How to Cold Call

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Workshop Overview

The ITD approach to cold calling works and has instant results.

It might seem surprising to those people not involved in sales that sales people generally do not like cold calling. After all isn’t that what sales is all about?

And yet there are many sales people who do not like cold calling. They avoid it. They do everything and anything else before making cold calls.

This often frustrates the sales manager who explains to them why it is crucial that they do more. But still they avoid it.

The ITD approach to cold calling is based on our training consultants’ experience of doing it themselves.

We train sales people from our own experience of picking up the phone. We have developed an approach which works. Whilst we have two styles for this workshop we strongly recommend the live approach. This involves making cold calls during the training.

It is amazing to watch sales people gain in confidence during the training as they make calls and as they receive coaching from the ITD consultant.

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Pre workshop activity

• Meeting to discuss the participant’s needs and those of the organisation
• Draft workshop outline tailored to your needs
• Agreement of agenda
• Participants complete a short questionnaire and read the ITD Work Style Model in preparation for the workshop.

Typical Agenda

A. Live approach to cold calling

• Participants make cold calls to live prospects in the training.
• Theories and ideas are introduced with role plays to back up learning before live calls are made.
• ITD training consultant coaches your sales people to develop their confidence and skills.
• Calls are made followed by review with further input & ideas on how to handle the situations which the sales people encounter.
• Learning is embed with the training consultant noticing the different styles of each sales person and supporting this in the review sessions i.e. whilst there is a standard approach the skills and personality of each person can shine through.

B. Theory of cold calling

• Roles plays are created to give your people the opportunity to practice cold calling.
• The training consultant and/or a sales manager play a client.
• The different types of approaches to cold calling are reviewed.
• Participants’ questions and challenges are answered by the training consultant.
• A team approach to cold calling is introduced.
• Ideas are given on how to handle objections.
• Participants leave with clear actions to implement.

Post workshop activity

• Participants leave with individual actions
• Email follow up of personal action plans
• Suggested conversation with their line manager on their actions
• Optional WebEx conference call follow up on these actions
• Optional 121 coaching
• ITD blog with further tips and suggestions

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Client feedback

• “Fantatsic training whihc resulted in our team gaining lots of oppurtunities.” Sales Director OVL

Participant comments

• “I hated cold calling before, but now have been given way to do it which suites me; so I’m going to do it much more.” Sales Representative
• “The ITD approach to cold calling works.”

 

Call or email ITD to explore how we can help your sales people become more effective at cold calling

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How to Cold Call – Case Study

OVL Group is a very successful business supplying vehicles and vehicle management services to small and medium sized businesses throughout the UK.

The specific training need was for the sales team to develop a more proactive approach to new business opportunities.

We developed a programme of short workshops, one of which was a live prospecting workshop. In this way the team receive training / coaching whilst doing real work. “The prospecting session was hard work but great and it really worked; I identified four new really good quality opportunities”

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Background

OVL Group is a very successful business supplying vehicles and vehicle management services to small and medium sized businesses throughout the UK.

Market differentiation is achieved through quality of service both in meeting client’s expectations and exceeding them with a flexible approach based on over 20 years of experience

The OVL sales team is a group of dedicated sales professionals who take pride in delivering a high level of service to their clients.  Whilst there is a regular pipeline of existing client work, like many businesses there is a need to look and find new opportunities.

 

Objectives     

The specific business need was for the sales team to develop a more proactive approach to new business opportunities; and to develop awareness of ‘local’ opportunities and approach companies to develop relationships whatever their place in the sales cycle.

 

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Solution

To better understand sales opportunities from the sales people’s perspectives we carried out field accompaniments. The ITD consultant went on joint calls, listened in to telephone calls and discussed the development needs of the selected sales people.

Discussions with managers also helped to build a clear picture about the precise needs and what was required to specifically help the business.

We developed a programme of short workshops focusing on key issues for the sales team. One of these was a live prospecting workshop. This introduced a range of ideas and practical approaches to finding opportunities, whilst the team are making calls to live prospects. In this way they are receiving training / coaching whilst doing real work. This includes sales people making blocks of calls during the workshop to prospective clients, interspersed with time to reflect and discuss areas of feedback

Part of the solution was a ‘sales blitz’ where the team hit an area, usually a major business park, to identify new opportunities.

 

Results           

The team developed confidence in different approaches to prospecting.

Because the solution was so practical the sales people had no doubt in how to apply skills. Results were developed in the training events with meetings booked and opportunities to quote identified. New behaviours were established. The Sales Director was delighted.

 

What the participants said

“Excellent. It actually exceeded my expectations about how much we could achieve.”

“The prospecting session was hard work but great and it really worked; I identified four new really good opportunities.”

 

www.ovl.co.uk

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