Cold calling - opinions please?

[SLF]

lol you can tell you're new here! and you cant tell you don't like to be wrong - you dont need to justify yourself to me, i'm not buying from you pal.

Im sorry but I find it difficult to take your posts seriously ....and it is friday....you'll get used to it eventually.

 

[SeanandTheBrush]

Hmmm

Not completely sure about that and my reasons are that sometimes you get people who have a completely good but lack the skills to string a sentence together either verbal or written or who might fail to outline benefits or where pricing is out of line with competitors.

So for me it is more about skills and ability than attitude though agree attitude is important

I agree. However, I have would not win any contests for my writing skills. However, look at what goes through the mind of the successful business. I have worked with businesses who don't even want to cover the basics. Some people go into business thinking it is a ticket to riches. The attitude can be extended to Debt, Marketing, Selling even waking in the morning. But I also agree with you on the skills. Of course you will need certain skills. Needless to say some people find most things easy and others find the same things difficult.

Good comment all the same!

 

[SeanandTheBrush]

lol you can tell you're new here!

As a marketing expert can I just say...

You don't say... I am new here. Did you guess or did you click on my profile.

With resourceful thinking like that you could be a business expert!

 

[SLF]

bless you son!

.....I don't suppose your middle name is gavin by any chance? he was an expert on this forum too.

 

[steve67]

Not intelligent enough ?? low lives ?? Devious ?? This Mr Azam really does not have a very high opinion of us telemarketers. I actually had a good standard of education and have an IQ of 141, so i must admit when i read his comments i did start to feel a little warm around the collar. I did not realize this forum was set up for the benefit of opinionated little men like mr Azam who have no idea about what we actually do ..i am sure that if i was a low life, devious, uneducated telephone spammer then i would not be able to converse with people such as the head of audit for the bank of england..or the head of risk for amex..i must have imagined those conversations !!! Anyway , if he is going to resort to childish name calling then i think he should be looking at his own lack of intelligence !! All my clients are professionals such as I.F.As, Accountants and graphic designers..and i do not think they would employ my services if they believed that i was a low life deviant ! Anyway, thank you for brightening up an otherwise quite boring saturday morning ...

 

[SeanandTheBrush]

when i read his comments i did start to feel a little warm around the collar....

As a marketing expert, can I just say!

I think we should stick to the forum subject. He was trying to be a sensationalist by spinning off a controversial statement.

 

[SLF]

"He was trying to be a sensationalist by spinning off a controversial statement"


You don't say!

Listen don't worry, the numpties don't last long here.

 

[steve67]

lol sorry guys , i got a bit 'warm' yesterday ! i just thought that this forum was to help and advise each other ....anyway , if we were all badly educated low lifes then i would probabaly havre wrote
'' deer mr exam , i is a teleperson who does telefoning for a job as i have to suport my teenage gurlfriend and our 6 kidz...i does well rezent what you waz sayin about us all being bad edjoocated as i got 2 d grades in maffs and compooting ..but not english. Jobs are hard to come buy round ere so i hqve to take wot is going..i have to urn sum money to feed liitle chantelle and britney ..and the rest of the kidz whos names i carnt rememberer ..ovbiasly my memory is going well bad jew to all the spezial brew and canabus that all my wajes go on...

signed a.telemarketer....

 

[Martin £]

I've been considering cold calling as a possible method of getting some new business.

As a business owner, I receive many cold calls, as I'm sure many of you do. I normally tell the person I'm not interested in whatever they have to offer, but on occasion it has resulted in me becoming a customer.

All too often I see a company website which is not fulfilling its potential, where I think I could really be of use to this business. Despite this I have never contacted anyone out of the blue to offer my services as a web developer.

So- my questions are:

What do you think of cold calling as a method for generating new sales?
Have you done it, and how effective has it been?
What tips and advice can you offer on business-to-business cold calling?

