turn successful cold calls into warm leads.

Cold calling is also an effective prospecting method when you compare it to email or social media. Prospects can simply delete your emails and scroll past your social media posts, but a voice on the phone is immediate. You gain the opportunity to get real-time responses, address any concerns, and gather a lot of information in a short period of time.

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Eight-step guide to an effective cold call

Picking up the phone on a whim isn’t the best strategy. Doing your homework lets you tailor your message and communicate more effectively. Use the following cold-calling advice to break through initial fears and find success.

1. Conduct research

Before calling your prospects, research their biggest pain points and consider how your products or services can help solve them. To streamline your research, John Barrows, CEO of JB Sales, recommends segmenting your list by industry and title. Then you can use AI sales tools, such as Salesforce’s automated research assistant, to speed up your research. Some will even pull data about your prospect into your customer relationship management (CRM) software.

Once you have a basis of industry knowledge, get to know your target companies. Review their websites (especially their blogs), their social media accounts, and news articles about their companies to see whether they’re facing any challenges. Then, check your sales engagement platform to see if the person you’re about to call has clicked through any emails and engaged with content. That may give you clues as to what they’re most interested in, so you can better frame your product features as solutions they need right now.

When it comes down to it, the person on the other end of the phone is a human being you need to connect with on a personal and professional level. Look in your CRM for information about the individual, such as their favorite book, how long they’ve been on the job, and other information you can use to make a connection. Also be sure to look at LinkedIn for any mutual connections or common experiences, such as working at the same company or living in the same city in the past.

“For top-tier target accounts, segment about one hour a day to do the research,” said Barrows. “Spend some time on your prospect’s LinkedIn profile and find something specific that you can reference to make a direct connection to the value your service can provide.”

2. Create a call script and practice

Once you’ve completed your research, draft a quick-hit intro script that ties together basic information about your company and presents an open-ended question. That allows you to collect more information you can use to frame your solution. If you often struggle with wording, and you have generative AI built into your CRM, use it for a spark of inspiration to get the language right.

Cold call script example

Plan to create a new script for each prospect based on the information you gathered about them to make every call personal and relevant to every lead. No two customers are alike, after all. A personalized approach will help you keep your calls genuine and focused on the help you can provide. The most important part of the call is the first 30 seconds. If you don’t catch their attention, they will likely cut the conversation short — or, worse, hang up on you.

Here are the three core elements to your script:

• A quick intro about you and what your company does (10 seconds):
  “Hi, Taylor! I’m glad we’ve connected. Jessie here at [company name and description].”
• A point of connection, such as something you know about them, something you share in common, or a referral’s name to help build rapport. Also it’s always better to start off with something you know about them, rather than information about you. help build rapport (10 seconds):
  “The reason for my call is, I saw you at the recent sales training conference and wanted to connect in person, but I didn’t have the chance. So I thought I’d give you a call. (A point of connection phrases may start off with sentences like, ‘I saw, I read, I heard, I noticed, I came across.’)”
  
• A note about why you’re calling, highlighting a key pain point or new valuable information for the prospect (this is where your research, and creating a solid (Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) really comes in handy), followed by a prompt to gather more information (10 seconds):
  “We’ve seen lower quota attainment in the XYZ industry, and we’ve been working closely with others in the industry to [do something positive with our product or service]. ‘May I ask, is this something you’re experiencing? And if so I’d love to hear about how (company name) has been able to overcome this challenge. If now isn’t a good time, can we schedule something later this week?”

This is really all you need to draft. The rest of the call will depend on how the prospect responds to your open-ended question, such as, “What specific pain points or bottlenecks are you looking to address?” Make sure you listen carefully and ask more questions. Try to identify three key factors in their decision-making: time (when they need a solution), money (how much they can afford), and impact (what a perfect solution would look like, preferably framed by metrics they’re trying to hit).

3. Prepare for the call.

With a script in hand, it’s time to get ready for prime time. Here are three things to do before the call:

• Anticipate common questions, especially negative ones, and plan quick answers that help direct the conversation in a positive direction.
• Practice your pitch in front of a mirror or, better yet, with a colleague.
• Take several deep breaths to calm your nerves before you pick up the phone.

