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I've recently started working for a small recruitment company as IT support however yesterday I was given a list of companies and told to make sales. I have never done cold calling before and found myself struggling on what to say, as well as remaining professional without sounding unprofessional if that makes sense.

I've found tips online and I've taken notes,I'm a quite an animated person and i'm wondering if I can convey that when on the phone, maybe leave the person with a joke even if I do or don't close the deal. Is this a good idea?

P.S I'm new in this sort of stuff, i'm just trying to be creative and have fun too.

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  • What tips did you find online? If you're able to mention some ideas you're already trying, it could help us suggest approaches that you might not have considered yet.
    – user34587
    Commented Mar 28, 2019 at 7:53
  • @Kozaky I found tips that mentioned preparing a script, asking for a meeting and most importantly not giving up. I really like that not giving up part, cause i've had alot of hangups. Its quite discouraging but I know I should keep calling
    – Kamanda
    Commented Mar 28, 2019 at 8:42
  • @PolyApe I recommend reading up on the gumball theory in terms of getting over negatives and not giving up.
    – Twyxz
    Commented Mar 28, 2019 at 9:23
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    @Kamanda studyblue.com/notes/note/n/law-of-averages/deck/4503755 Try reading the briefs here. It's all about the law of averages. If there is 100 gumballs in a machine and only 3 green ones (future clients) You have to call 100 people to get to the 3. If you put your money into different gumball machines you're not going to get the 3 green ones. So you have to keep calling people until you find your green gumballs. As you get better you'll be able to find more green gumballs in your machine
    – Twyxz
    Commented Mar 28, 2019 at 10:24
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    I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because this is about how to do your job, not workplace issues.
    – DJClayworth
    Commented Mar 28, 2019 at 17:28

2 Answers 2

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Coming from a sales background and currently working in IT I can say that Cold calling and closing are two VERY important skills in business. The power you have with just your voice is incredible.

Some people find it hard to convey their personality on the phone but it's absolutely possible. The best thing to do is go in with a script that is specifically developed to convert leads into clients.

You should always start with the professional side of things e.g.

Hey I'm Poly from X, I've been personally told to call you to tell you about Y.

Then expand your pitch from there. Make sure to look up human psychology when it comes to sales and incorporate it into your pitch. Keep it short and snappy to open with. Ensure you always control the call and never let the lead take over.

From here you should try to be indifferent. Get friendly with the lead, use your "banter" but do not use anything that may be offensive. Personal connection is the number 1 way that you get clients to trust you along with a great product/service and pitch.

Here's an example of how to take control:

Sorry I don't have time right now

That's okay I understand you're busy, Let me leave you with this question.

(starting a conversation and understanding what your call needs, use this response to gauge what type of person the call is.

Not letting negatives end your potential sale is VERY important when making sales. 95% of sales made do not come from the first call nor do they come without resistance, the 5% that do are really luck of the draw.

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  • This is very Helpful @Twyxz! Especially the last part, after being hung up on I know that if I keep trying and improving on it i'll eventually close a deal.
    – Kamanda
    Commented Mar 28, 2019 at 8:44
  • Literally the BEST thing you can do is keep calling, don't take no for an answer but at the same time learn when it's time to hang up, give up and call another. Do NOT waste your time @PolyApe I was taught the difference between soft no and hard no's. You have to hang up on hard no's and call someone else. Soft no's you should try to convert
    – Twyxz
    Commented Mar 28, 2019 at 8:54
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    Ending with a question is indeed a priceless "instant tip" from the art of sales.
    – Fattie
    Commented Mar 28, 2019 at 10:07
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    @Fattie Sometimes it continues the call also. Provides extra information and potentially setting up a meeting
    – Twyxz
    Commented Mar 28, 2019 at 10:13
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    If I get repeated cold calls from the same number I escalate from simply hanging up to "Please hold" and put the phone down until the caller hangs up.
    – Patricia Shanahan
    Commented Mar 28, 2019 at 11:01
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Usually, it's good to be light-hearted while having a face to face conversation, but over a phone call, where you body-language is of no use, it's better to stick to usual business conversation ethics.

In other words, since you're cold calling, you don't know the receivers state, it's not very useful to get into making remarks which can then be received negatively, especially during the initiation phase.

If you have a success at making the conversation going, and you have the idea of the receiver's acceptance level, you can use your best judgement to have small-talks.

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    Of course you know the receivers state. In 99% of cases they are angry with you because you have cold-called them.
    – DJClayworth
    Commented Mar 28, 2019 at 17:30
  • agree w/ @DJClayworth - don't even think about wasting a callee's time by being cute or clever
    – NKCampbell
    Commented Mar 28, 2019 at 21:13

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