Cold calling. Perhaps the most dreaded aspect of an inside sales reps’ duties. And with COVID-19 keeping us all in WFH mode, most salespeople have essentially taken on that role. 

But cold calling doesn’t have to be what it’s reputation has made it. We spend a lot of time nowadays beating the email drum. And while email is still the leading and preferred method, statistics show that the average office worker receives upwards of 120 emails per day. Decision-makers are being flooded with hundreds of emails per day. Amongst all this inbox clutter, cold calling may still have a place in today’s world of virtual prospecting – especially if you want to reach new leads and actually grow your market share. 

The way we sell has been undoubtedly, and forever, changed. ASLAN’s “10-30-3” method has proven to greatly increase the number of virtual meetings for sales reps across the board.

If you prefer to listen to the conversation on this topic, feel free to check out sALES with ASLAN podcast episode 74:

The Challenges of Cold Calling

A couple reasons sales reps don’t even attempt to cold call are,

1) because of its perceived ineffectiveness, and

2) more importantly, we’re afraid.

Cold calling is intimidating. People will say things to you over the phone that they would never say in person. Or worse, they’ll just hang up. But phone calls also a chance to connect with your prospect, showing some personality and establishing rapport. 

Prospecting on the phone can often feel like jumping into a cold pool. It can be uncomfortable, you want to scramble right back out. But we all know if you just stay in the water for a little while, the shock wears off and you begin to warm up. I would encourage reps to use this same approach for cold calling. Block off a chunk of time, plan out a bunch of cold calls, and make them.

Rules of Engagement

Before you pick up the phone, you need to prepare. Do your homework, research your prospect first, “dig then dial.” (Google and LinkedIn make this task a walk in the park). 

The first challenge is even managing to get your prospect on the phone. While there’s a lot of data on the subject, people are generally more likely to answer their phone in the morning, or before or after office hours (before 8:30 am or after 4:30 pm). Avoid calling on Mondays or Fridays, as prospects are less likely to pick up. 

Most busy decision-makers will just let unknown calls ring, or even send them straight to voicemail. Relying on voicemail can be tricky because it’s very manual – it requires the decision maker to actively listen to the message, then take the time to note the phone number and re-dial the rep. Unless that prospect is actively searching for the solution you offer, they’re unlikely to take the time to call back. 

However, voicemail does serve a purpose. It can be the first “touch” with your potential customer. It plants the seed and will hopefully cause them to recognize your name or solution when you reach out again, increasing their receptivity to engaging with you further.  Studies have shown that it can take up to 8 touches to successfully engage with a prospect. 

But once in a while, reps will get lucky and get the decision maker live on the line. And when they do, reps need to be prepared. The last thing we want to do is panic and word vomit through the first (and maybe only) 30 seconds of the call. Avoid the “show up and throw up” move that we’ve all been guilty of.  Having a plan for the first few minutes of the call is imperative to lead an effective, engaging and productive call with your prospect.

The 10-30-3 Framework for Success

Here’s the breakdown of the meaning behind those three numbers: you have 10 seconds, to get 30 seconds, to get 3 minutes with your prospect. 10 for 30 for 3. Let’s dig in. 

10 Seconds

Once your potential customer answers the phone and realizes they’ve unwittingly engaged with a sales person, you have about 10 seconds to get them to stay on the line. They’re already getting ready to give you the brush off and hang up. For this 10 seconds to do its job, it needs 2 components: a reference and an “engage” question. 

Tell your prospect that this isn’t a cold call, without using those exact words. You could say something like:

“Hi Sam, this is Scott with ASLAN Training. I understand you’re the VP of _____ at ______.”

“Hi Sam, this is Scott with ASLAN Training. We talked 6 months ago about training…”

“Hi Sam, this is Scott with ASLAN Training. I was talking with Susan over in Sales and she suggested I reach out to you…”

This provides a point of reference letting your prospect know there is a connection, albeit a thin one, and that this isn’t a cold cold call. Immediately following that reference, pose an “engage” question. An engage question is a yes or no question:

“Hi Sam, this is Scott with ASLAN Training. I understand you’re the VP of _____ at ______. Is that right?”

“Hi Sam, this is Scott with ASLAN Training. We talked 6 months ago about training…. Do you remember our conversation?”

 “Hi Sam, this is Scott with ASLAN Training. I was talking with Susan over in Sales and she suggested I reach out to you… Did she tell you I was going to call?”

