THE B2B COLD CALLING HANDBOOK:

2021 Edition V1

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Introduction: what to look for in an SDR 3

Advice from the experts 4

The 9 stages of the B2B cold calling process 4

Pre-call: what can be done to improve calls? 5

Getting past the gatekeeper 6

Introducing yourself: what’s the best tactic? 7

Speaking voice, tonality and mirroring: why are they important

and how can you improve them? 8

Building rapport: top tips 9

Qualification: how to qualify prospects 10

Objections and obstructions: how to handle them 13

Taking notes: the importance of sales admin 17

Closing: the best way to secure your sale 17

Post-call: what happens after you put the phone down 18

Remote working advice: how to cold call effectively from home 19

What tech can help with B2B cold calling? 20

B2B cold calling: closing comments 23

Cognism: the world’s best B2B cold calling solution 23

Contents

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Introduction: what to look for in an SDRIf you think cold calling is dead…

Think again!

The stats prove it: 51% of company decision-makers say they would rather hear from sales reps via the phone than any other channel.

There’s no doubt that 2020 was a tough year for the cold caller, with international lockdowns and much of the global economy shutting up shop. But with extraordinary innovation and drive, hard-working SDRs have breathed new life into what was fast becoming an old-fashioned concept in a technology-focused era.

We asked our SDRs for their latest and greatest cold calling tips - then we put them all together to make this guide. We’re sure it’ll help your SDRs perfect their skills, become cold calling champions and fire up your leads for a hot and toasty revenue-driven year.

To start, you need to ask yourself: “how do my SDRs stack up against the greats?”

Here’s a quick checklist of qualities that make a successful SDR:

Team player

Charismatic

Intelligent

Hardworking

Positive attitude

Interpersonal skills

If your team has these qualities you’re well on your way to perfecting the B2B cold calling game.

Our guide will help with the rest!

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Advice from the expertsHelping us deliver quality advice are two of our top SDRs: Jenny Gray, Marketing Development Representative and Oli Scampton, Sales Development Representative.

Jenny has been working for Cognism since June 2020. She was recently promoted from Sales Development Representative (SDR) to Marketing Development Representative (MDR) following her winning SDR of the Quarter in Q4.

Oli started with Cognism in May 2020 and has been smashing targets month-on-month, awarding him the coveted role of SDR of the Quarter in Q4.

Both Jenny and Oli are well equipped with the knowledge and experience to help take your sales team to the next level.

The 9 stages of the B2B cold calling process

PRE-CALL

Researching your prospects and gathering data

RAPPORT BUILDING

Developing a professional

relationship with the prospect.

OBJECTION HANDLING

Resolving the prospect’s concerns about your product.

BYPASSING THE GATEKEEPER

Strategies for reaching the

decision-maker.

QUALIFICATION

Verifying if the prospect is a good fit

for your company.

CLOSING

Negotiating with the prospect and

agreeing next steps.

INTRODUCTION

Making a good impression early on.

PITCHING

Promoting your product in a way

that addresses the prospect’s needs.

POST-CALL

Follow-up tasks and sales call admin.

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Pre-call: what can be done to improve calls?The most important part of preparing for a call is to make time for that preparation. Your SDRs should block out their calendars for research and to define the best strategy to approach a prospect.

“You can’t have a conversation with someone if you don’t know anything about them or their business.“ - Oli Scampton

Your first call is likely to be very detail-oriented and the more you know, the better the impression you’ll make with your prospect.

After that, it’s all about qualifying them. Ask yourself:

1. Are they a good fit for your company?

2. Would their business benefit from your services?

LinkedIn researchIt’s been calculated that 80% of B2B leads are sourced via LinkedIn which is why Jenny, Oli and the rest of Cognism’s outbound sales team favour this platform for pre-qualification research - and it shows, with 39% of meetings booked via the social network.

Follow these three steps for LinkedIn research:

STEP 1. Connect with the prospect on LinkedIn

2. Visit the company website 3. Read up on the latest industry news

ACTIVITIES

• Click onto their LinkedIn profile.

