Latest / What is Business Development? / Episode 79: BD-BOK...Chapter 12 Cold Calling Explained

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Episode 79: BD-BOK...Chapter 12 Cold Calling Explained · What is Business Development?

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Welcome back to the deep dive. Today. We're really cracking
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: the code on something many people dread, maybe even fear,
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: the cold call.
• 0:09
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's got such a bad rap, doesn't it. But
• 0:12
  Speaker 2: when you look at it through the lens of well science,
• 0:14
  Speaker 2: it's fascinating.
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: Exactly. Forget the old scripts, the numbers game. You know,
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  Speaker 1: our sources are telling us that a successful cold call
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: it's basically a fight against human biology.
• 0:23
  Speaker 2: That's the core idea. Really, you have to get your
• 0:25
  Speaker 2: head around that. The call itself, it's an unscheduled invasion
• 0:30
  Speaker 2: right of someone's time, their focus in invasion.
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: That sounds dramatic, but it rings.
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  Speaker 2: True and biologically, our deep seated mechanisms, they treat this
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  Speaker 2: kind of sudden interruption, this unexpected voice, as a potential threat,
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  Speaker 2: like a fox appearing out of nowhere.
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: And the numbers behind this reaction, the neurology, it's kind
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  Speaker 1: of mind blowing. There's this huge mismatch in processing speed
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  Speaker 1: that well, it creates a massive hurdle for anyone picking
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: up the phone.
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  Speaker 2: Oh absolutely, so the moment that phone rings or you know,
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: that voice comes on the line, the prospects subconscious, the
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  Speaker 2: primal brain. It's instantly firing on all cylinders. We're talking
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  Speaker 2: processing something like, uh, eleven million pieces of information per second.
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: Eleven million per second.
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's scanning like mad, danger, safety, friend, foe. But
• 1:20
  Speaker 2: here's the kicker, Okay, the conscious brain, the part that
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: actually listens to your words, your logic, the value you're
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: trying to explain. It's lagging by about seven seconds.
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  Speaker 1: Seven seconds.
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  Speaker 2: That's huge, it is, and worse, it can only handle
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  Speaker 2: maybe forty pieces of information per second.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, hang on, So you've got seven seconds where the
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: prospect's gut is screaming danger. Yeah, based on eleven million
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: bits of data, and you're trying to counter that with
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: what forty bits saying hey, I'm friendly.
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  Speaker 2: That's pretty much the neurological tightrope you're walking in that
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  Speaker 2: first moment every single time.
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  Speaker 1: Wow. Okay, So that reality must dictate everything that follows
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  Speaker 1: the whole structure precisely.
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  Speaker 2: And that's our mission for this deep dive, right to
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  Speaker 2: unpack the three key parts of a cold call that's
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  Speaker 2: actually built for this reality design, you know, specifically to
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  Speaker 2: get around that threat response and use this brain science
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  Speaker 2: to your advantage.
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  Speaker 1: And the goal usually isn't the big sale on the
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  Speaker 1: spot almost never.
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  Speaker 2: The objective nine times out of ten is just to
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: sell the next meeting, get that follow up booked.
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: Got it? Okay, let's dive into that structure part one,
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: those absolutely critical first seven seconds. Our sources call it
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: the positive pattern interrupted permission. Sounds intense, Well, it.
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: Is, because so much hinges on it. The very first
• 2:32
  Speaker 2: thing is tone your voice for words even yeah, because
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: sound hits that subconscious faster than language, meaning, so your
• 2:39
  Speaker 2: tone has to be warm, kind of casual, non threatening
• 2:43
  Speaker 2: means to trigger a friend signal.
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: Fast, you know. Robotic scripts, no, overly hyped up energy.
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  Speaker 2: Definitely not that stuff. Instantly screened salesperson reinforces the faux
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: status and the prospects just thinking, how do I hang up?