Thanks!
Michael

As a web developer your job will be made easier there are many poor websites still up just search through every night and go to the contacts section, record their numbers and call them 1 by 1 the next day.

Just pick up the phone and call, it gets easy after a while.

What do you have to lose?

Remember your offering them a service!

I guarantee you’ll get 1 or 2 by the end of the week.
Good luck

 

[SeanandTheBrush]

Just pick up the phone and call, it gets easy after a while.

This is True. You need to give it a try to see what success you will gain from it. I would say to an early stage business or a business that is seasonal, give it a go. While you still looking at other ways to get the all important messages out there. It needs to be more than just cold calling. You need to have a full marketing plan.

As a web designer you could ask your clients to send a one off email saying, 'Come and see our brand new website, it was designed by "MyWebDesign.com" let us know what you think"

You could also tweet on twitter about what you do. Again another great way of getting business in. I have introduced businesses to twitter and they love it.

My advice - try at least ten things. Master one thing, bring in another and so on.

 

[Martin £]

It isn't quite so clear cut as that.

I'll give you a real life example. No ******** book read theory or sweeping generalisations.

I cold called our local council switch board to speak to the dude in charge of gas maintenance. I spent about an hour getting passed around the phone system and cut off for various reasons. I eventually got through to the right department. The gaffer wasn't in so I left a message.

Several weeks later the gaffer reterns my call. He just so happens to have a contract for me to quote for - £120Ks worth infact. Result.

As a brucy bonus and directly as a result of my dealings with the council and preparing their tender another tender lands in my lap for a similar value, this time from a local NHS trust.

Almost £1/4m pounds worth of work as a result of a one hour phone call.

If i'd started that particular day with my head up my arse thinking I was a scum bag spammer i'd be a few grand worse off.

Not bad for a shift in attitude.

WOW

 

[mr.steve]

Cold calling can definitely work, as the poster above shows!

But a call preceded by a good sales letter will almost always get a higher response rate. In fact, if the letter is really good you won't need to call them... they'll call you.

Steve

 

[SeanandTheBrush]

I am aware that cold calling can and does work. I would say it is all about balance. It is, for the most part, a vary time consuming process. Cold calling is is just one way of getting new business in.

 

[Azam.net]

The justification of the telephone spammers for sitting infront of their phones all day every day harrassing people and distracting them from their duties seems to be "it works".

Spam earns money. Prostitution earns money. Robbing banks earns money. Doesn't mean they are morally right.

 

[steve67]

nice to see you have listed your three main sources of income....

 

[adam]

Azam Marketing seems to have missed the point. I don't spam through a list of number each going up by one until I have phoned the world. I phone a company that research tells me might be in need of my services. I then ask the qeustion.

It is as simple as that. I don't mind getting calls like that, I don't mind making them.

In the words of the Meerkat, Simples

 

[steve67]

Thank you Adam..that is exactly what i do ...i call small and medium businesses in my clients area and just ask a couple of friendly , quick questions ....ie, do you have an accountant , and if you do , are you happy with the cost and service they provide....thats it..no long drawn out script or hard sell . But Mr Azam just seems to hate telemarketers ..full stop ! But what i do works for me and my clients ....at the moment , my accountanting clients convert around 75% of meetings i set up in to business...i think that speaks for itself !

 

[steve67]

anyway...couple more points : If certain '' people '' do not like recieving unsolicited telephone call then there is a thing call TPS !!! I also do not see myself as a '' telephone spammer '' .. i help provide companys with good local accountants who know their stuff and will help their business , hardly warrants being compared too bank robbers and prostitutes ( that was all ages ago !! )

 

[maxine]

Ah, accountants and TPS... Little recent story...

I did a short lead generation exercise to generate a few more accountancy clients for myself and checked TPS as I always do. Next time I met with my business link advisor he asked if I can phoned such-and-such company as he was only talking with them the week before about them trying to find a telemarketer to compliment their online marketing.

