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Geoffrey James has a great post about the cold-calling process. He dissects the before, during, and after elements of the call and points out how you can improve. Here’s a clip from his post on Bnet.com

Rather than a chore that’s a bore, think of cold calling as a performance. And rather than a drone with a phone, think of yourself as a great musician or athlete, a star performer who must (and can) excel under pressure. Great performers, regardless of their area of expertise, rehearse daily, warm up before a performance, and review each performance to figure out how to improve next time. Here’s what you do:

BEFORE THE CALL

Step 1. Remember the goal. What is the purpose of this call, depending upon the your sales process? Take a few seconds to refocus on exactly what you want the customer to do.

Step 2. Consider the prospect. Review what you know about your prospect, your prospect’s company and industry. Determine the “hot buttons” that will cause that prospect to consider taking the action that’s the goal of the call.

Step 3. Script the intended conversation. On paper, review how you’d like the conversation to go. Map out the basic flow, anticipate objections and imagine how you’re going to close.

Step 4. Rehearse the conversation. Go over the script two or three times so that it becomes more natural. If possible practice the conversation with a colleague. This greatly reduces anxiety.

Step 5. Mentally prepare yourself. If you’d done all of the above, you should feel more confident of your ability to make a successful cold call. Observe this, and let that confidence dominate your thoughts.

Sales Machine » How To Be a Cold-Calling Superstar on BNET