That isn't technically a cold call because the CEO had seen that she had wanted that, so straight away she is a "warm" prospect.
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The truth about B2B cold calling and cold approach
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That isn't technically a cold call because the CEO had seen that she had wanted that, so straight away she is a "warm" prospect.
Amy had no previous contact with the CEO and vise versa. That's most peoples definition of a cold call.
Just knowing that someone might be interested doesn't mean that it's a warm lead. Would you expect every Bugatti dealer in the country to call her? After all they know she's interested. What about people who lease Bugattis by the day? Should they call too. What if I want to sell my Bugatti, can I call her as well?
That's a lot of random strangers calling.
Lets say I make a post here saying that my website hosting could be better. Have I just invited every hosting company in the world to call me, because they've read my post and I might be looking?
Just knowing that someone might be interested doesn't mean that it's a warm lead. Would you expect every Bugatti dealer in the country to call her? After all they know she's interested. What about people who lease Bugattis by the day? Should they call too. What if I want to sell my Bugatti, can I call her as well?
That's a lot of random strangers calling.
Lets say I make a post here saying that my website hosting could be better. Have I just invited every hosting company in the world to call me, because they've read my post and I might be looking?
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It doesn't sound like that at all
You sound like you're struggling to make the case that a particular company or two I quoted off the top of my head do indeed cold call. And you seem to be using that to try to argue that I was wrong (and that cold calling is universal?)
It doesn't work like that. I don't cold call. None of the businesses I've ever owned - and I've owned a fair few - have ever cold called. Cold calling is not universal. Period.
In fact, cold calling is far from the widespread and popular means of getting sales that some would like the world to believe
. However, I do understand the vested interest of telemarketers (and firms who use telemarketers) in trying to push that message. It makes them seem less bad. "Don't hold it against us, guv, everybody does it"
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I'm not in favour of cold calling, although I once worked for a company doing precisely this all day (never again!). I also did a stint for an outfit that harvested company contacts, except these days businesses are less likely to divulge info to cold callers over the phone than they were in the 1980s. I would assume the same is true today about cold calling as it was then, it being a numbers game: Make x number of calls and expect x percentage of take-up. Must be harder today though.
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Almost nobody is. You're in good company.
The Cambridge dictionary's definition is that cold calling is the activity of calling or visiting a possible customer to try to sell them something without being asked by the customer to do so.
The Oxford dictionary says that to cold call is to Make an unsolicited visit or telephone call to (someone), in an attempt to sell goods or services.
Very clear. But people who cold call are notorious for trying to twist the definition to make any rude, untargeted interruption of your day - i.e. their call - appear like a normal, popular, everyday way of getting sales.
Some try arguing that if it's a business that's the target of the call then it's not a cold call. I don't see that distinction in any definition anywhere. Upsetting people and/or wasting their time is not right whether that person is at home or at work. A cold call is a cold call.
Then they've tried to argue that every business cold calls. We've seen that this is not the case either. @NickGrogan has even tried to portray Bombardier's requirement to "build and foster trusted relationships" as a task that requires cold calling! Building and fostering relationships is exactly the opposite of unsolicted phone calls to pitch your product!
Proponents will also try to muddy the definition to include activities like handing someone your business card. The wider they stretch the definition of "cold calling" the more normal they're hoping it'll appear.
It's not. It's neither as normal / widespread as they think, nor is it nice.
But the reason I would suggest people don't do it is because ... there are better and most cost effective ways of getting business.
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It was mentioned way back in the thread that cold calling of consumers, rather than businesses, is dead, presumably because of all the scams, liars, charlatans and thieves, who have called consumers. What this overlooks is that every business person who answers the phone is also a consumer and has been turned off receiving cold calls because of their consumer experience.
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So what is everyones percieved ideas of cold calling face to face. You're driving past a potential customers office, you've just visited a client and had a good response and you're on cloud 9 so you think...sod it and call in on the off chance, armed with literature, prices , terms etc etc. Does that make you desperate or just someone going about their business. I've done it, it has worked on occasion and i'm not desperate.
