Calling Time on Cold Calls?

Is it time to hang up on cold calls? There appears to be a consensus across sales and marking teams, that making unsolicited “cold” calls has become a less effective means of sales & marketing for the present-day Business Development Rep (BDR).?Depending on the source of information you chose to believe, there does appear to be a significant increase in effort required to reach your target customers by phone (8 attempts to reach a prospect in 2023, compared to just 3 back in 2007) – can you afford for your BDR to spend their time hunting down a lead, who is not interested in hearing a sales pitch from a complete stranger?

In today’s business landscape, you no longer have to rely on long wait times and difficulty connecting only to have uncomfortable conversations, with uninterested people, to generate leads for your business.

Social selling and social platforms are now providing alternative methods of selling, that businesses can utilise to generate leads. Empower employees to focus on building relationships with potential customers rather than spend precious time on unproductive calls.

Out with the cold and in with the new!

Calling potential customers right off the bat, is no longer a sustainable strategy, with a number of factors such as GDPR, poor data, and difficulty connecting to people by phone in a post-Covid world it’s a tough gig (approximately 9 out of 10 B2B decision-makers admit to not responding to a cold outreach anymore…).

Seek first to understand

Buyers are increasingly well versed in what solutions are available to help them address their challenges or solve a problem.?In this ‘Always On’ world, people are being pressured from all sides, and interruptions, such as an unsolicited call is NOT a welcome distraction.?Cold calling means that you’re essentially selling something to someone without knowing anything about them - it’s like trying to sell a car to someone without a driving licence, you have no idea if it’s a good fit for them or not.

Getting to know you!

With social platforms available to organisations, such as LinkedIn, you’re able to research prospects, connect with them and reach out more informally, before ever pitching to them. Building rapport over time enables you to get an idea of their interests, business needs, and even personal preferences so that when you do eventually reach out to them with an offering, you’re more likely to get a positive response.?

You get what you paid for

Say goodbye to time-consuming cold calls hello to time-efficient prospecting with social selling. LinkedIn's Sales Navigator (that’s the paid-for, premium feature) allows you to connect with prospects, add personalised notes, and track conversations easily. This way, you can build lasting relationships and stay in touch with customers in the long run - making those ROI conversations a breeze!

Goodbye to the Gatekeepers

Ah, yes, the age-old gatekeeper. This vaunted individual has long been a challenge, keeping salespeople and their prospective clients separated, but in our new, socially distanced times, it is easier, quicker and much more efficient to bypass the middleman and reach the decision-maker directly.

What next?

In our latest LinkedIn live session, David McCullough dives into the world of cold calling, what it means for business, and why businesses should think again about ‘traditional’ methods of lead generation.

‘We need to change and adapt, it’s not easy but it is essential.’

Watch the full session here: https://www.dhirubhai.net/events/callingtimeoncoldcalls7037043510281138176/comments/

If you want to generate leads and build relationships with potential customers, start by connecting with your buyers, influencers and stakeholders on LinkedIn. Hang out where your customers hang out, talk about the things that impact them, and be seen as a thought leader or ‘helper’ in your relevant market.?It’s never too late to start.

Need some help? Don’t have the time or resources?

Reach out to the Xsell team, we’ll show you the ropes or do it for you????