Cold calling is NOT for the faint of heart. You have to have a thick skin to know that the vast majority of the time, you won't even be able to get to the pitch part of you call. We all know how many words we let a cold caller get in before we callously just hang up the phone, and that's IF we even answer that unrecognizable phone number to begin with. (CAN WE GET AN AMEN FOR CALLER ID?!) That's where this tip that we found changed everything.
Sydney Roe posted about this tip on Agency Nation a few years ago, and man are we pumped we stumbled upon it. Acknowledging that you, yourself, don't want to be held on the phone with a complete stranger selling something you weren't interested in to begin with, was a game changer for Roe. As she struggled with how to get over that monstrous hurdle she asked her girlfriend what her first instinct would be when answering a cold call from a stranger.
Her answer, "Who are you?" sparked an idea in Roe. With today's technology and the benefits of a thorough lead with all the right contact info, was there a way a cold caller could introduce themself BEFORE making that cold call.
Her idea was genius - A WARM-UP EMAIL WITH AN INTRO VIDEO. Boom.
She suggests using video hosting software so you can see if/when the lead has viewed your video, then you know it's time to make the call. Roe writes, "ANY good video hosting software will give you analytics telling you when someone has played your video. Access to that data allows you to follow-up with them in real-time after you know they’ve watched the video, turning your cold call into a warm one."
This takes you from stranger to familiar face. Now, a few days later, when you make the call, you're leading with "Hi, I hope you received my introduction" instead of "Hi, please let me get through one sentence before you hang up." As a potential customer, I love the idea of a business doing their homework and taking the time to reach out to me beforehand so I don't feel bombarded.
Her point of being able to have the option of a standard go-to video OR customizing each video from business to business is a great time saver when you need it, as well as an excellent way to add a little extra attention to detail for that "hard-to-reach" customer.
If you're looking to up your cold call game, we highly suggest taking this idea out for a test drive. If it means the difference between a hang up and keeping someone one the line, why wouldn't you give it a try. When it comes to cold calling, you've got nothing else to lose.
Good luck!