Nobody likes to make a cold call. Working with a hot lead – that’s fun. Working with a warm lead? That’s not too bad, either. But cold calling? Some people would prefer a trip to the dentist.
The question is: is cold calling a waste of time, or does it actually work? According to Paul McCord, one of the most knowledgeable sales strategists in the business, most prospects are on the defensive when they take your call, which is not a good place to start.
Other reasons that cold calling doesn’t work:
- Most prospects buy on their own schedule – not yours.
- Prospects who feel pressured will not be inclined to speak with you again.
- It may be difficult to reach someone with the authority to make a decision.
- It’s just plain annoying to get a phone solicitation.
- If you’d like to try something less painful, you can avoid cold calling by starting with the contacts that you already have and expanding from there.
Start with your contacts in social media.
Leverage the power of social media to warm up new leads before trying to sell them something.
Here are some great ways to use Facebook instead of cold calling:
- Set up a Facebook company page, which is different than a personal profile.
- As an administrator of the company page, invite friends to LIKE your page.
- Set up other administrators and ask them to invite their friends to LIKE your page.
- When you do get new LIKES, send a quick note introducing yourself and thanking them for becoming a fan.
- Build relationships by interacting with others – add comments, LIKES, and post interesting content.
- Look for businesses in your industry to LIKE, as this builds credibility. Comment on others’ posts to start a dialogue.
- Write brief posts about company news, promotions, advertised specials, etc.
- Post regularly to give your marketing campaign a visible pulse.
Other social media websites to use for sales and marketing purposes are: LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Google + and YouTube.
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