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  Speaker 1: Okay, So the sources lay out a tactic here the
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: six p's for these opening moments, like a checklist for
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: navigating that brain like exactly.
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  Speaker 2: It's designed to make sure you cover all the psychological
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  Speaker 2: bases before their conscious brain can even fully process what's happening.
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  Speaker 1: All right, let's break them down. P Number one.
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  Speaker 2: Pattern interrupt simple idea. You have to break their expectation.
• 3:19
  Speaker 2: They expect an annoying pitch, don't give it to them?
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  Speaker 1: How do you do that? Quickly?
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  Speaker 2: Mostly about how you sound initially like we said, and
• 3:25
  Speaker 2: then immediately p. Number two positive awareness. This is subtle,
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  Speaker 2: but that first second it's actually an outbound marketing touch point,
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  Speaker 2: an awareness play.
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  Speaker 1: So brand consistency matters even here.
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely, your tone, your brief intro. It sets an emotional
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  Speaker 2: stage that should align with your brand.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, pattern interrupted, positive awareness started. Now how do we
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  Speaker 1: give that slow conscious brain time to catch up that lag.
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  Speaker 2: That brings us to P. Number three positive attention. It's
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  Speaker 2: slightly different from awareness. Awareness is just them noticing you positively.
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  Speaker 2: Attention is about creating us small friendly gap, maybe a
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  Speaker 2: slight pause, slowing down, just diffraction. You're giving their conscious
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  Speaker 2: brain those crucial extra milliseconds to engage and register. Okay,
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  Speaker 2: maybe not a.
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  Speaker 1: Threat of just launching into the pitch, which most people.
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  Speaker 2: Do, right, They just steamroll past that vital moment. So
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  Speaker 2: you've calmed the primal brain, You've created a tiny space.
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  Speaker 2: Now you provide info.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, makes sense, which leads to the next piece.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, the next three are about structure and importantly control. P.
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  Speaker 2: Number four prospect or information. Just calmly state who you
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  Speaker 2: are again, reinforce your identity to fully kill that faux signal.
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  Speaker 1: Got it? Then P five.
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  Speaker 2: Prospect information confirm their name and maybe title or company
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  Speaker 2: shows you did your homework. You're not just dialing randomly
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  Speaker 2: validates the call.
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  Speaker 1: In the final P number six, the goal of this
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  Speaker 1: whole opening dance prospect permission.
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  Speaker 2: This is key. You have to explicitly ask for perission
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  Speaker 2: to continue its signals, respect and crucially hands control back
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  Speaker 2: to them.
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  Speaker 1: Giving back control. Yeah, that feels important.
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  Speaker 2: It totally disarms them. This is where you kick off
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  Speaker 2: what the sources call the nice E process, the structured
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  Speaker 2: qualification part. But you can't start that without asking first,
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  Speaker 2: and this is.
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  Speaker 1: A specific way to ask this right, the permission based
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  Speaker 1: opening PBO.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's a really neat little script that encapsulates all
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  Speaker 2: six p's. It sounds something like high prospect name, this
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  Speaker 2: is your name from company. Look in about thirty seconds,
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  Speaker 2: I can quickly explain why I called, and then you know,
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  Speaker 2: you can tell me if it makes sense to chat further.
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  Speaker 2: Is that okay?
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  Speaker 1: I like that. It's direct, sets a time limit thirty seconds,
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  Speaker 1: respects their time, and ends with a clear question asking
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  Speaker 1: for permission. Is that Okay?
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  Speaker 2: It gives them the power exactly. You've basically neutralized the
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  Speaker 2: threat response by giving them agency. It's probably the most
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  Speaker 2: sophisticated seven seconds in sales.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, so we've survived the first seven seconds, we've got permission.
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  Speaker 1: That takes us to part two, purpose and proofs. We
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  Speaker 1: have their attention maybe for the next thirty forty five seconds.
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  Speaker 1: How do we keep it and make it meaningful?
