Outbound Cold Calling: Why It’s Important for Your Business

Outbound cold calling is a powerful tool that can help you expand your business. It requires a lot of effort and dedication but with a successful strategy, you can rapidly reach new customers it may otherwise have taken you years to reach. Many companies hesitate to use cold calling as part of their sales strategy because they think it is too pushy, but they could be missing a huge opportunity.

According to the RAIN Group Center for Sales Research, 82% of buyers are open to meeting with sellers who reach out directly. It’s also worth noting that 92% of buyers are suspicious that unidentified callers could be fraudulent. So how do you navigate cold calls from the gray area  of suspicion into a relationship that leads to a sale? That’s where we come in. We put this guide together to explain how cold calling can benefit your company and we’ve included ten tips to help make your  outbound cold calling more successful. 

What Is Outbound Cold Calling?

First, it’s important to understand the difference between cold calling vs. outbound calling. Cold calling typically refers to a spray-and-pray approach of contacting a high number of leads that may or may not be a good fit. It involves calling a long list of leads you quickly throw your pitch at in the hope that something sticks. This approach tends to have a low success rate but done at a high enough volume, can bring in some new customers.

Comparatively, outbound calling is a more strategic approach to reaching out to prospective clients. Using your company’s Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) to generate a list of suitable leads, outbound calling strategies take the time to research and qualify leads before contacting them. This data-driven, personalized, and account-based approach increases the likelihood that a prospect will agree to schedule a meeting. At DRolls & Associates, we combine a method of outbound calling with in-depth market and lead research as well as the use of supporting outreach channels to create a proven methodology we call smart calling.

Cold calling has been used as a sales strategy since before phones were commonplace in homes. Despite their long history, with the development of more complex phone systems, spam detection technologies, consumers’ increased suspicion of fraud, and do-not-call registries, cold calls are becoming increasingly inefficient. Comparatively, outbound calling is easier than ever thanks to social media and other communication channels that make it simpler to make those important connections.

The Benefits of Outbound Cold Calling

While some people have negative associations with cold calling, don’t let that convince you it isn’t a useful strategy. Here are just some of the benefits an outbound cold calling agent can bring to your company. 

• Bring in more quality leads
  Outbound call strategies typically include researching potential leads to determine whether they fit the criteria for your target audience or not. Rather than taking a stab in the dark, this method ensures you’re targeting the right prospects to bring into your sales funnel. By prioritizing which leads are contacted, you bring in a greater number of high-quality leads.
  
• Build rapport with prospects and customers
  In a time of automated messages and AI phone calls, many prospective clients appreciate a business that still values human connection. An experienced cold calling team is warm and friendly in their approach because they understand the importance of value-based selling and user-experiences. Even if a lead initially refuses, a positive encounter leaves them more open to being contacted again in the future. This focus on building relationships through cold calling can also be used as a strategy to reconnect with past customers, gain referrals, or upsell existing customers. Building rapport not only brings in new customers, but boosts customer retention as well.
  
• Increase your brand awareness
  Outbound calling isn’t just a sales strategy – it’s a marketing opportunity as well. Outbound calls allow you to put out a consistent brand message that increases brand recognition in your target market. By developing a fine-tuned sales script, you ensure your product is promoted the way you want it to be and are prepared with standardized responses for common sales objections. Even if the initial call doesn’t lead to a conversion, you’re planting the seed for a possible conversion in the future.
  
• Market research
  When done right, cold calling can provide you with a lot of valuable data and market insights. Cold calling gives you the opportunity to play back calls and use them to make data-driven decisions about what works and what doesn’t. You can also gather information from prospects like what they think about your product, what kind of pain points they’re experiencing with their current solution, or what other suppliers are offering. Having this information is invaluable for improving your product, sales strategy, and brand recognition.
  
• Cost effective
  Cold calling can often be a more cost-effective solution. Phone calls are significantly more cost effective than face-to-face meetings. With no need to travel, you can make many more phone calls in a single day while still building relationships, giving pitches and gathering information. Cold calling is also simple to outsource which can save your company the cost of hiring and training a qualified team of experts. Using outbound cold calling services also saves you money on the different software used for cold calling, office space, and equipment. Additionally, if you’re looking to expand your business into new regions or countries, an outsourced cold calling team is a cost-effective and efficient way to reach leads in new markets.
  
• Warm up your lead
  Not all cold calling is trying to make a sale right away. Using cold calling to convince a lead to schedule an appointment with a sales rep can increase chances of conversion. The initial cold contact is used to introduce your solution to a prospective client and how it can benefit them. If a prospect agrees to a meeting, it’s because they’re interested in hearing more about the product, warming them up for the sales rep to close the deal.