• Check for articles/posts that they have commented on or shared.

• Look over their career history and any personal milestones, e.g.: awards, event appearances.

• Look for any news updates or recent press releases.

• Scroll through the company’s blog (if they have one).

• Create a list of the technology that the company uses.

• Subscribe to industry news websites or LinkedIn groups.

• Pay attention to industry trends, especially with emerging products/technology.

OUTCOME

Make a note of anything useful that will help you build rapport on your call.

Make a note of recent company events/milestones and the language/terms the company uses.

With this knowledge, you will sound like an expert in their field - helping you to build trust with the prospect.

Jenny suggests blocking an hour or two in your calendar three or four evenings a week to research companies or prospects on LinkedIn that you think would be a good fit. Then use Cognism’s Chrome Extension to export fully compliant contact data into your CRM. You can then use this data to build a list of leads for you to call first thing in the morning.

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Making a connection on LinkedInWhen sending your prospects a connection note on LinkedIn, it’s best to keep it short and sweet. Like this:

Jennifer Gray

Jennifer Gray

Hi [first name],

I would be curious to know if you’re open to new tech that would accelerate [company name]’s business development process?

If you’re looking to acquire more clients, I’d be interested to chat. If not, I’m happy just to connect.

Best,

Jenny

Voice notes and videosAnother great tactic used by Jenny is to record personalised voice notes and videos. She found this to be especially useful for prospects she’d been trying to reach for a while with no luck.

“I found that people would check their messages first thing in the morning so I’d be sure to send my personalised voice notes and videos before 9 am.” - Jenny Gray

Getting past the gatekeeperMore than 50% of cold calls are answered by some sort of gatekeeper. Typically a PA or secretary, it’s the gatekeeper’s job to manage the decision-maker’s time and diary.

Getting past the gatekeeper has been a perennial challenge for cold callers throughout history - ever since 1873, in fact, when cold calling was first documented.

Oli and Jenny gave us their top strategies for bypassing the gatekeeper and getting through to the prospect - and they don’t involve answering three riddles!

Instead, they are:

1. MirroringGauge the atmosphere and the tone of their voice and then react immediately. If they’re warm, be warm back, and if they’re cold, be cold back.

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2. Acting Act like you’re in a rush or are more important than you actually are. This can get you past the gatekeeper without them asking too many questions.

3. FriendlinessBe honest and polite. If a gatekeeper asks if you’re a cold caller say yes. It will look very bad on your behalf if you get through based on a lie, and all you’ll succeed in doing is annoying your prospect. What’s more, if you brush a gatekeeper off, they’ll brush you off.

Top tips for dealing with gatekeepers• Be professional to everyone you speak with, including the gatekeeper. You might need to call back again. If

you have a good rapport with the gatekeeper, they’re much more likely to put you through to the decision-maker.

• Don’t mention what you’re selling from the get-go. It just gives the gatekeeper more ammunition to say they aren’t interested. B2B sales 101: don’t sell to the gatekeeper! Save that for your prospect.

• Speak with confidence - gatekeepers pick up on it! If you sound timid or hesitant, then they’ll probably realise you’re a cold caller. Remember that gatekeepers will be speaking to multiple cold callers every day.

• Remember names and make notes so the next time you call you come across as friendly and knowledgeable about who you’re calling. This will give you a better chance of being put through to your prospect.

• Use your mobile to make the call. It’s been found that connection rates are often higher when a mobile number pops up on their caller ID.

Introducing yourself: what’s the best tactic? It’s always a great idea to be straightforward when introducing yourself on a cold call. Both Oli and Jenny open their calls with this go-to dialogue:

JOE

Oli

Oli

Joe

Hi, is that Joe?

It’s Oli from Cognism. How are you doing, are you well?

Yes.

After your opening line, wait to see how the prospect responds. Their tone is going to tell you how to continue with your conversation.

