Cold Prospecting: 6 Mistakes made when making a call

Years ago, the way used by the prospecting managers of the companies was the phone call, a completely effective way to contact the person of interest and be able to talk to offer the products or services of the represented company.

Today there are many ways to prospect, such as email sequences, advertising, indirect contact such as blog posts, downloadable content, Etc.; media that attract users, but you are making indirect contact with them, videos, and more. The reality is that cold calling is still one of the most effective techniques for prospecting; in this lecture, let's talk about the techniques and some mistakes made when cold calling.

Cold calling remains a powerful tool in the sales process, yet it's one of the most challenging. In a landscape where customers are more discerning and informed, mistakes during a cold call can be the difference between opening an opportunity or losing it forever. And while it may seem like a tactical action, its impact is directly tied to customer experience.

Every call is a first impression—not just of a product or service, but of how a company approaches its potential customers. Is the interaction built around the buyer’s needs, or is it just a robotic pitch with no real connection? The real challenge isn’t getting someone to listen—it’s making them want to keep listening.

This article breaks down five common mistakes that weaken the effectiveness of cold calling and damage the customer experience. Identifying and correcting these errors not only improves conversion rates, but also sets the tone for more human, sustainable business relationships from the very first contact.

Differences between telephone selling and cold calling


Although they may initially appear to be the same, they have different characteristics due to their purpose:

• Cold calling: It is the initial step to the telephone sale, and its objective is to execute a more advertising and persuasive action. For example, when they suddenly call to give information about car insurance. It is a call that is not expected; an investigation is made during the call of the possibilities of that potential customer.
  
  
• Telemarketing: In this action, the salesperson tries to persuade the user to buy his product or service. Previously they have been prepared through different techniques to exert pressure and very persuasive work.
  
  

• Preparation
• Location
• Knowledge of the product/service
• Time/Hour
• Person/Contact
• A previous study of the company
• Among others
  
  

Generally, "cold" calls are seen as something that implies difficulty and fear, so that it can become very unpleasant and tedious for many of us. For this, it works to study sales processes, learn good techniques, or follow specific steps so that we can improve the results.

Mistake 1: Not being prepared.

Pre-call preparation is critical; you must make sure you are ready emotionally and physically and have relevant information about your prospects.

You can ask yourself these questions before making a call:

• Am I in a suitable place to make the call?
  
  
• Do I have all the tools I need to be able to get 100 percent out of this call?
  
  
• Do I have a relevant and specific reason for contacting the prospect?
  
  

Having relevant information about each prospect makes all the difference in establishing a conversation, for example:

• Where the company is located
  
  
• How long it has been in the market
  
  
• Who their competition is
  
  

For a salesperson, there is nothing worse than making a call in a noisy place, losing the signal in the middle of a conversation, and not being able to take accurate notes of what your prospect is interested in, and that will leave you with questions ahead. The call becomes annoying and frustrating, and we completely lose focus.

Mistake 2: Not having a clear objective.

Why are you calling this prospect?

Many salespeople start a call without being clear about their primary objective. They dedicate themselves only to fulfilling many daily calls that, in the end, are not effective.

Without a clear objective, the focus is lost and time.

Some people take every call as an attempt to close and what they do is scare the prospect away. Before initiating any telephone sales, you must define why you are making the call and what you want to achieve by establishing contact.

These steps can be:

• Establish the first contact
• Obtain an appointment
• Collect more information from other potential communications.
• Qualify the prospect
• Generate a sale
• Identify the decision-maker, Etc.
  
  

The idea is to be clear about why we are making the call, so we can focus on fulfilling it.


>> Generation of effective sales <<

Mistake 3: Being discouraged

Starting with a good attitude is paramount in telephone sales. You must believe and stop thinking that you will not get it or that there is no interest. You must think of "achievement" because even if you don't realize it, your voice, words, and tone reflect confidence, which the customer values very much.

Mistake 4: Not reserving time for calls

Every day set aside a few minutes to make your calls. Cold calling is not something you do once a month, and you have to work on it and warm them up as much as possible without overdoing it. This process requires constant work, so set aside some time each day to schedule your sales calls or make calls to prospects.

You can identify them, for example:

• By industry
  
  
• By country
  
  
• By size
  
  

The important thing is to know how many you want to contact during the month and establish a metric to help you reach your goal.

Mistake 5: Not using CRM

An omnichannel platform is essential for prospecting management because you will be able to note your customer's interests. Whether there are sales possibilities or the number of times they have been called, how long they have remained as a lead, and how long it took them to become customers. CRMs are used to track customers and collect all the necessary data. Knowing this beforehand will allow you to realistically assess your sales possibilities and prevent you from wasting time on leads that are not reaching to buy or do not meet the characteristics your business needs.

Mistake 6: Leaving your leads unqualified

It is not a good idea to call without knowing who, what weight they have in the company, and what are the sales possibilities. You have to use a suitable method and understand what you are dealing with if they meet the characteristics you need for them to be a client. Otherwise, all you will achieve will be to waste your time and the possibilities of other sales in which you are not investing time.

>> eCommerce and CRM, the perfect couple to increase your business sales. <<

Knowing these mistakes that many salespeople make, you can focus on steps that can help you improve cold prospecting, such as the following tips:

When initiating the call, please formally introduce yourself: The receiver must specify who is calling.

• Present the reasons for the call: Giving details will always generate trust and let them know what the unexpected call means.
  
  
• Ask questions, but do not interrupt: Avoid continuous interruptions, allowing the customer to express his doubts and questions.
  
  
• Verify the data: It is essential to recapitulate and clarify the client's data and possible meetings if there is one or subsequent call.
  
  
• Efficient and effective exposition: Make the information clear and exposed in a way that surprises and benefits the potential client without wasting much time.
  
  
• Write a script: Having a guide at hand is critical to focus on the crucial comments and not get carried away by other unnecessary issues.
  
  
• Keep a call log: Keeping a guide and an order of calls will make the job easier and improve planning.
  
  
  

You may be interested in: What is HubSpot Playbooks, and what are their methods of use?.

I hope this blog will help you identify improvement points in your prospecting management. Remember that the more you know your ideal client, the better you can filter your prospects and thus have better-targeted communication with them.