Tips for Successful Outbound Cold Calling

Cold calling can be a difficult and tedious part of the sales process. It requires patience, determination, and often a little finesse. You need a strategy that is direct and transparent without being too pushy so as not to put off potential customers. If you’re looking for ways to improve your cold calling results, here are our top ten outbound cold calling tips.

1. Be targeted with your contacts
   Ask yourself the following question: Why are you trying to connect with this particular lead and who are they? Consider what relevant industry experience you have and how it can help you connect with the prospect. Prepare for your call by picturing what they may think or say and consider how your call can benefit them. Provide the prospective customer with insights and add value to the conversation to ensure they feel the conversation was productive.
   
2. Research before you reach out
   Don’t go into a call blind. Know what they do and about the industry they work in. Try and find out where their pain points are ahead of time so you can effectively pitch your product as a solution. Personalization will help cold leads be more receptive to giving you some of their time. You can use LinkedIn to learn about leads and what they do, where they’ve worked in the past, and more personal ways to connect with them.
   
3. Find the right time
   Keep track and research what time of day prospects are most likely to answer and when they’re most likely to speak with you. Are there certain days of the week that prospects in your industry are more likely to answer their phone? Knowing this kind of information allows you to focus your calling efforts during the right times and ultimately increases your results. Analyze activity records to determine what time or days achieve the most success and use that to optimize your outbound call strategy.
   
4. Remember that you’re helping
   It’s easy to feel like you’re being intrusive or interrupting while cold calling but remember that your goal is to provide a potential customer with a solution to a problem they have. Your ideal customers are already being contacted by others with problem-solving solutions so don’t be afraid of  using a less timid approach. Use your pitch to display confidence and show that you believe in the product you’re selling so your potential clients can believe in it too.
   
5. Have a good opening line
   Asking if a lead is busy is a good way to get them off the phone quickly. On the other hand, asking if they have a few minutes to talk shows you respect their time and gives you an opportunity to schedule another time if they’re not available. A good opening line tells prospective clients why you’re calling and why they should consider it important. It should also show the prospect that you know who they are and understand what they need and what some of their pain points are.
   
6. Use open ended questions
   You’re aiming for a dialogue with the prospect so be sure to prompt them into conversation. Rather than lecturing them on all your product’s features, give them room to explain their needs. Don’t ask yes and no questions, instead use open ended questions to get them talking. This will not only keep them on the phone longer, providing you with more time to work on the sale but also provides you with more information you can use to build the relationship.
   
7. Don’t use a word-for-word script
   While preparation is important, a robotic sounding script doesn’t convey confidence or passion about the product you’re selling. Develop a thorough understanding of your product so you can talk about it naturally and fluently. Use a call flow to outline the direction you plan to follow, questions to ask, and other  information relevant to the call. You need to have structured plan for giving your pitch at the right moment without coming across as pushy or rigid.
   
8. Don’t interrogate your prospects
   You want to put prospective clients at ease so don’t put them on the defensive by bombarding them with questions. Your cold calling outbound telemarketing approach should be conversational to avoid feeling forced. If you want them to confide in you about their needs and pain points, you need to make them feel relaxed and willing to listen to what you have to say. 
   
9. Prepare for objections and rejections
   Objections and rejections are an inevitable part of the job so don’t live in fear of refusals. Prepare for common sales objections so you know how to respond and can stay in control of the conversation. Learn how to take rejections in stride and use each one as a learning tool. What takeaways do you have from the call and what can you do differently? Use that information to strengthen your approach for next time.
   
10. Follow up
    Don’t lose leads by failing to follow up. There are many reasons a prospect may not be interested upon initial contact but that doesn’t mean they never will be. Don’t give up prematurely by assuming they’re not interested. Focus on building the relationship so you can offer more valuable information about your solution. Additionally, if you’re waiting on a prospect who said they’d get back to you, show initiative by following up with them so the lead doesn’t go cold.

Outbound Cold Calling Strategies That Work for you

Outbound cold calling services can help you build a cold calling strategy that’s suited to your company’s unique needs. Complete with expert cold calling agents, outsourced teams are easily scalable and flexible to your company’s growing needs faster and more affordably than in-house sales teams are able to. Cold calling agencies already have access to expensive software and databases of ICPs they can use to significantly speed up your sales process while staying easy on your budget. By hiring an outsourced outbound calling agency, you get a dedicated team finding and contacting leads for you, freeing up your sales team to focus on closing more deals and driving up revenues. 

For more information on how outsourced cold calling can help your company meet its sales goals, request an introductory call today!