Picking up the phone

This is the last thing you do each morning and the smallest. You are ringing two or three people, not ten, and you have chosen them because their website showed a real fit or because you have something particular to offer them.

Most people find this the least appealing part of the week, and there is no need to pretend otherwise. What makes it manageable is having enough of a plan that the call is straightforward, which is usually all that is needed.

You are not making a cold call

Everybody on your report saw your name and your offer and chose to look more closely. Somebody at that company was reading about your business yesterday.

You have also read their website, so you know what they do and why you might be useful to them. That is a very different conversation from working down a list of strangers, and the words below assume it.

Before you ring, three things

Not a script, just three things clear in your head.

The first is why you are ringing this particular company. The second is the problem you solve for businesses like theirs. The third is what you would like to happen next, which is usually a short call later in the week or permission to send something over.

Thirty seconds of thought, and the call runs itself.

Getting past reception

Most calls are answered by somebody else first. Be a business owner asking to speak to another one, rather than somebody hoping to be squeezed in. Say who you want and what it is about, and expect to be put through.

Good morning. Could I speak to [first name surname] about [the specific subject], please?

If you are asked what it is regarding, give the same specific subject again without expanding on it. If they are not free, there is no need to leave your message with reception. Ask when would be a good time to ring back, and whether there is a direct line, and write down whatever you are told.

Reception are colleagues rather than obstacles. Give your first name, ask for theirs, and be straightforward about why you are calling. It works far better than trying to talk your way through.

When you reach them

Good morning [first name], it is [your name] from [your company]. I emailed you earlier this week about [what you help with]. Have you got thirty seconds and I will tell you why I am ringing?

Almost everybody says yes to thirty seconds. Then say plainly what you do, mention the specific thing you noticed on their website, and ask whether it is something they are dealing with at the moment.

We work with quite a few [type of business] on [what you help with]. I noticed [something true and specific] and wondered whether that is something on your plate just now.

From there it goes one of three ways, and all three are fine. If they are interested, agree a proper conversation for later in the week. If they ask you to send something over, take the best email address, agree what you will send, and tell them you will ring again once they have had a chance to look so that it does not get lost. If they already have somebody, ask one light question about how that is working, and if the answer is a clear no, thank them and leave it there kindly.

Voicemail

Most calls reach voicemail, which is normal rather than a setback. Keep it under thirty seconds and say the subject line of the email you are about to send, so that your email arrives as something expected.

Good morning [first name], it is [your name] from [your company], on [your number]. I emailed you earlier this week about [topic]. I will send that over again now with [subject line] in the subject so it is easy to find, and I will try you again on [day]. Thanks very much.

Then send the email straight away, while the message is still fresh.

If you are nervous

Almost everybody is, including people who have been doing this for thirty years.

A few things that help. Make the first call of the day the easier one, so that your voice is warmed up before the conversation you actually care about. Stand up, because it genuinely changes how you sound. Have your three things written on a card in front of you. And remember that the worst realistic outcome is a polite no from somebody who will have forgotten it by lunchtime.

You are also allowed to ring one person rather than three. One call a day, every day, is a hundred conversations in a year that you would not otherwise have had.

How many times to try

Reaching a busy person usually takes more than one attempt, and most people stop after the first. Two or three tries over a fortnight, at different times of day, is polite and it is usually what makes the difference.

Late morning and late afternoon connect better than the middle of the day, and midweek is better than Monday or Friday. None of that matters as much as simply trying more than once.

If you have not reached somebody after three attempts and a couple of emails, leave it kindly and try again in a few months. Building the habit has a simple way of keeping track of who is due what.