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  Speaker 2: Right now? We need to engage them emotionally again, but
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  Speaker 2: in a very specific way. It sounds a bit counterintuitive,
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  Speaker 2: but you actually need to bring up their likely pain points,
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  Speaker 2: framing them as threats, quantifiable threats to their business.
• 6:12
  Speaker 1: Wait, threats. We just been seven seconds calming the threat response.
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: Now we're bringing threats back in.
• 6:17
  Speaker 2: Yeah, but strategically, see tapping into those feelings of maybe
• 6:22
  Speaker 2: frustration or worry around a business problem, fear urgency. It
• 6:27
  Speaker 2: actually heightens focus and boosts memory retention. It uses their
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  Speaker 2: sympathetic nervous system.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, but how do you do that without just sounding
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  Speaker 1: like a downer or overly dramatic.
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  Speaker 2: Ah, that's the pivot. You're not making them the threat
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  Speaker 2: or you the threat anymore. You're identifying a common enemy,
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  Speaker 2: a costly business problem like high shipping costs or delays.
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  Speaker 2: Suddenly you and the prospect are kind of partnered in
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  Speaker 2: a story to fight this common threat.
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  Speaker 1: Partnered in a story.
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  Speaker 2: I like that framing, and you use those emotional words frustrated, worried,
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  Speaker 2: struggling with to describe the situation, the problem, not them personally.
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  Speaker 2: It builds a connection.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, so emotion builds the partnership, but partnerships need trust, right,
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  Speaker 1: That can't just be emotion. This must be where proof
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  Speaker 1: comes in.
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely, emotion grabs attention, but logic builds trust. That emotional
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  Speaker 2: connection needs backing fast with hard evidence for that slower
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  Speaker 2: conscious brain. So any benefits you mentioned have to be
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  Speaker 2: supported by proof points, quantifiable results.
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  Speaker 1: And not just any proof. The sources emphasize social proof
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  Speaker 1: here too critically important.
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  Speaker 2: You need to mention other companies, ideally ones they might
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  Speaker 2: know or are similar to, who face the exact same
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  Speaker 2: threats you're describing, and how you helps them win. It
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  Speaker 2: shows you're not just talking theory, you've actually solved this before.
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  Speaker 1: Can you give us an example, like how specific does
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  Speaker 1: this proof need to be?
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  Speaker 2: Needs to be really concrete don't just say we save
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  Speaker 2: clients money. That's weak. Say something like, look, we actually
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  Speaker 2: helped client A and Client B slash their shipping costs
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  Speaker 2: by ten percent and cut delays by thirty five percent.
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  Speaker 2: They hit a ninety nine percent on time, right, which
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  Speaker 2: you know is about twenty two percent better than the
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  Speaker 2: industry standard.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, Yeah, that level of detailed percentages comparisons. That lands differently.
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  Speaker 2: It feels solid, It adds undeniable weight. It reassures their
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  Speaker 2: logical brain that this emotional partnership you've just formed is
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  Speaker 2: actually based on something real.
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  Speaker 1: Right, high emotion to connect, hard data to convince. That's
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  Speaker 1: the engine of part two, which brings us to the
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  Speaker 1: final stretch, Part three, personalization, and proceed to the next meeting.
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  Speaker 2: Exactly, we interrupted them politely, We partnered against a threat
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  Speaker 2: with proof. Now we need to make it about them specifically.
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  Speaker 1: And the tool for that is the personalization hook question.
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  Speaker 2: That's the classic move, something like, so, do any of
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  Speaker 2: those issues, you know, the shipping costs or delays sound
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  Speaker 2: familiar or maybe there's another challenge that's top of mind
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  Speaker 2: for you right now?
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  Speaker 1: Asking them to share their specific situation.
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  Speaker 2: Correct and when they elaborate a couple of things happen. First,
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  Speaker 2: it deepens engagement psychologically, sharing information triggers a sense of reciprocity.
