Perhaps there is no more dichotomous an aspect to a sales professional’s career than the cold call: it is both largely disliked yet highly effective for growing your business.
The objective is simple enough: reach out and connect with your clients and prospects.
Still, whether it’s an aversion to hearing “no” or sounding like a robot reading from a script, cold calling can send even the most seasoned professional into procrastination-mode.
Stop cold calling! Try warm calling.
If you haven’t heard this term before, warm calling is making contact with someone with whom you have had a previous connection. While some of these connections will be warmer than others, generally speaking, it’s easier to approach a warm prospect than your average cold call prospect.
Approaching selling through meaningful conversations develops trust. It follows, then, that a shared previous experience with a prospect is more likely to give you that immediate rapport you need to make a beneficial connection. However, it would be a mistake to think that it is a done deal for that reason alone.
Nobody likes to be sold to, and you don’t want to turn this warm prospect cold with a bad approach.
What might be a legitimate reason for reaching out to a warm prospect?
Perhaps you make a call that is congratulatory in nature. Have you noticed on social media, or heard through the grapevine, that a warm prospect has received a promotion? Perhaps they moved to a new company or a new city. This is a prime opportunity to learn more information about their position and/or have a business conversation to learn more and help them become successful in their new position.
Everybody loves to feel appreciated. Similar to the congratulatory call, let them know that you appreciated the article they published and found it to be informative. Telling someone how their work impacted you is always a welcomed call to receive. Perhaps you want to thank them for their business. So few people take the time to offer their thanks that they will no doubt be impressed by your words.
Sometimes the reason you might call a warm prospect is just plain practical. Let’s face it; life is busy. A warm prospect might have intended to get back to you and, for whatever reason, they have not. Initiate the follow-up whether it’s on a service standard or an estimate you provided. Whatever the reason you have, they may thank you for taking the proactive approach because it had slipped their mind.
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”]Cold calling can send even the most seasoned professional into procrastination-mode. Share on X
Here are some ideas of why you might call a warm prospect:
- have a business conversation to better understand their business goals for the year
- call to thank a customer for an order
- set-up a meeting
- follow up on proposals
- call your centres of influence
- check in to see if delivery standards were met
- follow up on customer satisfaction
- tell them about a new product that might be of interest
- invite them to an event
- reach out because you’ve been driving by for months and want to do business with them
- congratulate them on their recent promotion
Viewing your prospect as a reciprocal relationship is the right tone to set from the beginning.
The key is to have conversations with them that are relevant to them – not you! Approach the interaction from a place of how you can best serve them first rather than simply what you will get from the exchange. The difference will come through loud and clear.
With a little nurturing, your warm prospect could turn into one of your biggest clients or best source of referrals.
How do you ensure your connections can be used for warm calling? Let me know in the comments below.
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Lisa is driven by the mantra – Be Strategic. Be Pro-active. Be Brave. – and has been successfully training and coaching sales leaders and their teams to do the same for over 15 years. As the President of Teneo Results since 2003, she has trained thousands of sales professionals at more than 250 companies across North America. She transitions salespeople away from the standard “product & price” approach to having purposeful business conversations with their customers that drive results.