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For instance, if a prospect says, “What the hell do you want?” (it happens!) you’re going to want to get straight to the point because either:

a) They’re having a difficult day and aren’t in the mood.

b) They don’t have the time to speak with a cold caller.

On the other hand, they might be incredibly friendly and in the mood for a chat. In which case, use the mirroring technique (more on this next) by being friendly and engaging back. This will help you “warm up” your cold call.

Speaking voice, tonality and mirroring: why are they important and how can you improve them?Your tone of voice plays a huge part in a successful sales call, and according to Oli, it’s even more important than what you say on the call.

It either sets you up for success or failure. No SDR wants the latter, so pay attention to how your prospect engages with you.

If the prospect is short with you:

Mirror them - don’t be rude or pushy, just get to the point and avoid unnecessary chit-chat.

If the prospect is friendly and conversational:

Keep the conversation going for as long as needed before steering them in the direction of why you’re calling.

For example: if you ask them how they are and they ask how you are, don’t just jump straight into your pitch - answer them genuinely and honestly.

Getting your tone right is where mirroring comes in:

“If you respond in the opposite tone to your prospect all you’ll achieve is annoying them, and they won’t want to accept your call again after that.” - Oli Scampton

Jenny’s 5 top tips for tone are:

1. Sound positive and friendly.

2. Be level-headed.

3. Speak slowly.

4. Keep your dialogue simple and to the point.

5. Be yourself.

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“If you’re being true to yourself it will show, because you’ll be more relaxed and less nervous. Plus you won’t come across as a robot reading a script!” - Jenny Gray

And while it seems impossible to prepare for the tone of your prospect, you can sometimes tell from their role.

For example: a Director might be more pragmatic, while someone like an HR Manager might be more chatty.

This isn’t always the case, as sales calls can be unpredictable. But keeping this in mind can help you prepare for what you might face when your prospect answers the phone.

Building rapport: top tipsBuilding rapport is a fundamental element of sales calls - and for some SDRs, it can be the trickiest skill of all to master.

Oli and Jenny suggest the following:

1. Be very friendly, even if someone is being rudeIn most cases, people never react badly to a friendly person.

“If someone is rude to me, I respond with: I’m sorry you’re having a bad day, I just need a few minutes of your time.” - Jenny Gray

2. Say something that will catch their attentionThink of what your prospect would find most appealing about your service and highlight it.

For example: we provide a platform that can generate revenue for you. Or, we provide a platform that can provide contact details for your SDRs.

3. Say their name, often!This recommendation comes from How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie, a huge favourite with Cognism’s sales team.

People like to hear their names in conversation - they feel respected and recognised, meaning that you leave a positive and lasting impression.

4. Speak to their pain pointsFirst of all, show the prospect that you understand their pain. Then demonstrate how you can help them fix it, save money and make a profit!

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5. Listen and repeatRepeating what a prospect says back to them shows you’re listening and engaged.

For example - after your prospect reveals how they’re finding sales leads, you can respond with something like:

“Your SDRs are finding their leads through LinkedIn and reaching out via cold calling and email.

Fantastic, so...[next questions/follow up with how you can add value.]”

6. Name dropRefer to any of your past or current customers that are similar to their business. This can be based on company size, industry, location, etc.

And even better - if you have a case study on them, use the data from it to show your prospect how much value you’re offering to someone else just like them.

Qualification: how to qualify prospectsUsually, you’d decide on your TAM before speaking to prospects.

After that, the best way to qualify a prospect is to do your research (see the “Pre-call” section) and then, when on your cold call, ask them questions.

Oli and Jenny use questions like these to qualify their cold call prospects:

What does your current sales strategy look like?

How does your sales team generate new leads?

Who would normally be involved in buying decisions for new tech?

What tools are you currently using?

What regions are you looking to prospect into?

Have you used data providers in the past?

What did you like about them? What did you dislike?

What are your current business growth goals?

Are you in a position to take on new clients right now?