4. Make the call

Now that you’re armed with the best strategies for cold calling, getting into the right mindset is critical. If you rush in, anxious about the outcome, you’ll likely come across as frenzied. Cold calling feels complicated, but it’s not. It’s simple. And it uses the same skills and techniques that are used throughout the entire sales journey.

To ensure you’re confident and comfortable, do these important things:

• Stay positive during the call, even if you get rejected, and don’t internalize objections. You must believe in what you’re selling, or you won’t be motivated to call. In fact, your customers will feel your disconnect.
• Speak clearly and slowly to be sure you’re understood. You want the prospect to know who you are, why you’re a standout, and what you have to offer.
• Smile when you speak — it comes through in your voice.

You also want to make sure you’re calling your specific prospects at the best time during their day. Calling in the middle of the day is a good bet. Give yourself even better odds with a little social reconnaissance. Check to see if your contact has obligations, such as a major conference to attend, to make sure you’re reaching them when they’re able to pick up the phone.

If calling during the best hours doesn’t work, send an email and schedule a time to call. Yes, I know that I’ve shared that emails don’t work, but if they aren’t answering the phone or calling back after you leave a message, then an email to schedule a call is your best backup plan.

If you get a person’s voicemail, go ahead and leave a message. Make sure it offers value and doesn’t sound like just another sales pitch. Even if you don’t get a call back the first time, you’ve used an opportunity to build name recognition and help your prospect associate your name with something helpful. When planning what you’ll say in your message, consider the research you did to inform your approach during a live call. Then use these tips to leave an effective cold-call voicemail that stands out:

• Start with a greeting that’s immediately followed by why you’re calling, focusing on helpful information you’d like to share. Resist the temptation to open the call with your name, which is not meaningful at this point.
• Consider using your hook in the message, such as a statistic or question.
• Keep your voicemail to a 30-second maximum. Make sure you don’t ramble.
• Try to pique their curiosity instead of selling.
• Don’t view a cold call as a one-time event. It typically takes at least five follow-ups to get a prospect’s attention.

5. Listen, ask questions, and provide value

Make sure you listen carefully and ask more questions. Try to identify three key factors in their decision-making: time (when they need a solution), money (how much they have to spend on a solution), and impact (what an ideal solution would do).

Ask open-ended questions that provide more information about the situation, such as, “What have you tried to solve the issue, or how is the issue impacting other parts of the business?” Throughout the call, keep reminding yourself that you’re building a relationship and learning about the customer instead of pitching, even subtly.

After you ask your open-ended question, listen. Really listen. Take notes as the prospect talks to help you frame follow-up questions. When there’s a natural pause, ask questions related to your research as well as anything that might help you collect information on time, money, and impact. People like talking about themselves, so give them the opportunity.

Next, use this new information to give them something of value that can help solve their problem. The catch: It can’t have anything to do with your company or product. Instead, share a tip that you’ve learned from other customers or a lesser-known industry resource, such as a podcast or blog that focuses on their issues. You could also recommend an event — perhaps a conference or webinar run by a neutral party, such as an industry source. By providing the prospect with help that you don’t stand to benefit from, you demonstrate your expertise and understanding of their needs, and lay the foundation for trust.

6. Don’t mention your product until the end of the call

Collected enough information to fully understand your prospect’s needs? Now, it’s time to plant a seed. As you get ready to close the call (try to keep it to 5 minutes), connect one of the pain points mentioned with something you have to offer — a product feature, a low-cost subscription, or increased return on investment. Let them know you have a viable solution that can be tailored to their needs.

Here’s the catch: Don’t give away the store. Use this connection as an opportunity to ask for a follow-up meeting so you can explain your solution further. After all, this isn’t a sales call. It’s a cold call.

7. Confirm next steps

Many sellers put most of their energy into gathering information or making a pitch while cold calling. Unfortunately, many also forget to plan how they’ll close out their cold call in a way that moves things forward.

Use this connection as an opportunity to ask for a follow-up meeting, so you can explain your solution further. After all, you are not on a sales call — your goal should not be to close the deal right now. This is a cold call. You want to warm up your potential opportunities and get the lead in your pipeline. Most important, look to get a micro-commitment, which is simply the prospect agreeing to talk with you again.

