5 Steps to build your team’s Cold Call Confidence — And Output.
Cold Calls don’t benefit from skills alone — confidence is key. “Smile and dial, as they say.” Just like skills, confidence can be built.
More confidence means quicker to hit the phone, quicker to recover from rejection, and quicker to book that next qualified meeting!
Here are 5 ways you can build your team’s Cold Call confidence:
Actionable Messaging Phrases — The Most Successful Companies Do It.
That’s because training should be about actionable take-aways; easy application.
- Pain Points & Differentiators are the most important tools you can give your SDR/AE team. These improve the substance of the calls, and help your reps feel like they have a better grasp of what they’re talking about. Offer bite-sized phrases & questions — as a document — and back it up with ongoing training. You don’t need to list every possible question or detail on this handout, nor all the context. Just include the most potent phrases & questions — your reps will build it into their own style over time.
- Cheat Sheets are a great onboarding tool. They help your reps gain control of the flow of the call — this tool gives them a blueprint to help them move the call in the desired direction. It’s also a prompt in case they forget anything and need a quick memory jog. They can list opening statements/reasons for the call, responses to common objections, the best customer examples, qualifying questions, competitor questions, etc. I recommend having your reps build their own during onboarding, and provide them with guided sessions to give them all the necessary pieces to do this. But they’ll remember and value it more if they build their own.
Neither of these should be required scripts. If your rep sounds like they are reading when they speak, you have a new problem. Likewise, authenticity is important, so your reps should rephrase things and experiment over time. But these are both helpful substantive points and visual guides, which will aid your reps into a faster ramp-up time.
Initiate your Reps —Make it a Fun & Clear Milestone Achievement
We all feel better when the “worst” is over.
Every new rep that joins my team goes through a live mock call in front of the entire team just before they are ready to go fully live. It may sound rough, it’s usually nerve-racking for the rep, but with preparation and positive feedback, they always come out of it feeling good. That’s because this call isn’t about winning, it’s about not failing. The only way to not pass this milestone is to give up in the middle of the mock call (but don’t tell them that until after). Keep in mind, these mock calls shouldn’t be too hard nor too easy. Just put the new rep through the paces: give them a chance to share a pitch, offer some objections, ask some questions, and throw out a competitor. Overall this builds confidence and reinforces resilience. It’s a lot easier to call a stranger on the phone than to do a call in front of your entire new team after 2–3 weeks on the job. Plus it’s a shared experience for everyone, which helps build team spirit.
Showcase Successes — Don’t Forget to Show Them What Good Looks Like
Create lots of visibility here. There’s always a big fish or really tough fight that comes in over the line — and yes sometimes prospects do thank you for the call. Show these to everyone. Listen to the recording as a team, or ask someone to tell a story during your weekly team syncs. Cheer them on — or “Whale Done” as they say. The best reps will see it as a personal quest to have one of their calls shown off to the team.
Roundtables — Problem-Solving as The Opposite of Showcasing Success
Coming at things from both sides helps build a fuller picture. So pair your Showcasing Success activities with sessions to digest and contemplate the most difficult calls. Go around in a circle and have people share empathy, ideas, and ask questions. It’ll be a solid group learning experience! Just make sure these sessions are always supportive and constructive.
Call listening and Feedback — Either Live or Recorded
Most systems let you listen to calls live if you’re not able to record them.If you’re not listening to calls, you will see a dramatic improvement in 2–3 months after you start.
Yes, listening in takes time. But it builds skills and confidence. It’s personalized feedback — positive or constructive. It’s not general training, it’s specific coaching. Here are two ways to do this:
- 1–1: Articulate what you thought they did really well and outline progress you see made since the last call. If they’re new and onboarding, caution them that sales readiness is something that takes time for everyone. Focus on one or two things unique to the person that you’d like them to work on first (as a opposed to diving into everything they could do better).
- As a Team: Perhaps use a “Call Power Hour” to boost call stats, but use the time to listen in and take notes across the whole team. Then group and anonymous your notes before meeting as a team to walk through what you heard. I always offer these notes as a handout after, and include it in onboarding.
Alternatively don’t make it about you. Peers learn from peers; take your leaders and most skilled reps and help them develop their careers and motivate others by leading feedback and mock call sessions with your reps.
ALSO A BONUS: Motivation — Don’t Forget!
There’s a lot to be said here, from cheerleading to spiffs to game days — but I want to focus on output at the moment. Show your team what happens with more calls. Don’t assume they get it. Give them the WHY. What do just 10 more calls each day do? How would that make a difference? Point out those times when someone didn’t book a meeting all day, but then got one at the very end with those last calls. Use historical data to find the average call-to-meeting rate; if it’s 1 meeting per 50 calls, and your team averages 40 calls per day; those 10 extra calls, statistically, will make a huge difference!
Learn more about Cold Call Skills & Confidence in “Outbound Sales Demystified: Generate Leads and Close Deals.” Available on Amazon in paperback & ebook