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That is sensible. If the person you need to see is busy, you will be told so. You are not interrupting their day, as you are doing what all their customers do - calling in at the office. What really annoys me about cold telephone calling is that you have to stop what you are doing and answer the phone, because it may be an important call. The receptionist saying Fred Bloggs is here. can you see them? is much less intrusive. Although I don't know why.
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@Clinton If I came to you to sell a business, and you thought that XYZ Ltd would be a great match, but you'd had no previous direct contact with them, what would you do?
I guess you wouldn't call them, because it would be a cold call. Would you just advertise the business and hope they saw it? Tweet them?
There seems to be a lot of confusion about cold calling. It was defined as "cold calling is the activity of calling or visiting a possible customer to try to sell them something without being asked by the customer to do so."
Which everyone seemed to agree with, and yet a few posts later we see this "That is sensible. If the person you need to see is busy, you will be told so. You are not interrupting their day, as you are doing what all their customers do - calling in at the office." which is great justification for almost any sales call.
Picking up the phone and calling someone, done well, is a great way to build most businesses, especially in the B2B sector.
Hiring a dirt cheap call centre or using a robo dialler, is a great way to ruin most businesses in any sector.
They are two very different things.
I guess you wouldn't call them, because it would be a cold call. Would you just advertise the business and hope they saw it? Tweet them?
There seems to be a lot of confusion about cold calling. It was defined as "cold calling is the activity of calling or visiting a possible customer to try to sell them something without being asked by the customer to do so."
Which everyone seemed to agree with, and yet a few posts later we see this "That is sensible. If the person you need to see is busy, you will be told so. You are not interrupting their day, as you are doing what all their customers do - calling in at the office." which is great justification for almost any sales call.
Picking up the phone and calling someone, done well, is a great way to build most businesses, especially in the B2B sector.
Hiring a dirt cheap call centre or using a robo dialler, is a great way to ruin most businesses in any sector.
They are two very different things.
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It's far from dead. It still happens and causes a great deal of distress to many old people living alone (some of whom don't have the wits to deal with the scoundrels who end up fleecing them).
Does the salesman walk away from the call feeling a warm glow that he has helped improve someone's life? I don't know. But he's certainly happy about something. To the telephone salesman, divorced as he is from having to look people in the eye, it's the winning the sale that's key even if the prospect never really needed the product and/or can really not afford it.
B2B sales people will try and argue that they are different- and to some extent they would be as they're dealing with more clued up people than a pensioner with alzheimer's - but I struggle to see a clear demarcation line.
I don't think you get it!
No, I absolutely would not call them. Not in my current business. Not in any previous business I've run. Did XYZ Ltd ask you to introduce us? No! What is it about cold calling that you have trouble understanding?
PS: To all you marketing people out there - just to be clear, don't ask your sales person to drop in to see me as "they happen to be in the area". That's still a cold call.
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PS: Just to add, Nick, that my current business isn't a good example. If you're selling something worth half a million or a million, thinks work very differently. If you wish to have a chat with a CEO of a company looking for acquisitions, you do have to take a more subtle approach than cold calling him!
But, as I've said, I wouldn't have done it - didn't do it - even in other businesses I've owned.
But, as I've said, I wouldn't have done it - didn't do it - even in other businesses I've owned.
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I assumed that you wouldn't cold call, so I'm asking you what you would do, if you felt that you could help your client by introducing them to XYZ, if you had no previous contact with XYZ. Or would you simply not introduce them?
Looking on your website, this is an interesting offer, "BrokerMatcher weeds out the brokers with the known exploitative contracts and the ones with the worst reputations. It then shortlists brokers based on my proprietory algorithm. Each is then contacted on the phone to manually confirm whether they have the free resources to take on your business."
Now I presume that you didn't cold call any of them, so perhaps you can share how you got them all on the phone? I think this would be useful for companies who want to avoid cold calling.
Looking on your website, this is an interesting offer, "BrokerMatcher weeds out the brokers with the known exploitative contracts and the ones with the worst reputations. It then shortlists brokers based on my proprietory algorithm. Each is then contacted on the phone to manually confirm whether they have the free resources to take on your business."
Now I presume that you didn't cold call any of them, so perhaps you can share how you got them all on the phone? I think this would be useful for companies who want to avoid cold calling.
