The purpose of a cold call is to have a conversation to determine whether a potential customer has the following two things:
That conversation can happen, though, only if you get through the customer's natural reluctance to speak with a stranger.
The easiest way to get through that reluctance is to have a reason you're calling, other than just the fact that you have something to sell.
For example, suppose you're selling an inventory control system. Here are two possible ways to begin the conversation:
The second example is more likely to result in a conversation because it relates what you're selling to what's called a trigger event, a change in the way that a potential customer operates its business.
The following trigger events are all excellent conversation starters:
The trick to using trigger events is creating a reasonable link between the event and what you're selling. The more logical the link, the more likely that bringing up the trigger will result in a conversation.
Where do you find these trigger events? The cheapest way is to check the press releases on the website of the company that you're calling.