Today I interview Shawna Melbourn. She is a talented Canadian RD and successful entrepreneur who works in the eating disorder space.
Season 2 Episode 26 – Cold Calling 101! Ft. Shawna Melbourn, RD, CEDRD-S
TW: In this episode, Shawna and I discuss eating disorders. If you are not comfortable listening to conversations about these subjects please skip this episode.
More Information About Shawna:
- She loves horses
- She is based in Canada
- She has a successful private practice that treats people with eating disorders
- She mentors RDs who want to learn how to feel more confident in the ED space
What is Cold Calling?
Cold calling is the act of reaching out to a contact you have never met before, introducing yourself, and then pitching your services. Most new businesses have to do some version of cold calling (or cold e-mail pitching if you work in the digital space) to secure new clients.
Shawna has a lot of experience cold calling. She shares, “I would pick up the phone and I would call various clinics in my area and say, hi, um, my name is Shauna Melbourn, and this is what I offer. And, how are you doing with or without a dietitian? And, have you ever connected with a dietitian?”
She never had a set script she followed during this process. Shawna would respond based on the answers coming back on the phone. The whole point of this type of outreach was to build positive rapport and gain insight on how you could help their business.
What are the benefits of cold calling?
Shawna says the immediate response of a phone call is incomparable to online messaging. On the phone, Shawna can squeeze out more important details, and she appreciates the opportunity to build rapport with a potential client.
If you feel nervous about talking on the phone Shawna encourages you to be brave, and make the call! If you truly believe in the services you are offering you will probably get excited sharing that information with people on the phone. That excitement can rub off on your clients and they can get excited too.
She says, “I never had a bad experience with it. I never had anybody hang up the phone on me. I never had anybody say, oh my gosh, why are you calling me or anything? It was never a bad experience. It was always met with warmth and openness and kindness.
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