How to Build Trust in Cold Calls

Prospects aren’t targets. They’re humans. Humans respond best when they feel understood, not convinced. The best salespeople know how to make others feel heard. When you ask a question, then another question, then another unrelated question, discovery calls can feel like interrogations. If you don’t listen and instead rapid-fire scripted questions, it feels like you’re not genuinely interested in the response but rather focused solely on your agenda of quantifying pain so you justify your solution. If people don’t feel understood, they’re not going to trust what you recommend. The way out? Ask fewer questions on discovery calls. Go deeper. Like a therapist: “What’s on your mind?” (Inbound.) “How's it going?” Mute. (Digging deeper) “Afraid to dial?” (Digging deeper) “It’s like the phone is a cactus.” Mute. (Digging deeper) “What else?” Mute. “There are so many sales trainers. What prompted you to call us?” “What's the real challenge?” (Digging deeper.) “What's your perspective on why that is?” “If you're looking back 6 months from now, what has to have happened for you to feel really happy with your progress?” (Digging deeper.) “How so?” Don't ask a digging deeper question if you're not curious about the answer. When people feel understood, you build trust. And in a world of similar products, trust is why people choose you. Seller’s don’t have the answers. Buyers do. The seller’s job is to draw them out. Learn the gentle art of making others feel understood here: https://lnkd.in/eVfUevmz

Bad news for you... there is no silver bullet when it comes to making cold calls. There is no magic opening line, or fool-proof structure that will guarantee you success on the phone. That being said there are a few things that I consider to be pillars of a good cold call. Incorporate these things and your chances will improve, that isn't to say they will guarantee success, it's also not to say that not doing these things guarantees failure. These are just things that as someone who cold calls every single day seem to be highly effective. 1. Pick up the phone and call ↳ There is no amount of research, courses, or mock calls that can replace actually having to pick up that phone and call. No meeting has ever been booked from a cold call that wasn't made... 2. Open the call with confidence and conviction ↳ If you don't sound like you want to be making that call how on earth do you expect your prospect to want to take that call. Bring a little swagger to your calls. Sound like you want to be there. 3. Incorporate a 3YU ↳ Give the prospect 3 distinct reasons that you are calling them specifically. The vast vast vast majority of reps are not doing this... this is where you can really stand out from the noise. 4. Have a PROBLEM based pitch ↳ Don't spend 5 minutes telling your prospect how amazing your product or service is. No one cares. What people care about are the problems they have, and how they can solved them. Your pitch should be problem-oriented, and then it should BRIEFLY outline how your offering can help solve that pain. 4. Ask ask ask ↳ Ask questions, not because you are supposed to or because your boss told you to. Ask questions because you genuinely want to understand your prospect. You truly want to get to know their world. If you go into a cold call with your main objective being to deeply understand your prospect as opposed to booking a meeting the entire tone of your calls will change... and it will resonate... and you will book more meetings... crazy how that works. 5. Customer-Centric Closing ↳ Too often we close a cold call in a selfish way, because WE want the meeting. Whats in it for them? You should always be closing a call in a way that outlines why the prospect would care about taking a meeting. Lead with the value of their time in mind. This isn't for you, its for them. There are a ton of other insights and tips I could mention (one big thing I left out is objection handling but that's a whole other topic) but to me this felt like the 5 most important pillars. If you want to learn more about how I approach cold calls I am hosting an 8STR8 session this Tuesday at 5:00 CT. We are opening it up to 25 people from the public, fill out the form in the comments if you are interested. PS: I am by no means an expert on anything, I still mess up calls every day... but I do think I have learned some things that a lot of people can benefit from, so that's why I want to share :)

Don't put your prospects in a box. Early in my career, I was eager to categorize leads.... hot, warm, cold.  Why? Wrong title, (I will post more about titles tomorrow) Not our top use cases Prospect had a lukewarm reaction in our intro call. It seemed efficient, right? But I learned, often the hard way, that this approach was more like putting on blinders than a strategy. A lead I had tagged as 'cold' because they were hesitant during our first meeting. I almost moved on and qualified them out.  But something told me to dig deeper, to understand their hesitance rather than label it. Turns out, they were undergoing a major restructuring and were actually in dire need of our solution. They became one of our most significant accounts of the year. The Power of Listening - Not just hearing, but truly understanding their challenges, their business environment, and even their personal apprehensions about adopting new tech. This approach transformed my sales strategy. Adaptability is Your Superpower - Solutions often need to be as dynamic as the industries you serve, adaptability is your superpower. Tailoring your approach to each prospect, understanding that today's 'no' could be tomorrow's 'yes', can make all the difference. Stop Hunting for Use Cases Right Off the Bat -  instead, tune in to the business challenges. Here's the thing: early in my career, I was eager to showcase the versatility of our product. I'd jump at the opportunity to rattle off various use cases, hoping one would stick. But more often than not, this approach led to polite nods rather than genuine engagement. Understanding the specific hurdles a business faces allows you to tailor your talk track. Suddenly, you're not just a salesperson; you're a problem solver. This doesn't mean you won't get to talk about your product's use cases. It means when you do, they're directly relevant to the conversation, making your presentation infinitely more compelling. Building Trust - Empathy is your most powerful tool on a sales call. When prospects feel understood, trust begins to build. And in the world of SaaS, where relationships often dictate the longevity of contracts, trust is gold. Building Relationships - It's about building relationships, not just closing deals. When you treat each prospect as unique, you're not just selling a product; you're providing a solution that fits their needs, which is far more valuable.