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Does Cold Calling
Really Work? The answer is...
By Stuart Ayling
After working in sales and marketing for many years the most despised area of promotion seems to be 'cold
calling'. This is when a prospect is contacted via the phone, and is solicited for new business.
See... even the way I used the word 'solicited' makes it sound dodgy. A bit cheap and nasty.
I could have said: This is the process of personal contact used to identify if a prospect is likely to have a need for your services.
You see, it depends on your point of view.
In short, you can read articles like this one from the UK that gives some pro's and con's of cold calling, and discusses the use of online networks as an alternative.
You can also attend quality telesales training courses like the one provided by Jenny Cartwright at
Sales and Telesales
Solutions.
And you can see results of comparative 'tests' like this one reported at Modern
Selling, comparing the number of cold phone calls made, versus making contact via online networks.
All roads lead to the same answer.
It's true that the use of telemarketing is slowly declining. That is occurring for many reasons.
Importantly, using the telephone to contact potential clients is a tactic that will not be disappearing any time soon.
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It is relatively cheap (especially for smaller businesses who don't have the massive advertising budgets to get 'on the radar').
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It is immediate. You know what the result is.
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It is personal. You can make an impact (positive or negative!).
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And if used professionally it can be one of the best ways to create sales opportunities.
Most people dislike 'cold calling' because it is done badly so often.
However, you can do a better job and get better results.
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Train your staff who will make the calls. It requires skill, tact, and professionalism.
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Develop a script (statements and questions) that doesn't trigger any 'sales person' alarms for your prospect.
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Develop supporting documents (marketing materials)... I call them sales tools.
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Create a question-based strategy that quickly gets to the core of if there is an opportunity for a further discussion.
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Be selective in who you call - have a relevant list to work from. If possible do some homework to identify what the company does, what their current issues are, and who you should speak to.
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Implement a marketing strategy that will warm up prospects, potentially creating interest in your services - essentially getting your prospects to qualify themselves, without you having to call
them.
Finally, remember that for B-to-B selling the focus of cold calling is
most often about identifying opportunities.
It is not about trying to 'clinch the sale' on the first phone call.
Need help with your marketing? Check
out the range of audio CD's available for purchase at the Marketing Nous online
store.
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