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RajaTee

BDR

Fire Starter
Contributor

how do you become better at cold calls?

During cold calls (which aren't many, 1 month into role), the conversation doesn't flow as well as I would like - lots of uhms, mispronouncing words, bad tone, poor rate of speech, etc.


My goal would be to have an answer for every objection, not just to hard sell but being able to consult, sound natural, and have full control / navigate the conversation.


Besides getting busy with having as many quality conversations as possible, educating myself to know the product better (marketing enablement solution), any other tips? Perhaps something I can practice outside of work eg talk with more people? What should I focus on during the practice?


I'm an advocate for 'awareness is the first step in solving any problem'.


Anything is appreciated, many thanks!

📞 Cold Calling
15

16 comments

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EspressoMaxi
Valued Contributor
6
Director of BD
Practice...but here are some things to focus on in practice:

Try to make a script -the goal is not to SOUND scripted but to work through the architecture of the conversation..this will help you stay concise and eliminate "uhm" and extra words.

Write down all the objections you get, organize the Q and A in a list and study it until you know it. This is something you should always be doing. If you dont have the answer, go get it.

Practice the scenarios....but at the end of the day, the best practice is the real-life calls.

Get comfortable with walking through fire. Good luck!
Pachacuti
Politicker
5
They call me Daddy, Sales Daddy
Think about what would sell you and think about what is REALLY important to your target audience. What can you say in the first 10sec that grabs their attention?

If you don’t have a script you are doing yourself a disservice.
Mobi85
Politicker
4
Regional Sales Manager
If you have the ability to listen to your calls, do it. We all sound cringeworthy but understanding why we are cringeworthy and then role playing what we could have done better will help.

Perfect practice makes perfect. Don't half-ass roleplaying and role playing doesn't need to be an entire call but pick specific portions to roleplay on. If it is the initial objection or getting past the gatekeeper focus on those portions to role play on. This sounds archaic but build flash cards and shuffle the deck, pick up a flash card with a specific objection and work to overcome that.

Also if you can, listen in on people that are successful with cold calling and you don't need to replicate everything they say but pick up things that they do well and make them your own.
CuriousFox
WR Officer
4
🦊
Keep on truckin. You'll get there.
braintank
Politicker
3
Enterprise Account Executive
Practice a lot
DPRM
Politicker
0
Ms Sales :)
indeed
TennisandSales
Politicker
3
Head Of Sales
so this sounds like something that can be overcome with time. but here are a few things that come to mind:

- filler words are not always a bad thing. the goal should not be to remove filler words like "ums" or "like" but make sure you know where you want to take the conversation and are actively listening.

- i would start noticing what words you mispronounce and literally just practice saying them alot. (also if you mis pronounce a word on a call, its not going to kill the conversation. just correct yourself and move on).

- in my experience poor tone comes from not being confident in what you are saying and relying on reading a script too much. is this the case for you?

- what do you consider to be a poor rate of speech? i think talking too fast is a big problem. you do not want to sound too rushed when you are on the phone.
RajaTee
Fire Starter
1
BDR
thanks for the reply. im new to the industry and still plenty of gaps in my knowledge regarding product and market. keeping in mind what you said, will work on building these.

regarding the rate of speech, im concerned on its inconsistency. for example, in the same sentence i awkwardly move on from word to word either too fast or too slow, then stumbling with pronunciation
TennisandSales
Politicker
0
Head Of Sales
you got it!

I would try to not focus on the rate of speech as much. If your tone is right, and you are confident in what you are saying, rate of speech will really not have a big impact.
DungeonsNDemos
Big Shot
3
Rolling 20's all day
More calls and more roleplays with your teammates who hear the same objections.
An objection is often just a push back, and not a true objection.

Make a list of what you commonly might hear and ways you can drive the conversation. Honestly for many new reps, the podcast 30 minutes to president's club is legit and needed to understand how to think about the process of outreach.

But at the end of the day it will be practice and not caring about the outcome of the call.
Kosta_Konfucius
Politicker
2
Sales Rep
Practice and doing research is key. My best advice is doing a message for the person, not the Title. You should have a message for prospect A and it tailored so much it wouldnt make sense for prospect B
coletrain
Politicker
2
Account Executive
I am a major advocate of incessant roleplays early on and feel it is the best way to get a feel for what you are saying, and anything else that may arise.

It also is a great way to see which reps are willing to put in the work to be truly successful early and often.

Management seems to be pulled in so many directions that it is often left to the rep to figure it out but I feel it is crucial for organizational success.
Diablo
Politicker
2
Sr. AE
I would do role plays, get on a call with both my BDR and SDR, listen to my own call and see what best I couldn’t have done and how.

Everyone goes through the same thing you mentioned and I’m sure you will be better with time
BrianTracysLoveChild
Fire Starter
1
Account Manager
Repetition, review, tweak, repeat. Get some coaching - either yourself by recording your call (even if it's only your voice) or by bringing in colleague to observe.

Fear is natural - you close or you don't eat - so it's personal. But you have to get past it. Don't try and conquer fear completely, but maybe learn to tame it

Breathe -Get a notepad and make notes as the call progresses, develop the habit of not speaking while writing, it will help you develop a rythm and let the other person speak/respond

Sounds like you may need to do some mental exercises - good rythm comes from believing in yourself, your company and your product/solution - let your enthusiasm come across in your voice

What are you trying to do? Close on the first call or ? Remind yourself it's dance. People are busy and you won't have their full attention for the first 15-20 seconds - so just hang on, stay in the batters box until they open up

Are you ready for objections? The main ones? Are they real? You won't close 100% of your customers, so that means no's are going to happen. Be as eager to filter out bad prospects as you are looking for good prospects. Don't waste time on prospects who aren't a fit

Get a mirror for your desk so you can check your facial expressions - make sure you are smiling and having a good time - SELLING IS FUN

Don't let them hang up before you do - old technique but it will put a smile on your face. Person you are calling is an ass - click. Assert your dominace!
BlueJays2591
Politicker
1
Federal Business Dev Director
You honestly just have to make the calls. Get rejected a ton and try different pitches and methods. Everyone says they have a secret formula but there are a ton of different ways to be successful. Find what works for you and make the calls. Too many BDRs overanalyze cold calling after being rejected a few times so they can stop being rejected. It's just not going to happen. Don't overthink it, make the call, see what happens, and then make another call
SaaSam
Politicker
0
Account Executive
Try pitching your parents or grandparents. If you can explain in a way they will understand that'll go a long way for you on a cold call.

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