How to Get More Cold Calls Answered

James Buckley: 00:02

What is poppin', y'all? We are live, we are back, it is real, I am here. This is one of those shows where I get to have a lot of fun, because cold calling shows are my favorite type of shows. I still believe that cold calling is the fastest way to new conversations, and the experts in the room with me here agree. Welcome back, everybody, to the Sell Better Daily Sales Show, where we bring you daily sales advice to help you sell better. We're here to talk about how to get more cold calls answered. I think there's a lot of technology out there that stops us from getting through, but then also there's things we can do that are gonna help us to get through better, stronger, and more often. I want to say thank you once again for coming to the show. Sara Uy, founder of SellingSara. It is always a pleasure to host you. We have a great time together. Every time we get together, it is, great to have you back here. Thanks for coming in.

Sara Uy: 00:48

Yeah, of course, I'm so happy to be here, I always have a great time with you guys.

James Buckley: 00:52

Let's give a warm welcome to his very first appearance on Sell Better. Chris Stalnaker is here from First Orion. If you don't know about First Orion, I'm about to tell you in a minute. What's up, Chris? Welcome to the show.

Chris Stalnaker: 01:03

James, I gotta say something. You gave Sara a little shout-out there. I'm in Southern California. I saw some LA, I saw Southern California, I saw San Diego in here. That's where I'm at. I'm in San Diego. It is sunny and beautiful today. So we're ready to have a good time.

James Buckley: 01:16

If you're in Cali, hook up with Chris, man, you guys could get together, have some fun. Chris is a good guy to hang out with. You learn a lot from him about cold calling. Scan this QR code, check us out, sellbetter.xyz. While you're there, hop over to the YouTube channel and subscribe to get all the latest, greatest tips, techniques, tactics, takeaways, and templates. That's a lot of T's. I want to give a big thanks to our partner, First Orion. I've been talking about this for weeks now. This is something that we've needed for a very long time. This is changing the way that buyers think about answering their phones. Put a 1 in the chat if you think you come up as spam, or spam risk, or unknown caller when you're dialing out. I feel like this is…Killing us as callers.

James Buckley: 01:56

Put a 2 in the chat if your biggest hurdle is the feature block unknown callers. I feel like this one happened, and it changed the game for us almost instantaneously overnight. First Orion's Inform creates branded caller displays. This looks legit when the phone rings. We'll show you a great example of what this could look like for you in the coming slides, so pay attention. Let's get into it. This is what you're going to get from Sara and from Chris today. What separates a healthy connect rate from a bad connect rate? This kind of varies, I think. Why prospects actually ignore calls? What is it about our Does it smell? Did we not shower this morning and they know that? Why are they not answering? Right? And then, of course, openers. Once they do answer, we can't be the deer in headlights. We have to actually know what we're gonna say. So let's talk about why people actually don't answer the phone and start with the problem itself. Everybody says connect rates are down.

James Buckley: 02:51

Everybody says cold calling is getting harder, but why? What's actually happening when the prospect sees our number pop up on the phone, Chris? Oh, you might be muted, there we go.

Chris Stalnaker: 03:04

I got muted, okay. Sorry, James. Say it one more time, sorry, I just…

James Buckley: 03:09

Yeah, so the question is, when we are dialing, everybody says connect rates are down, everybody says that cold calling is harder, what's actually happening when a prospect sees a number on their phone?

Chris Stalnaker: 03:20

So, it's really interesting you say that, James. I mean, I was just at a conference giving a presentation over this, and the reality behind every single cold call, real call, it doesn't matter what type of call, a call is a call, but 90%, 9-0% of people do not answer phone calls from numbers that they don't know. You tell your… you tell your parents that, you tell your grandparents, elderly… you tell everybody, do not answer this call. You and I… I just… I was on mute, but I had a call come in, and guess what? random number, I didn't know who it was. I didn't answer it, right? So, that's the reality behind it. And I always say, too, hey, showing up as a spam or a, you know, scam, likely, obviously not a good case scenario at all. showing up as a random 10-digit number equally as bad. So… so why on earth would you ever risk showing up as anything other than who you are?

James Buckley: 04:11

Yeah, I think the irony here is that the buyer is not necessarily rejecting the sales call, they're rejecting the uncertainty of who's on the other end. What do you think, Sara?

Chris Stalnaker: 04:19

phenomenal. Yeah, I mean… Love that.

Sara Uy: 04:21

The un… the uncertainty is, I mean, everything is… every thought is running into their brain. They're thinking, sales call, spam call, but…There's also a lot of different ways that I think we're gonna talk about to, like, avoid that, which is good. Like, one little simple thing I do is, like, sometimes I'll text before, and then it will come up as, like, maybe Sara, so that way it looks like you're getting past the spam, and it says, like, hey, like, maybe you should know this person, but I'm sure we'll get into a lot of those details, like, how to get around it, and things like that, but…Yeah, I mean, it's definitely… we have to deal with all of those thoughts in 2026, and manage those expectations.

James Buckley: 04:59

I enjoy that. I like the text move there. Go ahead, Chris.

Chris Stalnaker: 05:01

I gotta say something, Sara, I… you just… I feel like we're on the same team here. I would lose my job if I didn't at least bring this up. I love the beauty behind sending a message, so, like, we… at First Orion as well, we also offer branded messaging, and so we can set it up in sequences where it's no longer coming from a 5-digit shortcode or a 10-digit random, you know, phone number. It's a secure, encrypted, logo, branded, enrich RCS. Everybody on this meeting right here, it's called RCS. future of messaging, where you can identify who you are and why you're messaging somebody right before you call. Sorry, Terry, you teed me up for that one. That was too easy. I love that.

