Cold Calling : Why, When and How to Do? Discover Planning Strategies, Resources Required, Applying Tricks and Succeeding Techniques!!

Abstract:

Making an unsolicited call to an employer to schedule a meeting or job interview is challenging. It can be nerve-wracking to pick up the phone to call someone you don’t know and ask them about job openings, but it works.

A careful approach and some persistence will enhance your chances of success. Providing the employer with a preview of your qualifications prior to your call and referencing a referral can help you get access to company insiders.

Keywords:

Cold Calling, Get Access, Referral, Unsolicited Call, Careful Approach

Learning Outcomes:

After undergoing this article you will be able to understand the following

1. What's Exactly cold Calling?

2. Why Cold Calling is done?

3. How cold calling is done?

4. What process is ideal for Cold Calling?

5. What's the advantages of Cold Calling?

6. What's the disadvantages of Cold Calling?

7. Tips and Strategies for Cold Calling

8. Conclusions

9. FAQs

References

1. What's Exactly cold Calling?

Cold calling and emailing is the practice of contacting potential employers directly by phone, or by email (including messages sent within platforms such as LinkedIn), without any prior contact, to find out about potential opportunities. This is best accomplished by identifying and understanding your skills, and how they are relevant to the employers you approach and the jobs they may have available.

2. Why Cold Calling is done?

Purpose of Cold Calling & Emailing?

Statistics indicate that most jobs available at any given time are not advertised – combined, these opportunities are known as ‘the hidden job market’. To find these jobs, different approaches to job searching are required, one of which is cold calling or emailing.

Cold calling and emailing can be successfully combined with networking if you have a list of personal contacts that are in a position to help you or can refer you to someone else who may be hiring.

3. How cold calling is done?

Cold calling is a sales technique where sales reps call potential customers they've never interacted with before in hopes of getting them interested in their product or service. These calls are unsolicited, and no prior contact has been made between the recipient and the salesperson.

In the case of seeking employment opportunities, a qualified person approaches an organisation without pre appointment. The ideal methods of cold calling are

Phone calling

Emailing

Sending an application in black and white

4. What process is ideal for Cold Calling?

The 6 steps to make a cold call are:

Create prospect list,

research,

craft an opener,

create a cold call script,

prepare to handle objections,

and

practice before you call.

The protocol puts the onus on the caller to take the necessary steps (whether requested or not) to prove to the organisation that they are who they say and to put them at ease.

The moment the prospect answers the phone, the seven-second timer begins and there is a make-or-break moment between you and the prospect, in which your pitch, tonality and approach must be perfect. This can be a daunting prospect to inexperienced salespeople or students.

During the Call: 11 Cold Calling Tips to Nail Your Pitch

Eliminate Distractions During the Call.
Optimize Your Tone of Voice.
Master Your Opening Line.
Ask Open-Ended Questions, Then Listen.
Embrace Silence.
Don't Pitch Too Soon.
Emphasize Pain Points.
Value Before Price.
Build an Effective Cadence
Have a Separate Script for Gatekeepers
Get Into the Right Mindset

5. What's the advantages of Cold Calling?

Cold calling is all about consistency. It allows you to build a clear sales pitch that works every time. It's also great for dealing with sales objections. Your potential customers will always have questions about your product; your cold calls are how you build up the confidence to answer them.

The top advantages of cold calling are the following

1. You Can Reach New Customers

2. You Can Master Your Sales Pitch

3. You Can Gain Relevant Information And Make A Human Connection

6. What's the disadvantages of Cold Calling?

The Downsides of Cold Calling
They are likely to be unwilling to spare time for your sales pitch and may seek to end the call promptly. Moreover, since these calls are unscheduled, you may catch the individual at an inconvenient time or be directed to their voicemail.

7. Tips and Strategies for Cold Calling

Tips for Cold Calling Prospective Employers

Send your resume and cover letter ahead of time and mention that you will call to explore opportunities.

Connect with department managers rather than with human resources (HR) staff.

Offer to schedule a time to talk.

Reach out to your LinkedIn contacts, family, friends, college alumni, and other professional associates to identify contacts at your target organization.

Prepare a concise and compelling opening statement that summarizes your reason for calling.

Share your qualifications.

Be prepared for resistance.

Ask for the next step.

Follow up with a communication thanking the individual for their time.

Now, the strategies about how to do "Effective Cold Calling & Emailing"

1. Getting Started

Cold calling and emailing may seem intimidating, but the strategies to success is being prepared and organized. Be sure to:

Update your resume identifying the skills and qualities you would like to highlight to employers and the relevant experiences that support them.

Start an organized list of the companies you want to contact, including company information gathered from research, and questions you plan to ask.
Develop a system (notebook or agenda – print or electronic) to record when and who you speak with or email, what was said, and when you will be following up (if you make a successful contact).
Make sure to review your notes after calling/emailing and reflect on what you can do better next time.