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  Speaker 2: They've invested a bit now.
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  Speaker 1: And second, you get valuable intel for later.
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  Speaker 2: Bingo, that's gold for the next conversation, the actual detailed
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  Speaker 2: sales discussion, what the sources call the conversion phase.
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  Speaker 1: But first, first we have to lock in that next meeting.
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  Speaker 2: And this is where timing becomes absolutely critical, dictated not
• 9:20
  Speaker 2: just by calendars, but by well more brain science, specifically
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  Speaker 2: something called the ebbing House curve, the forgetting.
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  Speaker 1: Curve, the forgetting curve. Okay, tell us about that.
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  Speaker 2: It's based on research about how quickly humans forget new information,
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  Speaker 2: and the stats are frankly terrifying if you're in sales
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  Speaker 2: or communication.
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  Speaker 1: Uh oh, how bad is it?
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  Speaker 2: It shows we forget roughly fifty percent of new information
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  Speaker 2: within just one hour.
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  Speaker 1: Half gone in an hour. Wow.
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  Speaker 2: Gets worse, About seventy percent is gone in twenty four hours.
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  Speaker 1: Yea.
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  Speaker 2: And within a week you're looking at ninety percent memory loss.
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  Speaker 1: Poof ninety percent forgotten in a week. So if you
• 9:56
  Speaker 1: schedule that follow up meeting for say eight days.
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  Speaker 2: Later, we're essentially starting from scratch, all that work, building rapport,
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  Speaker 2: establishing the threat, showing proof mostly gone. You've lost all momentum,
• 10:07
  Speaker 2: all credibility you just fought so hard for. It's incredibly inefficient.
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  Speaker 1: So speed beats forgetting That follow up needs to happen
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  Speaker 1: fast within that.
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  Speaker 2: Week, absolutely within that seven day window. Is crucial to
• 10:18
  Speaker 2: keep the connection warm and the information top of mind,
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  Speaker 2: which means you're closing on the call needs to be
• 10:23
  Speaker 2: tight and focused on locking that in.
• 10:25
  Speaker 1: Okay, what does that closing strategy look like?
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  Speaker 2: It has to be really clear and definitive. First, state
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  Speaker 2: the specific value they'll get from the next meeting, what
• 10:34
  Speaker 2: they'll learn or achieve. Second state the exact time commitment needed,
• 10:39
  Speaker 2: be precise, like a thirty minute chat next Wednesday at
• 10:43
  Speaker 2: eleven am. Third, ask for a clear verbal commitment. Right then,
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  Speaker 2: does that work for you?
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  Speaker 1: Value time commitment makes sense? And there was one more
• 10:52
  Speaker 1: piece something about homework.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's a nice touch, suggesting they think about any
• 10:56
  Speaker 2: other specific questions or pain points they want to cover,
• 10:59
  Speaker 2: or maybe even invite a colleague who deals with that area.
• 11:01
  Speaker 2: It subtly increases the perceived value of the meeting and
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  Speaker 2: gets them prepped.
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  Speaker 1: Right, makes them more vested. Okay, almost then before hanging
• 11:08
  Speaker 1: up the source of stress. One last thing for wipeline fuel.
• 11:12
  Speaker 2: Yes, ask for referrals.
• 11:13
  Speaker 1: Don't skip this really, even on a cold call.
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  Speaker 2: Think about it. You've just built this little temporary partnership right,
• 11:20
  Speaker 2: identified a common enemy. It makes perfect psychological sense to ask, hey,
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  Speaker 2: is there anyone else you know who might be wrestling
• 11:27
  Speaker 2: with these same kinds of frustrations?
• 11:29
  Speaker 1: Ah? Okay, and you put it like that.
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  Speaker 2: Referrals completely bypass all this initial cold call friction and anxiety.
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  Speaker 2: They have like the highest conversion rates out there, often
• 11:39
  Speaker 2: fifty percent or even more. It's probably the single highest
• 11:42
  Speaker 2: leverage request you can make after a good call.