James Buckley: 05:43

I mean, why wouldn't we have branded text messages if we're looking for branded calls that actually make it through? I mean, text is becoming a fast way to get… to stay in touch. I have this habit of saying, hey, is this your cell? Can I save this number? I'm gonna text you now. Right, if you get it, just save me as a contact. That way, if I call, you know, it actually rings. People will save you as a contact in their phone, and then, you know, that part is super helpful, you know, because now you can just bypass the email stuff, bypass the social stuff, go right to the text relationship. So why wouldn't you want the text? Let's talk about what that might look like, right? So, right here is the way that you might be considering a branded call to look. Now, obviously, we're repping first Orion here, so you can see that logo up at the top, but imagine what this could look like if you were cold calling. So this is how we might bake trust in, if you will. So let me… let's talk about it a little bit. Chris, you said that the simplicity here is what makes a difference. Caller ID…

James Buckley: 06:38

equals different emotional reactions for the buyers, right? Break down what that emotional reaction might be.

Chris Stalnaker: 06:46

James, it's like, I get chills every single time I get to talk about this. It takes what we would quote-unquote consider a cold call into an immediate warm call. It is now no longer a, oh my god, I hope this person answers the phone call, I don't know, to… they already know. they know what's about to happen, right? They got my name, they have my logo, it is a verified, authenticated phone call. It takes it from a…I'm angry, and I'm getting these spam and scam calls all day long. James, my favorite thing, too, and we talk about, you know, insurance a lot here at First Orion, but, you know, you think about when you go online, and you're like, hey, I want to get a quote, you know, and the reality behind it is… is…you opt in. your information gets sold to 30 different insurance companies, and guess what? For the next 2 hours, I'm getting phone calls from people about this particular interest and inquiry.

Chris Stalnaker: 07:43

The one that I'm gonna answer is the one that's verified, authenticated, and it says, you know, ABC Insurance Company. So it takes a complete, cold, terrifying phone call I don't want to answer to. Man, I was expecting this. Thank God they're finally calling me. It's a totally emotional adjustment to the world of cold calling.

James Buckley: 08:06

Yeah, Sara, trust is baked in before a call even starts, but it's built before a prospect ever even touches that green button to answer the call. You know, what are you seeing when it comes to pickup rates and being able to pick up the phone, dial a number, and actually get that trust in the call, and you have, like, a really recognizable brand. I'm sure it helps the people, like, oh my gosh, you're calling me.

Sara Uy: 08:29

Definitely helps, because there's definitely one specific opener that I train my clients on and their teams, and it's one that I use every single day, too, which is like, hey, James, you're totally gonna hate me, this is a cold call. If you just give me 27 seconds, and what I say is not valuable, I will never call you back again. You need to have such a strong opener like that, whether you like that or not, because I know there's a lot of people on this call thinking, I hate that. You hate it because you've never tried it. So, try it today, because it works. But, you need such a strong opener like that, because automatically, like, if you could get that out, sound super confident, your tone has to be, like, awesome when you say that, and you practice that over and over again, people are gonna be like, wow, this is not a bot, and I actually really appreciate that. So, you know what, yeah, let's see what you got, and the right people will really respect that opener, and they will let you pitch.

Sara Uy: 09:21

You just need to realize that your mission in 2026 needs to be within the first 5-7 seconds. You cannot come off like a bot. You need to come off as a trusted person. Like, you need to humanize the call as quickly as possible. If you do that, you have a really good chance of building trust, like, within the first few seconds of the call.

James Buckley: 09:42

Yeah, I would agree, and I love the opener. Jordan, you missed the opener, I'll give it to you, because I love it, and I see her do it all the time. It's, hey Jordan, you're gonna hate me, this is a Friday cold call. That's the opener, right? It works, I've seen it work both on her calls, and I've used it myself, and it works. So try that one out, and she's got a couple more openers that she's gonna get. We have some good questions in the chat. I appreciate you guys asking questions in the chat. Please throw them in the Q&A so they don't get buried. Chris, you mentioned RCS there, and somebody asked a question. Did Apple agree to using RCS? Is that relevant? Do they need to agree for this to work?

Chris Stalnaker: 10:20

Yeah, yeah, actually, Apple was kind of the last leg to this entire RCS deployment. Android, it's been around for, we're talking about cold calls, so I don't want to derail us too much here, but… No, no, of course. RCS has been around for years and years and years, but…Recently, as of, I think it was… I always say around, you know, the end of 2025, but my product owner would say 24, Apple, of course, yes, RCS messages. So RCS is when everybody gets the blue verified check, that's an RCS message for all of you guys who have, an iPhone. So that's what it is. So, yes.

James Buckley: 10:58

Jonathan Thies, thank you very much for asking that question. The answer is yes, it is agreed upon. Sara, this one is probably a great one for you. This comes from Stacy Shepard. Chris, if you have your opinions on this, I'd love to hear them. And I think this is totally relevant to getting our call answered, right? Because what about calling into the main line and getting a gatekeeper? A gatekeeper will sometimes be like, I'll put you through to their voicemail, or I'll let me put you through. how do we get that call answered, right? And then, is there a way to get the gatekeepers to answer the phone and not put us immediately through to the voicemail? How do we get that person?

