One of the most frequently asked
questions today is "does cold
calling still work?" To answer
this question in the affirmative
would be to mislead people since
we all know that this marketing
strategy has seen many marketers
abandon it in the recent years.
Yet, to state a categorical "NO"
would still not be correct since
cold calling has been the bone
and flesh of the marketing
industry for a long time, and
there are still some situations
in which it works. To answer
that question in the best way
possible, the best thing to do
would be to look at the subject
with respect to businesses and
customers.
Does cold calling still work for
customers?
Keep in mind that the laws
governing who you can cold call
and who you cannot have been
stiffening more and more. In the
US, you can call people at their
homes, but only between 8 am and
9 pm of that time zone. Also,
many calls are screened and it's
often difficult to reach a live
person. On the other hand,
calling on businesses may allow
you to reach more live people.
So if you have a product that
benefit given businesses, you
may find yourself increasing
your commission by calling them.
You may still be stopped by the
front desk gatekeeper from
getting to decision makers. Just
keep in mind that people dislike
sales messages so make your
approach in a manner that
suggests what you are interested
in is helping in case there is a
problem related to your product.
How does cold calling still work
for individual customers?
While the law does allow sales
people to call people at their
homes, consider using a system
like Gryphon Networks who can
identify and protect you from
calling Do-Not-Call prospects.
It's even more effective by
developing leads who seek
information from you first and
then putting a call through to
these prospects.
Develop a system that the
customers will leave their
message expressing a need for
further information about your
product. You would then freely
call those that respond with the
information they need and make
use of the chance to put to
practice your marketing
language. This obviously changes
the customer to a warm call,
though. The best calls to make
are the ones where they are
calling you first and you are
recommended by one of their
friends.
Source: Suzanne
Rhodes
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