But that next step should be based on the prospect’s needs and how the call went. Before your call, plan for the three to four most likely outcomes and next steps for each. This ensures you will keep the deal moving forward. For example, if the prospect seems interested in product features, suggest scheduling a demo to walk them through your product. If they’re wavering on the real impact of your solution, you can send them an email with case studies and ask them for a good time when you can follow up.

Before you hang up, make sure your next step is clear — and, ideally, on the prospect’s calendar. Be sure to summarize the next steps at the end of the call to make sure there’s no confusion. And shortly after you finish, send over the calendar invite if you’ve set up a concrete time to reconnect.

8. Analyze performance and areas for improvement

Take some time after the call for a self-assessment, identifying what went well and what didn’t quite land. The more cold calls you make, the more data you’ll have to learn about what works and what doesn’t.

The good news: This only needs to take a few minutes following each call, especially if you use AI. AI for sales tools, such as Sales Cloud Einstein, generate short, actionable call summaries and offer suggestions for next steps. As you continue to analyze your calls, you’ll identify patterns that can help you improve your cold-calling scripts and make it easier to approach prospects in the future.

Before your memory fades and the calls blend together, make a note of the highs and lows of each call as soon as you hang up. I like to give myself a score of 1 to 10 based on the call. Then I score all the aspects of the conversation:

• Was my opener strong enough?
• Was my message relevant to the prospect’s needs?
• How was my listening?
• Did I ask relevant questions to uncover the pain points?
• Did I tie those pain points back to the product?
• Did I establish the next steps?

Next, look at your scores to see what you did well and what you can improve. While the scoring on individual calls gives you great information, be sure to review all your scoring regularly to catch patterns and trends. For example, if you consistently score low on opening, set some time aside to work on creating a stronger approach and practicing your delivery.

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Cold-calling regulations

While cold calling is effective, you need to know the rules of your location and where the person on the other end of the conversation lives.

If you or the prospect live in the U.S., you must follow the FTC Telemarketing Sales Rule.

Here are the key requirements:

• Only call residential numbers between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m., local time.
• The call must connect to a sales representative within two seconds of the prospect answering.
• Keep records of all calls to show how many are answered, abandoned, and unanswered.
• Do not call people listed on the National Do Not Call Registry.

If you or the prospect is in Europe, then you must follow the GDPR regulations. These detail how to handle customer data and privacy. If they’re not followed, your company can face high fines and reputation damage. For other locations, be sure to research specific cold calling-regulations to make sure that you are following all laws.

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What to look for in a sales CRM

While cold calling gets results, It’s not always easy. But you can lower your stress levels and improve your success with the right software. With so many tools on the market, it’s important to find one with the right features to help improve your confidence and your performance. Here are four features to look for in a cold-calling tool:

1. AI-powered

Data gathered during the cold-calling process — both about your performance and about your prospects — holds the secret to future success. By using an AI-based tool, you can analyze the data and get insights on the next move, such as when to follow up with a cold-calling prospect and whether you are losing prospects during your opening.

2. Easy to use

Your focus needs to stay on your prospects and your calls, not worrying about how to make your new tool work. With a tool that’s user friendly, you can be up and running in minutes rather than hours or days. Intuitive tools make it simple to use all the features available without having to call support or ignore functionality because it’s too complicated.

3. Call summation

A tool offering AI-based tech provides you with importation call information, such as actionable summaries, key takeaways, and customer sentiment. This feature makes it easy to have the context you need for future interactions without the time-consuming process of manually taking notes.

4. Personalized close plans

With AI-powered software that uses data to create a customized action plan, you tailor your closing approach based on the customer’s needs, preferences, and behaviors. A closing plan created with AI gives you step-by-step guidance and milestones built on CRM data.

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Take the plunge into cold calling

Cold calling is certainly not the newest technique in the sales game, but it’s still an effective way to generate new business — if you get it right. By doing your research, building rapport, and giving your prospects a chance to share their problems in detail, you’ll make it easy to position your product as the ideal solution.

What are you waiting for? Pick up the phone and start turning those calls into customers.