Warm call

A warm call is a sales strategy where a representative reaches out to a potential client with whom there has been prior interaction. Unlike a cold call, the prospect already has a certain level of familiarity with the representative or the company, thus creating a more receptive environment for the sales conversation.

How warm calling works

Warm calling works best on prospects that check off all the customer suitability boxes, even if they have not explicitly expressed any interest in your company, product, or service yet. Warm calling is the opposite of cold calling, in which prospects are solicited without any prior interaction. 

Warm calls are generally more casual and personalized in nature, as you have specific jump off points such as “Hello Ms. Stevens, we met at the expo last week” or “Ms. Stevens, I saw you left a comment on our blog post on LinkedIn.” Those icebreakers open up the warm call to further discussion.

Warm call guidelines

Before you get into scripts, there are some guidelines you should follow to have more successful and effective warm calls. 

✔ Target prospects with a profile most similar to your average/most loyal customer. 

✔ Research the target’s needs and values in order to tailor your offer to them.

✔ Respect their time by getting to the point quickly and keeping your pitch brief.

✔ Stay human. Don’t be afraid to be casual, humorous, and just you during your call. This is not a formal meeting and the goal is to connect.

✔ Prepare. Know what it is you want to say so you are not floundering during the call. That is a huge turnoff for prospects.

✔ Keep the call under 5 minutes. The goal is to open communication, not do a complete data dump of everything about your company, product or service.

✔ Make effective use of all communication channels. Use email to provide more information or assistance, or leave a voicemail if they do not pick up, then follow-up with an email.

✔ Make a second (or fifth) warm call if need be – you want to talk to the prospect, so make sure you talk to them!

Warm call scripts

There are literally thousands of examples of warm call scripts out there on the internet, it is almost overwhelming (ok, really overwhelming) and it’s hard to choose where to start. 

The first thing you need to remember is that most prospects are going to feel a little trepidation when a salesperson contacts them. Warms leads do not necessarily equal “I want to buy whatever you’re selling right now.” Warm calls are really only a few degrees above a cold call, for the most part. 

As for scripts, I am going to go with an example of the most basic bare bones, which can be built upon and personalized to your specific situation and prospect. (This very generic script actually would work well with cold calls too – a word to the wise.)

1. Get their attention. Use their name when you say hello. Be warm and welcoming. Then hop to step 2 because a question like, “How are you?” could derail your whole reason for calling.
   
   
2. Introduce yourself. “I’m Amanda from Snov.io.” It is that simple.
   
   
3. Let them know why you are calling. The reason you are calling is not to throw a sales pitch or make a sale. It is to get their attention and to set up the next meeting; to connect. Jumping right in shows you are serious and professional, and you know a lot of small talk is for after you’ve begun to create a relationship with the prospect.
   
   
4. Bridge. This is where you tell them a little about your product and why you called them specifically. It’s also where your previous research comes in handy, as you can say, “I know you need [this] and I can provide you with [that] to help.”
   
   
5. Tell them what you want then listen. Ultimately, your goal is to set meetings with prospects because you are calling a more targeted list. Listen to what they have to say and work based on that.
   
   
6. Improvise if you have to. Calls don’t always go as you want them to – you can’t be so locked into a script that you get flustered when the call goes off script.

It’s important to save your scripts within your CRM to make sure you can use them over and over if they are successful.

What else can you do with a warm call?

This part is very important, in my opinion. Just calling a warm prospect is technically all a warm call is, but there is so much more you can do to mix it up. Let’s take a look at three examples of such mixed approaches.

Method #1

• Send a welcoming package to get to know the brand
• Send an email as a follow-up to the gift
• Make the warm call

Method #2

• Send a cold email as an introduction
• Send a follow-up email with free resources and ask to schedule a call
• Make a warm call asking whether they liked the resources or not

Method #3

• Find your lead on LinkedIn and invite them
• Comment on what they likes, share their posts
• Make a warm call

There is no wrong way to approach it. You can use all of the above methods in any mix. You can even send 5 emails if that’s what you feel is a reasonable amount to warm up the lead before making a call. The point is always to begin building a relationship between you and your prospect. 

After the warm call

You may be wondering, “But what is the goal of warm calls? What is the next step?” 

That is up to you, but some examples would be: 

✓ scheduling a phone call or coffee meeting to further discuss your company, product or service

✓ getting the prospect to want more information sent to them

✓ begin an email conversation to continue your discussion, etc.

Like I said, it’s up to you exactly what you do, but the goal is to make the big first step in turning a warm lead into a hot lead.