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Hi there! I’m your English coach Christina, welcome to Speak English with Christina, where you’ll learn American culture and business know-how to become confident in English.

Today I want to help you get through some barriers with: cold calls.  Thank you commenter Mitsubishi Hashimoto  for this great suggestion!

So you need to cold call a company, but you’re not sure what to say. You’re afraid to make a fool of yourself, you feel like your accent will make them hang up on you immediately…

Don’t worry! I’m here to help you unlock the full potential of great cold calls in English.

Preparation!

The key to a cold call that works is: preparation.
– Learn everything you can about the company. What do they care about?
– Prepare your call. Don’t be afraid to rehearse it by yourself!
– And find a good time to make your call. Don’t be like everyone else! Try to be your contact’s first call of the day, for instance.

Your first words: Introduce yourself

In a cold call, your first words should be your contact’s name, if possible. This way, you know you called the right number, and more importantly, they know you’re not a random robot.

Then you need to state who you are. Use your full name, your job title and your company. Keep it friendly, but short. This is not the part you want to spend time on.

Example:
Hi, Mr. Johnson? This is Christina Rebuffet, and I’m the creator of the company Online Stock Limited.

Get a first “Yes” in one sentence

Your next sentence is your first main hook.
Mention something you know about their company, and ask them to confirm it.

Show that you’ve done your research! It signals that you’re serious. You’re not just a robot calling hundreds of companies everyday!

And now you’re not talking about you, you’re talking about them – and that’s what they find interesting.

With that sentence, you’re already above and beyond 99% of cold callers.

Example:

I recently read on LinkedIn that you’re expanding your online sales activities, is that correct?

Ask for a confirmation, it’s important! It gets you a first “Yes” and that puts them in the mood of saying “yes” to you later on.

Benefits: what you can do for them

This is the attention-grabber that will break any language barrier you might face.
Give them a clear picture of the benefits they’ll get by working with you.

Use precise benefits! Concrete outcomes that they actually want, and not vague platitudes like “better software” or “more money.”

Example:
Sounds like a good project. To help you succeed, my company could connect you with top social media influencers to give you up to a 1200% return on investment in the first two weeks, for example. We’re specialized in accelerating sales of online services. I’m sure that’s something you’d like to do, right?

Try to connect it to your previous sentence. And again, close with a question that will get you another “yes.” This gets them involved in the conversation, and they’ll be less ready to back off.

Your time to shine: Ask!

Now your contact knows you’re serious, there’s no time to waste.
State the real reason why you’re calling, and ask for what you want. 

Usually, you just want to get an appointment, or to find out who to talk to. You’re NOT trying to pitch or to make a sale yet!

If you want to go the extra mile, remind them of the concrete, precise benefit they can get.

Example:
Great, could you tell me who’s the best person I should talk to, to see how our company can increase your sales?

Example:
When could we make an appointment to talk about how our company can increase your sales?

You’re done!

Now you’re ready to make any cold call much more effective. Remember:

– Do your homework
– State your contact’s name, and yours
– Get a first “Yes.”
– Describe a concrete benefit they want
– Ask

And you’re done…almost! Be sure to watch the video to practice pronouncing these phrases correctly.