As much as I loathe getting cold calls at my office(I get about 5 a day), I do know the type of cold call I prefer getting(as opposed to the ones where I want to slam the phone down), and it goes something like this:
"Hello, my name is Jane, from ABC Company. May I please speak with the practice manager?"
"Yes, I am Kristin, the practice manager, how can I help you?"
"Kristin, thank you taking the time to speak with me. Again, my name is Jane, from ABC Company. As you know, ICD-10 is right around the corner. My company offers a variety of services to assist practices with the transition to ICD-10. Is this something your practice might be interested in?"
If the answer is no, thank them again for their time, and hang up. I get calls about ICD-10 almost every day, and I tell them, "No thank you, we are not interested. Our practice is ready for ICD-10". The caller then tries to continue to sell me on their services, and to tell me that we are not ready in some way. (No means no, so just thank me for my time and end the call, thank you kindly)
If the answer is yes, ask if they would like to discuss things now if they have time, or would they prefer you send them the information. If they want it sent, ask which method is best, email, fax, or regular mail. If they do want to discuss it right then, the more succinct you are, the better. Not short with them, but succinct. Maximum info in minimum amount of words. It irritates me when cold callers just ramble on and on, or clearly seem to be reading from a script(argh!), or won't let you get a word in edgewise, they are talking so fast.
Also, I don't know how much experience you have in cold calling in general, but it really helps to know something about who you are cold calling. For instance, my office is podiatry, the doctor is a solo provider, and is a woman. When I get a cold call that refers to the doctor as a man(happens all the time), refers to us as a group practice, or mentions some other specialty, I quickly get rid of the caller. I look at it like if the cold caller couldn't take one minute of their time to research who they are calling, then I can't give them more than thirty seconds of my time.
Conversely, if the cold caller was to say to me(after I have indicated that I am interested in their services): "My understanding is that Dr. Doe is a podiatrist, and she is the only provider in the practice, is that correct?", then I would be impressed by their research, and much more receptive to what they have to offer. This type of research also helps narrow down what types of services the practice may need, so you can more focused in what you discuss with them during the call.
