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12 Cold Calling Tips for SaaS

Cold calling has been an effective way of getting new clients since the first cold call ever was conducted in the NCR corporation in the late 19th century.

Since then, SaaS companies have been using various sales strategies and tactics to reach out to potential clients and convince them about the benefits of their solutions.

Nevertheless, cold calling has not always been associated very positively. As human beings, we are used to talking to our family, friends, and people we know daily pretty much about anything.

However, when it comes to contacting strangers out of the blue and inviting them to subscribe to our platform, it may not be as comfortable as if we were supposed to talk about the solution within our network circle.

How can we ensure that the daily cold calling activities conducted by sales teams across the organizations are bringing the results you want while remaining a fun activity for your teams? 

Tip 1. Establish a relationship

Whether you are surprised about this fact or not, decision-makers in SaaS companies receive daily over 3000 marketing messages from various sources. Therefore, instead of focusing on selling your SaaS platform, think of the process as an interesting way to expand your professional network by educating your prospects about a solution he/she has not heard about before.

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This way, you will be able to turn cold calling into a warm and friendly experience that will allow you to learn more about the ways other companies operate, the solutions they are using, and ultimately, build new business relationships.

Tip 2. Do your homework

Nobody has ever achieved great results without preparation. As easy as it sounds, proper research means half of your success. Before you dial in your prospect’s phone number, spend some time looking into your company data.

Has the person ever been contacted prior by any other team member? Is he/she active on social media? Any information you can find out from your knowledge base or any other platforms may be a way to connect with your potential client.

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Maybe he/she likes a certain sport you do or maybe you have the same favorite band. Think out-of-the-box and be ready to use the information for your advantage to find something you may have in common. 

Tip 3. Ensure your telephone connection is working well

Whether you are using a landline or online phone, it is always useful to keep in mind not to lose yours and your prospect’s time by having to explain the same thing multiple times because your call got disconnected or the other side cannot hear you well.

Therefore, ensure your headphones are plugged in correctly, and that you are not distracted by any noises that could lower the quality of our call.

Tip 4. Use a script

Sounding like you would be a record player is not a way to go pursuing a new client, however, using templates may be a great way to prepare what you would like to talk about and how your call should be structured.

Start with a catchy introduction and say a few words about the company you represent before moving to present your deal. If you’re looking for inspiration for your speech, you can download these cold calling templates that will give you great insight into how to best structure your call and consequently, close more deals.  

Tip 5. Propose a promotion

Deals and special promotions are usually not being looked for by consumers and companies. Instead, they are proposed as a great tool to spark interest in a potential client. If there is a way to get a certain service for a better price than usual, your clients may be more likely to respond to your offer.

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Think of a time period during which you would like the promotion to be held. Is it a spring sale? Black Friday sale? Christmas promotion? Be creative and think of ways to impress the other side with an offer that cannot be refused. 

Tip 6. Know your service

As soon as you make it through the initial introduction and you have managed to keep the interest of your potential client, you can already congratulate yourself as you have managed to warm up your prospect. In the next stage, your task will be to present your solution.

Make sure you know everything about the service you are about to promote and talk about how you believe it would help your prospect with their daily tasks while contributing to their organizational success.

If you are selling a cloud e-invoicing solution, for instance, focus on the benefits by talking about how it has helped other clients save their time by creating invoices online instead of their usual manual methods.

Use statistical data and demonstrate concrete benefits of your service by making sure you apply them to the needs of your prospects. 

Tip 7. Be open & honest

Leaving some space for questions represents a perfect opportunity to continue a conversation with your client-to-be. As you have already managed to spark his/her curiosity and present the benefits, the next step is to ensure that you have provided all the necessary information by answering all of their questions.

As soon as you finish presenting your service, ask whether there are any questions from your prospect’s side. After responding to questions related to the system itself, chances are that you are about to get to talking about the pricing, which is a sign that you are getting close to closing your deal. 

Keep in mind that it is not recommended to in any way try to make up any false figures or give away information that you are not sure about. In case you would need to double-check any details with your internal team, agree to continue with the conversation another day or an hour after you have the right information and politely agree with your prospect on a follow-up call. 

Tip 8. Handle the objections like a Pro

Be ready that your potential clients may react to your proposal in different ways. Some may be interested right away; some may react neutrally, and some may be looking for excuses to end the call before you are finished with what you wanted to say.

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How to ensure that you are always at the top of the conversation? Show that you are a good listener and always seek to help your future client on the way towards running a business more efficiently. If you are told that it’s not the right time to speak, for instance, ask about the best time to follow up.

If your prospect tells you that there is already a similar solution the company is using, show sympathy and find out whether there is a way your service could offer any additional benefits. 

Tip 9. Agree on the next steps

Every successful cold call should end with a clear understanding of what comes next. As soon as you finish talking about the service itself, make sure that you conclude what has been discussed and agree with your potential client on the next steps.

Is it an email invitation to subscribe to your service? Are you going to have a follow-up call with another person in the company? Before you hang up your call, always make sure that both sides are clear on what activity is supposed to be following your conversation. 

Tip 10. Get a referral

Finally, in case you have spoken to someone who is not able to take the decision or informs you about not being the right person to be contacted, make sure you collect the phone number and an email address of the person you are supposed to talk to while taking a note about the best time for you to reach out to him/her. 

Tip 11. Evaluate

Remember that practice makes perfect. Not every one of your or your call is going to be successful and lead to deal closure. Therefore, taking notes and reflecting on how your call went is a part of improving your sales skills along the way and closing more deals in the future. 

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I hope that this article has provided you with useful tips & tricks on how to manage cold calls successfully and turn unpopular cold calls into an enjoyable, warm, and friendly experience.

When following this advice, you should be able to close more deals, and onboarding new clients should be a great experience. Although the sales strategies and techniques may have been developing over time, the principles of human connections will always stay the same. 

Author Bio:

Michal Kouril is a growth hacker at CloudTalk, a call center software company. When he’s not knee-deep in data, content, and paid campaigns, he enjoys exercising and watching new TV shows.