Scheduling Meetings

How to close on cold calls

Author

Tech Sales Guy
September 06, 2024

Scheduling Meetings

How to close on cold calls

Read Time = 3 minutes

Cold calling is back.

Email volume is at an all-time high. LinkedIn reply rates are dropping.

So in this week’s newsletter, I’m going to break down how to close cold calls.

That way you feel more confident asking for the meeting and increase pipeline generation.

Let’s dive in!

What You Need to Know

Before you ask for the meeting you should be able to answer these questions:

  1. What’s the problem? Does the buyer realize something is broken or that they will have to make changes as they grow? If not, they’re probably not taking another call. My favorite talk track for this is: “Typically when I talk to other VPs they are struggling with X, Y or Z. Sound like your world at all today?” 

  2. How are they currently managing things? What systems are they using? How have they tried to solve problems like this in the past? Understanding the current state will help you qualify to make sure the problems they’re experiencing are ones you can solve.

  3. What are the buyers responsibilities? Is this person likely to be the final decision maker or an influencer in the buying process? Understanding the role and responsibilities of who you’re talking to will help set the objective for the next call.

  4. Where are they in the buying process? Did they know your product exists prior to your call? Are they considering any of your competitors? This is important for understanding timelines and guiding discovery.

Key Takeaway:

I’m often asked “when should I pitch on cold calls?”

My answer: once you’re able to answer the questions above.

So when making your next cold call work through these questions, then use the information to set an agenda and objectives in discovery.

Talk Track

The goldilocks zone for scheduling next steps is 2-5 days out.

The farther out you book, the less likely they show.

Here’s my favorite talk track for closing cold calls:

Ask for the Meeting:

- “Can I make a suggestion - what if we find time next week when I’m not calling you out of the blue to show how we could potentially solve X [problem discovered]? How does Wednesday or Thursday look for you?”

Then once they commit:

- “Actually, any chance you could do this Friday?”

Pro tip: Confirm they have gotten the invite while you’re on the call. Bonus points if you can get them to accept it.

Remember… cold calls should be short, usually under 5 minutes.

So work through the process I outlined above then offer your recommendation on appropriate next steps.

And most importantly be confident when you close because the the time you’re asking for is to solve a challenge your buyer is facing.

Until next Thursday,

TSG

P.S. I reply to all emails.