7 Ways to Warm Up a Cold Call
Cold calling is one of the oldest and most effective strategies for lead generation. However, it does come with its own challenges; cold calling can be notoriously difficult to succeed at.
Thankfully, there are some tried and tested ways to ‘warm up’ your cold calls. In this article, we will take a look at what cold calling is, what it means to warm up a cold call, and strategies for doing so effectively.
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What is Cold Calling vs. Warm Calling?
Cold calling is a popular method for generating new leads, and refers to contacting individuals that are unaware of or have not interacted with you or your business, in order to spread awareness and potentially gain new clients.
Warm calling, however, is quite the opposite. Warm calls refer to a business or representative contacting someone who is aware of that person and/or that business and has likely interacted with them before.
When someone refers to “warming up a cold call”, they are alluding to a strategy that makes a cold call, i.e a call with somebody that has never interacted with your business, seem ‘warmer’, or more familiar.
Why is Cold Calling Good for Lead Generation?
Cold calling is a crucial lead generation strategy, and can be extremely effective when done correctly.
According to a report by RAIN Group, 49% of leads prefer to be contacted through cold calls, and that up to 20% of the qualified leads from cold calling will convert into a sale.
Cold calls are an opportunity to make a certain audience aware of your product or service that otherwise would likely not have encountered it. It is also a good way to personalize your interaction for each specific person, as no two cold calls are exactly the same.
Warming up your cold calls can be even more effective, as it creates a sense of familiarity where there is none.
How to Warm Up a Cold Call
There are a few very effective ways to warm up a cold call. Below, we will outline these tips and tricks, in order to help you get the best results from your cold calls.
Name Drop
The best way to warm up a cold call is to make the recipient feel as if there is some connection between the two of you. A good way to accomplish this is by ‘name dropping’, or mentioning a person that you both know, in order to establish some familiarity. If you know or have spoken to one of the recipient’s colleagues, then you can mention that conversation in the call.
Mention Competitors That You’ve Worked With
Another similar technique is to mention their competitor as one of your past clients. If you’ve worked with a company within the same industry as the recipient, then the recipient can see real-world examples of work that you’ve done in their specific niche. This can help them to feel more secure and trusting of your offer.
Mention Similar Events That You’ve Attended
If your recipient frequently attends tech-related events in the area, consider mentioning a similar event you’ve been to and discussing any similarities or industry news. If you find that you have attended the same event, that can be even more beneficial in establishing a common ground.
Find Other Common Ground
If you have no mutual connections and have not attended similar events, then find any other similarity between the two of you and try to use that to your advantage. It can be anything from having gone to the same university, having been on holiday to the same place, or even having a hobby in common. Try to use this in your conversation, so that the recipient can feel more comfortable and trusting of your call.
Follow Up On Previous Correspondence
If you have sent the recipient an email previously, then a good way to warm up the cold call is to mention that correspondence and follow up on it. This will automatically seem more like a more personal call, as it is not technically your first interaction.
Engage With Their LinkedIn Profile
Find their LinkedIn account and interact with their posts for a period of time before making the cold call. This can warm up the cold call because, at this point, you are familiar with one another and have interacted on a social level before the conversation.
Be Familiar
Another way to warm up a cold call is to simply be warm and friendly with the recipient. In fact, according to this report, simply asking “How have you been?” during the call can increase your success rate by up to 6.6 times.
Conclusion
Cold calling remains a critical tool for lead generation. However, it can be challenging to succeed at, which is why it is essential to find ways to warm up your cold calls.
Warming up a cold call means establishing some familiarity or connection with the person you are contacting, in order to make the conversation more personal and comfortable. The tips and strategies outlined above can all be effective ways to warm up your cold calls and increase your chances of success.
By implementing these strategies, you can make your cold calls more productive and generate more leads for your business.
