Is cold calling dead? There are many marketing experts that will tell you that the cold call is dead because no one answers the phone, and there are many other ways to get customers to come to you without interrupting their day with a cold call.
You should certainly give other methods a try for generating new customers but don’t count the cold call out yet. It’s still a proven way to get customers. Cold calling is a different game today than it was in decades past, and it’s safe to say you can make the cold calls not so cold.
That’s because it is now easy to do research prior to calling a company via the Internet so you are better prepared to connect with your prospect and have a good conversation.
Here are some of suggestions for improving your cold calling with a little work and small initial investments:
1. Target potential customers. – Determine the best accounts for your product or service and find a way to get a list of those companies. You can either build a list yourself or buy it from a company that sells data like Hoover’s, InfoUSA or Data.com. The list you build will probably be better, but it will take a lot more work; it could be worth purchasing a list as a test since simply buying a list will save time.
2. Write a script. – Even if you have years of experience, it is still a good idea to write out and practice a script. You will also want to write out a script for voicemails as well. If you are a business owner or manager with inexperienced sales staff you should be sure to develop the right script for your people.
3. Do your research. – Before you call into a company, use LinkedIN or other online resources to do some research about each company and contacts at the companies you are targeting – get hold of something relevant that you can weave into your initial call.
4. Use email. – If you don’t have a person’s email address, ask for it on the call, even if you are getting it from a receptionist or call screener. Send an email after the call or voicemail.
5. Be persistent. – It’s a fact that persistence pays off—persistent sales people close more sales. Don’t give up after a few calls to a lead or prospect; if it’s a good prospect they are probably very busy and you will need many attempts to get them on the phone to have a good conversation.
Call Reluctance
Not making calls is probably the biggest reason cold calling doesn’t work. Business owners and sales people simply don’t make calls, or they don’t make enough calls to generate results. Even experienced business owners and sales people run into this problem, and there’s no simple answer to overcoming call reluctance. Here are a few things to try:
• Have a cold calling contest. – Whoever makes the most calls, appointments or sales wins the contest.
• Set small goals. – Set aside a list of 10 prospects to call in the course of an hour and call them.
• Motivational reading or talks. – There are legions of trainers and speakers that you can read or listen to in order to get fired up about cold calling.
Technology
Even very small companies can afford some of the tools that make outbound marketing and cold calling more effective. A popular Customer Relationship Manager (CRM) is Salesforce.com and you can add a wide array of tools to Salesforce.com to make it more useful for cold calling. These tools include auto-dialers, email marketing, and lead scoring tools that will help you understand which of your leads is the most valuable.
Industry specific software, such as Palmate™ ERP, offers full sales management and tracking. Palmate (www.palmateerp.com) provides full business management for pallet operations. Mill Manager™ by Innovative Data Systems (www.pallettrack.com) has some sales tracking tools, and is planning the development of a full CRM in the future.
The Sky’s the Limit
Cold calling works, and the sky is the limit if you’re willing to be disciplined, make the effort, and be persistent. There are thousands of businesses that have achieved incredible levels of success with cold calling. Virtually no one wants to make cold calls, but successful people learn to do things they don’t want to do, like making cold calls.
