If you're doing cold calls the way most sales reps do it, you're already losing out with the first words coming out of your mouth.
Want to know what I'm talking about?
Ask yourself, what's the first question you need to answer on a cold call?
You need to let them know who you are! And you don't do that by saying: "Hithisisjohnfromdynamicgrowthaccelerationandinnovationincorporatedweprovidecompanieswithcuttingedgecustomeracquisitionsystemswhichdrivetargetedrevenueincreasesyaddayaddayadda".
It's almost impossible to decipher this when it's written that way, and you can't understand it when the words attack you as if you're under heavy machinegun fire.
Although you know your script inside and out, your prospect doesn't. When you blurt out your pitch without giving them time to process your message, you've already lost them before the first 30 seconds.
How to speak so people listen
Instead of rapidly pitching at your prospect, clearly communicate who you are. Give your words some weight and allow them to sink in.
So you say: "Hi, this is Steli." [Pause a second]
Prospect thinks: "Steli, Steli … do I know this guy?"
"I'm calling from Close.io." [Pause a second]
Prospect thinks: "Close.io? Humm … should I know them?"
"What we do in a sentence is we help sales teams close more deals. Is this a bad time for a quick chat?"
Now if they say "No, it's not a bad time", you pitch. After all, they know who you are. They know what you do. They know your company. And now you've got their explicit permission to pitch.
Get yourself in the right state
When you're cold calling, the tone of your voice is crucial. Especially in B2B calls, people often try to be "a professional salesperson"—even though nobody, neither you, nor me, nor anyone else, wants to speak to that kind of person.
Don't optimize for "professionalism", optimize for high energy. Optimize for being the kind of person people want to talk to.
A high energy yet calm demeanour works fine. A high energy and infectious enthusiasm work fine too.
What doesn't work is low energy.
If you don't convey the value of what you're offering on an emotional level, then you're conveying that it has no value. Even if you say the right words, if you deliver them ineffectively, they fail to have an impact.
Part of being a great salesperson is being a great actor. Great actors don't fake emotions. They trigger emotions, and so they can access and utilize them at will.
It's not about faking enthusiasm, but about putting yourself in a high energy state where your genuine enthusiasm shines through.
Communicate with more clarity and impact
You don't need to have a voice like Morgan Freeman. Just use your own voice more effectively.
Slow down, enunciate, speak loudly and give your words space and weight. Listen to yourself talk, both while you're on the phone as well as listening back to your call recordings.
At first you might be shocked at how often you fall back into the habit of sputtering out words, but you'll quickly become more conscious of the way you speak and will be able to communicate with more clarity and impact.
Our Business and Enterprise plans make it easy to automatically record all your sales calls and securely store them in the cloud. If you haven't tried our sales software yet, start your free 14-day trial now.
Go get'em!
Steli
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