Five Rules for Effective Cold-Calling

By Geoffrey James


Cold-calling is always a challenge. Here are five rules to help you make the process as productive as possible:

• RULE #1. Know your target. Based upon your previous sales rates, figure out how many prospects you need in order to generate the number of sales needed to fulfill your quota. For example, if you must generate five sales a week to make quota, and on average you typically close one out of five prospects, you will need to convert 25 leads into prospects every week.

• RULE #2. Know your timeline. Based upon your previous experience, estimate the amount of time it will take to convert those leads prospects. For example, if you typically convert 1 out of 10 leads into prospects and you need 25 prospects a week, you’ll need to call 250 suspects every week. If it takes you, on average, 2 minutes to qualify a lead, you’ll need to spend 8 hours a week making qualifying calls.

• RULE #3: Know your purpose. Cold calls are for prospecting and qualifying leads. They are NOT selling calls. Unless the suspect, of his or her own accord, brings up a desire to purchase, do not go into your sales pitch. In most cases, your goal is to get a meeting with the suspect thereby transforming the suspect into a prospect. Don’t overreach.

• RULE #4. Know your script. Based upon your experience or the experience of your peers and manager, define a conversational way to ask, during an initial conversation, whether or not the suspect has a budget, authority to spend the budget, and a need for your offering. If you need help with this, check out: “The Ultimate Prospect Qualification Tool.”

• RULE #5. Know thyself. Lead qualification requires you operate at peak performance. Think of yourself as a top athlete who must win, even on days when you don’t start out feeling confident and together. Do whatever it takes to get yourself in an up and positive mood. Focus on what motivates you and why you want to win this business.

BTW: These rules are based on a conversation with Thomas Ray Crowel, author of “Simple Selling: Common Sense That Guarantees Your Success.”