Josh Braun’s Post

You've probably seen posts declaring sales "truths" like: "Never use a permission-based cold call opener." "Keep cold emails under 60 words." "Always use an upfront contract during a discovery call." While these sound definitive, remember that they're coming from one person's perspective. It doesn't make them true. Just because one person swears by a specific tactic doesn't mean it's the only way to succeed. For instance, someone might find success with permission-based openers despite what the gurus say. Here's the key takeaway: Most sales advice, even from respected figures, is subjective. Listen, learn, experiment, be flexible, adjust and find out what works for YOU.

It's a given in British cold calling sales environments today... ... using a permission based opener. Once you have that, your intro then needs to have one of two outcomes. One which will determine very quickly that you're going to have engagement, or you're not. Your intro needs to have 2-3 absolute industry examples of issues, challenges or problems that they suffer from. And your prospect will respond with either; "Yes, of course we have those issues" or "Actually, we don't have those issues at all" This is the ideal outcome you would like at that stage. Then you know where to go and more importantly, your prospect is ready to see what you have to say in response. If the responses you're getting don't fit into either 'box', look at refining your intro til they do. Effective and efficient cold calling needs work, focus, practice and industry knowledge. You need to understand what to say and why it would be completely relevant. ☎️✅

I responded to a cold email: “This isn’t my priority. Best of luck with your outreach!” Got hit with an objection handle: “Just to confirm - closing more deals faster isn’t a priority?” I get the approach: The idea is to “trap” the prospect into a question they can’t say no to. “What sales leader wouldn’t want more deals, faster?” Here’s the problem: I’m not objecting to the proposed outcome. Closing more deals faster is ALWAYS a priority for me. I’m just already working on my top priorities to help my teams close more deals faster. We’ve identified tools supporting those priorities and are in execution mode. My objection wasn’t to the outcome. It was the approach this solution takes to drive that outcome. The problems they solve to drive that outcome are not painful for me. When you get a no, don’t fall back to the high-level outcome: - “Oh, you don’t want to save money on your HR solutions?” - “Really, you don’t want to reduce the risk of getting hacked?” - “Huh, you don’t want your developers to be happy and productive?” Of course your buyers want those outcomes. If they are objecting, they likely either: - Don’t believe you can drive that outcome - Believe a different approach will work better Find out which of those your objection falls under and address that for better success. Here’s what that follow-up might look like: “Makes perfect sense you’ve already got a handle on this. Usually this means you’ve got a similar solution in place and I didn’t do a good job sharing how we are different, or you are attacking this priority through a completely different approach. Can I ask where you fall?” Next time you hear “this isn’t a priority” to something that you know should be a priority, give this a shot!

Sales reps just hate cold calling. Cold calling is like that weird uncle at Thanksgiving dinner - nobody wants him there, but he keeps showing up. I gathered some intel from my team to crack the code on effective cold call openers. Here's what I found: 1. The "Permission is Sexy" Approach: - Getting the green light for the call before diving in. - Think of it like a first date - a little charm and a clear purpose go a long way. 2. The "Delivery is King (or Queen)" Approach: - FOCUS on how you deliver your opener, not the opener itself. - Basically, even the cheesiest line can sound smooth with the right confidence (think Chandler Bing with a sales headset). 3. The "Cheeky and Disarming" Approach: - Try to start with a playful jab to break the ice (think "Would you like to roll the dice with me?" on a cold call...bold move!). - Warning: This tactic requires finesse. Unless you're a natural comedian, it might backfire spectacularly. 4. The "Mystery Box" Approach: - Prefer an ambiguous opener to pique curiosity. - This might work for seasoned salespeople, but newbies might just sound like confused mumbling robots. 5. The "Hey-Look-At-Me!" Approach: - Use humor, laughter, and even physical gestures (arms up!) to stand out from the cold call crowd. - Double Warning: This approach has the potential to be incredibly cringe-worthy. Proceed with extreme caution. 6. The "I'm-So-Meta-Even-This-Acronym-Is-Dead" Approach: - Cold calling is a dinosaur, but offers a script anyway (respect the hustle!). - Key takeaway: Don't be afraid to break the mold, but maybe practice that script a few times before unleashing it on unsuspecting prospects. The Lesson? There's no magic tonic for cold call openers. The best approach depends on your personality and sales style. But remember, a little self-awareness and a dash of humor can go a long way in making the whole experience a little less...well, awkward. So tell us, sales fam, what's your favorite (or least favorite) cold call opener? Share your stories in the comments! #salestips #coldcalling #techsales #prospecting #sdrlife

