Cold calls can be difficult to get through and make money from. But these calls don’t have to be as hard as they sometimes come off. Here are a few ways, with the help of Matt Altschuler, you can up your sales call game.

• Research

Cold calls can loosely be defined as shot-​in-​the-​dark telesales, i.e. calls most businesses have no time or patience for. What differentiates sales calls from cold calls is one thing: research. Know the name of the person to ask for when you call, get a good idea about the potential needs of their company, and just gather as much information on them as possible. The wealth of information you go in with will make the potential client feel important and interested in what an informed salesperson has to offer.

• Preparing the Space

Give yourself room to stand up and walk around during a sales call. Being up and moving around can give you the energy in your voice and attitude that you need to inspire those same feelings in your client about the sale.

• Positive Ice Breakers

Starting your conversation on a positive note is crucial. The tone you set with your first few comments is going to influence the entire call, so don’t begin with something negative like bad weather or traffic. Instead, plan a few good things to talk about, like the success of a local sports team or the great weather you’re having.

• Gather Your Sources

As much as people would like to think that they make most purchases based on logic, that’s rarely the case. Think of the last time you bought something you saw and instantly wanted. One of the thoughts that crossed your mind may have been, “So-​and-​so has one of these and they love it!” Giving your potential client examples of how much your product or service has helped similar companies can provide the prospect with the emotional push they need to buy from you.

• Ending Positively

There is rarely just one call in the sales process, so give the client a reason to call you back. Science shows that people will strive to maintain positive labels they are given, so prepare to compliment the prospect as you end the call. Altschuler recommends telling them that they, “are a pleasure to do business with.” That will instill good feelings within the client and will increase the likelihood that they’ll schedule another call in order to maintain their new label.