- but "warm-calling" does. Warm-calling happens when you call someone who has already had some type of experience with you. Whenever you call a prospect, have a valid reason to call.   1. Direct Mail Follow Up - Send a direct mail piece to a prospect or customer and follow up by asking them about, "the free report you sent them three days ago" or the "newspaper article you recently sent them." You can even call them up in advance just to let them know your direct mail piece is coming (this is better done with voice broadcasting).   2. Use a Familiar Name - Try to get the name of someone familiar that you can use to open the conversation. For instance, "Hi Ms. Prospect, my name is Denise and Im calling from Spa City USA. I was speaking with John Richter yesterday and he mentioned that I might want to call you" (Hint: always get permission from the referrer to use their name)   Listen Carefully While On the Phone   People call you because they want something. Let me say that again. People call you because they want something. They might want a price, an explanation, to report a problem, to speak with a manager etc. Whatever the case may be, they want something. The key to selling is to give people what they want. What better time to listen to what somebody wants than when they call you up? If you listen well enough, your prospects will tell you just what you need to know to sell them your product or service.   1. Ask Open-Ended Questions - Questions such as, "Why are you looking for (product or service)?" evoke free-wheeling responses that contain valuable information. Ask questions that start with, "Why", "What are your thoughts", "Tell me about", or "What was your impression"   2. Wait For a Response - A common mistake with phone marketers (inbound or outbound) is that they feel the need to talk. Remember, when youre talking, the customer isnt. You should do 20% of the talking and let the customer or prospect do 80%. Dont be afraid to leave dead space on the phone while youre waiting for a response. Ask an open-ended question then be quiet and listen.   3. Listen Carefully for Pain, then Quantify It and Solve It - People have a natural tendency to complain about problems. As a marketer, this is your key to success, because the reason people are complaining about problems is because theyre looking for a solution, even though they may not ask for one.   Listen for a problem that is causing your prospect pain, then try to quantify it. Find out just how bad the pain is by turning it into numbers. For instance, your prospect may tell you she has back pain. Your response could be, "On a scale from one to ten, ten being excruciating, how bad is your back pain?"