It’s not, “Do you have time?” or “Are you interested?” or “Are you the right person to speak with?” These questions can be the kiss of death for cold calls. 

And here’s the kicker. Their answer doesn’t really have any bearing on what we (as reps) do next. The goal of the “engage” question is simply that, to engage them. 

Prospects have probably already stopped listening by now, tuning you out and getting ready for that brush off. But instead of word vomiting at them for 30 seconds, with this immediate question, you’ve stopped them in their tracks and hopefully kept them on the line long enough to get to the next piece of the 10-30-3.

30 Seconds

Here is where the heavy lifting comes in. You want to use this time to answer their unspoken (or spoken) question: why you are calling and why they should talk to you. The first part of the 30 seconds is where you answer this.

The OCP:

If you’re familiar with our philosophy here at ASLAN, we call this “reason” an OtherCentered® Position (OCP). This OCP has three elements:

• Their Problem – or what’s on their whiteboard
• The Disruptive Truth – a creative, unique, unknown insight about how to solve that problem (some research or some statistic)
• Your Proprietary Benefit – something you do a little bit differently, that not everyone who sells what you sell can offer

In simpler terms, for people less familiar with ASLAN principles, you should say something on their “To-Do list.” Marketing experts argue that we get anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000 messages a day. Regardless of the number, it’s a lot. So our brains employ something called the Reticular Activation System (RAS) to act as a filter between your subconscious and conscious mind. The good news is, there are only 2 criteria the RAS uses to determine what messages get through: it contains something you know you need or something you don’t understand or is out of the ordinary. 

Something on your prospect’s “To-Do list” or whiteboard will get through the RAS, because it is important to them. If you don’t know exactly what is on their whiteboard, go back to the drawing board and do your homework. You can use challenges that other customers in similar roles/ industries are facing. It can be an educated hypothesis, but don’t ask your prospect to explain their goals and/or challenges to you right off the bat. It’s your job, as an expert who works in this space, to use your experience with other decision-makers in the industry to hone in on a potential challenge that you can help solve. 

Remember, this 30 second piece is not your value proposition or your sales pitch. This is just an OtherCentered reason or position why you should even have a conversation. It’s the potential. At this point, you aren’t selling your solution, you’re selling the discovery conversation you want to have with them. 

Drop the Rope:

The last piece of the 30 second component is Drop the Rope®. Here is where you remove the pressure from the conversation and cultivate receptivity with your prospect. Let them know it’s their choice to continue to engage. Take yourself out of the “tug-of-war” by saying something like:

“But I’m not sure if that’s relevant to you…”

“I’m not sure where that is on your list of priorities…”

“I’m not sure if we may be of help to you…”

By giving them the option, you are taking away the pressure. When you say you’re not sure, this also causes them to realize they are not sure either. They’re now wondering if you could potentially offer something useful to them, and chances are, they’ll give up a few minutes to find out. 

Ask for Permission:

Now’s the time to ask for permission to continue into the 3 minute piece of the conversation. Say something like:

“Would it be okay if I asked you a couple questions, to see if this might be worth exploring?”

This sounds a lot different (and better) than “Do you have time?” No one has time. But a “couple questions” is a lot lower ask. 

3 Minutes

Here’s where you ask those open-ended questions and determine if it may be worth it to continue to engage with your prospect.  Have at least one or two of these prepared in advance of your call. You’ve got your mini discovery meeting. 

Wrapping It Up

Remember, you’re never saying these numbers to your prospect. You’re not explicitly asking for 10 seconds, then 30 seconds, then 3 minutes. This 10-30-3 is just a framework to help you structure and advance your cold calls:

• 10 seconds to break through the noise. 
• 30 seconds to set up the reason they may want to listen/ answer a few questions. 
• 3 minutes to ask a few questions that may lead to a full discovery meeting. 

We’ve found that this method, when done right, opens many more virtual doors for sales reps. But on the off chance that your prospect still attempts the brush off, we have another post coming soon, all about ASLAN’s ADAPT responses, and how to handle your prospect’s false objections.

What’s Next?

In the meantime, if your team is struggling to make the transition to virtual selling, click here for our new program. 

We would be happy to understand your challenges and see if we can help.  We started as an inside sales training company in 1996, working to help sales teams overcome the very same challenges we are all facing today.

ASLAN Training & Development

ASLAN teaches sellers an easier, better way to gain access & influence unreceptive customers, by eliminating the hard sell.