Anyway, he called them and asked if it was OK for me to call them "Yes of course" they said "We only use TPS for the annoying, foreign, spammers, not for proper telemarketers"

!!!

 

[Pete Crane]

What I find somewhat ironic is the number of sales and marketing professionals who have put themselves on the TPS system, yet use cold calling to promote their own products and services.

Personally I have never had a problem with taking calls. I know others will prefer not to and sometimes I'm just too busy really. But simply saying so and being polite about it doesn't hurt.

 

[Lasting Designs]

I have become inspired to give this a go thanks to this thread.

I am in a position where I have become bored of what seems an endless stream of sub-contracted work, that I can't even put into a portfolio as its not "my" contract so to speak. So with the view to getting away from the easy living (but without burning bridges) I'm going to do some stuff on my own terms and get the credit for it

I'm currently working on a campaign where I have identified potential clients through reading all the local publications and recognised a few things that I feel can with a work help them improve their image.

I intend to call them and be myself and ask that I can email them with my service proposal, having described the basic principle and suprisingly low cost to them at this juncture. Backing this campaign, I will be looking to build on the goodwill from giving them a lift in the way they present themselves, to buy into my bread and butter work, where I can make a good living.

There has been some great pointers here and having taken a bit here and there, I've pretty much worked out how I am going to do things.

I have set myself a target of 20 calls a day, starting with the ones that I feel are on my unlikely list. Why would I target them? My theory is that in perceiving them as very, very difficult, my expectations aren't that great. The big plus is that I can practice on the impossible customer so to speak, but be better versed and confident when it comes to the ones I feel will buy into my service. The reality will probably be different, but until I do it, I'm not going to know am I. Does anybody have any thoughts into my methodology before I take the plunge in a week or two's time? Comments greatly appreciated.

 

[Hogrill]

I'm just starting to do some myself along with other marketing activities and will monitor which gives the best returns.

If like me its not something you particularly enjoy maybe consider setting an amount to do each day. Ive decided on 5 per day to start with, but these have to be calls where I actually get to speak to someone about what I'm offering.

Ive been doing this for a month now although I haven't always managed to stick to my target number of calls. I'm pleased with the results and the more Ive done the more comfortable and easier its become. People have overall been polite and prepared to listen as long as you get to the point and what your offering is relevant.

Along with cold calling Ive also been sending out mail shots which some people (not on here) doubted the effectiveness of but the response has been really good as well.

My advice would be before starting put your self in the position of the person receiving the call and think how would you want to be spoken to and what advantages / benefits in dealing with your company would generate an interest.

 

[adam]

I have become inspired to give this a go thanks to this thread.

I intend to call them and be myself and ask that I can email them with my service proposal, having described the basic principle and suprisingly low cost to them at this juncture. Backing this campaign, I will be looking to build on the goodwill from giving them a lift in the way they present themselves, to buy into my bread and butter work, where I can make a good living.

Seems a good plan to me. Good luck

 

[SeanandTheBrush]

I think the one thing to remember here is that cold calling is not always suitable for all types of businesses. Could you imagine getting cold calls from your local pub or hair salon? It's madness to think that all aspect of marketing can be implemented into all business models. I would never say no to a cold call. I always listen to what people have to say.

It's all about time spent and results achieved.

Sean and The Brush

 

[adam]

Sean you start off with a stupid statement at the beginning of the thread then try to turn it round by saying "sometimes it works" then you bring up obvious examples when it wont work.

"Hi i'm calling on behalf of your local funeral director, has anyone close to you died within the last 24 hours?"

And Sean, you have missed a trick because I have had a couple of calls from local pubs telling me about their special events for staff and client meetings etc.

 

[lukd]

Call up initially and play the "dumb" card. Pretend to be a very naive call center operator tasked with finding some information. Obviously withheld the number. Then call back a week later!

lol cheeky

 

[ADFLB Creative Ltd]

That does happen at the beginning of the business. Essential skill but also necessary. Try 1000 cold calling and you will find you can talk you anyone comfortably.

