Episode #415: Dillon Tucker

Dillon emphasizes that you have to be articulate and understand that everyone you talk to is different. You have to learn the art of people. You’re a random person—it should be expected that you’ll get hung up on. To avoid the probability of that, you have to understand their business, ask the right questions, and say the right things. 

You need to learn more about the prospects than ever before. Knowing their title isn’t enough. You need to be able to offer them something of value. It all starts and ends with research. Learn Dillon’s research-backed cold-calling process in episode #415 of Sales Reinvented. 

Outline of This Episode

• [0:51] What is cold-calling? Is it still relevant today?
• [1:33] Is cold calling an art and a science?
• [3:05] How Dillon prepares for cold calling
• [4:56] The opening lines Dillon uses
• [6:08] How to keep a cold call engaging
• [7:23] Tools, technology, and metrics
• [8:52] Dillon’s top cold-calling dos and don’ts
• [11:42] How Dillon handles objections

Research-backed cold-calling

You need to dive in and figure out who someone is. What do they do? What department are they in? What does their product do? Are they the decision-makers?

After preparing for each prospect, Dillon creates and sends them an email, so that when he makes a cold call, he can reference the email he sent.

You also want a fully memorized script in front of you. You need to prepare rebuttals to objections and ask the right questions at the right time. Your questions have to be relevant to their business and their persona.

The opening lines Dillon uses

Dillon AB tests options routinely to see what works better but the truth is that no one line works 100% of the time. Dillon likes to get his prospects in the habit of saying yes. How does he do that? He’ll say, “Hey, this is Dillon, did I catch you at a bad time?” They’ll likely say “yes.”

Then he says, “I know you weren’t expecting me, I’ll be brief. I’ve found this out about you, this is how we help you accomplish this” and then he closes: “Does Tuesday at 3 pm work for you to talk?”

Dillon’s top cold-calling dos and don’ts

Dillon remembers these when making cold calls: 

• Positivity is key when making cold calls. You’ll get a lot of people saying negative things. Walk away, reset, and keep going.
• You need grit. Making cold calls is a grind. It’s repetitive. You need the tenacity to push forward.
• Your posture is important. Make sure that you stand or sit straight. Fully focus on everything you’re doing. Have your script, the first email you sent, and the prospect’s LinkedIn profile in front of you.
• Don’t give up. Fight to the end. Dillon is mentoring an SDR whose motto is “I don’t hang up until they do.”
• Don’t get in a bad frame of mind. Every no you get is one step closer to a yes.
• Don’t give up if you have a bad month and you’re not getting meetings. You have to be consistent and ensure that your metrics over time are consistent. 

How Dillon handles objections

There’s always some sort of pushback on a cold call, right? What’s important is pointing out that you know their areas of focus. What are they trying to accomplish? What are their pains? What is their budget? 

Dillon made a call to a woman who gave him every objection in the book. He was prepared for all of them. He was able to book the meeting. But she also asked for a call at the end of the day. When he called, she said, “You know Dillon, I’m here with my entire SDR team in our conference room, listening to your cold call. I wanted my team to hear how you handled my objections.” 

That’s how you know your process works. 

Resources & People Mentioned

• Outreach.io
• Salesloft
• Apollo

Connect with Dillon Tucker

• Connect on LinkedIn

Connect With Paul Watts

• LinkedIn
• Twitter

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Learn More About Dillon Tucker

What was a pivotal moment or experience in your career that shaped your approach to cold calling, and how did it change your perspective or strategy? Working at Outreach.io – We were growing so quickly in such a short period of time, the need to be able to pivot was key. Being the number 1 person on the team when I was ramping was amazing to think about, so I knew if I approached the script in a consistent way I would be successful.

Can you share a specific tactic or approach you’ve used in cold calling that significantly increased your success rate? Please provide a brief example or case study.  Number one is asking the right Questions! You have to ask the right questions in cold calls to be successful. They need to be value driven, and meant to find a specific pain that your prospect may be experiencing. If you ask the right questions, you’ll start having conversations that are better than good – great!

Cold calling often comes with its set of challenges and rejections. Can you share a particularly tough challenge you faced while cold calling and how you overcame it? I had made a cold call once where the lady gave me every objection in the book. I battled hard and she told me to call her back at a certain time later in the day. She asked me to roleplay with her. I did so and at the end of the call she said ‘so you know, Dillon, I’m sitting with my entire SDR team in our conference room right now listening to your cold call skills and I wanted my team to learn.’ – Once I overcame her objections, it felt so good here.

What are the top three tools or resources (e.g., software, books, training programs) you consider essential for someone looking to improve their cold calling skills and outcomes? 1. A script. (I have one if anyone wants a look!) 2. Practice – you have to roleplay with teammates, yourself, anyone. 3. the phones! dial, dial, dail, and of course, smile!

How do you foresee the practice of cold calling evolving in the next few years with advancements in technology and changes in buyer behavior? What advice would you give to sales professionals to stay ahead of the curve? We have to be able to find the right pieces of valuable information that will resonate with prospects. You can no longer say ‘I saw you were the head of sales at x company’ – You have to come with real value and real questions pertaining to their business value and pains.