The B2B Cold Calling Guide: Best Practices For Cold Calling - Pearl Lemon Leads USA
The concept of cold calling might seem antiquated in today’s crowded B2B ecosystem, where personalisation and relevance are essential competitive differentiators. Unsolicited phone outreach is constantly mentioned as a throwback strategy in industry publications, and social media feeds as a spray-and-pray strategy.
However, it may not be entirely accurate. Even though cold calling can be intimidating, it still has a place in the sales pipelines of today. Sales development representatives (SDRs) and account executives (AEs) are discovering that cold calling can successfully reach prospects — when handled properly.
Let us learn more.
What is B2B Cold Calling?
Simply put, B2B cold calling is contacting a potential client before they’ve expressed an interest in a good or service. Warm calling, in which sales representatives contact potential clients based on previously expressed interest, is a close relative of cold calling.
Benefits of B2B Cold Calling
Because salespeople need to create pipelines, cold calling has persisted over time largely out of necessity. Every transaction begins with a discussion. Consider B2B cold calling as merely the first step in the sales process. And think about how effective it can be according to these facts:
- Cold calling is very to extremely effective according to 27% of sellers.
- Still, almost 70% of buyers take cold calls.
Other advantages of cold calling (that you might not always obtain, say, through cold emailing) include:
- Obtaining net-new clients.
- Enhancing your sales presentation.
- Establishing a personal relationship with a prospective client.
Cold Calling vs Warm Calling
Warm calling, in contrast, entails getting in touch with a potential customer who has previously expressed interest in or contacted your company. Warm prospects can be either direct or non-direct. Not every call is made equally.
You can build trust with a prospect by contacting them before you call.
As a result, prospective clients might be more inclined to pay attention to your sales pitch and consider whether your products can resolve their current problems. However, that value must be immediately clarified to maintain their attention when cold calling.
Is B2B Cold Calling Dead?
Salespeople frequently argue over the value of cold calling. Our response? Cold calling is still effective and one of the least expensive ways for B2B companies to find new clients.
Cold calling presents an opportunity to acquaint a potential prospect with your company, your product, and yourself as a salesperson, even though it might not result in a sale on the first call.
The Frustration Of Cold Calling
Why are so many sales professionals wary of cold outreach if cold calling is still used in sales and can effectively reach prospects?
According to Gartner data, a meaningful conversion requires an average of 22.5 dials to a cold prospect. That number is closer to 30 dials in highly specialised industries like IT or when prospecting senior executives. In addition, it typically requires three conversations to set up just one sales appointment or product demo, which further complicates matters.
B2B Cold Calling: Is It Legal?
Many people mistakenly think spam or “robocalls” from automated dialers are the same as B2B cold calling. Cold calling is a legitimate strategy for generating new business and is not a form of spam. But that doesn’t mean there are no rules.
According to the telemarketing experts at Contact Centre Compliance, most B2B cold calls are exempt from federal “Do Not Call” regulations, typically designed to protect consumers from unwanted phone solicitations.
However, depending on the state where your business operates, state laws might be more onerous, and there might also be other federal rules that apply. The Federal Trade Commission also points out that calling individual consumers at their place of employment to solicit them for personal purchases or charitable donations does not count as a B2B call.
Is It Possible To Cold Call Cell Phones?
Cold-calling cell phones is permitted today, but some rules must be followed. The Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communications Commission both have regulations regarding cold calling, whether to a landline or a cell phone. Any calls to cell phones placed using an automatic dialer or prerecorded messages are forbidden by federal law.
However, if the recipient has written consent, businesses can call cell phone numbers. Given these obstacles and the unfavourable prognosis, it’s understandable why so many sales professionals have a negative opinion of cold calling. Although there isn’t much chance of getting a conversion when making a cold call, there are ways to improve your chances.
Best Practices For B2B Cold Calling
There are some strict do’s and don’ts regarding the art of cold calling.
Do:
- Be certain of who you are calling and why.
- Listen first, then pitch, then listen some more. Tone matching also referred to as “mirroring,” is exactly what it sounds like: it involves mimicking the other person’s tone of voice. For instance, you ought to be high-energy if they are. If they seem more dubious, modify your strategy. Cold calling with a tone that matches the caller is one of the best ways to establish a better relationship.
Don’t:
- Excuse yourself. While it may be tempting to use excuses to build rapport with a prospect, remember that your solution may be of value to that prospect’s business. Instead of apologising to start the conversation, think about asking, “Can you help me?”
- On the first call, try to sell. Making sure you and the prospect are on the same page should be the primary objective of your first cold call. Instead of trying to sell them on your product or service right away, use the first call to learn more about them and explain how your product can alleviate some of their problems.
Conclusion
B2B cold calling is exactly what it sounds like: sales representatives from a company make cold calls to other companies to persuade them to purchase from them. Although it’s a common outreach strategy for sales organisations, salespeople frequently think negatively about the practice.
Do you have any concerns? Let us know!
FAQ
What are B2B calls?
B2B cold calling involves sales reps from a business to convince other businesses to buy from them. It’s a popular outreach method among sales organisations, but the practice often has a less-than-ideal reputation among salespeople.
What is B2C cold calling?
B2C calls are solely focused on the products or services. It all depends on how the call is opened, and the caller has to account for the success or failure of the call. A cold caller can dial up a large inventory of customer numbers. The market is vast, thus increasing the chances of success.
What is the difference between B2B vs B2C cold calling?
In B2B, businesses do cold calls, whereas, in B2C, individuals do it. It all relies on how the conversation is initiated, and the caller needs to take responsibility for whether or not the call is successful or unsuccessful. A cold caller can access an extensive database of consumer phone numbers.
