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Turning Cold Calls to Warm Calls

Making a phone call is inexpensive or free, and it can be a great way to get customers. Use these tips to warm up a cold call and increase your success. 

Cold calling is hard. That means calling people who have never heard of you, and getting them to listen to what you have to say. It can work, but you must be able to accept rejection. Just don’t take it personally (it’s not personal) and go on to the next call. It’s all a numbers game. The more calls you make, the more success you have.

A better way is warm calling. That’s where you heat up a cold call by having a connection to the person you are calling. If you can say that their friend Jack Kenner suggested you call, or that you met them at a conference, or establish any connection, it is easier to reach them, easier to get them to listen to you, and easier to get a yes.

I’ve also used the telephone to get enrollments in my seminars. For example, I’ll call people who have been in recent seminars to tell them about something coming up in which they may be interested.  Many times I get their voice mail, so I leave a message telling why I am calling and ask them to call back if they want to know more. It works!

How can you heat up a cold call?

• Call people you have met. Go through the business cards you have collected and start calling. ("We met at the Chamber of Commerce meeting last week.")
• Call people you to whom you were referred. ("Jack suggested I call you about this . . .) Call customers and ask them for referrals so you can do this.
• Call people who have received information about you. (They contacted you to request information, or they dropped a card at your booth at a trade show.)
• Call people who know some of the same people you do. ("I’m John Thomas’ niece, Kelly Thomas.")

Know what your objective is when you call. Have a script so you know what you are going to say. Don’t read your script, though. Rehearse it so it sounds natural. Keep the script in front of you just in case you get nervous and forget your next line. And make the call short. Other people are busy, too, and they don’t have a lot of time to spend on the phone. Introduce yourself, take care of business, and get off the phone.