“I can normally see if a prospect is a good fit before a call. I look out for factors like if they’re the right size and if they can utilise our solution in their market but occasionally I’ll be on a call and I’ll find something out mid-conversation.” - Oli Scampton

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“A great strategy that works for me is to find several prospects with the same decision-making power at the same company. That way, you always have a back-up if you can’t get hold of someone, or if you fail to convince your first choice. You can build a very powerful chain of internal champions for your product.” - Jenny Gray

The pitch: how to pitch your product correctlyAt Cognism, we teach our SDRs to cold call using a script made up of 6 sections:

Introduction

Opening the cold call and building rapport.

The opening pitch

Giving the prospect some context about the product.

The discovery

Determining whether or not the prospect is a good fit.

The second pitch

Explaining how the product solves the prospect’s pain.

The case study

Sharing relevant facts or stats from your successful customers.

The close

Persuading the prospect to book a meeting.

However, within this format, we encourage our SDRs to innovate. A cold calling script needs to be flexible; if all you’re doing is just reading out words on a page, you’ll just come across as robotic.

“It’s great to start out with a script, but once you know your product, it’s best to come up with your own go-to dialogue. You don’t want to sound stunted.” - Oli Scampton

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Oli always starts his call with an opening line to gauge the tone of his prospects’ voice. From there, he goes into a pitch based on who he’s talking to. The pitch will vary depending on the prospect’s industry or seniority - he could be talking to a CEO, a Head of Marketing or a Sales Director.

This will go as follows:

Sales Director a quick pitch we’re a sales platform.

Head of Marketing a quick pitch we’re a marketing platform.

CEO / Founder a more in-depth pitch asking question How are you currently targeting your clients? We’re a data app.

Pitching is where all your research comes into play. You’ll need to know your prospects’ needs and pain points in order to offer them a product that’s tailored to those needs.

Following your greeting and your opening pitch, you’ll be able to discover if your prospect qualifies. If they have any objections, you’ll need to get past them before going into the second half of your pitch.

Here’s an explanation of the second pitch concept, straight from Cognism’s Sales Playbook:

THE SECOND PITCH

After getting past your prospect’s objections, it’s time to pitch again. This time, go into more detail about how your solution addresses your prospect’s pain or needs.

How you pitch here will be influenced by everything you learned in the discovery phase. The more relevant it is to the prospect, the more engaged they’ll be.

Be sure to outline the value your product or service will bring to the prospect’s company. You can mention why your clients have chosen your company over another.

For example, Oli and Jenny would say something along the lines off:

“The main reason why our clients have typically moved from [current process: e.g. LinkedIn]

is because [explain how our solution can add value].”

You can strengthen your pitch by using facts and stats from a case study. If you use a customer testimonial on your cold call, make sure it’s relevant to the prospect and their business. There’s little to be gained in mentioning a successful London marketing agency client to a Boston-based Sales Director!

Here’s how you can phrase this:

“We’re actually working with [similar client] right now. They managed to achieve [result]

in [time frame].”

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Objections and obstructions: how to handle themIt’s a fact of B2B cold calling life - you’re going to come across prospects with objections or obstructions.

Yes, we did say “objections” and “obstructions” - the two are different but equally important. It’s vital for the B2B cold caller to master the strategies needed to resolve them. It can make all the difference between cold calling success or failure!

ObjectionsAn objection is something your prospect is unsure about regarding your product or service. As an SDR, it’s your job to change their mind with facts and tell them why what they think isn’t the case.

At Cognism, we follow a five-point plan when facing objections:

Listen Ask Solve Confirm Move on

1 2 3 4 5

For example, they might say:

“I’ve heard your data isn’t that great.”

You can then ask them a question - like this:

“What have you heard about Cognism’s data?”

This is a very searching question, as it encourages the prospect to open up more and reveal their objections. They might say something like:

“I’ve heard it isn’t GDPR-compliant, which is very important to my business.”