Sara Uy: 11:33

Yeah, I mean, plan A is, like, just don't call the business line. Like, just avoid it at all costs. Like, if you have the CEO's mobile number, don't waste your time on the business line. Now, I know a lot of people are thinking, well, I work in transportation, or I work in construction, and people are in the office. Well, then that's a different story, and obviously everything that me, Chris, James say on here, it's obviously different for every other for every industry, and everything we say, take as a grain of salt, because things that we say don't work might work for you. Don't stop doing it, because we said don't, like, you know, X, Y, and Z. But plan B is, like, if you are calling and you are getting that gatekeeper, there's so many ways.

Sara Uy: 12:14

And, like, tips and tricks to get through that gatekeeper. We actually… I think I just did a show with you guys, like, last week on how to get past gatekeeper, so if everyone was on that show, like, I'm sure you are able to see the recording, but something that I do is I just, like, focus on tone. So if, like, James, you're the gatekeeper, and you're like, hey, like, who is this? I'm like, oh, looking to get in touch with Chris, thanks. And then if they're like, oh, is he expecting your call? This is very… this is very, it's gonna be a heated topic, but I always say yes, because if I know they have a gatekeeper. I'll send an email, like, 2 seconds before, saying, hey, I'm giving you a call in 2 minutes. So, even if they don't know who I am, technically I'm not lying, because I did warn them that I was going to give them a call. So, like, they should be expecting it, because I told them I was calling. But I know a lot of people are like, oh my god, you're, like, lying to them, but sales is about being creative, okay? I don't look at that as lying, I look at it as being creative.

James Buckley: 13:13

You know, fine lines between lying and creativity, right? Are we lying by calling with a branded call? No. We're using a piece of technology to our advantage, to have more connections, to have more conversations. It's not a lie, it's a strategic decision made by an elite salesperson. Simple as that. Great answers. Yeah, simple, right? Great, great stuff there. I appreciate that, and I love the defensive part of it, because I agree with you. I don't think that everything should be considered a fib or a lie, just because other people aren't using that particular strategy, or it doesn't work for their ideal clients. Let's move on. Drop the number of calls you make in a day in the chat, on average. I'm not asking for exact numbers. Do you think you make 100 calls a day? Do you think you make 50? Drop the number of calls you make in a day. All right, we got 50, we got 70 coming in. Somebody's gonna put, like, 8 billion. 30 plus, 100, 60 to 90, I think 60 to 90 is pretty reachable for most people.

James Buckley: 14:11

Jordan Freeman does 25, I love it. The old playbook versus the new playbook, that's kind of what I want to talk about, and I think a lot of sales teams are still operating under a lot of old assumptions. This idea, and let me know in the chat, yes or no, has any leader ever said, you need to do more calls? More is the answer. Right? Does that still hold true, Sara? Is more the answer?

Sara Uy: 14:33

I think, like, not to call anyone out here, but, like, If you're doing, like. 10 to 20 calls a day. I think more is definitely the answer, because you do need to do more in 2026.

James Buckley: 14:48

Well, you gotta play the numbers game, right?

Sara Uy: 14:49

Exactly, and like, I always say you create your own luck, and, you know, if you make 90 calls in a day, chances are you're increasing your luck to having a conversation to book a meeting, right? But definitely quality is being considered in 2026 now as well, because you need to be extra personalized, because you need to be extra human, just because we need to separate ourselves from AI. So, like, my recommendation would be, and what I've been training teams on, is, like, if you call 90 leads a day, choose 20 of them that are, like, your hottest leads, and that could mean anything. For me, it means, like, the 20 leads that I'm desperate to book a meeting with, because, like, I just either love their logo, or I know I can really, really, really support them. Like, they're, like, those sexy companies to me, personally. Like, take those 20, and those are the 20 that you're going to hyper-personalize the hook.

Sara Uy: 15:43

That way, like, those are the 20 that you focus, like, quality on while you're still getting the volume in by doing the remainder 70 that you have to make.

James Buckley: 15:52

zeroing in on where you need to be super tailored, high-quality touches. I feel like this is the difference between calling what we know is an enterprise account, and what's, like, an SMB account that we've seen multiple times come through our dialer or whatever. Thoughts on that, Chris? I see your wheels turning.

Chris Stalnaker: 16:09

Man, James, we're already vibing here, I love it. Sara said my favorite word. She said the word luck, and I happen to be a pretty lucky guy, but my favorite quote is, you know, luck…is what happens when preparation meets opportunity, right? So you… so I'm really big on casting a wide net, man. Like, the reality behind it is, like, I can't force somebody to answer the phone. It doesn't matter how prepared you are. They might just not answer the call. They may not be around their phone. when you actually go out. So all the preparation leads to, maybe a voicemail, right? So…I love pounding the phone. I think the people in here chat, and they make 20, 30 dials, like, you've got to crank those numbers up. Like, you got… you have to be at 100. I remember one of my first sales jobs.

Chris Stalnaker: 16:57

I mean, I was… I think I was in the midst of 250, 270, maybe my 270th dial of the day, and I finally got… and Sara, I stole your idea here. I had the, it was the office manager, your gatekeeper, and I'm like, you know, no, Jesse, he's… he is expecting my call. Go ahead and put me through. He's like, oh, okay. And then I ended up signing, like, the largest contract I ever had in my life, and that was the 270th dial of the day. So, I think you gotta cast a wide net, you have to be prepared. It's not like the dialogue really changes from person to person, other than their name, right? Or their business. So, I love it.

