There's no such thing as a warm call

By Joanne Black

July 01, 2010 at 08:00 PM

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A rose is a rose. And a sales call is either cold or hot. No exceptions.

Hot calls can yield a fantastic rate of return, but unless your prospects know you or are expecting you to reach out, it's a cold call. And if you make 100 cold calls, you may talk to about 20 people, schedule 10 appointments, and if you're lucky, close one new deal. That's a 1 percent return on your time.

Hot calls–when there's the been an introduction and the prospect is expecting your call–shorten the sales cycle, increase your credibility, result in qualified prospects and mean securing new clients more than 50 percent of the time!

Here's how to get HOT calls:

Make a list of everyone you know–prime sources for referrals. Prioritize the list with the names of people you know best at the top.
Set a goal to contact at least three people each week to arrange in-person meetings if at all possible.
Tell your referral sources that you are building your business through referrals and would appreciate their help. Describe your ideal client and ask for one or two people who meet this description.

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