Is there such a thing as the best time to cold call? You can cold call your prospects throughout the day to reach more customers, but there are certain times when your cold calls can get higher success rates. Cold calls are generally more effective on Wednesdays and Thursdays, right before lunch (11 AM – 12 PM) and during the last hour before the end of the day (4-5 PM). Finding an optimal time to cold call can significantly impact converting a lead into a customer. 

Increase Your Chances of Getting Past Gatekeepers 

A cold call is your first contact with a prospect, and you will likely have insufficient knowledge of the prospect and their company. The same goes for them; they will likely not know about your company as well. This can make cold calls less effective than other types of sales calls. To combat that, you should prepare for each cold call before you make it and find ways to get past gatekeepers. Gatekeepers are typically executive assistants, receptions, or office managers, and they are often the people that stand between you and your prospect. 

Using cold emails to warm up prospects

Since cold emails tend to be less intrusive, they can be a good initial point of contact. Prospects, therefore, might be more open to responding to it. 31% of sales reps find that sending a personalized cold email is more effective than an automated cold call. Customized cold emails can also give the prospect some knowledge of your company, building familiarity before the initial call.

Introducing yourself on LinkedIn

Using LinkedIn’s Sales Navigator, you can gain insight into your prospect and their industry prior to initial contact. You gain valuable insight that can help you approach them with relevant information when you do make contact. You can find connections and filter your target audience by job title, location and industry. “Leading with a common connection is powerful, and can increase the likelihood of an appointment by 70%.”

Building trust and being respectful 

You can successfully converse with the gatekeeper by making sure you do your research before the call. It will be beneficial to have knowledge about the company, and the gatekeeper, as this will give you a better chance of making a connection. You can use this knowledge to let the gatekeeper know you understand what is valuable to them. Remember to be respectful of their time and show gratitude with a thank you, and address them by their name.

Calling another department 

Thankfully, not every department has a gatekeeper, and you can use that to your advantage when you are having trouble getting a prospect’s contact information. An especially helpful department is Human Resources. It is their job to know everyone in the company. The sales department is another department you can try; you can relate as fellow sales reps and you might get contact details or a referral from them.

Don’t pitch anything to the gatekeeper 

The gatekeeper might be a good person to build rapport with but remember, they are not your target. They have no interest in any of your products or services, so do not try to sell to them. Instead, try to get as much information you can about the prospect from them. You might even get the contact information of the decision maker if you have the right approach.

Handling Objections

Cold calls are often misunderstood as spam, and this may result in sales reps experiencing rejections and sometimes rude responses. Objections can be demotivating, but that doesn’t mean you should give up. You can use them as an opportunity to learn more about the prospect and their needs.

Identifying common objections

There are some common objections that you will most likely encounter when cold calling, and though they may be frustrating, it is helpful to identify and overcome them. They can stem from price, priority, lack of knowledge, time or irritation. Here are some examples of the common ones are: 

1. “I don’t know you” — This gives you the perfect opportunity to let them know about you and your company. 

2. “I’m not interested” — You can overcome this by highlighting the value your product will bring to the prospect. Ensure your pitch is centered around what your product can do for them. 

3. “I’m too busy” — Take this as it is and do not continue with your pitch. Instead, focus on rescheduling to a time that suits them. 

4. “I can’t afford it” — This one of the most challenging objections to overcome because not every business can afford to offer the prospects discounts or free trials to encourage them to try the product. If you fall under this category, you can offer them extra services at no extra cost or offer a 30-day money-back guarantee. If this is a constant objection, you might want to look into your pricing model.

Using the LAER Framework

You use this framework to find the underlying objection that a prospect has while building a relationship with them. 

1. Listen:  Actively listen to their objection and allow them a few seconds after they have finished speaking. That extra time might encourage them to speak further and reveal critical information. 

2. Acknowledge: Communicate that you heard their objection, and you acknowledge it. You can do this by repeating it back to them in your own words. Make them feel understood.

3. Explore: To ensure that your response will address the prospect’s objection, ask questions about their given objection. Explore the prospect’s position in detail.  

4. Rebut: After you have listened carefully to their objection and dug deep into their reasons, you will be able to formulate a response or rebuttal that will connect everything to their desired outcome. 

Preparing a script that addresses common objections

A script is a tool you can use to overcome objections from prospects. It contains pre-planned responses to common objections that can easily be memorized and used in a sales pitch. A good script can help you keep the conversation moving towards a sale.