Introduction: Why Traditional Cold Calling Is Dead—And How to Bring It Back to Life with Curiosity
What if everything you’ve been taught about cold calling is wrong? What if the key to engaging prospects isn’t pushing your product, but sparking their curiosity? Traditional cold calling methods often come across as pushy, ineffective, and uncomfortable for both the salesperson and the prospect. But there’s a way to breathe new life into cold calling—and it all starts with one simple phrase: "I believe we've discovered a breakthrough." In this blog post, we’ll explore how this phrase can shift your cold calls from transactional pitches to meaningful conversations. By focusing on building trust, sparking curiosity, and using storytelling, you can transform the way you connect with prospects and increase your chances of success.
Trust: The First Step in Cold Calling That No One Tells You About
The Key to Building Rapport Fast
When it comes to cold calling, building trust is the foundation of any successful conversation. But how do you build trust quickly when you’re essentially a stranger on the other end of the line? The key is authenticity. Starting your conversation with honesty and vulnerability immediately puts the prospect at ease. Acknowledge the discomfort of the situation by saying something like, "I know I'm an interruption" or "I know I'm a stranger." This simple acknowledgment makes you more human and less of a salesperson. The real trick is not to pretend you’re something you’re not, but to own your position and allow the prospect to trust you based on your transparency. When you approach a cold call with empathy and understanding, you create a space where trust can flourish.
Personal Story and Emotional Connection
To truly connect with your prospect, your approach needs to be genuine. The speaker in the transcript shared a story about their early days as a Fuller Brushman—going door-to-door in Phoenix, completely outside their comfort zone, to sell household products. By simply being honest and offering to help, the speaker was able to build trust with strangers who were initially skeptical. This experience demonstrates how the simple act of being authentic can lead to trust. When prospects feel that they are not being manipulated or sold to, they’re more likely to open up and engage in meaningful dialogue.
How This Applies to Your Cold Calls
For your cold calls, start by acknowledging the discomfort. It’s important to recognize that, just like the women answering the door in the speaker's story, your prospects didn’t necessarily expect a call from you, and they likely don’t want to hear a sales pitch. By opening with an empathetic and honest phrase, you invite trust into the conversation and make it easier to move forward.
Curiosity: The Secret Weapon in Sales That Will Get Prospects to Say "Yes"
The Power of Curiosity in Human Behavior
Curiosity is one of the strongest driving forces behind human behavior. People are naturally curious, and this instinct can be a game-changer in sales. If you can tap into that curiosity, you’ll have prospects engaged in no time.
The phrase "I believe we’ve discovered a breakthrough" is a perfect tool for sparking curiosity. The word "breakthrough" itself implies that something new, important, and potentially transformative is being offered. But what makes it even more powerful is the use of the word "we." People are naturally drawn to other people, and the word "we" makes the discovery feel like a shared experience, drawing the prospect in to learn more.
Why “Breakthrough” Works
The idea of a breakthrough isn’t about the product itself—it’s about the emotional connection it creates. It’s a concept that makes prospects sit up and take notice because it signals something that could change their situation for the better. The beauty of this phrase is that it doesn't make you sound like you’re pushing a product; instead, you’re presenting a potential turning point that the prospect can be a part of. Moreover, "breakthrough" is a softer, less aggressive word compared to terms like "innovative" or "revolutionary." It communicates a sense of discovery rather than superiority, which helps avoid triggering resistance or psychological reactance in the prospect.
How to Craft the Right Curiosity-Fueled Message
When making a cold call, don’t dive straight into the details of your product or service. Instead, use phrases that hint at a discovery or breakthrough. By introducing curiosity early in the conversation, you move the focus away from a typical sales pitch and towards a collaborative exploration of what you can offer. The prospect may not immediately want to hear about your product, but they will likely want to know more about what you’ve discovered.
The Role of Storytelling: Transforming a Cold Call into an Engaging Conversation
Stories Engage, Facts Don’t
If you’ve ever tried to rattle off facts and statistics to a prospect, you know that it’s easy for them to tune out. People are wired to listen to stories—they remember them, they relate to them, and they engage with them on an emotional level. But facts and figures? Not so much. This is where the idea of storytelling comes into play. By framing your cold call as part of a story, you make the conversation more engaging and memorable. The breakthrough becomes the hero of your story, and the prospect is invited to join the journey.
Creating the Hero’s Journey
The concept of the hero’s journey is central to compelling storytelling. In this narrative, the breakthrough is the hero that will overcome challenges and deliver value. Your role as the salesperson isn’t to be the hero, but rather to guide the prospect through the journey and help them experience the transformation the breakthrough offers. When you introduce a breakthrough, you’re not just presenting a product—you’re introducing a story that has the potential to change the prospect’s life or business. This narrative arc makes the sales pitch feel less transactional and more like an exciting opportunity.
How to Apply This in Cold Calling
Instead of launching into a lengthy pitch about your product’s features, start by crafting a narrative about how the breakthrough can transform the prospect's situation. Show them how the hero of your story (the breakthrough) can help them overcome a problem or challenge they’re facing. Make the prospect the hero of their own story, with your product as the key to their success.
Practical Takeaways: How to Use "I Believe We've Discovered a Breakthrough" in Your Cold Calls
The Power of Phrasing
The first step is to practice saying "I believe we’ve discovered a breakthrough" with confidence, but also with humility. This phrase isn’t about asserting how great you are or how fantastic your product is. It’s about introducing the prospect to something that could change their world in a positive way.
The key is to say it with genuine belief, making the prospect feel like they’re about to discover something exciting, not just hear another sales pitch.
The 27-Second Rule
After you’ve built trust with your opening, you have just 27 seconds to transition into sparking curiosity. Use these seconds wisely by saying something like, “I believe we’ve discovered a breakthrough” in a calm, confident manner. This is your moment to grab the prospect’s attention and spark their curiosity. The goal is to invite them into a conversation that feels like a discovery, not a sales call.
Empathy Is Key
Remember that the ultimate goal isn’t just to get a “yes” on the meeting—it’s to build a relationship with the prospect. Make sure that when you use the phrase, “I believe we’ve discovered a breakthrough,” it’s coming from a place of empathy and genuine desire to help. Don’t just say the words because they sound good—use them to create a space where the prospect feels comfortable enough to continue the conversation.
The Next Step: Using Curiosity to Make Every Cold Call Feel Like an Opportunity, Not a Transaction
Cold calling doesn’t have to be a dreaded task. When you shift your mindset from selling a product to creating curiosity and offering real value, you can transform your approach. Trust, curiosity, and storytelling all work together to turn each cold call into a genuine opportunity for connection, not just a transaction.
So, start using “I believe we’ve discovered a breakthrough” in your next cold call. Practice it, refine it, and watch as you begin to shift the energy of your calls from resistance to curiosity—and ultimately, to success.
