The Art of Cold-Calling with Chris Cicconi, Ep #423
Early in his career, Chris Cicconi believed cold-calling was a science. He came prepared with a script, knew everything about who he was talking to, and knew when to execute. But as his career has evolved, the process has become more of an art. Now he gathers a general idea of his persona, where they work, and what their industry is like but he doesn’t rely on the structure like he did in the past. He shares how his process helps him book more meetings in this episode of Sales Reinvented.
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There’s still nothing like picking up the phone and having a person-to-person conversation. But the key to a great conversation is being positive, passionate, and prepared. You have to gather data-driven insights and use them to refine your approach.
You have to believe in and be passionate about your product or solution. You must be positive. Stuart shares how to combine the three keys to book more meetings in this episode of Sales Reinvented.
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Cold-calling is valuable because it’s the fastest and most efficient way to connect with a prospective client—and it’s becoming one of the least common prospecting channels. Too many people are intimidated by phone calls and avoid it entirely. If you’re one of the few salespeople still willing to pick up the phone, you have an advantage. Learn how to leverage that advantage in this episode of Sales Reinvented.
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Cold-calling is an opportunity to plant seeds that you can nurture. It allows you to build meaningful new business relationships. Simone Laraway believes that as long as it’s part of a wider campaign, it’s still incredibly relevant.
But how do you approach cold-calling? What makes it more effective? Simone shares her strategies in this episode of Sales Reinvented.
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Cold-calling success hinges on your ability to listen and ask great questions. The more good questions you ask, the more likely you are to get your prospect to say “yes” to a meeting. It can be too easy to interrupt and be combative when you know they don’t understand what you’re saying. Ashleigh’s process will help you move beyond baseless objections to that elusive “yes.” She details her strategy in this episode of Sales Reinvented.
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Cold-calling isn’t easy. You face constant rejection. But it’s all part of the process. The only thing you can control is doing your research so you know your prospects. You consistently make the calls and speak to the prospect’s pain points.
What happens after your call is out of your control. Once you accept and embrace this fact, the pressure subsides. So how do you measure the process? Scott Cowley shares his strategy in this episode of Sales Reinvented.
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Tyler Hickey is a science guy. He tried to make cold-calling a science. Eventually, he realized there’s an art to it as well—and you have to master both. If you start by mastering your scripts, learning frameworks, and digging deeper into objections, you’ll be well on your way. Tyler shares his trade secrets in this episode of @SalesReinvented.
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According to Rex Biberston, as long as people still pick up their phones, there will be value in cold-calling. Obviously, it’s truer for someone where using the phone is a normal part of their workday. If they’re talking to customers daily, they’re likely still answering unanticipated phone calls.
That being said, there is a procedure and methodology to cold-calling that can make you more effective. The reality is that most of it can be learned and improved upon. Rex shares some of his expert tips in this episode of Sales Reinvented.
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Dillon emphasizes that you have to be articulate and understand that everyone you talk to is different. You have to learn the art of people. You’re a random person—it should be expected that you’ll get hung up on. To avoid the probability of that, you have to understand their business, ask the right questions, and say the right things.
You need to learn more about the prospects than ever before. Knowing their title isn’t enough. You need to be able to offer them something of value. It all starts and ends with research. Learn Dillon’s research-backed cold-calling process in episode #415 of Sales Reinvented.
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Cold-calling currently remains the only personal approach to interacting with a prospect that can’t be replicated by AI. That’s why the conversation you have is incredibly important. Valentyn Kokoshko believes that if you follow some simple rules on your calls. Valentyn lays out his efficient and effective process in this episode of Sales Reinvented.
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Joe Pici is direct. He believes you need to have great skills and an overall strategy with everything you’re doing related to cold-calling. In fact, Joe won’t put anyone on a phone until they’ve had 4–7 hours of in-depth strategy, skills, and scripting training.
His three-day sales bootcamp is ranked #1 in the world. The first day, they only focus on communication styles (and how to adapt). On day two, they focus on value proposition, target market, and scripting. On day three, they make two hours of cold calls.
They average a 77% conversion to appointments. They get 50–60 return phone calls the same day. So what does Joe do differently? Learn more in this episode of Sales Reinvented.
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You can give two sellers the same script. One seller sounds like they’re reading the script in a monotone voice. The other achieves amazing results because they modulate their voice. You can also control tonality.
You can vary the pitch of your voice. You can increase the flow of your breath to change how you sound. If you drill down and really strive to understand these things, they move from the realm of art and become a science.
That’s why Arlo believes that your voice is your #1 cold-calling tool. When used properly, your voice can propel you toward the results you desire. Arlo shares the methods and techniques he uses to master cold-calling in this episode of Sales Reinvented.
