Hate Cold Calling? Try Warm Calling!
By Wayne Forster
This article first appeared in The Costco Connection, May/June 2002

As a sales trainer, I hear it all the time from salespeople and small business owners. “I hate cold calling,” they say. “Isn’t there a better way to contact prospective customers?”

Well, as a matter of fact, there is. It’s called “Warm” Calling.

Warm calling means calling prospective customers solely for the purpose of introducing yourself and your business – as opposed to cold calling where you contact a complete stranger and attempt to make a sale or get an appointment on the spot. When you warm call, you make it very clear that you’re not trying to sell anything at this time; you’re simply letting the prospect know who you are and what type of business you’re in.

Warm calling removes much of the fear of cold calling. What salespeople hate about cold calling is being rejected, being rebuffed by the prospect. With warm calling, there’s little chance of rejection because you don’t ask for anything. Prospects react more positively because they’re not being pressured to make a decision on the spot. The pressure’s off for everyone.

The effectiveness of warm calling is that it then sets up your follow up call perfectly. In a week or so you call back. And guess what? It’s not a cold call this time. You’ve spoken with them before. They know who you are. You’re not a stranger anymore. They call you by your first name. Now you can talk business!

And that’s not all. Occasionally on the initial warm call, the prospect will actually initiate the selling process by asking questions about your business. Once they’ve opened the door, you can walk through it and go for the sale.

So, if you hate cold calling, try the warm calling approach. It’s a little more work initially, but it’s worth it.

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