 

[jamiebaxter]

Hi

Forget cold calling with its 97% failure, make people come to you!

I stubbled across it an gain a FREE 7 video bootcamp explaining why 95% of network marketers are unsuccessful and what you need to do to not be one of them.

Seriously don't take my word for it, check for yourself.

Because I can't put links up give me an email if you want to have a look which I strongly suggest you do!

jnbaxter 'at' msn dot com

Just wanted to share it.
Regards
Jamie

 

[jack2007]

Cold calling are actully necessary for B2B and always right and rapid. When it comes to B2C, it maybe a good way to improve sales at the beginning but not right now for everyone use this method to bore our customer.

 

[steve prescott]

Cold calling works, but it's a lot of hard work.

It's been shown that a telephone call preceded
by a highly-targeted piece of direct mail will
greatly improve conversion rates. In effect,
the "cold" call becomes a "warm" call.

In fact, if the mailshot is really good, and you
have a targeted list, you might not need to call,
because the prospect will call you.

Cheers

Steve

 

[Hintcopy]

Good luck with the cold calling!

From experience it fails more than it succeeds but in effect it's just a numbers game anyway. Call X amount of people and a certain number will respond positively. The only thing I can recommend is don't get downhearted by rejection. It isn't personal, and you'll have better days than others.

 

[Lasting Designs]

Good luck with the cold calling!

From experience it fails more than it succeeds but in effect it's just a numbers game anyway. Call X amount of people and a certain number will respond positively. The only thing I can recommend is don't get downhearted by rejection. It isn't personal, and you'll have better days than others.

I would assume the quality of the pitch would determine the outcome too. It stands to reason that some people would be interested and others not, it's no different owning a shop in that respect, who is your customer? Some will buy a little bit and others will buy a lot and some won't buy at all and some won't even go inside. Do you give up because of the latter two? or do you give a great service that people like, that they feel valued, paid a fair price and leave them feeling that they not only that they want to shop again with you, but invite people they know to share that experience too!

I am a novice at this, infact I'm working on my pitch for my first go at this method of selling, but I believe that using some common sense, sounding sincere, being respectful and being prepared to put the work in. This might sound old-fashioned, but I believe that these qualities are nearly always what your clients expect and as such, if you've done your homework then there's every chance that your rate of success will be better than if you applied yourself and approach things as being all or nothing.

The best deals in my experience are the one's where there is a win-win, if you forget that, it doesn't matter how you pitch your business, people won't trust you and that is the real deal breaker. I feel people need to be accepting there aren't any real short-cuts to become a successful business, no matter how you look to generate sales.

 

[SalesDNA]

Alan (and others)

This is quite a timely post. I am seeing a big increase in the level of discussion about cold calling recently.

I strongly believe that cold calling works -- when done properly. It is a blend of attitude, behaviours, mindset and skills. Professional cold calling or 'warm calling' will never die out. It will compliment and at times interlock with google ppc, social media, direct mail e.t.c

I am about 1 week away from releasing a free report entitled "7 mistakes businesses make with cold calling and telemarketing" -- if you would like a copy then just go to my web site salesdnaltd.com and use one of the contact forms on every page. Put cold calling report somewhere in the text and i will email it to you as soon as it is done.

Alan, if you want put your number in too and I will give you a call and see if i can help. I was In IOW with a client last week - i could have caled in to help!

Cheers

Peter

 

[Hintcopy]

I would assume the quality of the pitch would determine the outcome too. It stands to reason that some people would be interested and others not, it's no different owning a shop in that respect, who is your customer? Some will buy a little bit and others will buy a lot and some won't buy at all and some won't even go inside. Do you give up because of the latter two? or do you give a great service that people like, that they feel valued, paid a fair price and leave them feeling that they not only that they want to shop again with you, but invite people they know to share that experience too!