In which case, you’d tailor your response by offering a solution like this one:

“Cognism is fully GDPR-compliant and registered with the ICO, the UK regulator. Our platform was designed in collaboration with a top tier legal firm and our patented Revenue AI verifies our

data daily and in real-time, maintaining accuracy and compliance.”

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You can then confirm by asking:

“Does that make sense?”

Before moving on!

“When dealing with an objection, be as constructive as possible and always end your answer with a question like ‘does that make sense?’ If they say yes, then you can move on to a new question. If they say no, explain further.” - Oli Scampton

What if you don’t have the answer? We asked Jenny for her advice.

“If the prospect asks you something that you genuinely feel you can’t answer - don’t blag it! Tell the prospect you’ll have to refer their question upwards - and always, always agree on a timeframe for you to supply a response.” - Jenny Gray

The BANT criteria

For some added help, we asked our sales development team to name the top four objections they face on their daily calls.

There’s no surprise that the four most common B2B sales objections conform to the BANT criteria - that’s Budget, Authority, Need, Time.

Budget Authority Need TimeIs the prospect willing and

able to spend?Is the prospect the

ultimate decision-maker?Does the prospect have a problem that your product

can solve?

Is the prospect looking to buy quickly?

Let’s take a dive into how to resolve BANT objections.

Budget

“I don’t have the money to buy.”

When a prospect says they don’t have the budget, first find out why. Is the price too high or don’t they see any value in your product?

If they don’t see the value, detail how your product or service will add value. Explain how it’s helped other companies achieve great results (have 2-3 stats from your case studies on standby).

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If they feel the price is too high, don’t immediately offer a discount. Instead, suggest bespoke payment terms that help spread the cost of investment, without reducing the overall price.

Authority

“I’ll have to speak to my boss about this before deciding.”

It can be demoralising when you discover the person you’re talking to isn’t the ultimate decision-maker. However, this objection is easily resolved.

Ask the prospect what their concerns are and, if you can, provide information that will help them when they refer their query upwards. You might even turn them into your product’s biggest cheerleader. In B2B sales, there’s nothing quite as powerful as having an internal champion; they can sell your product to their higher-ups for you!

If their boss does need to get involved, stay calm and immediately organise a time to speak with them.

Need

“We really don’t need your product right now.”

You know the value your product can bring to their business - so what’s stopping them from buying?

Maybe they love a certain feature but aren’t a fan of another. Or maybe they just can’t see how it could help. Knock them out of the park with your prepared case studies and three stats relevant to the prospect’s industry or business.

But…what if they say this?

“We’re already working with [company name] who does this.”

Resolving this objection all comes down to product knowledge. The best SDRs are also product experts - not just of their own, but of their competitors as well.

Here’s how Jenny responds to this type of objection:

“You’re using [company name]. That’s fantastic, I hear they’re wonderful - but where are

you targeting? They target the US, but our focus is global.”

You can see how you can quickly take an objection and flip it around, making the prospect see it from a different angle. It’s all about turning a disadvantage into an advantage.

Timing

“It’s not the right time for us to buy.”

Jenny has a strategy for dealing with a timing objection. Once again, it’s essential to ask the prospect questions. You need to uncover the reason behind the objection.

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“Why isn’t it the right time for you to buy now?”

Whatever the prospect comes back with, the most important question to ask next is:

“When would be the right time for you to buy?”

This question will get the prospect thinking. Their answer will be incredibly revealing. They’re basically telling you when they would purchase your product!

What you need to do next is create a sense of urgency. Let’s say the prospect replies with:

“We’ll look to buy after we’ve hit our H1 revenue target.”

To which you can respond with:

“Our solution can help you hit that target - just as we helped [company name] to generate

$40k in revenue last year.”

ObstructionsAn obstruction is when the prospect gives you an excuse as to why they can’t do something - they don’t have the time for the call, for example.

