Cold Calling May Be A Waste Of Time

Cold calling is one of the oldest sales techniques around. It's been used for decades to sell a vast range of products and services, from cars to insurance. But research suggests that cold-calling may not be the most effective way for you to grow your business or make more sales.

In this blog post, we'll explore why cold-calling may not be giving you the success you're hoping for and what alternatives are available to help take the place of this outdated strategy.

The Cold Call Has Gotten a Bad Rap

Prospects that receive an unsolicited phone call are probably wary of how they will be treated by the company calling them. Adding to this concern, the fact that phone calls are generally less personal than a web form makes it even more difficult for cold calling to be effective.

Still, the cold call can be an effective sales tool when used correctly and within a specific strategy. The challenge you face is deciding what tactics to use and when to use them.

Pros and Cons of Cold Calling...

The big advantage of cold calling is that you have a direct line to your prospects, who are presumably interested in what you're selling (at least they are if they answered the phone!). While you may be running into some objections along the way, this may be a lot less to overcome than trying to track down your prospect.

You may also be able to reach people directly who otherwise wouldn't see your ad or website. Even if they don't end up buying what you're selling on their first call, they will remember that they talked to you, and this can lead to repeat sales over time.

On the other hand, there are several disadvantages of cold calling that make it a poor choice for many businesses.

First, it's a very expensive way to make sales. Cold calling uses up time that you could be spending on direct mail, or on social media campaigns. It also requires expensive equipment that is often shared among several employees.

Another disadvantage of cold calling is that it takes a certain amount of persistence. You may spend hours or days trying to get in touch with your prospects, even if they aren't ready to buy right away. By then, you may have lost track of the value proposition and ideal prospect profile for your product or service, which makes selling more difficult.

Cold Calling Still Works When You Have a Plan Set Out...

Some sales experts will tell you that cold calling is one of the most effective techniques in business. They should know: they've made a living off it for years, and their businesses show for it.

But many others have tried this technique and failed. So, if you decide to cold call, you need to make sure that you're using the right tactics to make your efforts worthwhile. We'll take a look at three things you can do to use cold calling effectively and efficiently.

1. Use an Outbound Calling Campaign as Part of Your Sales Process...

One way that companies use cold calling is in conjunction with a full-scale outbound sales campaign . Typically, outbound sales campaigns are limited to situations in which a company doesn't have much information on leads. For example, they might not have a lot of personal details or they might not have an obvious indication that they're interested in the product.

To find out if your prospects are interested in your product or service, you may have to use cold calling as part of that process. If you're using this technique for outbound sales and marketing , here are some key considerations:

Target Prospects Who Respond to Your Ads and Social Media Posts

The first step is figuring out who will be most likely to contact you once you start making calls. You already know a lot about your ideal prospect, so you can use that to narrow down your target audience.

For example, if you sell business software, then the only people contacting you are likely to be businesses. Personal consumers don't tend to make outbound calls.

Once you have a shortlist of your best prospects, find out how they're finding you and use that to reach them through cold calling. For example, if many of them are finding you on Google, consider buying an ad that targets keywords related specifically to your product or service, so that the ads target those who should be contacting you directly.

Prospects Who Respond to your Social Media Efforts

Likewise, figure out how people are finding you on social media. Are they responding to your posts? Retweeting your content? Liking and commenting? All of these efforts should give you some indication of who is interested in what you have to say.

Prospects who respond to your posts are the best candidates for cold calling because they've already demonstrated an interest in what you're offering, even if it's indirect. It's still a good idea to use other tactics, such as messaging them with Facebook ads , but it can be especially worthwhile to get in touch with them through cold calling.

2. Don't Waste Your Time...

If your prospects aren't sure about your product or service, you should expect to hear a lot of objections. These can include concerns about price, the value of your product, and even the type of service you provide.

Make sure that you approach these objections strategically . Here are three ways to do that:

Always have an answer ready to any objection a prospect might have. Even if it's just a default answer, make sure that you don't leave them hanging if an unexpected objection comes up. Follow up with everyone who raises an objection , no matter who they are or what they sell. This ensures that you don't leave any objections unanswered, and that you're able to use the call for follow-up purposes if your prospect is interested in your product. Treat each call like a sales opportunity , even if your prospect doesn't end up buying anything. There may be future opportunities to sell them something else.

3. Don't Waste Your Day...

Cold calling is frustrating, but you can minimize that frustration by focusing on the most likely prospects and by treating each call as a potential sales lead. However, there are other ways to avoid wasting your time making cold calls as well.

First, make sure you're using a system that makes the most of your time.

A good CRM system can help you prioritize and organize your prospects. If you use an app like Plus Your Business or HubSpot's free CRM, then you'll be able to sort through your prospects by those who are more likely to buy from you, and then develop campaigns that have a higher chance of success.

You can also ask for referrals from current customers . You may end up with more leads for new prospects to call than cold calling on your own would generate in the same amount of time. Use this strategy as part of your sales process.

Conclusion: Cold Calling Isn't Just for Sales...

Cold calling can be a powerful sales tool when you're trying to reach new prospects. It can also be used as part of a social selling strategy to build trust and communicate with your prospects in the long run.

It can also be useful in a number of other ways, including:

Researching competitors Prospects are more likely to give you information about your competition over the phone than when emailing or messaging them through social media. Researching suppliers If you're looking for new vendors or suppliers, then cold calling is an easy way to get in touch with as many as possible without spending time searching online or reaching out through multiple channels.