Reaching out to a potential new client for the first time can be rather stressful, even the most experienced salespeople get nervous when faced with making that first call. Rather than spending the first few minutes of the call trying to devise a plan of action, you should already have worked one out prior to placing the call. Having a clear objective for each sales call that you make, whether it takes place in person or over the phone, helps lessen the tension you may be feeling. Creating a clear objective will also help ensure that you cover the key points you want to, and move from each point without hesitation.
When you reach out to someone for the first time, you are taking a risk; you don’t know how your call or visit may disrupt their day. You never know if their day has already been stressful or hectic, your call has the potential to either further disrupt their flow or it may be exactly what they needed at that moment. This is part of the risk that all salespeople face when placing a cold call or visiting someone’s business. But, if you do not take the risk and reach out to them, you may miss out on a profitable business connection.
Because our days tend to be so busy, your first call to someone may be taken by their voicemail. If this happens to you, don’t hang up. Use this opportunity to introduce yourself, explain what you do, and share the types of products or services that you provide. This is valuable information that the person listening to the voicemail may need at that moment and if not at that exact moment, maybe at some point in the future. In either case, they will likely recognize your name the next time that you call them.
As I mentioned earlier, it is extremely important that you do not make any sales call until you have a clear plan of action. You need to create a plan that includes leaving a voicemail message that is engaging and interesting enough to make the listener return your call. If you are vague or hard to understand, you call will not likely be returned. Some sales people find using a script to be extremely helpful when making that first call; however, when you follow a script it is extremely important that you not sound like a robot. Rather, you should show your personality and make your message engaging and informative. When leaving a message for someone, don’t be afraid to let your passion for what you do shine through; this approach will get you more return calls than simply reading from the paper in front of you.