If that’s the case, you can reply by telling them you’ll send them an email. Although...keep them on the line by asking them what they’d like to see in the email. The longer the prospect stays on the phone, the greater your chance of sealing the deal.

“Ask them a couple of questions to be sure you’re sending over content that’s most relevant to them, like who their target audience is. More often than not, you’ll get them talking and they’ll forget they were too busy and wanted an email.” - Oli Scampton

More tips from Oli and Jenny for dealing with objections and obstructions:

If they’re giving you the time of day, you need to answer their questions to the best of your ability. Don’t just give them a short answer and go back to asking them questions.

Be an educator, not just a salesperson. Know your product and share your knowledge and enthusiasm about it.

Always go back to the mirroring technique. It’s a skill but the best SDRs are quick to gauge what a person is like and what kind of day they’re having.

Take an objection and build on it until you turn it around. Always look on the positive side!

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Taking notes: the importance of sales adminThere’s no downside to taking too many notes! In fact, it’s a part of sales admin that can’t be ignored. The better prepared you are, the more likely it is that the prospect will buy.

To start, grab a notebook - it’s a cold caller’s must-have!

“I always used to type my notes, but having been on the receiving end of a call with someone typing, you realise how distracting that is. It makes you sound very salesy!”

“Now I handwrite all my notes, even if the call only lasts 30 seconds and all I’ve written is a name. It’s better than getting to the end of the call and forgetting the name of the person you’re speaking to. Then, add your own research to that page so all your info on that prospect is in one place.” - Oli Scampton

Jenny recommends using a template when on a call with a prospect. You can type yours up and print it before the call or set it up in your notebook, but it should look something like this:

Company overview Brief description of the prospect’s company, location, industry and size.

Ideal customer profile The industries and job titles that the prospect’s company targets.

Current process How the prospect’s company generates new business.

Tech stack The main tools used by the prospect’s team.

Key hook The prospect’s long/short term business goals - how can your product help?

Rapport Personalised notes/information that could be useful in follow-ups.

How detailed your notes are depends on how much information you manage to get from your prospect. We asked Oli for his advice.

“I write my top points, but quite often I have to go over them after a call and fill in any gaps. I’d be really annoyed with myself if I booked a meeting and couldn’t make sense of my notes, or didn’t have enough information written down to fully engage with my prospect or for when the BDM takes over.” - Oli Scampton

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Closing: the best way to secure your saleYou’ve qualified your prospect, they’ve heard your pitch and you’ve helped them overcome all their objections. Now here it is, the moment you’ve been waiting for - closing the call!

The first step is to stay calm. Be assertive and clear about what it is you want. Here are two sure-fire tactics to reel them in:

Tactic 1Make it clear that they’ll find more value from seeing the product in action, rather than having you explain it to them over the phone. Then, ask them if they have time to see it.

Tactic 2Suggest that your cold call is actually a waste of their time. Wouldn’t they rather see a demo? The dialogue might go something like this:

“Look, [name], rather than me rambling on at you, would you be against seeing the platform over a 15-minute call? I could run some personalised searches for you based on your target market

and show you the quality and quantity of data that we have.”

Post-call: what happens after you put the phone downThe SDRs job doesn’t end when you book a demo. There’s still admin to do after you’ve put the phone down, starting with:

Typing up your notesBoth Jenny and Oli type up their notes directly after the call. This is so they don’t forget anything. It also ensures that they double-check the information they’ve received; there should be no inaccuracies when the account is transferred to the business development team.

Log the notes in your CRMOnce your notes are typed up, log them in Salesforce or whichever CRM your company uses. Be thorough - include every scrap of information you recorded. The BDM/AE will need all that intel to conduct the demo and close the deal.

The Cognism sales team has a famous mantra:

“If it isn’t on Salesforce then it doesn’t exist!”

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Remote working advice: how to cold call effectively from homeWith lockdown still in effect worldwide, many of us are now cold calling from home. For some SDRs, the hustle and bustle of a busy office is a distant memory, while for others, calling from home is all they’ve known.