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Interesting you mention that, when I was working with an energy services company, who were looking for a buyer, I cold called the CFO of Utilitywise, turnover £84M and made the introduction. Not the most subtle way, but fast and efficient.
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You've spent a lot of time and effort to go digging around my site to try and find some conflict between what I've said there and what I'm saying here. Sorry to disappoint you. But seeing you've invested that much time, I'll explain something.
The brokers, corporate finance houses etc whom I do call look forward to my calls. I'm not calling to sell them anything. I'm calling to give them business (and I don't charge them a penny at any point). Many of them cut off other calls to talk to me when they know I'm on the phone! And if I happened to be in their area ... they'd cancel other appointments to take me to lunch. My client may not be right for them, or they may be working to full capacity, but they are always eager to talk about the matter and find out more.
The brokers, corporate finance houses etc whom I do call look forward to my calls. I'm not calling to sell them anything. I'm calling to give them business (and I don't charge them a penny at any point). Many of them cut off other calls to talk to me when they know I'm on the phone! And if I happened to be in their area ... they'd cancel other appointments to take me to lunch. My client may not be right for them, or they may be working to full capacity, but they are always eager to talk about the matter and find out more.
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Well, first I don't know who Amy McDonald is, but I am assuming she is some sort of celebrity. Therefore, how would most of them get her number? They would call her agent and get the brush off. But as it was the CEO he was probably put in contact with her.
And she is still a "warm" lead because she has stated an interest. When I "cold call" I am phoning pepple who I don't know if they might want to buy office supplies. If I had heard them say they are interested in it, then that is a "warm" call.
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Why are you talking about pensioners with alzheimers? The discussion is about B2B cold calls. If you say you cannot see the difference between calling a pensioner with alzheimers and James Dyson in his early days calling a retailer to sell his vacuum cleaners then you are clearly just being stubborn. Those buyers must have been furious about their new best selling vacuum cleaner.
It is only warm if she has stated an interest with you. If it is unsolicited it is a cold call.
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@Ashley_Price it might be warm or even hot to you, but it's not to them, you're still a stranger, calling them out of the blue. I.e. Cold.
@Clinton it took all of 30 seconds to read your website. so no worries there. Still not clear how you get in touch with brokers/finance houses that you've not spoken to before? For example if they are overseas?
@Clinton it took all of 30 seconds to read your website. so no worries there. Still not clear how you get in touch with brokers/finance houses that you've not spoken to before? For example if they are overseas?
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I usually get introduced in LinkedIn or elsewhere. But you're flogging a dead horse, because I'm not looking to sell these people anything - and the selling intent of the call is key to the definition. I'm looking to buy services from them.
This is getting silly now.
I've got a busy few days coming up so enjoy the discussion folk and I'll pick it up some other time.
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The only cold calls I continue with are those offering new products/distributorships in our market area especially if I haven't come across it before.
For general business supplies, accounting, utilities, insurance, cleaning etc, I'll do my own research thanks.
If OP does set out on cold calling, at least make sure you have three or four good introduction lines. The worst ones are "Hi, this is Darren from (unintelligble company name), how are you today?" Who teaches them that crap? Do they think everyone at work wants 'bantz' with the telesales guy?
For general business supplies, accounting, utilities, insurance, cleaning etc, I'll do my own research thanks.
If OP does set out on cold calling, at least make sure you have three or four good introduction lines. The worst ones are "Hi, this is Darren from (unintelligble company name), how are you today?" Who teaches them that crap? Do they think everyone at work wants 'bantz' with the telesales guy?
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Couldn't agree more Mike, I always think that when someone asks how you are, I think to myself a) you don't even know me and b) you don't really care! so why ask?
The other big fail is to go on a rant about their company and what they do, the recipient of the call doesn't care, their only interest is WIIFM (whats in it for me).
Its like stepping in a time machine, going back to the 80s and getting a call from a double glazing firm
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6 pages of reasons not to bother with cold calling when instead you could follow a tried and proven method based on content (paying it forward by giving value before asking them to open their wallet).
Interruptive marketing can ride along on the content gravy train, making it a great caboose but an inferior lead locomotive engine.
Interruptive marketing can ride along on the content gravy train, making it a great caboose but an inferior lead locomotive engine.
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