Cold calling is when a
salesperson calls up a complete
stranger to check whether they
might be interested in buying
his products or services. On the
other hand, warm calling is a
term used for situations when a
call is made to a prospect after
sending him some kind of direct
marketing piece or to someone
who has expressed an interest in
the products or services.
Warm calling is considered
better that cold calling. The
client has already expressed
interest in your product, so
there are more chances that he
will listen to you. Moreover,
your call will be considered as
a follow up call, providing
important information instead of
being considered as an
unsolicited nuisance.
How to Convert Leads into Warm
Calls
Here are few tips for turning
your leads into warm calls:
1. Warm Up Your Leads: Offer
some valuable information about
your products to the prospects
before calling them up. This
will warm up your leads towards
your products and make them more
receptive towards your call.
2. You may send them concise
letters giving an overview of
your products and the company or
provide them valuable
incentives, such as physical
CDs, brochures, free reports or
product samples. Then follow up
with a call after few days.
3. Initiate a Conversation: Do
not sound too excited when you
call up a lead, as this may make
your prospect a little
defensive. Remain calm and
engage your prospect in a
natural conversation. Try to
make them feel comfortable, put
them at ease and create a
feeling of trust. Make them feel
that you are trying to help
instead of making a sale.
4. Ask Questions: Ask your
prospects questions regarding
their problems. Help them tell
you what exactly is on their
mind. Try to understand their
needs and then tell them how
your product can solve their
problems. Your prospects will be
more open to listening to your
solutions, if they feel that you
are able to understand their
problems.
5. Avoid Trying to Close: In
case everything is going fine
and the prospect is showing
great deal of interest, do not
try to close. This can put
pressure on the prospect and
ruin the relationship that you
are trying to build. Focus only
on securing an appointment
instead of making a sale.
6. Confirm: Suggest a brief
introductory meeting with your
prospect. Note down the time,
date and place of the meeting
before ending the conversation.
Moreover, call up the prospect a
day before the meeting day to
confirm the appointment.
Source: Orson
Dixon
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