The confident approach is still the best for cold calls: ↳“Hi Yann, this is Tal calling from lemlist. How are you?” If positive, move onto: ↳“Are you In the middle of something or do you have a second?” Then move on to the first pitch. If negative, go to: ↳‘Apologies for that, it was just to talk about [topic]. Do you have a second later on or would you prefer I send over an email” No pitch slapping or permission smacking or benefit spanking Just on the front foot with confidence. Some people HATE that approach. Fine. You use whatever opening or style fits you best. Even me :) Ignore anyone on linkedin saying different. If you book meetings… No matter how cringe, cheesy or annoying… It works. p.s type [The Only Cold Calling Script You Need for Software Sales] into google. Cognism’s resource is great ☎️ ~  Helping 100+ Outbound Sales Teams Hit Their Target (with lemlist)   Sales team with >5 reps? Send me a DM 🙌🏼

Some people think I’m crazy when I say I love cold calling prospects. Why do I love it? At least 10 reasons. 1. It’s a no lose situation. Every yes, appointment or referral is 100% incremental. 2. I can experiment with different versions of my conversation. I don’t like calling it a “pitch,” because to me that means it’s a fixed presentation. Riffing is the fun part for me. 3. Cold calling is the fastest way to get in a lot of reps and build the resilience and mind set needed to persevere in sales. 4. I get to hear a lot of objections quickly and learn from the prospects’ feedback. 5. I love getting creative and pushing the edge when talking to prospects, because the most lucrative clients are getting the most cold calls, mostly with boring pitches, delivered by reluctant salespeople, all saying they have the best product and service…bla bla bla. 6. I love talking to and meeting people. I still go to the counter to check in at the airport when I could print a ticket at a kiosk or use an app. It’s hard to get a machine to bend the rules on a checked bag or flight change. 7. If I am calling, I am not stuck in meetings or wasting time with trivial emails. I feel refreshed and productive as if I just finished a work out. 8. Sometimes they are l hilarious, and we can all get a laugh in the office when I debrief the call. 9. I can be 100% myself. The prospect hasn’t been in my office, know my age, researched my company, price shopped my competition, or been given any other signal that tells them what I should or shouldn’t be. 10. Every sale feels amazing and is usually another great story to tell to future prospects that help close future deals, and it can snowball from there. If you hate cold calling, I’d love to know why?

Keeping the human spark alive can definitely make a difference in your approach.

I responded to a cold email: “This isn’t my priority. Best of luck with your outreach!” Got hit with an objection handle: “Just to confirm - closing more deals faster isn’t a priority?” I get the approach: The idea is to “trap” the prospect into a question they can’t say no to. “What sales leader wouldn’t want more deals, faster?” Here’s the problem: I’m not objecting to the proposed outcome. Closing more deals faster is ALWAYS a priority for me. I’m just already working on my top priorities to help my teams close more deals faster. We’ve identified tools supporting those priorities and are in execution mode. My objection wasn’t to the outcome. It was the approach this solution takes to drive that outcome. The problems they solve to drive that outcome are not painful for me. When you get a no, don’t fall back to the high-level outcome: - “Oh, you don’t want to save money on your HR solutions?” - “Really, you don’t want to reduce the risk of getting hacked?” - “Huh, you don’t want your developers to be happy and productive?” Of course your buyers want those outcomes. If they are objecting, they likely either: - Don’t believe you can drive that outcome - Believe a different approach will work better Find out which of those your objection falls under and address that for better success. Here’s what that follow-up might look like: “Makes perfect sense you’ve already got a handle on this. Usually this means you’ve got a similar solution in place and I didn’t do a good job sharing how we are different, or you are attacking this priority through a completely different approach. Can I ask where you fall?” Next time you hear “this isn’t a priority” to something that you know should be a priority, give this a shot!

Happy Wednesday sales professionals! 😊 What is the most important metric in cold outreach? Number of calls made? Number of emails sent? Number of LinkedIn messages, perhaps? The most important metric is conversations, whether via call, email, or even on LinkedIn. In order to build awareness—which is the first step in sales—you must start conversations. And I am not talking about bad conversations. I am talking about quality conversations, where you can engage with your prospects and spark their curiosity towards your service, product, or solution. You don't even need to ask for a meeting. Sometimes you don't even need a meeting to close a deal—it all depends on the type of service you are offering. It all depends on sparking that curiosity. 🤔 Prospects nowadays want to do their own research. Your job is to facilitate that research and keep the conversation flowing along the way. And then the deal gets closed without any pushy environment. Now, if you want to have high-quality conversations, you need high-quality leads, and this is where most businesses fail to focus. How to get high-quality leads, you may ask. First, let me ask you: What is your current approach to getting your leads?