Cold calling is an effective lead generation strategy when done right, but it’s not for the faint of heart. It’s hard enough to get your target prospects to pick up the phone, let alone to get them to listen to your message and agree to take the next step in the sales journey.
You’re more likely to be ignored, rejected, hung up on, or even chastised than you are to find someone willing to engage in a meaningful conversation—especially if it’s not something you do every day.
No wonder 63% of salespeople describe cold calling as the worst part of their job, and 48% actually fear it, according to recent statistics.
Yet forgoing cold calling altogether as a lead generation and appointment-setting tool can be a huge mistake. According to statistics compiled by Zippia, 82 percent of buyers say they’ve accepted sales meetings after a connection that began with a cold call.
Apprehension toward cold calling isn’t an issue at VSA. Quite the opposite, actually: Outbound phone prospecting is our primary focus for almost every one of our clients. That’s why when recruiting and hiring Business Development Representatives, we look for experienced candidates whose skills and personalities lend themselves to successful cold calling. Our BDRs approach cold calls not as a burden to dread, but as a challenge to face head-on.
On top of finding the right people for the job, our team-based calling model creates a supportive and collaborative environment that allows our BDRs to learn from each other’s best practices. Even the most accomplished cold callers can benefit from the insights and experiences of their peers. VSA’s BDRs also receive regular coaching from their Program Managers and our training department, so they’re always finding new ways to hone their skills.
“We find people who actually love to cold call, and then we empower them to succeed,” says Valerie Schlitt, VSA’s CEO and founder. “Of course, cold calling can be a challenge, but when it’s something you do every day, you naturally become more comfortable and successful. So many of our clients don’t have the resources to regularly cold call on their own, and we’re happy to take that burden off their shoulders.”
Ashley Honigman is a perfect example of somebody who has thrived as a cold caller at VSA. Before joining the company, she had call center and customer service experience, but she had never cold called. Now, she is one of our top-performing BDRs.
We asked Ashley to share her thoughts about cold calling—what she likes most about the job, the unique challenges, and some of the ways VSA helps its BDRs overcome those challenges.
Q: In what ways do you feel like you’ve improved as a cold caller since coming to VSA?
Ashley: Two of the biggest things I’ve improved on are being more assertive on the phone and leading the conversations. Rejection is something that I feel affects everyone differently, but I know that I do not like being told no for an answer. Every day I become better at being quick on my feet with handling objections.
I also feel a lot more comfortable pushing my own boundaries on the phone to see if there can be more than one approach to getting the answers I need or turning people from a “no” response into a scheduled appointment. Really learning the script and all the important parts of it, and then listening over calls to hear how I can make the messaging sound professional and conversational without coming off as harsh or scripted, has really helped me become successful in my own way.
Q: What do you feel are the biggest challenges of cold calling?
Ashley: The biggest challenges to me are nerves, objections, and quickness. You have to understand you are “cold calling”—that means you’re a stranger trying to navigate to the person in charge. You aren’t aware of who the person is on the other side of the phone or what type of day they are having, and it can be nerve-wracking when you get someone who isn’t the nicest person. You need to have a high level of confidence on the phone and need to sound like someone of importance.
Objections and quickness go hand in hand because you need to know how to quickly direct a conversation to make it beneficial to you and the client you’re representing.
Q: How has VSA helped you overcome some of these challenges?
Ashley: VSA provides us with the tools we need to succeed: program overviews, scripting and common rebuttals, links to websites to get a better understanding of the clients’ offerings, along with access to our Program Managers at all times if we’re still not sure about something.
But there isn’t enough training in the world to prepare you for everything you will encounter on these calls, and sometimes you have to understand that you can’t rely on other’s success to be successful yourself; you have to put in the work and be willing to learn to truly reach your full potential.
Q: What are some of the things you enjoy about cold calling?
Ashley: Sometimes you hear the craziest things on the phone. I have had a few conversations just with receptionists where we laugh and talk like we’ve known each other forever. I also love the “not knowing” aspect of it. You don’t know who you’re talking to on the other end of the call. You don’t know if they’re having a good day or a bad day. You don’t know if this call is going to go OK or not. Which, in way, helps every call be a mystery.
When cold calling, everything is very repetitive. You call people in the same field, reading the same script over and over, just trying to get to a common goal. But every now and then, someone hits you with an off-the-wall response and you hang up the phone and just laugh like, yeah, I needed that.
Another thing I enjoy is seeing how we can improve. Sometimes we try a certain type of wording, and it doesn’t work out. So we change it, and try it again. Every day is about discussing ways to improve results for ourselves and the client. Being able to openly discuss with our managers ways we feel might benefit everyone in the long run is just one of the things I absolutely love, and seeing the positive results from your hard work and watching well thought-out plans come to life is such a rewarding feeling.
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If you’re looking to make cold calling part of your lead generation and appointment-setting strategy and want to learn more about our services, please contact us. We’re always excited to help companies find new ways to grow their business!