Cold Calling: Don't Be A Donkey

By Author: Demet Dayanch
Total Articles: 5
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On a rainy day, your favourite film, a hot chocolate and then a call from somebody trying to sell you something…what a blow. Cold calling is known to be irritating to many people especially when they are being interrupted to be sold something they have no desire or use for. Is cold calling then a waste of time?

Firstly lets define exactly what cold calling actually is: Cold calling is the process of approaching prospective customers or clients, typically via telephone, who were not expecting such an interaction. The word "cold" is used because the person receiving the call is not expecting a call or has not specifically asked to be contacted by a sales person. Cold calling is the same as blind guessing whom your next customer will be.

Cold Calling is one of the marketing ways that always gets flak – many sales people dread the rejection it often entails and consumers often find it irritating. Why then did not die a death a long time ago when there are so many other marketing strategies out there?

The answer is…. there are still many advantages.

• The main one being it still works and results ...
... in good customer marketer relationships.
• Cold calling allows marketers to tap into a potentially unsaturated market.
• Cold calling also allows marketers to create a new network of referrals, especially if theirs is running dry.
• It is a way to build and add to a client base out of thin air,
• A salesperson can reach many people employing this method.

Of course there are disadvantages too:

• Cold Calling Irritates Customers. Chances are that you will be interrupting prospective customers, which can be very irritating. Another factor that irritates cold-called customers is the persistence with which sales people make these calls. Often they do not take no for an answer, which can make the customer feel badgered and irritated. Not exactly the best way to build a trusting business relationship.

• Cold Calling is Unfocused Marketing. Cold calling is somewhat (sometimes completely) random. Resources are often wasted on calls to never-would-be-customers, meaning they absolutely would not use your product or service. Time and resources would be much better spent pursuing customers who are actually in the market for your products / services, and trying to sell them something you know that they want or need.

• Cold Calling Can Lead to Loss of Respect/Trust. Cold Calling and telemarketing are often times lumped together in the same category in the minds of consumers, and since unscrupulous marketers often use these methods, the technique can have a negative effect on your business’ image. A negative image could mean a loss of respect and trust in your industry.

The disadvantages appear to outweigh the advantages but the problem of course, is that if you are not making unsolicited calls to potential prospects in your target market and your competitors are, then you will put yourself at a significant disadvantage (especially if your competitors are making a good job of it!).

Regardless of what the "cold calling is dead" books and websites tell you, the plain and simple fact of the matter is that cold calling does work, because it is the only form of marketing that guarantees you some sort of response from the individuals in your target market.

Cold calling is not dead and never will be. As long as people have an ability to talk, to introduce themselves, to have conversations and to do business together, there will always be opportunities to get on the phone and discuss value with someone for whom that value is meaningful. Meaningful being the operative word here!

Companies are constantly looking for ways to increase their sales volume. This tried and tested method has been trusted by generations of businesses and it has never failed them in the course of their work. But this kind of work can be very complicated, that's why a lot of companies have started to hire professional telemarketers to do the job. They're the best people for this kind of work and they always deliver well.

The benefits of outsourcing the tele-selling works are:

• You don't have to worry about equipment since the outsourcers have their own facilities.
• The telemarketers from these firms are well trained and are the most capable of handling this kind of work.
• It's cheaper to outsource the work instead of paying salary and other benefits.
• You can use professional telemarketers as frequently as the situation demands, but if there is no need for it, then you can arrange for short-term or long-term contracts with the telemarketing company. This added flexibility makes it quite attractive to different companies.
• Large pool of consumer lifestyle data

Lets go into more detail with the last listed benefit: Large pool of consumer lifestyle data. There is a huge benefit of using a Lead Generation company whose main focus is on consumer lifestyle data and consumer lifestyle leads as they already know who your clients are and what their needs might be. In that sense they can be considered to be the psychologists of data. They know the in’s and out’s of prospective clients better than you do.

When you use a lead generation company to do as it were your donkey-work you are using trained professionals who already have a list of consumer lifestyle data to match what it is your company is selling. So when the prospective consumer receives the call they will not suffer the disadvantages of a traditional cold call. Lead generation companies know who to contact; their large data pool ensures that, so cold calling in their case isn’t blind guessing as the prospective consumer is interested to receive the call from them as the company has already done the research on the client and knows what their potential needs may be.

Therefore a consumer is less likely to be irritated by a call offering them a deal for something they value, and because of that they will not view the call as intrusive or lose respect for the company, especially when such well-trained professionals handle the calls. The consumer lifestyle data also ensures the market is not unfocused. There is a definite match.

As you can see all the main disadvantages of cold-calling have been eliminated and only the advantages prevail.

Most importantly the prospective consumer feels as though they are getting something out of the call, instead of being coerced or manipulated to buy something. The call generates a lead, which is less invasive, and the consumer feels as if they have they a choice - and they do. Cold calling to get leads becomes something different. Perhaps in this case cold calling with consumer lifestyle data to transform into consumer lifestyle leads, should be called warm calling instead ?

As a result it’s quite different in its feeling and approach, though the end result is a sale with a happy customer, who will most likely stay for the long haul.

So pass them the reins and let the lead generation professionals do the donkey-work for you

Demet Dayanch is senior marketing manager for Seawave Media. Please visit our website www.seawavemedia.com or call Tulip, senior sales manager, on 0845 056 3593, or 07053 544966 or email tulip@seawavemedia.com