In this video, we discuss how to generate leads when cold calling by taking an example of a B2B cold call and discussing three concepts that can be applied to every cold call, regardless of the product being sold.

You might hear that call and think it was very friendly, and everything seemed to be very easy. While it might have just been good timing and a good prospect, the salesperson used a system to make cold calling and generating leads easier, and we will provide some of the key things she did here.

 

Disarm the prospect

The first thing the salesperson did with her system for how to generate leads when cold calling was to disarm the prospect by asking the question of:

Did I catch you in the middle of anything?

This is a pattern interrupt question because most salespeople ask, “How are you doing today?” when they open a cold call. By asking this question, since it is different, it will snap the prospect out of their autopilot mode by being a pattern interrupt.

It is also a less formal question and one that is closer to what a colleague or friend would ask, and this helps to decrease the prospect’s guardedness and create a slight bump in rapport.

 

Value proposition

The next thing the salesperson did was she shared her value proposition by saying:

We help companies to improve their internal training programs.

This is powerful because it is different from what most salespeople do in that most salespeople open cold calls by explaining the product or service they sell. Not only does the value proposition align more closely with what the prospect cares most about, but when a salesperson talks primarily about the product, it triggers more guardedness and objections.

 

Make the call about the prospect

The next step in this system for how to generate leads when cold calling is to make the call more about the prospect. Most salespeople will make cold calls more about their product and company by talking primarily about what they sell. And the main goal of the call is to see if the prospect wants or needs what they sell.

While this is a logical approach, there are many reasons why this is not the best way to go, but just to point out a couple of problems with this is that this approach is more likely to trigger guardedness, leading to more objections, rejection, and resistance. And another problem with this approach is that it is most likely the case that the prospect is not in buying mode at the exact time they answer your call. With that, a product-focused approach is more likely to create a mismatch between what you are trying to talk about and where the prospect is mentally, leading to objections and missed opportunities.

The best way to make the cold call more about the prospect than the product is by simply asking good questions. This salesperson did this by asking:

What are you all doing to deliver your training information today?
How satisfied are you that you are effectively training people?
Would you be interested in making your training more efficient?

Not only does this help you to learn more about the prospect, but it also helps to get them engaged in the conversation and make them the center of what is being discussed. And by learning more about the prospects you talk with, it will greatly help with how to generate leads when cold calling.

 

Product introduction

After the salesperson learned about the prospect, she introduced the service she sold by saying:

  • We’ve been in the Houston-area for 15 years.
  • We work with companies to improve their training programs.
  • We help you to develop the content as well as the creative.

A nice way to do this is to uncover needs or challenges with your questions and then introduce what you sell as a solution to the prospect’s needs.

 

Close for the next step

The last thing this salesperson did is that she closed for the next step in the sales process, which is simply talking more and having a conversation. This is different from what a lot of salespeople do in that they will try to close to see if the prospect wants or needs the product, which is focusing on the last step of the sales process.

And the problem with that is that the next step in the sales process in most scenarios is simply talking more and having a conversation, usually in the form of a call, meeting, or appointment. To maintain clarity on how to generate leads when cold calling, it is important to stay focused on the step of talking more and doing what you can to get prospects to move forward in that direction.

 

We hope this process for how to generate leads when cold calling provides you with new ideas that can improve your sales efforts!