Inviting buyers to the conversation during a cold call.
Permission marketing in cold calls
We have discussed the first three parts of the cold call: introduction, question, and reason. What happens after?
It’s important to ask a second question following the “tennis game” principle of conversations, which is essential in the first verbal exchanges. I say something. You say something. I say something. You say something. And soon. It facilitates the flow at the beginning.
You talk by introducing yourself. They talk, answering your warm-up question. You talk, explaining the reason for the call. It’s time for them to talk again.
What do you ask? The beautiful invitation question. The best follow-up to the reason why you call is: “Do you have a couple of minutes to discuss it with me?”
I already talked about the power of permission marketing. One of the main reasons why sales efforts fail is that sellers try to impose their will on buyers and want control. Paradoxically, giving control to the buyer, in this situation, empowers them, makes them feel better, and makes them perceive you are not pushing the conversation. You ask for their permission to continue. You are not calling to sell a product. You are asking to buy their time for a call.
They might say no. And it’s OK. But if they say yes, now they are compelled to give you their full attention and will listen more attentively to what you have to say.
Note some other nuances of the question. You specify upfront“ a couple of minutes.” You reduce uncertainty about the time you ask, making buyers feel more comfortable. You could also be more precise if you wish: “Do you have four minutes?” Of course, whatever you say, you must do. Don’t ask for four minutes if you expect the call to last ten minutes (which would be wrong anyway).
Then, you say “to discuss it.” This matters, too. It’s not me pitching. It’s us discussing. It’s not a one-way monologue. It’s a two-way conversation.
Then the “with me.” Two words, quite simple, but they make the sentence more personal. They make you closer to the buyer.
