Unless you’re an experienced salesperson, making cold calls can be one of the most tasks on your to-do-list, especially if you have to use your second language. Cold emails, on the other hand, feel a lot easier because you can take your time to decide on how to phrase something, proofread (or even have someone else proofread for you) and add visual content to get your point across. Click here to find out more about how to write a professional email in English. Unfortunately, cold emails have a considerably lower than cold calls. So what can you do? In this article we suggest 5 steps on how to make cold calling in your second language feel less intimidating.
1. Make sure your English is sufficient. You don’t have to be completely fluent, but you want to make sure that you can schedule appointments and understand most of what your prospect says.
2. Research, research, research. Who is the person you’re trying to reach? What’s their name and position? What exactly does the company do? In most cases, you can find the right information on the company’s website.
3. Write a script! Even if a script won’t help you with exactly what the other person is going to say, you will have a general idea of possible answers. More importantly, you will have your fine-tuned so you sound like the expert that you are.
4. Rehearse that script. Ask a coworker, a friend or even your teenager to do a mock call with you. Once you say the words out loud, you’ll notice where you struggle and you’ll be able .
5. Speak slowly and listen. If you speak slowly and clearly, your conversation partner will most likely speak the same way which will help you understand them better. Listening is sales 101. You want to be able to identify your prospects’ needs and problems so you can offer solutions. Also – the more they speak, the less you will have to!
To make things really easy for you, we attached a script template further below. Feel free to download it and adapt it to suit your needs.
To get more inspiration, hop on over to our podcast episode “The Icing on the Cake: The Unexpected Advantages of Being a Language Learner” where Pierre-William Plante talks about his experience as a Solutions Specialist at Coveo. Still not sure if you can do it? Why don’t you sign up for one of ACA’s language courses? Our teachers are happy to customize the class to your needs and practise cold calls with you!
Cold Call Script Template
A marble wholesaler calls a stone retailer to see if he is interested in buying marble from him to make countertops.
Objective: Establish rapport and convince the prospect to agree to a meet-up
Mr. Grey,
the Prospect: Hello?
Guy Tremblay: Good afternoon Mr. Grey, my name is Guy Tremblay from Marbre-Quebec.
*Pause*
How are you doing today?
Prospect: I’m well, thanks. How can I help you?
Guy: I’m calling to talk to you about Italian marble. I can see from your website that you carry different kinds of marble, is that right?
Prospect: Yes, we do.
Guy: Great! So, I usually work with retailers that specialize in marble countertops. My customers are looking to get high quality Carrera marble from a reliable source, especially considering the current supply shortages. Does that sound like something that would interest your company?
Prospect: Oh yes, we’re constantly looking for reliable suppliers.
Guy: Would you mind elaborating on that?
Prospect: Because of the pandemic, the supply chains are disrupted everywhere. Especially those shipping from overseas. It can be a bit frustrating when certain marble colours are back-ordered.
Guy: Oh yes, I hear you – and I’m certain we have the right solution for you. I’ll be in your area next week Wednesday and Thursday. Would you be available one of those days to discuss our product in more detail?
Prospect: That sounds great. How about Thursday at 3pm in our showroom?
Guy: Wonderful, I’ll be there. Thank you and have a nice day.
Prospect: You too.