Cold calling is never the easiest thing you’ll do in a day. Transforming someone who’s potentially never heard of your business into an interested customer, prospect or partner can often take a deftness and persuasiveness that unfortunately not everyone has.

Unfortunately, it’s a task that every business owner will have to face at some stage. Whether you’re just trying to drum up some new business on the customer-side or are approaching a potential business partner, cold calling is simply a fact of life.

So what to do then? If the thought of selling your business over the phone to a complete unknown worries you, you’re not alone, and you don’t have to worry. There are a few tried and tested techniques and tactics you can deploy next time you need to make a cold call. Let our outbound call centre give you the tips you need in our latest blog. Read on and more confidently communicate over the phone.

Remember no one knows your business better than you

You’re your company’s best expert – act like it. Business can’t get ahead without a deep understanding of their own offering, their market and the broader economy that drives it. If you’ve made any sort of success of your business, you’ll intimately know not just what you sell and what its value is, but how it compares to your competitors, how it offers a different approach from similar products, and why it’s right for the customer. With that base of knowledge, you should easily be able to answer any questions the client throws at you.

Don’t just speak – listen

Remember, you’ll have a lot to say on the phone, but so will they. Put yourself in the other person’s shoes – you’ve just been called by someone you’ve never met from a business you’ve potentially never heard of, of course you’re going to want to clarify their position, their goals and what part you play.

Taking the time to listen to these questions and respond to them not only helps you both establish the suitability and viability of any potential relationship, it also avoids giving the customer the idea that you’re giving them the hard-sell. Rushing to get to your talking points and trampling over any customer objections is a sure-fire way to put anyone on the backfoot, so making the effort to ensure that you’re having an equal and mutually respectful conversation can help you build that rapport you need to bring someone over to your side.

One of the strongest – and easiest – ways you can show that you’re listening is by using the customer’s name and using the words they use to describe their problem. Using the customer’s name is a no-brainer – it demonstrates that they’re more than just another entry in your ‘to call’ list, and that they have real value to you beyond the financial. Using the phrases they use to describe their problem allows you to better put yourself in their frame of mind, understanding where they’re coming from and communicating on their terms how your solutions assists.

Tailored outbound calling solutions

Every business owner will have to cold call at some point, but you don’t need to be involved every time your company needs to reach out to people. When you need to reach people in a sophisticated, understanding and effective way, choose Oracle CMS’ outbound calling service.

Operated by experienced staff in call centres located across Australia, we make it easy for your business to find the people most ready to become your customers or your partners.

Start a conversation with one of our staff today on 1300 760 011 and find out how we can support the growth of your organisation.