This will likely come as no surprise: B2B buyers don’t like receiving cold calls. And perhaps even less surprising, cold calls have a success rate of only 2%.
Yet many companies uphold monthly or quarterly call quotas for their sellers. So what’s a BDR or sales rep to do to cut across the noise and engage with their buyers effectively?
6sense has adopted a “no cold calls” philosophy; we believe that with the right tools and knowledge, you can eliminate the concept altogether. Here’s how to effectively engage the right buyers next time you pick up the phone.
1. Do Your Research
Sellers can get into a funk of simply going down their list of accounts and dialing one after the other, without giving much thought as to who is on the other end of the line. If you’re not putting the proper amount of thought and care into the conversation, why should they?
When you know you’re calling a certain account and buyer, do your due diligence to understand more than just their title and company. Ideally, you have account insights that include whether the buyer is talking with any of your competitors, what their unique business needs are, and of course, how your product will help them.
2. Ditch the Script
Executives and decision makers have come to expect generic, rehearsed sales pitches when they pick up the phone. Rather than reading from the same script, use it as more of a guide. Then apply the insights at your disposal to craft an opener for every buyer that is relevant to their pain points and needs.
Add some emotion to avoid sounding like a robot. At the end of the day, this is just another conversation, so speaking confidently and naturally will already differentiate yours from other sales calls.
3. Exercise Your Listening Skills
This is your first conversation with the buyer; don’t throw them too much information right off the bat. After you’ve introduced yourself and shown them that you’ve done your research, ask them open-ended questions and let them talk while offering guidance and advice when appropriate.
By simply listening, you give the buyer the opportunity to share details that will be useful for you as they move forward through the buying process. Understanding their perspective also enables you to position your product in a way that demonstrates value and is relevant to the buyer’s needs.
4. Follow Their Lead
You don’t want to end the conversation at a standstill. To keep things moving, set logical next steps based on what was discussed, whether it’s sending over additional resources, following up with another call in a couple of weeks, or scheduling a demo.
And rather than forcing the buyer into your process, let them tell you what they need. Eighty-eight percent of B2B buyers make purchases only when they view a salesperson as a trusted advisor.
5. Make Note of Successes — and Areas for Improvement
Have you hung up the phone and pumped your fist in the air because it went so well? First of all, way to go. Secondly, reflect afterward and determine what you did differently. It could be that you said something specific or said it in a certain way that garnered a more positive reaction than you’ve received in the past.
Write it down, study it, and put it to use in future calls.
In a different scenario, perhaps you hang up the phone and put your head in your hands in disappointment. Although it’s not a good feeling, it’s still an opportunity to learn something, so keep note of where you fell short as well.
Time to Turn Up the Temperature
Engaging future customers is part of a seller’s job — and the practice of sales calls won’t be taken off their to-do lists any time soon. But by taking proper measures, you can take the “cold” out of “cold calling” for more optimized conversations that positively impact pipeline.
6sense can help. Our platform captures intent data that lets you spot accounts that are ready to buy and understand what they’ve been researching online. This allows you to focus on the best opportunities and enter those conversations armed with insights. Book a demo to learn more.