How do Cognism’s sales reps cope?

Here are some WFH tips from our team.

1. Follow a routineJust because you’re at home doesn’t mean it’s time to get disorganised. Get up, do some exercise, get ready for work and plan your day as if you were still going into the office.

“I start my day with some exercise, then I do cold calling and take lunch. After that I’ll research people I’m going to call. Being organised and having time blocked out really makes all the difference. For instance, when I started, I tried doing a mix of calls and LinkedIn research and that just wastes a lot of time. Figure out your routine and stick to it for success.” - Jenny Gray

2. Set up a workspace With the above in mind, it’s important to have a dedicated space to work from. You’re unlikely to feel the same sense of motivation working from your couch as you would working at a desk.

3. Block out time for important tasksBe sure to block out time on your calendar to remind yourself of important tasks you need to complete.

4. Stay positiveKeeping a positive mindset during this time is crucial - both for your mental wellbeing and for your job performance. Cold calling can be a stressful vocation, with SDRs facing a daily grind of difficult conversations and rejected calls.

Counteract this by trying to get a good amount of exercise - 30 minutes each day is the recommended amount. Even if it’s just a quick walk in the morning or at lunch, it will help you release some endorphins and clear your mind.

5. Take a breakDoing too much can lead to burnout - and you don’t want that! Neither does your company. So take frequent small breaks and lunches every day to give your mind a rest.

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“Don’t try to do a long 4-5 hour cold calling marathon. Do 30, 45 or 60 minutes and then take a break for 5-10 minutes. Cold calling is a volume game, but you won’t be doing good calls if you don’t give yourself a break to recoup.” - Oli Scampton

What tech can help with B2B cold calling?There’s been a lot of advancements in technology to help smooth the process of B2B sales and cold calling in particular, but here’s a list of the main tools that Oli and Jenny can’t live without.

Cognism Prospector

Our SDRs drink their own champagne! 76% of Cognism’s outbound leads are sourced via our own Prospector tool.

Find your ideal prospects, reach them with personalised sequences, set up trigger alerts that tell you when they’d be likely to buy, access analytics and boost your pipeline...it’s all here, all in one place!

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Cognism Chrome Extension

A free extension for your Chrome browser that transforms LinkedIn into a lead generation powerhouse.

Simply click on any LinkedIn profile and you’ll get a wealth of business data straight from Cognism’s compliant database - including direct dials, emails, sales trigger events, technologies, recommended contacts and more.

Gong

The undisputed leader in revenue intelligence software, Gong is a truly awesome tool for empowering and enabling outbound sales teams. It captures and analyses every touchpoint in the sales process, delivering real-time insights on meetings, calls and emails.

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SalesLoft

SalesLoft is the top-rated software that helps B2B sales teams close more deals, faster. It provides everything from cadence automation, an integrated dialler for cold calling and powerful reporting and analytics.

Salesforce

A global, world-beating player in the CRM space, Salesforce is trusted by Cognism to manage our sales and marketing activities.

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B2B cold calling: closing commentsHere are some final words of wisdom from our SDRs, for those who are new to cold calling:

“Don’t be terrified of the phone! Just pick up the phone and do it - the people you call are just like you, no matter if they’re a CEO of an enterprise corporation or the secretary of a startup. At the end of the day, you learn from making mistakes, which won’t ever happen if you hide behind emails.” - Jenny Gray

“Move swiftly on after a bad call so it doesn’t infuriate you. You’re going to be making 175 calls a day and you can’t let one bad call ruin the lot. Forget about your failures and move on.” - Oli Scampton

Cognism: the world’s best B2B cold calling solutionWant to take your cold calling to the next level?

Of course you do, or you wouldn’t be reading our handbook.

Cognism can help propel your cold calling into orbit with a global database of over 400 million B2B contacts. That’s 400 million prospects for you to pick and choose from!

Find out how Cognism can change the way you prospect.

Speak to one of our experts today - click

Request your demo now