Three Cold Calling Tips to Help Break the Tension

Even the most skilled sales people will shutter when the words "cold calling" are mentioned. Cold calling is the practice of calling up complete strangers and asking them to buy what you are selling. It is one of the oldest sales techniques in the book and as its name implies it is cold in nature.

But cold calling does not have to be a stressful part of your sales job or your business and because you have to do it you may as well learn to like it. Here are three tips that I personally used that will help you break the tension when conducting your cold calls:

TIP 1: Get a good list.

Cold calling is all about the list. Simply picking up the telephone book and blindly dialing numbers will not get you anywhere very fast and will only have you hearing no many times over. Compile your list based on what it is you sell. Be sure that every name that goes onto your list is a name that might be interested in your goods or services. If there is even a question as to whether or not they need what you have to offer, cross them off your list.

TIP 2: Perfect the pitch.

Your pitch is what you will say in order to entice the person to buy what you are selling. If you get the person on the phone and go right into your pitch you will come off too pushy. On the other hand if you spend too much time on idle chit chat you will be wasting someone's time and time is important to everyone. Know what you will say before the number is ever dialed. Greet the person, say who you are and where you are from, and then give your pitch in a calm cool demeanor. Be enthused but don't be crazy.

TIP 3: Play the numbers game.

This is a personal trick that I developed when I began as a stock broker and had to cold call for months on end. I was told that you have to get eight people to tell you no before one person will tell you yes. Armed with this information I made a game out of cold calling. When I would make a call and someone would say no I would say thank you to them. If they asked for what I told them, "You are my first no of the day and I only need seven more before I get my yes." This served a twofold purpose. First it made the call not so intimidating because I knew that more times than not I was going to hear no. Secondly, by thanking people for a no you are actually opening the lines of communication and every once in a while a person will be so intrigued with your attitude that they will change their mind.

By and large cold calling is just plain cold, but if you make a game out of it and are well prepared you will fair okay. The numbers part is almost dead on and if you practice the strategies laid out you will see for yourself. A good day of cold calling will certainly leave you with a handful of leads and if you get really good at the game a sale or two as well.