Millenium Marketer

Once you get out there networking, it’s possible to get a random call from someone that you may have met. Or, you may be in the reverse situation where you are making the cold calls yourself.
The ideal situation is to never make cold calls because you’ve become prepared enough so that your network will support you.

But, if it happens that you do make a cold call, make sure you have a reason to call. For example, you could following up to an event where you first met, checking in after a few months of having met someone, being referred by a friend who recommended to call, and so on.

Otherwise, you are placed in a bad situation with very little leverage and all the power is in the hands of the person who has just received your call.

The goal is never to call someone that you don’t know well for a favor. I don’t claim to be an expert on this subject but I’ve definitely had my personal triumphs and challenges in doing this very thing. It does take a few very bad “sales-y” calls to get better understanding of how to do this, so don’t be afraid to make mistakes.

I think it’s best to take cues from a badly prepared cold call. A woman that I had met maybe about two or three years ago calls me today.

I do have great empathy for cold callers, but I saw many blunders, which I will name Common Mistakes of the Amateur Cold Caller.

Common Mistakes of the Amateur Cold Caller
Caller: Hello Clara, we met a while ago and I was wondering if you were looking for health insurance?
Me: No, I am not looking for that right now, thanks.
Caller: Oh, how about tax-deferred investments?
[Already we are off to a bad start because this appears to me like a telemarketing call.]
Me: Excuse me, where did you get my number from?
Caller: Oh we met at a mixer a while back, but I don’t remember which one. I have your business card here from the Monterey Institute, your graduate school.
[And it appears that since she received my card, it was randomly selected from the deck without any further investigation. She hadn’t written down the name of the mixer, either. I happen to have quite an extensive LinkedIn profile.]
Me: Well that must have been a while ago then.
[Here, I am wondering to myself, why did she not call me two years ago when I first gave her the business card? It has gone through several iterations and companies since then. We would have had a better chance to get to know each other about two years ago.]
Caller: Yes, well it was at some mixer.
Me: Um, OK. [Since she doesn’t know which one it is, I find it hard to make a human connection with her. At this point, she switches from being a potential acquaintance to being another Telemarketer.]
[[Awkward silence.]]
Caller: Oh, so you graduated, congratulations!
Me: Thanks.
[Note that one word answers aren’t a very good sign. I just don’t know what to say.]
Caller: So where are you working now?
[Apparently, this may be an attempt to acquire further lead ideas from me.]
Me: Um….[long pause—I’m thinking about how I would rather not disclose any information about my life at this point.]
I’m very sorry, but I don’t believe that to be your business. Thanks for calling.
[Also, under the circumstances, since she is now a Telemarketer and not a potential friend, this appears to be a very intrusive thing to ask. Thus the call ends as it was fairly unproductive.]

Read more about the anatomy of a cold call below.

The objective of a cold call should never be to push a “final objective” (get a job, sell a product, etc.) Rather, try to develop a relationship instead. (This is one of the reasons why I’m a big fan of Twitter, but that’s another post on relationship building for another time.)
Before the call,
Review what you remember about the person. Is there anything that you find particularly excites them? Is it politics, baseball, professional development, or an event they were going to? The 5 W’s (Who, What, When, Where, Why) are a good place to get your head wrapped around all the details.

During the call:
Take a deep breath and calm down. This also allows a moment for the call receiver to adjust to the conversation, because they may need a few moments to get oriented. Then, state your name and ask if it is a good time to talk. Make a human connection: “Hi, I met you at marketing mixer last week. ” or “I noticed that we are fellow members of the same association.”

Read between the lines. You should be able to tell from the other person if the call is appropriate, and if they say, “I’m not sure how I am able to help,” it’s a good sign that they are friendly, but also a bad sign because you may be hitting them a little hard with your ulterior motive.

Allow a natural flow to the conversation. Some people are programmed to network and exchange ideas, others are not accustomed to it, so adjust the conversation as you go. It’s a good idea to inject humor as laughter brings people closer together.

Create another opportunity to speak again. It’s important not to push your objective but to keep a natural flow where they enjoyed the conversation and are willing to speak again. One thing I don’t recommend putting the interlocutor in a situation where they are forced to say yes to something when they are not whole-heartedly in agreement with you.

After the call:
Create an honest assessment of yourself. Take note of anything you did well and anything that did not go so well. You’ll have a better idea about what to do next time.