Some bad ideas for cold-calling
Cold calling is hard. I've done it myself and I know how hard it can be.
I also know that there is a whole body of work around how to do it, and how to break through boundaries and get through to decision-makers. Many of these approaches are downright dishonest. Here are four I have experienced this week, that I recommend nobody should ever do:
- Lead in with an internal reference at my company. This is great --assuming that internal reference has had a great experience and knows you're doing it. If that reference never agreed to be your inside sales person and actually doesn't really like the product very much -- I don't recommend this strategy.
- Pretend like I was already interested or we already have a relationship. I am busy and I meet a lot of people, but I am not entirely senile. If you start your email with "did you get what you wanted from our last conversation?" or "following up on your interest" or some other outright lie like that, there is no room to build trust and I will never want your product. I will give more time to a Nigerian prince than somebody "circling back about my interest in unsupervised AI platforms" or whatever line you use to falsify familiarity to trick me into listening about buzz of the year your flash-in-the-pan start up is trying to huck.
- Keep me on the phone. Phone calls are hard. I did cold calls ages ago, and it was hard to take the rejection, and I definitely appreciated it when people were kind. For this reason, I'm usually kind when I tell you that I don't need what you're selling. Let me off the phone right away. I probably stepped out of a meeting and answered the call because I mistook it for a family member or some emergency. Don't make me rudely end the call, just let it go.
- Cold call and follow up with an email. Honestly, I have had to stop answering my cell phone because I get so many calls every day from sales people who are trying to set up time with me and their "vice president" to discuss their AI/ML platform, data catalog or whatever. But, when you call me at 5:30am and wake up my whole house, you really get my attention. An immediate email follow-up is great because then I know who did it. Not recommended.
One thing that does work? Be patient. I work at a big company. I have a lot of responsibilities. The sales cycle is slow, and it can be weeks or months before I can spare some time to even think about your product and if there is somebody I know who can use it. If you're patient and respectfully persistent, I will probably help -- I often do. If you commit one of these three sins, we're done!
@atscale - don't call me any more. @zoominfo rethink some stuff
Great tips, thanks! Would you also write about "what to do"?
A strategy, execution and results focused Marketing Expert
3 å¹´Great insight - many of these points are also transferable to emails on cold outreach as well.
Слава Укра?н?! Late career change - now an apprentice electrician through the IBEW Local 241.
3 å¹´Thanks for this Andre! I still recall when we first met at an Intel cafeteria many years ago, and how surprised you seemed when I didn't pull out a contract or other hard sell tactic. I listened, and you helped. I don't recall who picked up the tab though :)