James Buckley: 17:36

That's a good call out there, and I think that speaks heavily to the one more call model. We always hear this, right? People say, make one more call, just one more call. I agree with Sara, though. If you're making 10 to 20 dials, your leader is right. More is probably going to help you a lot. But if you're already making 60, 90, 100, or more calls in a day, perhaps…Something else needs to change. Whatever that might be, it could be what you're saying, it could be the fact that you don't leave enough voicemail, it could be a fact that you leave too many voicemails, it might be what you're saying in the voicemail. Adjust what you're doing. Go ahead, Chris.

Chris Stalnaker: 18:10

So, I just… I… somebody's chatting, and you just said it. I don't ever leave voicemails. People don't ever listen to their voicemail. I mean, I have to buy more storage on my iPhone every single month because of all the voicemails. I don't listen to them, you know, like, you just…

James Buckley: 18:25

Oh!

Chris Stalnaker: 18:26

Yeah, I…

James Buckley: 18:26

alone. Parked it right there! Sara, I see you, Chris.

Chris Stalnaker: 18:33

No voicemail, girl? I didn't know!

James Buckley: 18:35

Get fake? No, no, no.

Sara Uy: 18:36

Please always leave a voicemail!

Chris Stalnaker: 18:38

Don't leave a voicemail!

Sara Uy: 18:39

Well.

Chris Stalnaker: 18:40

Oh, this is great, okay, okay.

Sara Uy: 18:43

Always leave a voicemail. Reason being is… I totally agree with you, Chris. Like, people aren't listening to them, but they're reading them in the transcription. I read every single voicemail that I get on transcription. I don't call them back, and, like, the purpose of you guys leaving voicemails, like, is not for them to call you back. Like, no one is ever going to call you back. That's true. Like, that is totally true, what Chris said. However, my voicemails always sound like, you know, hey James, it's Sara over at SellingSara. There's absolutely no need to give me a call back, but I'm sending you a LinkedIn video right now, so you could get back to me on there. And that way, they're like, wait, that's weird, I've never received a LinkedIn video before.

Sara Uy: 19:24

let me go check my LinkedIn, and then there's a video sitting there. So, like, I always think it's just so great for branding, and it's just a meaningful touchpoint that has your name and your company name smack in the middle of their face when they're reading the transcription, and then they can put two and two together when you reach out to them on LinkedIn, or they… you call again. But I read every single transcripted voicemail.

James Buckley: 19:45

I love this. Go ahead, Chris.

Chris Stalnaker: 19:47

No, I think… I can see the chats, buzzing off right now, too, man.

Sara Uy: 19:52

It's a good debate, it's a good debate.

Chris Stalnaker: 19:54

Sierra, you got a whole army in this chat right here. I just think that, it depends, right? So, like, when you're selling, like, enterprise accounts, like, I'm big. I would rather call and then hit them with an email. Like, hey, I just tried calling you, like, you probably saw me come through. And also. My whole approach and how we make calls we do live in the call log, right? So that's my… that's my touch point, right? It's… it's like…the branded name, logo, everything is there, and so I… I want to talk to somebody who, is interested in talking to me. But, man, I… look at… who's Jonathan? James, did we hire this Jonathan guy to join the chat? I mean, he is… he's the guy over here, sir.

James Buckley: 20:39

Jonathan Kent comes to the show, he understands, and I think he's also a Sara fan, we are all fans of Sara. I will tell you this, though, I think that I leave a voicemail at least once, if not twice, with every prospect, if I have a direct line. The thing about my voicemails is that, and this is John Barrows yelling in my head, I quit leaving my phone number a long time ago. Instead, I tell them I'm about to send them an email, and sometimes I even give them the subject line. That way, they, like, go look for the subject line, and I get the response back in my email that says, I got your voicemail. That's, like, the opener, right? So, like, it's a remarkable thing what voicemails can do. Here's the thing. One. don't leave the voicemail the way that everybody else leaves the voicemail. My name is, and I'm with, and we do. You're… that's probably not even gonna get finished… they're not even gonna finish reading that. Right? They just swipe to the side and then hit trash.

James Buckley: 21:32

Right? But if you leave it about them, the reason for your call, them, the stuff they do, chances are good that you're gonna get that response back via email or by social. Sometimes I hit the social, and you get the, hey, I got your voicemail back in a DM. So I am with Sara on leaving a voicemail, I just don't leave one every time. I leave with my prospects, they get every…

Sara Uy: 21:50

One every time, either. I don't leave one every time either, but…

James Buckley: 21:53

I don't want them to be like, oh, this is that annoying guy, I hate his voicemails.

Chris Stalnaker: 22:00

You might have… maybe that's why I'm struggling to retire my quota over here, guys. I mean, Sara, it sounds like I gotta get in New York City on the streets and do some cold calls with you, because, my goodness, it sounds like we're supposed to move.

Sara Uy: 22:12

Whenever you're over in New York, we'll do some street cold calls.

