May 17, 2012

Preventing hang-ups when cold-calling - Tip # 4



The next tip I will be sharing is an extremely controversial one and something that I have been told can backfire.  Nevertheless - I still use it!  Why, after the warning above?  Well because, it hasn't backfired and I'll explain why.  Let's reveal tip #4...


Mention someone else's name as a reference

What does this mean - well for starters it means that you can build your credibility by mentioning to the recipient that you are calling as 'so and so' asked you call them up.  Why this is controversial is that maybe you never spoke to a 'so and so' and randomly picked their name up!  How do you get this name?  I typically select someone that has left the organization, you can find them from the following sources:


  • Linkedin - go to the company tab and on the right there is a place where you can see "Check out insightful statistics...", once you go there you can view the departures from the company
  • Jigsaw (now owned by salesforce.com) - if you are familiar with it, you can get names from the graveyard, which is free to retrieve
  • If neither of the above work, then I select a name of a person in the company that works in another department because you can say they thought you might be the right person
This is controversial no doubt, but I view this is a way to get you foot in the door!  Comments (am sure - there are going to be a few!).

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2 comments:

  1. AnonymousMay 17, 2012 at 10:31 PM

    would you say that your tactic is used because of 'fear' that they may hang up? wouldn't you start with a more 'honest' approach? would it not be easier to actually speak to someone AND get a reference to call on someone else?

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    1. atharafzalMay 18, 2012 at 10:58 AM

      You are absolutely correct! And that's why I began and ended by saying this is controversial. I should have mentioned that the 'honest' approach is the right approach, but many times people don't like to give out their names in references. Should you then give up on that account?

      I caution people on using this method - cold-calling is a personal strategy - what works for you might not work for me and vice-versa. In this scenario - if I have someone on the phone and provide a reference - I immediately have the conversation moving to a direction of "no it's not my area of expertise, but speak to ____ as they might now or are in charge of that area" - and now you have a reference.

      It's all done in good intention of getting me to speak to the right prospect in the fastest time possible.

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