Is cold calling dead?
Hieronder een heel leuk artikel van James Nathan (www.jamesnathan.com), een van onze buitenlandse collega’s, over de vraag:
Is cold calling dead?
………..Well, that is a really big question. And the answer completely depends on your definition of a cold call.
If you mean, calling completely cold and hoping to sell your services there and then, well, yes it is.
If you think of cold calling as a business development tool to introduce yourself and your services to a researched target contact, then no, it is not.
Cold calling is not dead at all, but it is evolving.
In reality there are as many cold calls being made now as there ever have been. And amongst them there is a lot of good business being done. Meetings set up, follow up calls made and people kept in touch with. The difference is that style is changing and improving and so is focus.
Do NOT email – call!
I have given my thoughts many of times before about the misuse of email, but please indulge me again….
Email is a really useful tool, a great method of communicating, but not a way to build a business relationship. There is no feeling, there is no empathy, there is no understanding, persuasion, compassion….. I could go on and on.
For those who are anxious about picking up the phone, it is also the ultimate method of avoidance. Hiding behind a computer screen, tapping out and sending an introduction is of little impact, especially without follow up. Ultimately most don’t get opened or read.
Do NOT tweet – call!
The other modern enemy of business development is the growth of social media. Please don’t get me wrong. I love social media. I use it widely and I believe whole-heartedly in using it in developing a marketing strategy.
But, what is not great about it, is that it has allowed a level of laziness that we haven’t seen before. It has allowed the same consultant who shies away from the phone and emails instead, to believe that they are being proactive in developing a market.
“I’ve been on twitter” is not a valid excuse in my book. Sure this stuff has a place (as a part of a balanced strategy) but it cannot replace the old fashioned ‘introduction call’ done properly.
Quality before quantity
Quality before quantity. You need to research. You need to have a sensible target list. You need to know who you are calling and why.
Cold calling in a professional services environment is not telemarketing. It is introductory, it is well researched. It is beneficial.
And above all, done well, it works!
Contact me
For more on developing yourself, your staff and improving the profitability of your business, please do get in touch. You can email me at james@jamesnathan.com, use the contact page on my website www.jamesnathan.com or call me on 07736 831151. Follow me on Twitter at @jamesnathanxp, connect to me on LinkedIn, or follow me on Facebook.
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Eigenlijk zegt onze vriend James Nathan wat wij al jaren roepen… Telefonische acquisitie werkt,
maaaaaar er zijn een aantal regels, criteria en voorbereidingen die je moet treffen.