2. Finding Contacts

Locating good contacts is critical when looking for a job. Keep your eyes open and be creative. Places to look for contacts include:

Directories that identify and organize prospective employers according to industry, career and/or geographic area.
LinkedIn is a great resource to locate companies and people who work in these companies.
Professors, family, fellow students, neighbours and friends, all of whom can provide access to their personal networks—you might be surprised who they know!

Once you have compiled an initial list of companies, determine who specifically within the company you should speak with or email. You want to connect with the person most likely to be responsible for hiring in your area of interest. To do this:

Research the company, either online through their website, on LinkedIn, using directories/other publications.
Review the individual's LinkedIn profile.
This research will also help generate good questions to ask when you call or provide information to reference in an email.
Pre-call the company’s reception number if you have difficulty finding the names of individuals in charge of specific departments.

3. Prepare your Marketing Script or Pitch

Before making any calls, you want to prepare a script (or pitch) to give your conversation some structure and ensure that important details are not forgotten (contact name, title, company information, questions). The script should not be thought of as something you will ‘read’ but rather as something to help you make the best use of your time on the phone.

Your marketing pitch should be no longer than 20 seconds, tailored to the company, and should include:

an introduction using your full name and addressing the employer by “Mr.” or “Ms.” Do not make a mistake on their personal titles; such as Ms. Mrs. Mr. If you do not know their gender, use their full name rather than using wrong titles.
an introductory question asking whether it’s a good time to call or if you could schedule a better time if they sound busy or respond negatively. You might also add that you don’t plan to take up too much of their time because you know they are busy.

brief details about your relevant background/experience, an explanation that you are looking for a new position or are hoping to work in a new environment, and that you would appreciate any advice or information regarding positions within their company.

4. Making and Managing the Call

When you call, you’ll likely be connected in one of the following ways:

Directly to the employer: Proceed with your pitch after confirming if it’s a good time, and remember to take notes while you talk. At the end of the conversation, be sure to thank the employer for their time and ask if you can follow up at a later date. After the call, be sure you’ve noted all important information and determine if a follow-up is appropriate.
To a voicemail: State your name, the date/time, and a short message based on your script; leave a number at which you can be reached, or mention a time when you will call back. If you leave a contact number, be prepared to take their return call at any time at that number (have your notes and resume with you). You should also have a voicemail set up on your cell phone to receive their replies.

5. Writing Cold Emails

If done right, cold emails can be an effective way to reach out to decision-makers. Here are the steps to take:

Identify the appropriate person to contact. Companies usually list their senior-level employees on their website. You may be able to find their email addresses on their LinkedIn profiles.
Tell them exactly why you are contacting them. Tell them who you are, where you got their contact information, and why you are interested in their company.
Personalize your message to the recipient. Use their name in the email and reference some of their notable work you admire and how that connects you and your motivation for writing the email. This shows you have done some research and have a genuine interest in them rather than what they can do for you.
Keep it short and simple. A brief email is more likely to be read.
Express appreciation for their time and reading the email.
Follow up with a short email if you haven't received a response in a week's time. Do not follow up more than twice. It can hinder their workloads and interrupt their time if you follow up many times.

6. Phone Call or Email?

Cold calls and emails can both be effective strategies to connect with hiring managers and make yourself stand out from the crowd.
It can be challenging to get through to a prospective employer on the phone as there are levels of screening in place at many workplaces.
If you are unsuccessful in reaching the person on the phone, sending an email is a good and low-risk alternative.
Follow the steps outlined above and don't be discouraged if you don't receive a reply right away.
Persistence can pay off and you may be surprised at who you can connect with using this method.

7. Keeping Track of Your Contacts

Keep whatever system you’ve decided to use up-to-date .
Carefully keep track of who referred you to new contacts, so you can mention the referring connection when you speak to the new contact.

8. Conclusions

Cold calling is difficult. Fear of rejection, crafting the right pitch and targeting the right people all pose challenges. However, understanding these issues can help you face them and make cold calling more successful.

9. FAQs

What's more cold-calling do’s and don’ts - one has to understand?

Ans.

The following more Cold Calling tips and Strategies may work wonders for you. However these are just indicative of do's and don'ts. So apply your mind then proceed.

Do:

Be friendly, relatable, and empathetic to their needs.
Use a confident tone of voice, and be sure of what you’re saying.
Know your product and the benefits it provides inside out before ever picking up the phone.
Research the person you’re calling beforehand.
Have a well-rehearsed opening line that naturally leads to a conversation.
Ask questions and practice active listening.
Understand your goal for the call and focus on achieving it quickly.
Get to the point of why you’re calling before you start selling.
Have an outline for how a successful call will go and follow it.

Don’t:

Be rude or self-serving in any way. It won't go well if the call is about you and not them.
Read robotically from your script. Reading out loud sounds incredibly boring compared to natural speech.
Sell too hard too soon. State why you’re calling and learn their pain points. Then, you can pitch the value of your solution around those pain points.
Expect to close the deal on the first cold call. It’s more reasonable to expect to book a longer discovery call than to close the deal.
Forget to log calls, notes, and follow-ups in your CRM.
Give up. Cold calling isn’t for the impatient. A never-give-up mentality is the only way to win more sales.

References

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