Effective cold calling demands that callers deal head-on with fear of the unknown. A meaningful acrostic for fear is False Evidence Appearing Real. Yes, the scary evidence is false not true. Wrap your brain around that truth and you will never, ever have to let fear hold you back again.

What is so scary about making cold calls? Fear is fed by the unknown and the practice of mentally dwelling on a number of possibilities of negative outcomes.

Fear of rejection is a biggie. If you think prospects are rejecting you as a human being when you hear, no, then, stop thinking that way. The prospects are just saying – no – to the words they hear. So, just change the words you use. As a sales professional, you have a special ability to use words that most people just do not have. Take a breath. Sit back. Think about the words you are using. Try your new words with a new cold call. Think of negative responses from prospects simply as feedback. That feedback is telling you to change up the words you say.

Here are 5 easy steps for effective cold calling and success.

Step #1 – Cold Call to Open New Business Relationships

When you make a cold call, you are calling a person. Connect with that person. You are good at this kind of thing that is why you are in the honorable profession of sales.

Step #2 – Speak to Your Prospects’ Needs

Your business is based on solving problems and fulfilling needs. Odds are you know more about your prospects’ needs and how to resolve those needs than they do. Your prospects’ need you and the wisdom you have regarding solutions to their problems. When you really get this thought, you will be able to ask targeted questions that will compel prospects to invite you in for a meeting.

Step #3 - Show Off the Benefits

Make a list of what products/services you have to offer your cold call prospects. Then, for each topic on the list write out a benefit statement. A guy who sold lighting for parking lots made a fortune when he followed through with this important tip. His old way of selling lighting to companies had to do with the benefits of people feeling safe in a company parking lot at night. His new way of selling lighting is to drill down on a company’s ability to mitigate risk of law suits from patrons who claim the parking lots are unsafe. Reduced risk is the benefit that sells his product and sells it big-time. You too can translate your features into benefits that are meaningful to your prospects and watch your sales soar.

Step #4 – Clarify the Problem

Your prospects may be clueless as to the severity of the problems that exist in their business. Because you are in the business of providing solutions, you by virtue of your job have more knowledge than they do about problems. During your cold calls, state the problem clearly.

Here is an example as to how my company clarifies the problems of cold calling: 80% of companies rely upon cold calls for new business. Are you one of those companies? 95% of those companies could double their cold calling results with two changes. I am looking for a 20 minute meeting to see whether or not those two changes will do the same for you. State the problem. Propose a solution. Schedule an appointment.

Step #5 - Thoroughly Know the Product

Effective cold calling requires you to thoroughly know your product. Use your first cold calls to identify and gather a list of predictable questions that prospects ask. Expect your list to have twelve questions. Craft your answers. Then, when those questions come up in the future you will have the confidence of knowing an important answer.

Follow these steps to get free from any cold calling fears that plague you and better yet for real, rock-solid, repeatable results from your cold calling efforts.