James Buckley: 22:16

Yo, be on the lookout, be on the lookout for Sara and Chris walking around New York City talking about cold calling stuff. That's probably gonna happen. Alright, let's keep moving forward, because I want to talk about some things that we do. So we… Sara, let's assume somebody answers. This is part of what I said about, like, when somebody does finally answer. Let's say that everybody jumps onto First Orion, and now they're having all these branded calls, and their answer rates jump up 60-plus percent. Now we have to get really used to people answering the phone. So when they do answer the phone, you gave us one opener already, but you have a second one that you've been giving people lately. What's the other opener?

Sara Uy: 22:51

Hey Chris, it's Sara over at SellingSara, what did I catch you in the middle of?

James Buckley: 22:56

Nice. What's the responses you get for that one?

Sara Uy: 22:58

I get so many people that are… actually answer the question, because it sounds like they should know who I am. Also, like, what person is just gonna call out of the blue? Me, but, and be like, what are you doing right now? Like, it's kinda… it's like a weird thing. Like, almost everyone answers that question, and then they're like, wait…how do I know you? And then it kind of, like, gives you that invitation to just be like, oh, actually, you don't know me, but, like, my name is Sara, I'm SellingSara, the reason I was calling is X, Y, and Z. Even if they hang up, you got a little bit of information that's going to help you book the meeting on the next call, because you could just reference what they were doing on the next call, so that they remember that you called them previously. But I always like to say, like, even if you can't book the meeting, the best thing that you could do is just gain

Sara Uy: 23:42

any piece of small information, like, that's a win on a cold call, even if they hang up. So, like, give yourself some grace, because this is a really hard role, and you're not going to book a meeting every single time. But if you could get any sort of small information, like, that's a win, even if it's just like, oh, I'm walking my dog. Like, oh, I caught you walking your dog yesterday, like, hopefully I caught you at a better time. It's now a good time to speak. Like, you could reference that on every single call moving forward.

James Buckley: 24:07

Yeah, and if you're a person like me that makes a note after every call for what your last touch was, that's a good thing to say in that note. Called on 6-3 was walking dog, mentioned in next call on 6-4. Like, that's as simple as it has to be to give you, when you're looking at that call, you're gonna see it, and you're gonna be like, oh, that's right. Okay, so this is gonna be my opener today, right? You're prepared immediately for that. Alright, let's talk a little bit about this, because I think this is an important piece of the puzzle. Chris, you had some things to say about the human side of things, and my question to you, since we're talking about branded calls, is. If I see something on my phone that looks like a contact in my phone, and then I answer, and it's someone I don't know immediately, there's, like, a questionable hello I give, in a lot of ways, right? Hello? Like, what an odd call, hello? Is there a… an opener that puts them at ease for this? Because I feel like this might be… might feel a little sticky sometimes.

Chris Stalnaker: 25:01

Wait, you mean, like, so if you get a phone call, and it's not somebody in your contacts, and it has, like, a name on there, you're…

James Buckley: 25:07

a name, a brand on it, right? Like, I'm thinking to myself, who is this person? I must know them. And then I answer, but I'm like, hello? Like, almost tentatively answering, right?

Chris Stalnaker: 25:18

Yeah, I think it's so, so…I've always loved cold calling. It's… it is like… and Sara, to, like, your point, you get to use these fun, like, openers, you get to mix it up, I mean, it's like…It's like going out to the bars and meeting somebody, right? You get to mix it up and have fun and say whatever you want to say. The coolest thing about branded calling and logos, whenever I go make a cold call, and of course, Sara, to your point, never call, like, a VoIP or a business line. You're calling their cell phone if you have it available. it's… I have to record these calls for you, because they're so funny. They'll answer, like, hey Chris, James, I swear to you, I'll call somebody, and every time it's, hey, Chris, and I'm like, oh! How'd you know it was me? How'd you know it was me? James was like, well…the caller ID said it was First Orion, Chris Stalnaker. I'm like, oh, how crazy is that? You knew who was calling?

Chris Stalnaker: 26:10

now you know you're ready to have a conversation. So, I think that… that approach makes it… it just makes it so much more fun, and it's… the emotions are no longer… think about, like, if you're calling an SMB, a business owner, right? And he… that individual is supposed to… they have to answer every call, because every call could be a sale, right? They're getting all these spam, scam, random, all day long, and then they get a phone call, and it says Sara on there, you know, from… like, oh my god, what a… what a better… what a better feeling and approach to it. It just… it changes the entire… entire dynamics of the entire conversation. You don't have to spend the first 10 minutes identifying who and why you're calling, right? It's… it's… it's already warmed up for you. Yeah.

James Buckley: 26:53

Yeah. I'm curious, normally I launch this at the front end of the show, but because we're talking about cold calling and we're seeing the number and the types of salespeople that cold call change quite a bit, I want to launch it now. So this is who's in the room. You know, and I think when we're talking about this from the perspective of the caller, there's…there's some persona things to be considered, right? SDRs sometimes don't have a history with a company that they're calling into, whereas account executives are, you know, they've… I talked to them last year, or there's a closed, lost opportunity in the past, and I'm calling them. It's a cold call, they're not expecting me, but I have a little bit of information here. SDRs don't always have that. When you think about cold calling from an account executive's perspective, and from a SDR's perspective. Are there any differences that surface for you, Sara?

Sara Uy: 27:38

In terms of, like, what…

James Buckley: 27:40

Does anything change because I'm an account executive versus I'm an SDR? I am asking because more account executives are being asked to cold call and prospect than ever before.

Sara Uy: 27:48

Yeah, well, like, the biggest challenge is that AEs don't want to call anymore. They're just like, when they get promoted to AE, they're like, I'm done.