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  Speaker 1: Wow. Okay, we've covered a ton here, from like milliseconds
• 11:49
  Speaker 1: of brain processing to memory curves dictating schedules. It's complex, it.
• 11:55
  Speaker 2: Is, but when you connect the dots, it really elevates
• 11:58
  Speaker 2: the cold call from just you know, in the phones
• 12:00
  Speaker 2: to something much more strategic and well scientific. Three big
• 12:04
  Speaker 2: takeaways really stand out for me.
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  Speaker 1: All right, let's hit those top three takeaways for everyone listening.
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  Speaker 2: Okay. Number one, it's neuroscience. First. You have to design
• 12:12
  Speaker 2: the call, especially those first seven seconds around overcoming that
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  Speaker 2: subconscious threat response tone. The six p's structure. They're not
• 12:20
  Speaker 2: just nice to have, so they're essential to create that
• 12:22
  Speaker 2: friendly gap for the logical brain to catch up.
• 12:25
  Speaker 1: Got it. Neuroscience is an optional. What's number two?
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  Speaker 2: Number two? Pain as partnership. You need to use pain
• 12:31
  Speaker 2: points framed as quantifiable threats to get emotional focus, but
• 12:35
  Speaker 2: immediately pivot to positioning yourself as the proven partner with
• 12:39
  Speaker 2: social proof and data who can help them fight that threat.
• 12:42
  Speaker 2: It's that blend emotion for connection, data for trust.
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  Speaker 1: Emotion plus data equals partnership. Okay.
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  Speaker 2: And the third takeaway number three speed beats forgetting Scheduling
• 12:53
  Speaker 2: that next meeting isn't about convenience, it's pure science dictated
• 12:56
  Speaker 2: by the Ebbinghouse curve. You lose up to ninety percent
• 12:59
  Speaker 2: recall within a so that follow up must be booked quickly,
• 13:02
  Speaker 2: ideally within seven days, or you're basically throwing away the progress.
• 13:06
  Speaker 1: You made right the clock is taking the moment you
• 13:08
  Speaker 1: hang up. Okay. Powerful takeaways Before we wrap, you mentioned
• 13:10
  Speaker 1: a final thought for people to chew on.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, just that the cold call, despite all the baggage
• 13:16
  Speaker 2: it carries, serves this really vital dual purpose that goes
• 13:20
  Speaker 2: beyond just booking the next meeting.
• 13:22
  Speaker 1: Well, what's that?
• 13:22
  Speaker 2: Because you're talking to a real person in real time,
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  Speaker 2: the call itself becomes an incredibly efficient feedback loop. It's
• 13:30
  Speaker 2: a data gathering tool. How so well by asking simple
• 13:34
  Speaker 2: questions maybe about how they heard of solutions like yours,
• 13:37
  Speaker 2: or testing how urgent their problem feels, you get instant
• 13:41
  Speaker 2: market intelligence. It's one of the fastest cheapest ways to
• 13:44
  Speaker 2: figure out who among your prospects are truly in that
• 13:49
  Speaker 2: top ten percent that are actively looking, that are in
• 13:51
  Speaker 2: market right now.
• 13:52
  Speaker 1: So it's not just selling, it's also rapid intel gathering
• 13:54
  Speaker 1: to focus your efforts exactly.
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  Speaker 2: It helps you find the hottest leads almost immediately.
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  Speaker 1: That's a great perspect to shift. Okay, that brings us
• 14:02
  Speaker 1: to the end of this deep dive into the surprisingly
• 14:04
  Speaker 1: scientific world of the effective cold call.
• 14:06
  Speaker 2: Hope it helps people rethink their approach.
• 14:08
  Speaker 1: Absolutely. Thank you for joining us today, and we hope
• 14:11
  Speaker 1: you can put this structure to work on your very
• 14:12
  Speaker 1: next call.