Why do so many managers, CEOs and salespeople keep cold calling? I've discovered the reason. It works. It does work. It really is that simple! Here's how to make your cold calling more time-efficient - and effective.
The real reason salespeople keep going back to cold calling when things are slow is that they look back on past successes. I can look at one of my best customers and remember the day I "cold called" them - how the timing was perfect and it led to a deal, just like that!
Cold calling can be like gambling. One may taste a little success early and then rush in headlong for more of the same, only to run dry in short order. The trouble is that random cold calling may devour many hours or days of precious time, yielding limited quality contacts and only meager results. Those days could be spent delivering valuable messages to targeted audiences made up of people in a position to buy. How? Simple! (Note I didn't say easy.)
Build your personal and corporate brand
- Make a speech at a conference or trade show in one of your vertical target markets. Teach the audience something important and valuable as it relates to your firm's category of solutions.
- Get published, by any and all means! From your local newspaper, to a leading industry blog to a feature article in your primary target's top trade publication. Writing about something you're great at is going to be insightful information to most who read it.
- Start your own specialty newsletter or magazine.
- Treat your mailing list like treasure and keep investing in its quality and quantity.
- Show up at the right trade shows and networking events with the goal of earning relationships (not sales) and bringing leads and contacts to others, not hunting. And yes, exchange business cards with all the new contacts you meet and add them to your mailing and email list.
- Carry yourself confidently as a top consultant in your field. People will generally accept your own evaluation of yourself. Just make sure you can deliver!
These are just some of the ways you can build your brand. As you become perceived as the world-class expert in town for whatever your bag is, most appointments you'll make will be meetings that you go into assuming the sale. That kind of belief is very powerful and often self-fulfilling.
Big question: Should I stop cold calling?
NO, don't feel you should eliminate cold calling. Instead, find a balance. Devote a measure of focused time making researched cold calls. Often, the best times for this are early mornings and late afternoons.
Know something about each prospect before the contact and call the CEO or as high up the organisation as you can possibly get. Add every "future prospect" you come across to your database and stay in touch with relevant information. This activity, sustained, can produce results relatively quickly.
As you gain selling traction, you can devote more time to market research, writing, networking, publishing, publicity, marketing and advertising. Strike a balance in your cold calling schedule with your brand-building and marketing efforts. Make cold calling work for you - especially in the early phase of your selling career. Gaining those new clients short-term can yield needed referrals and testimonials, building your brand even further.