James Buckley: 27:56

Yeah, somebody told them that that would be… Right.

Sara Uy: 27:59

So, that's a lie, because if you're an AE, like, you absolutely need to be self-generating and still making calls, and if you stop for even, like, a second, you're gonna get so rusty. Yeah. Do I think there's, like, a difference? I mean, I think there's, like, a confidence there, like, that you have when you're an account executive. Like, you obviously deserve to be in that role for a reason. So, like, hopefully you are better at cold calling, but, like, at the end of the day. I really do think it's, like, the same. Like, I know CEOs that cold call, and, like, they're nervous to pick up the phone. Like, that… those nerves don't go away. Like, they really don't, no matter, like, what position that you're in. So, like, your best thing is just to, like, always be calling, like, always be picking up the phone, like, challenge yourself to do that every single day. Like, don't think you're above anyone else just because you're an AE and an SDR and you expect meetings in your calendar. I just think everyone should always be calling.

James Buckley: 28:49

ABCs, always be calling, that's for sure. What about you, Chris? Do you think that account executives should be calling differently than SDRs are calling, or is it a universal skill that is kind of persona agnostic, position agnostic?

Chris Stalnaker: 29:06

Titles mean nothing. Like, they don't. And I'm gonna give my…I should charge a lot of money for this advice, but I'm gonna give two absolute freebies here today, and…The first one comes with, I made… I actually made 500 shirts that… that said this. We don't say sorry, right? So, as soon as you apologize, and you say, oh, I'm sorry, did I catch you? Like, anything like that, that puts you in a lower position than whom you're called, right? Like, you're at a disservice for con… The reality is, you're contacting this person because you're trying to help them. You're a strategic. thought leader in your position, what you're doing, you're the leader. Hey, I'm doing you a favor. The reality is, you should be thanking me that I'm calling you. So, we don't say sorry in a polite way. I like to be… it's not negative, right? And we also don't say thank you, right? You don't want to say thank you, because again, it puts you in a different… a different position, like you're… you're below whomever you're calling, right?

Chris Stalnaker: 30:05

So if you… if you try to change, like, hey, I'm an AE or an SDR, like, how… no, the conversation is fluid. I still speak the same way. The only difference in what I say It's just more confidence about knowing the product, right? So just know what it is that you're calling. If you're… if you're just… just there to schedule a meeting, hey, I'm doing you a favor, here's why we're here. And then, of course, as you promote and you grow in your sales role, it's more around, like, product expertise.

James Buckley: 30:35

Yeah, that's fair. I think we're all trying to become that coveted expert in the room, the trusted advisor, the.

Chris Stalnaker: 30:42

Yeah.

James Buckley: 30:42

that can help me win, right? And we can do that with the right strategies. I'm gonna launch this now, because I'm curious. We've talked a lot about the reasons why cold calls aren't being answered. What do you think is your biggest challenge? When it comes to that. And while we're talking about that, I'm gonna ask this question from Lance. What up, Lance Dowdles? Great to see you again, my friend. It's been too long since we chatted. Reach out to me and let's chat later on today. What's the best way to handle the Google Voice assistance that people are using to screen calls before you get to talk to the person? Sara, have you encountered this yet?

Sara Uy: 31:13

Yeah, I definitely have. I think it's just, like…I mean, I've seen some funny stuff. I saw, like, this thing this morning, actually, and I was like, I gotta try that, and it was, like, some guy was like, oh, this is how I handle, screening. I wish I'd remember who it was, it was some on Instagram, and he was like, hi, this is, like, the Nassau County Fire Department, like, your house is burning down, like, don't do that. Don't do that. But he's been using that, and, like, I don't know if it's fake or not, but it's still funny, but my advice is just, like. Just get your name and your company name out there immediately, like, even if it's just, like, Sara, SellingSara, and then, like, wait. Just because if you still don't go through, like, they're still going to see that, and, like, that's what we're trying to build, is, like, the familiarity of your name and your company name. So when you do reach back out, or you reach out to them on LinkedIn, or they send an email, or look at your email, or you send a text, they're going

Sara Uy: 32:07

to see Sara SellingSara multiple times, and they're gonna put two and two together. So, that's my biggest tip, is just, like, get your name and company out there, like, immediately. Like, don't elongate your sentence, and then be like, hey, Chris, it's, you know, I was just actually reaching out, blah, blah, blah, because they're only going to see that. Like, you want them to see the Sara SellingSara immediately, because it's only the first few words that come up on a screen when it's screening.

James Buckley: 32:31

That's good stuff. I say I'm… this is James with Sell Better. That's it. James with Sell Better. It's really simple, it's easy, you know, and then, of course, they're gonna get the email after anyway, and I know that. So, James with SellBetter works just fine. Go ahead and…you know, decline the call. I'm expecting you to do that anyway. Like, like we said, not everybody, nobody knows a salesperson that's… their phone rings off the hook with callbacks, but I know countless C-level executives that that's all their phone does is ring. It never stops. It's the only thing that's consistent in their lives, is the fact that salespeople call them constantly, every day, right? Look at some of these results. Dude. 30% of our voters say that prospects don't recognize their number, and that's what's stopping them, right? That's the biggest reason. But look, 25% say my calls are being flagged as spam.

