Cold Calling Works (If Done Right)

Okay, maybe that's extreme, but I needed to punch things up so that this post would generate a click thru on your RSS reader!

Now then:  Here is what Seth said.  And here is Mike Smock's take on Seth's post.  Both of these guys are "wikked smaht" as they say in Boston.  But having trained door-to-door B2B sales reps at Aflac, I know for a flat-out fact that this type of selling works -- when it's done right.

Moreover, door-to-door selling doesn't need to be low brow, either.  In fact, in his book Thriving on Chaos, Tom Peters applauds Japanese banking senior executives who in tough times go door-to-door to solicit deposits -- the exact same tactic which Seth decries in his post.

People always throw the baby out with the bath water.  In this case, most marketers (and even most sales people) think that just because they suck at selling door-to-door that the tactic doesn't work.  These are the same people who can't stand cold calling, and I guarantee you that cold calling works because I do it all day long.  I rarely ask for the order on the first call, but I always try to establish the foundation for a two way permission-based dialogue going forward.

Nurture marketing is a multi-step process, and there's just no getting around that very first step -- whether it's a cold call or a referral or a knock on the prospect's door.  Fact is, if you have never met your prospect, then you are making a first impression.  That scares the hell out of most sales people, and therein lies the difference between a champ and a chump.

Seems to me that being a Purple Cow means being ballsy enough to do what your competition simply won't do.  And again, there's no reason that selling door-to-door has to be difficult or beneath one's dignity -- as long as you have a good process for it.

To quote Tom Hopkins:  "If your tactics are sound, they can't fight you."  Truer words have never been spoken.

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A:  Download Harry's contact info for future reference.

Comments

[Mark]

Cold calling has negative connotations among the small business community, especially as why-are-they-calling-me-at-dinner-time-to-sell-me-long-distance-services-that-save-me-$1-a-month telemarketing puts a bad taste in people’s mouths. But cold calls are actually a very positive way for companies to generate new business.Let’s address several of the myths of cold calling, and explore some of the ways you can successfully implement this technique. Cold calling is important for every business --large or small!
When Cold Calling is Important
Three areas of business where cold calling is important are:
1. generating new business
2. instant market research
3. developing business partnerships
Business-to-business cold calling is a necessary and standard part of the business world. Don’t think of cold calling as picking up the phone and blindly dialing the next person on a call list, but as a strategic part of business development.
Generating New Business
Who doesn’t want to generate new business? Nobody that I know! Use cold calling to your advantage. How about that big account you always wanted? Go get it! Do your research and pick up the phone to make something happen. Find the right contact person and do whatever it takes. Get in front of the decision maker, and prove you’re the best company for the job.
Developing Business Partnerships
If your firm is strong at Web design and Internet strategy, and the firm down the street has an experienced background in print and old media marketing, develop a partnership.
Partnerships are a great way to team up and provide best-of-breed services to clients. They provide an opportunity for introduction to new clients and expand your company reach without costing you a dime. Isn’t it time you picked up the phone and introduced yourself to that complimentary firm in your town? It isn’t cold calling -- it’s the first step towards a mutually beneficial business partnership.
Cold Calling Myths Debunked
Cold calling conjures up images of warehouses full of people wearing phone headsets racing to see how many calls they can make in an hour. The typical “boiler room” scene where a high pressure salesman swindles some unsuspecting prospect isn’t how most cold calls are made. Let’s look at the reality behind the two most common cold calling myths.
Cold Calling Isn’t For Me
Yes it is! Just because you’re the owner/manager/designer/artist doesn’t mean cold calling isn’t for you. As long as you are a partner in a company, you’re likely responsible for:
• new business generation,
• market research, and
• business partnership development
-- The three mainstays of a living, growing business. These tasks need to be completed, and you’re the expert who should do them. Get past your fears of rejection and make the call!
Cold Calling is Only for Businesses that Target Consumers
Not true! Cold calling is how business gets done. I bet every company that has continued to grow over the recent economic slowdown has a team of dedicated cold callers working on inside sales and new business development. Not because they need to pay their bills, but because they want to grow and expand their businesses.
Just as relationships and current customers keep a business running, cold calls keep a business growing.

do you need lead generation services? http://telehammers.com

[Ankesh Kothari]

For learning the best ways to do door-to-door selling, I say learn from Jehovah's Witness.

They have got door-to-door canvassing to a fine science.

And boy are they successful! 300,000 new members every year!

Here's how they do it: they go knock on doors in pairs. Give a tangible freebie. Then repeat. But with a sneaky twist. One person in the pair remains the same - but the 2nd person changes everytime they knock your doors.

They keep one person the same so that you don't bang the doors when you see one familiar face. And they change the 2nd person every time so that when you finally attend their conference, you find yourself comfortable amongst so many known faces.

Works beautifully for selling big ticket products.

[Robyn Tippins]

Yes, cold calling can work, but it surely isn't my fav pasttime. I remember selling like that and I'd rather have a root canal. I tell you though, again from experience, if you are hungry you can sell just about anything.

I'm glad that I can pick and choose what I want to get behind now. In the early years I didn't have that option, so I really appreciate it now.

[seth godin]

I think you missed my point.

I wasn't criticizing the act of walking into my office (I saved that for a book...), I was pointing out that doing this as poorly as he was doing it was a symptom of a very big problem.

[Michelle Golden]

Excellent point Harry. I remember being appalled (as an inhouse marketing director for an 80 person CPA firm in the midwest somewhere around 1997) when a colleague in Ernst & Young's marketing department sang the praises of telemarketing as an effective method of marketing B2B. How sleazy, I thought, shocked a company like E&Y would do that and further, that they would be successful at it.

Guess what, it CAN BE effective and it needn't be sleazy at all. In fact, many firms do it now.

Shows that our bias toward a process is usually that, a bias, and that even preconceived "sleazy" approaches can be modified to be appropriate in a business climate.

BTW, I second you on cold-calling, too. It's how I started my business 6.5 years ago...cold-calling managing partners of CPA firms.

Happy Friday,
Michelle