Cold calling

Cold calling involves making a call to someone who has not shown any particular interest in the company's offer. This is a direct marketing tactic.

The cold-calling method entails contacting potential prospects by telephone. This cold call is made to people who are not expecting the call or who may not even be familiar with the company or its offering.

Used in both B2C and B2B, this method of prospecting is a delicate exercise, since it requires convincing the caller in just a few minutes to get them interested in the products or services on offer.

Cold calling is directly opposed to the warm-calling technique. The latter involves calling someone who is already known to the company. This may be a prospect who has already made a commitment or a lead obtained via an online quote request.

In this case, the caller is likely to recognize the company and be open to the proposal. However, the link between the company and the warm caller remains fairly fragile.

To make a successful cold call and close the sale, you need to follow a few basic rules:

• Target the prospects to be called: identifying the people most likely to be receptive to the products or services offered by the company helps to optimize the effectiveness of the calls.
• Find out about the person you are calling: although it's a cold call, taking the time to find out about the person you’re calling can help you establish a strategy beforehand. Just like with cold emailing, if you know the profile and issues of the person you are calling, it will be easier to offer them products or services in line with their needs.
• Prepare your calls: the sales pitch must emphasize the quality of the offer. Real expertise is needed to establish positive contact with the caller, who wasn’t expecting this call.

Cold calling is often criticized, especially by callers who don't want to be bothered. However, it’s a technique with many advantages. This practice is quick to set up and requires limited investment. What’s more, the company is free to choose which cold prospects to contact, and results can be very rapid if the offer is interesting and the salesperson is competent.