Entrepreneurs, Scammers, and Business Developers: Dazzled by all the shiny new growth tricks of 2025 (AI automation, becoming an “influencer,” etc.), are you perhaps ignoring what might make the biggest difference today?
Make a cold call to a potential client
Business-to-business (B2B) sales are difficult, especially if you’re used to dealing with decision-makers only at small or local businesses.
Why does it seem like every startup is eager to gobble up your useful services, but C-level CEOs of large companies don’t care much about you? Don’t be discouraged, my friend. Industry professionals who have “been there and done that” have some suggestions to help you and your business break into this lucrative market.
We asked our industry experts two questions…
Question No. 1: Who do I want to talk to? A) President/Owner B) VP of Marketing C) Or Do I want to talk to multiple people?
Answers: With large organizations, the likelihood of decisions being made in a bureaucratic manner increases. You’ll need to talk to multiple people and build value in your product based on their perspectives on their organization’s needs. In medium and small organizations, one person is more likely to be able to make unilateral decisions. I was advised not to call and ask for the “decision maker” – that just screams, “I’m a salesperson!” The key with high-level executives at large companies is not to bypass the gatekeeper, but to have the gatekeeper introduce you.” So, make friends with the administrative assistant.
a question: What is the best way to talk to the decision maker? a) Contact the company office b) Use social media or LinkedIn? c) Find their phone or email extension on the company website?
Answers: In fact, all of the above are recommended at different steps in the process. Tools like Google, LinkedIn, and social media are great for finding out who the decision maker is. In more progressive or entrepreneurial organizations, the chances are better that the management team will be willing to talk to you Little people Like you through social media. It has been recommended that I create awareness of myself and my company/product/service first either via a personal phone call or a brief personalized email to the person I am trying to influence. A personalized phone call or email should separate my sales request from spam.
Communicate via cold email
Email example: Some things to note about this email: It’s short, it’s tailored to the recipient, and the features of what I’m selling are quantifiable. The chances of getting a response to this email are very high…
Hi Chris, As the CEO of a property management company, I can imagine that you are constantly looking for ways to maximize the efficiency of your organization. I am a Business Development Officer for a company that specializes in property management software solutions. Our proprietary software has saved businesses like yours an average of 20 hours of work per week by automating property management tasks. Plus companies like yours save over 50% on renter background checks using our 30-minute online qualification process. Please see the 5 minute demo here on our website for more details. I will follow up with a phone call to your office tomorrow morning. Best regards, Jonathan
I’ve been cold emailing for MarketplaceGOLD, my cryptocurrency geodirectory; I add crypto-friendly businesses to my website and send them a simple email from my Gmail address:
address: Accept encryption?
I’ve added you to my cryptocurrency directory, MarketplaceGOLD.com, herehttps://hackernoon.com/cold-calling-stop-asking-to-speak-with-the-decision-maker?source=rssWhat cryptocurrencies are accepted there? You’ll notice there’s a “Claim” button on the menu, you can register on my website and you’ll be able to make any changes you want to the menu.
Cold calling script In order to pass the gatekeeper
In my experience, you can usually find out who the decision maker is in about 60 seconds using Google or a quick browse through the company’s website.
Contact the company office:
Hi Stacy (name of assistant supervisor), How are you today? I’m Jonathan Roseland and I’m calling about marketing. Is the person responsible for this kind of stuff in your office?
If you know the name of the decision maker:
Hi Stacy (name of assistant supervisor), How are you today? I’m Jonathan Roseland. I’m calling Dave Johnson (Name of decision maker). Is it available?
I find that when dealing with small to medium sized businesses, this line works great because being direct and using my last name subtly indicates that the decision maker He already knows who I am. It is important to communicate it in a confident tone. Often times, they will connect you directly to the decision maker.
Leave a voicemail:
Hi Dave, this is Jonathan Roseland, my number is XXX-XXX-XXXX, please call me back at your convenience.
This voicemail message will get you back 50% to 70% of the time compared to the 10% to 20% of callbacks you get when you describe your product. While some may consider it a bit misleading because I don’t tell them what my call is about, I’ve used this message for years, and I can’t think of a time when a prospect was angry or felt misled when they called back.
“Why should I care?”
“C-level executives don’t actually care about what you’re selling. They care about their business. “There’s nothing about your business that you can tell is interesting,” says Tiffany Lyman Otten, senior account executive at PAETEC. She recommends introducing yourself as quickly as possible, then launching into how you can address the problem they may be facing. With their works.
Be prepared to provide details about how you can help others and boost a similar company’s bottom line. Eliminate extra words from your proposal and give executives room to respond. Most importantly, Tiffany reminds us, “You have to think with every word that comes out of your mouth ‘Why should I care?’ Because you only have about 5 seconds to answer that question if you want to have 5 more.”
Survival, cash flow and profitability
Taking it a step further, Gary McLean, a sales representative at Royal LePage Real Estate, reminds B2B marketers: “C-level managers care about survival, cash flow, and profitability—usually in that order. It doesn’t matter what you want. If you address these three areas, you will You have their full attention as long as you want it. It’s important to craft your entire presentation around these important areas.
Respect the gatekeepers
Remember, when working with larger corporate entities, part of your success depends on getting through the gatekeepers to the real decision makers. “Treat these guards with respectask for their help, and state what you want in very clear language. What you want is to “see if my services might provide value to your organization,” advises Sean Greene, a sales performance expert at Savage & Greene.
She adds: “Since you’re not going to succeed with the ‘decision maker,’ learn to say something more like, ‘Who do you suggest I talk to about this?'” There are few things more important than research when you’re dealing with big companies, so make sure you’re clear about how Your business meets their wants, needs and interests.
If you want to take your sales game to the next level, here are some sales psychology books that will deliver as much ROI as buying Bitcoin in 2015…
The principle of two o’clock in the morning
Never split the difference
Flip the script
Pitch anything
Way of the wolf
48 laws of power
Check out this case study for tactics in Pitch anything Written by Oren Clough…