I can get a different answer every time I add the same stack of numbers so I am fascinated by the magic of statistics; the stats I heard at a recent seminar impressed me no end and I’m happy to share: according to the cold calling experts at Canadian company Outspoken1, almost half of all cold callers never follow up with their prospects…yet 80% of all sales are made after the fifth contact.

Light bulb moment?
Successful salespeople know it takes consistency and ingenuity to connect with busy people and since almost everything we do in life has a sales and marketing element, we should all take note. Need a sponsor for an upcoming company event? Want the chance to demonstrate your department’s expertise at the AGM? Hoping to score new opportunities for promoting your area externally next year?

Keep plugging!
But there are other important issues to consider as well. It’s crucial to be real, work from a great script and don’t be afraid to grab attention. Susan Aldridge, President of Outspoken1, says you need something she calls a “juicy bit.”

Hers is:
“Hi, I’m Susan Aldridge from Outspoken1 and we bring you people.”
Say what?
Exactly!
The juicy bit immediately grabs the prospect’s attention and pulls them into a conversation that is only possible because they are intrigued by your comment. They become engaged. Many of us in Corporate Land might find the Aldridge approach a little too daring for comfort but the point is to step outside the box in order to show that you are not just another cold caller out to waste someone’s precious time.

Writing your cold call script before you actually pick up the phone means you won’t lose your thread of thought or forget your most important points as the conversation proceeds. It means you can practise what you’re going to say ahead of time – a habit I highly recommend for anyone who has to present publicly in any capacity.

But the script itself can take a surprisingly long time to draft. It takes less than 10 seconds for people to form an opinion of someone else so you’ve got to be fast and effective in getting that “juicy bit” across. Every word counts in that scenario and you have to be extremely picky about which ones are the right ones.

Other tips to keep in mind while developing a script for your next cold calling effort include:

– Always tell prospects what they will gain from their connection with you
– Know your own personality style, know how to assess that of your prospect and make room for both in your conversation
– Gracefully distinguish yourself from your competition
– Don’t give up unless you hear a “no”

How you do all of the above, however, is key. You need to be innovative and flexible and above all operate from a place of integrity. If your prospect suspects for any reason that they can’t quite trust you, they will bolt.

Because it’s something like public speaking (the top fear of people in North America in almost every list I’ve ever seen), cold calling can be an unnerving experience for many and it tends to be something people put off as long as possible, quota or no. As a copywriter with decades of professional experience behind me what I find most interesting is that although the numbers are key, it’s the words that make the difference.

Author Bio: Susan Crossman is a career writer who promotes excellence in communication through writing with clarity. Her freelance writing services include web content,newsletters,reports,speeches and other custom documentation. For more details, please visit her website at http://www.crossmancommunications.com

Category: Writing
Keywords: Copywriter,corporate communications,Toronto copywriter,speech writing, ghost writing