You are 45 calls deep and a prospect finally picks up the phone. Now what?

Relax. You were ready for this call.

Getting Permission

So you’ve just interrupted your prospects day with your call but at least they decided to answer. We like to be straightforward and ask permission to continue the conversation.

“Eric, thanks for taking my call. I’ll get right to it, I want to talk about your sales automation. Do you have time now or should I call back tomorrow?”

It’s a simple, straightforward question that sets limits. Again, follow this structure: “Do you have time now or should I call back later?” It gives options, but both paths lead to a conversation with you.

If they ask you to call back later, great. Set a finite time and hold them to it. Leave them expecting your call.

“Are you a morning or afternoon person? How does 11 tomorrow sound?”

If they do have time, even better: they’ve bought in here and now.

Get the Prospect talking

The biggest risk to a cold call is one where you pitch in the dark with little feedback from your prospect. So on the the next stage, you want to get your prospect talking about themselves, their business, their future plans. Then it’s up to you to figure out where your solution and their challenges align.

Ask open-ended questions about their business processes and challenges. Open-ended questions are questions that cannot be easily answered with a “yes” or a “no.”

“How does your business solve sales revenue scaling issues for clients right now?”

Don’t fear the silence

Do not fill silences with a routine pitch about features and benefits. You risk your prospect checking out or putting up walls: they’ll find excuses to say “no” to a generic pitch. Instead, lead with a question and shut up. Let your prospect speak. Find confidence in staying silent and being prepared to listen. The best SDRs and BDRs use active listening to engage with their prospects and truly understand their challenges. If you’re talking for more than 50% of the call, you’re doing it wrong.

Never interrupt your prospect while they’re talking themselves into needing a product like yours. You can’t shortcut self-discovery, let them work it out.

Leave the call better than you found it

Regardless of the call outcome, leave the call better than you found it. Thank your prospect for their time and repeat your name and business.

“Thanks for chatting, Eric. Once again, it’s Tomas from FunnelFLARE. Reach out anytime.”

A “no” or “maybe” today could be a “yes” tomorrow, next quarter, or next year. Don’t live and die by every call. Stay unattached to the outcome, but persistently open to possibility.

Happy dialing.