James Buckley: 33:16

This… this is why First Orion has been needed in the SaaS space, in the B2B sales space, for as long as it has. This is a must now. It's the standard, so jump on. One more question here, and then we're gonna go back into the old argument that we've seen for too many years now. But what about an executive assistant? Chris, you call a lot, branded calls come up, right? You're calling this number. Some executive assistant has a hold of this C-level executive's phone, and they were told to answer this phone. Is there something special you say to this human? How do you get to your decision maker from there?

Chris Stalnaker: 33:50

you make them fall in love with you. The executive… the EA, man? Oh my god, like, that… that is…that's gotta be the one person that you win over. Like, I mean, the CEO, yes, of course, is important, but, like, if you can get the executive assistant to…We were talking about, like, hey, you were walking your dog earlier, you know, like, hey, you know this person, they're gonna do everything they can. They will force the CEO to take a call with you because of the relationship you build, so…That's what you have to do. I do want to say, James, earlier we were talking about the, the call, or the screening part, and I think I wanted to say something here. For, like, the iPhone call screening. What we always tell our customers is, don't say anything, right? So the call screen is gonna pick something up. If you are calling to somebody and you say nothing.

Chris Stalnaker: 34:42

no call screening will take place. So the branded calling, what we do, will take precedence on that phone call. So you don't have to say anything. We encourage people to not say anything, but if you are not using, you know, the most obvious, best service in the world, branded calling, then yeah, you need to say something like, hey, this is James Sell Better.

James Buckley: 35:01

Very interesting. So if it comes up and it says, please state your name at the tone, if I say nothing, the branded call kicks in, it rings, and it's got my photo and the name. Okay, that's nice.

Chris Stalnaker: 35:12

Yeah, yeah. It's an interesting iOS thing, but… but back to the executive assistant, man. I… I love it. I have heard just so… so many cool stories of, like, even with just me, you… you win this person over. You know, and at the end of the day, I almost got fired from my first job at State Farm, because I'd call, I just, you know, I'd get the sheet of paper with thousands of names and numbers, and just, Chris, go power through the list, man. And I just had a smile, and I loved it. But I'd get on the phone with people, and I'd chat for an hour, and they're like, Chris, what do you…did you… did you sell anything? I'm like, no, we just had, like, a really nice chat, you know? You gotta ask… I wasn't good at asking for the sell at that time, but yeah, building a relationship, of course, this is what it's all about, man.

James Buckley: 35:56

Don't forget for the ask, y'all, like, that's, you know, if you're a new set, put it, you know what, drop in the number, drop the number of years you've been cold calling in the chat real quick. I just want to get a gauge for, like, the… the veterans versus the noobs in the room. 27 years, Mike Klein, there we go, 4 years, what's up? 25, 20, 3, 2…Look at, look at it, 6 months! 6… Jody Patterson, Jody Patterson, you, you need… we should talk, I have so many resources for you. And then one year for Chandra Mooley, I think, yo, hit me up if you're a year or less in. I got stuff for ya. Alright, let's talk about the old argument, because this argument has been around for too long. Has cold calling gone away? Is it, is it…a dead fish. I feel like, no way. This is still, for me, the fastest way to new conversations. Sara, I have a feeling that you're gonna crap all over the is cold calling dead conversation, because you're… that's your specialty. Why is this even still an argument?

Sara Uy: 36:55

Because people just use the excuse because they're too lazy to pick up the phone.

James Buckley: 37:00

You said lazy, not afraid.

Sara Uy: 37:03

Like, yeah. Yeah. I think, I think, you know, I'm scared to pick up the phone, but I still do it. But, you know, like, it gets easier. Like, I would say, like, after 3 calls, I'm like, why was I scared, like, all morning? Like, you, like, those butterflies don't go away, but, like, people who are afraid still call. People that say it's dead and they don't call, they're too lazy to call, in my opinion.

James Buckley: 37:24

Uche agrees with you and says, cold calling isn't dead, but lazy cold calling is. Yes, could not… bad cold calling is dead.

Sara Uy: 37:32

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

James Buckley: 37:35

Alright, so, I want to ask this question because I feel like there are some deciding factors that are probably up in the air. So when you answer a cold call, you're the person getting the cold now, y'all. You answer. What is the deciding factor? What makes you pick up a cold call? That's an interesting question. And let's wrap up with this. I want to recap a couple of things. There's a couple of things. One, more trust does not equal more conversations, or I think I should say it does equal more conversations. The thing you want to focus on… answers, conversations, meetings, and revenue, right? These are things that are highlights. from this show that you can take away, if you can focus on those things when you're cold calling, I think you're gonna find Providence. Now, we're gonna jump into some Q&A, but first. We're gonna check out some of the answers on this poll. Look at this.

Chris Stalnaker: 38:25

Can I say something real quick, James.

James Buckley: 38:26

Oh, please.

Chris Stalnaker: 38:27

I'll try to make it quick, I know we're running out of time. No, not at all. Like, I just, like, more answers does not equal more sales. And, like, what we preach and the analytics that we deliver at First Orion, it's… there are times. The reality is, there are times where your answer rate could go down. Like, less people could answer. However. your conversions, the length duration of your conversations, the engagement, drastically improve. And what that tells us is, hey, when you properly identify who and why you're calling. the people that you want to talk to are ready to talk to you, and that is why you have lawyer, right party car, our PCs, drastically improved. And James, I just gotta say, like, we got a… we have a third…Everybody on this call, we're talking about cold calling, you're on this call for a reason, you're built for this, right? Most people are not built to make cold calls, it takes a…A very unique type of person.