I am a novice at this, infact I'm working on my pitch for my first go at this method of selling, but I believe that using some common sense, sounding sincere, being respectful and being prepared to put the work in. This might sound old-fashioned, but I believe that these qualities are nearly always what your clients expect and as such, if you've done your homework then there's every chance that your rate of success will be better than if you applied yourself and approach things as being all or nothing.

The best deals in my experience are the one's where there is a win-win, if you forget that, it doesn't matter how you pitch your business, people won't trust you and that is the real deal breaker. I feel people need to be accepting there aren't any real short-cuts to become a successful business, no matter how you look to generate sales.

Oh yes absolutely, the quality of the pitch is important but even then you're still playing numbers. Some people, even if your intended audience, will outright reject a sales pitch purely because your trying to sell to them! No it doesn't make sense but that's the way people are. They find the idea intrusive and are pre-disposed to just reject you.

The key is to think about a time when you've been cold-called and think about what they did wrong. I think being overly friendly is a no-no, immediately making out we're friends rubs me up the wrong way. We've just started speaking, please don't make out you're a good friend doing me a favour!

I concede though that on the other hand people do like that.

The advice I would give is that if you're writing out a pitch, don't follow it verbatim. Over time you're going to memorise that pitch anyway and so toy with it a little bit, don't make it sound like you're reading from a script. People tend to zone out as soon as they hear 'The pitch'.

 

[Lasting Designs]

The advice I would give is that if you're writing out a pitch, don't follow it verbatim. Over time you're going to memorise that pitch anyway and so toy with it a little bit, don't make it sound like you're reading from a script. People tend to zone out as soon as they hear 'The pitch'.

Now that bit I do agree with. Writing a pitch is vital to stay on message, but of course one needs to be human too. If you have key points in sight, you will at least stay on the track intended, but you do need to listen too.

And I take on board about becoming a friend, I agree, you're not a friend, you're a salesperson, however that doesn't mean that they (the recipient of your call) need to be spoken to as if they aren't important to you, everybody is potential customer, but firstly they are people who deserve respect, afterall you've just invaded their space.

 

[steve67]

Hi People, i have to say that not only is the script important but also the way it is delivered. In my years ot telemarketing i have always found that a short script , delivered clearly and in a friendly manner achieves best results. The worst possible type of sales call is the one that goes on for ages without the customer getting a word in or the person doing the calling not listening to what the customer is saying and carrying on regardless. The worst of these are foreign call centres with 200 people reading the same script with no real feel ot enthusiasm for what they are selling and promoting, and no matter how many times you say no , they still carry on regardless ! If you are new to telemarketing, do not get put off by people saying no, just smile and move on to the next call ! Telemarketing is still one of the best ways of promoting your product or service, though i agree , it is not suitable for every type of business...

 

[Hintcopy]

Now that bit I do agree with. Writing a pitch is vital to stay on message, but of course one needs to be human too. If you have key points in sight, you will at least stay on the track intended, but you do need to listen too.

And I take on board about becoming a friend, I agree, you're not a friend, you're a salesperson, however that doesn't mean that they (the recipient of your call) need to be spoken to as if they aren't important to you, everybody is potential customer, but firstly they are people who deserve respect, afterall you've just invaded their space.

Oh no of course, I'm not saying you can't sound friendly or polite. But there's a line that people don't see. It's acceptable, UP TO A POINT. It's all about tone. It's better to talk to someone and make it sound like it's not the 100th time you've done your pitch. On the friendly note, I don't want someone talking to me like a "mate" you know? (And have had some people actually refer to me as such!)

Having a script is fine. But you'll often find that whether you're conscious of it or not you'll end up refining that script in your head. You get a feeling for what works and what doesn't. It's just a natural progression.

If you're writing one I'd say to just put down what you think would work if someone was cold calling you. Think about what you want to hear etc.

If anyone needs any help with anything then just PM me.