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Cold-calling may not be the cornerstone of sales like it used to be but it’s still relevant, according to Giulio Segantini. But we must adapt it to today’s world. He believes that it comes down to science.
There is psychological evidence to backup the best way to cold-call. It’s obvious what you should and shouldn’t do. You have to listen and ask the right questions and let the person sell to themselves.
So how does Giulio do it? He shares his cold-calling techniques in this episode of Sales Reinvented.
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Cold-calling is the fastest way to build rapport and get answers—if you know what you’re doing. If you’re still struggling with cold-calling and feeling ineffective, Tom Bertrand has some great strategies you can quickly learn to transform your results. Sometimes, it takes doing the unexpected to get the results you’re looking for. Listen to learn more.
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Now, more than ever, there’s an element of authenticity that must be present when you make cold calls. People are beyond frustrated with AI-generated calls. You know the ones—where there’s dead space at the beginning of the call before someone connects.
They have to know that you’re genuinely interested in the result of the call and what they need. Lisa shares how she empathizes, connects, and directs the cold-call conversation in this episode of Sales Reinvented.
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Lester Sydney firmly believes that you need a multi-threaded approach when it comes to prospecting. Cold-calling must be a part of your overall prospecting toolkit. So how do you prepare for cold-calling? How do you keep a cold call engaging and reach your objective of scheduling a follow-up? Lester shares his fun strategy in this episode of Sales Reinvented.
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When used correctly and strategically, cold-calling is always relevant. According to Scott Channell, cold-calling is an outbound call to your highest probability group—done methodically—to maximize the odds of an effective conversation. So how does he do it? Scott shares his secrets in this episode of Sales Reinvented.
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To Nick Kane, cold-calling is most effective when accompanied by all cold outreach, including emails, canvassing in person, networking, and social selling activities. They must all work together to prospect for new business. How you approach will vary depending on numerous factors, including your industry. But the key to ultimate effectiveness is that your outreach must be consistent. Nick shares more about his cold outreach process in this episode of Sales Reinvented.
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Mary conducted a survey on the future of phone communication in business. She sent it to 724 Senior Executives around the world with a 15% response rate. The comments indicated that when it came to sales, cold-calling was still the preferred method of starting communication.
So how do you make your cold calls effective? Mary Jane—better known as “The Phone Lady”—shares her strategies in this episode of Sales Reinvented.
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David Walter doesn’t believe that cold-calling is an art or a science. Instead, he emphasizes that you simply need a blueprint to follow and a desire to want to do the work. He takes a different approach than most, especially when it comes to objection handling. David emphasizes aggressive agreement. Learn his process in this episode of Sales Reinvented.
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According to Amy Franko, cold-calling is simply intentional outreach. Whether you know them or not, it is intentional. You have to find a connection point to take a cold conversation and warm it up. Cold-calling is one of the best and highest uses of your time. Learn how to conquer cold-calling in this episode of Sales Reinvented.
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According to Art Sobczak, cold-calling is dead. He has a better way: Smart-calling. A “smart” call is calling people that you know something about and you have customized, tailored, and personalized a message so it’s relevant to them. This leads to a better chance of engaging with them and moving them to a conversation.
Smart-calling is still relevant. It sets you apart from digital messages, which are often ignored. When a good call comes in, it’s refreshing. Art shares how to follow his smart-calling process in this episode of Sales Reinvented!
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According to Nancy Calabrese, cold-calling is just networking by phone. It’s relevant because many people don’t do it anymore. It will help you stand out. People feel it doesn’t work because they don’t do it enough. If you’re not practicing daily, you’ll get rusty.
It all starts with your mindset. You’re just having a non-salesy conversation with a decision-maker to decide if you’re a good fit for each other. You have to build your cold-calling courage muscles. Nancy shares her successful cold-calling strategies in this episode of Sales Reinvented!
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The “Science” of cold-calling encompasses the things that almost anyone could implement in a few minutes of training or by using a script. You use an opener, deliver a pitch, talk next steps, and close—all while keeping it short and sweet.
Zoya believes that there are best practices that fall between the art and the science. They’re concrete things that you can implement, such as keeping the conversation focused on your prospect—not the product.
The “Art” of cold-calling encompasses the things that are difficult to teach, such as tone, tact, confidence, and sales and business acumen. Those things dictate a salesperson’s ability to get a prospect to open up.
The only way to improve and get better is to practice—which can be accelerated with a good coach. In this episode of Sales Reinvented, Zoya steps up into the coaching position to share how to master the art and science of cold-calling.
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Between people not answering calls from phone numbers they don’t recognize, to spam filters, to people silencing their phones—it’s become harder and harder to connect when making cold calls. What is a salesperson supposed to do?
Mark Sellers joins me in this episode of Sales Reinvented to share how he navigates making cold calls (or sending cold emails) in a way that captures his prospect’s interest—and respects their time.
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