Chris Stalnaker: 39:21

But with us, we have a third-party debt collector who is making millions of calls a month. And they are seeing drastic, incredible success. And I always say, if you're a third-party debt collector, properly identifying who and why you're calling. and you're finding success, anybody who has a decent, marketable, recognizable brand is gonna have success. I'll stop.

James Buckley: 39:46

If somebody that's collecting money can get a branded call answered, and…I swear, I swear that's a miracle drug, right? Like, we all…That is like the aspirin of… that's like the new aspirin.

Chris Stalnaker: 40:03

Unbelievable.

James Buckley: 40:04

Look at these results right here. This is very interesting. I rarely answer cold calls, the leader, that just proves our point, that most people avoid cold calls. But, the deciding factor on whether they do answer, I recognize the company. 16%. That's interesting. The other is in the chat. I'm a salesperson, I never answer the phone. I always answer… I answer because I'm in sales. Maybe someone is finally calling me back! Still! That's… that's a good reason to answer the phone, I will say. Alright, I always try to wrap these with a couple of questions from the audience, so let's do that. This one comes from Holland Doran. I think it's Duran and not Doran, but I could be wrong. What about call timing? I got a call at 5.30am the other day, and I was immediately turned off. Sara, is there a call time that's magical for you? I'll talk about my cold call time.

Sara Uy: 40:52

Yeah, 949, so calling your 9 hottest leads before 9am, and then 5 after 5, calling your hottest… 5 hottest leads after 5pm. And yes, you can call the same people twice in a day. If they don't answer in the morning, call them in the evening. I always like to say you're being professionally persistent, so like Chris said earlier, like, never apologize for doing your job. The reason why those are such hot pickup My record, by the way, 9 before 9, was 7 pickups.

James Buckley: 41:21

What!

Sara Uy: 41:22

That was my record at Pareto.

James Buckley: 41:24

A 9 is magic!

Sara Uy: 41:25

When I'm done. Totally.

James Buckley: 41:26

Cow!

Sara Uy: 41:26

Yup, and it was just simply because I didn't catch them at their desk yet, they weren't busy yet, like, they were just settling in. I caught a few people on the coffee line, got their coffee order, sent them a Starbucks gift card afterwards, like, telling them, hey, get this, whatever. And then also, Fridays, like, Friday from 9 to noon in the summer. Chef's kiss. Chef's kiss freaking kiss. Like, everyone's in a good mood, everyone's probably gonna have a summer Friday. If they're not, they're just in a good mood anyway, because it's Friday, they don't mind taking a cold call. So 9 before 5… 9 before 9, 5 after 5, and then all morning, Friday.

James Buckley: 42:04

All morning on Fridays. I love your Friday morning content, by the way, it always makes my… Thank you. It's the best way to start my day. Chris, do you have a magical time that you call?

Chris Stalnaker: 42:13

I am just so happy I'm on this call. Sara, I'm learning so much, like, what a cool, fun phrase, but so true. I mean, we're… you and I are very different in how we make some of these approaches, but that is so cool, like, I am a… I just don't, like…I always try to put myself in the prospect's shoes, like, what would kind of irritate me and everything, but, like, man, 949 is so smart, right? You haven't… you haven't really gotten into your day yet, you can catch them kind of off guard. I've never heard the 5, like, the after 5. James, I'm like a…Man, I just pound the phone. I love, like, Tuesday, Thursdays is when I… when I get really… when I get hot. You know, like, when we're talking about some legendary heaters, people are picking up, and we're on a roll, those are the times. And it's quite literally…

Chris Stalnaker: 43:02

I try to avoid the evenings, right? Because people are winding down, so, Sara, that's why I love your, like, before 9, right? Like, people are… they're awake, they're ready, they probably have had their coffee. I've never sent somebody a Starbucks gift card. That's…genius, get somebody a coffee, like, hey, I'm gonna buy you a coffee, I know we're virtual here, and that's what, like, I always say, the second… that's why, like, cold calling, voice is not gone, or dead, whatever we want to call it, but…The second most personable form of communication is the phone call. Like, it is, aside from you and I being, you know, having a coffee together, chatting together. they want to talk to somebody, right? Like, they don't want to talk to an AI bot, they don't want to… people can say they would rather get a, you know, an email, or they'd rather get, like, a text. It's just not the reality, especially when you're talking about important things. They want to communicate, they still want to connect, so the human connection is, no, it's not going anywhere.

James Buckley: 43:59

We all want to feel heard, we all want to feel connected to the people that we do business with, and cold calling is the fastest way to create that bridge that allows us to connect. I want to thank you both for coming on the show. Sara, you're always such an electric guest for me to hang out with and spend time with. I look forward to hanging out again in New York and talking to people on the streets with you next time I'm in town.

Sara Uy: 44:18

ways.

James Buckley: 44:19

I will be out to, San Diego, you said?

Chris Stalnaker: 44:21

Yeah, man!

James Buckley: 44:22

I will be out to San Diego to visit very soon. I know there's a ton of events happening. We will see everybody right back here. Shout out to our sponsor, First Orion, for making this show possible. Please go check out First Orion so you can get the branded calls and get those connect rates up. Follow us on social, sellbetter.xyz. You will all get a survey. Take part in that survey, and I'll see you right back here for another stellar episode of Sell Better. Go get them, everybody.

Sara Uy: 44:46

Bye, guys!