How to make your Cold Call, “Pitch Perfect”

Everyone hates cold calls. 80% of customers don’t reply to your follow-up email and your pitch – if you get to make one – falls flat.

Try these Three Story Steps to make the process easier.

1. Cold Call

You’ve got sixty seconds. Simple Sales Stories will help you:

• Convince your target customer that you understand their problems
• Reassure them you’re already helping people like them
• Arouse their interest: you’ve got something new!

2. Follow Up Email

They’ve asked for more information. Maybe that’s just a polite brush-off. But don’t miss this opportunity to reinforce your main message: “we’ve got something new that could help you.” Social Proof will help you:

• Show a practical example of how you solve problems for customers
• Show that other customers trust your judgement
• Movie Time will help your target customer “see” what you mean

(Worth thinking: when your target customer Googles your company name, will they see Social Proof stories on your homepage?)

3. Pitch

You’re in the room (or in the Zoom), now don’t miss the chance to make a strong personal impression. Pitch Perfect will help you:

• Stay focussed on the customer’s problem
• Be realistic about the journey ahead

The single biggest mistake I fix for clients is to stop them presenting a written document in a verbal pitch. You are meant to be the star of the show, so don’t put 100 words on the screen then start reading them out. Show and Tell will fix this problem.

And don’t forget: your pitch is the opening line of a conversation, so keep it short. Convince your customer you mean business and then listen to them. Innovation Curve keeps you focussed on what your customer needs, not how exciting your solution is.

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I used Emotional Dashboard to write this post. Find the hate, that’s where the story is!