By Michael W. McLaughlin
What would you think if someone told you about a lead generation technique that only worked on rare occasions, was exceedingly unpleasant to execute, and would burn a ton of your time? You’d probably wonder why you were even listening.
Well, that’s exactly what the advocates of cold calling are telling you.
In our business, effective lead generation is about the choices we make to reach prospective clients. And of all the options you have for building your business, cold calling should be on the bottom of the list–if you choose to do it at all.
I know that every time I receive a cold call, I have similar thoughts. At first, I feel sorry for the poor sap who has to phone complete strangers and attempt to inject enthusiasm into a boilerplate script, hoping (against the odds) to land a meeting with someone in the company.
After listening to the spiel for a few seconds, I realize that the caller has no clue who I am or what my business concerns are. After resisting the urge to mess with the caller’s script, I brace myself. The caller is not only wasting my time, but is sure to spring some urgent “call to action” on me any moment. I also know there will be more “follow-up” calls to come, no matter how many times I insist that I’m not interested.
At this point in the call (if I haven’t already hung up), my mind wanders as the caller goes on and on about the global competitive challenges I’m facing. I don’t hear any of it. Instead, I just want to know how my name got on the caller’s list and how to get it removed.
If you listen to some advocates, you’d think that cold calling is the greatest thing since the invention of air conditioning. They would tell you how remarkably effective cold calling can be. But we can all make outmoded things work if we must–for example, a cassette tape or a rotary dial phone. That doesn’t mean we should.
You’ll also hear some people say that sellers should “suck it up, get on the phone, and make those calls. This is what selling is all about!” Among cold calling diehards, the prevailing attitude is that it’s too bad if you’re reluctant to ask strangers for appointments without knowing what services they need or want. It doesn’t matter if you spend days playing phone tag with gatekeepers and non-buyers. If you push hard enough and long enough, they say, you might land a meeting.
All too often, though, the most ardent proponents of cold calling are quick to tell others to do it, but don’t rely much on this tactic themselves.
What Choice Do You Have?
Lead generation for consultants is about choosing the tools that you can execute effectively and, more importantly, are well-received by your prospective clients. With the explosion of options to reach those clients, there’s no reason to make a cold call.
Why would you use a tool that sales guru Jeffrey Gitomer calls a “total waste of time?” You shouldn’t.
Here’s an idea: Add up all the time you would need to invest in a cold calling strategy, and use that time to find other ways to reach the clients you want.
What if, instead of compiling that list of names for your cold call campaign, you start a blog, or upgrade the one you have? Use your time to blog frequently, reach out to more readers, or work on ways to improve your search engine performance. Build your community of supporters, find new ideas to write about, and interact with people who actually know you. In the time it takes to assemble a list of strangers to call, you could improve your market presence and potentially generate new business.
Instead of slaving over that perfect cold call script (which experts say you must have), write a high-value article on trends in the industry you serve, or draft a speech for an industry association, or find a sponsor for a survey you have in mind. In the time required to craft the irresistible words for your script, you could reach clients with your ideas through your PR efforts, web presence, and contact list.
Forget about designing an elaborate follow-up process for cold calls. Use the time to launch a monthly newsletter and get your ideas into the market of interested people–as opposed to whoever happens to answer the phone.
Think about how much more productive (and interesting) it is to exchange ideas with people who already know and trust you, and want to hear what you have to say. Your chances of getting a referral or a meeting with a potential client from that group is far better than if you made dozens of cold calls.
If You Must
Of course, I understand that people use the phone to sell. And I’m not suggesting that everyone should devote all of their marketing resources to the Internet, publishing, speaking, and networking. If you do decide to prospect by phone, here are three simple points to keep in mind to take the chill out of your cold calls.
First, don’t make “cold” calls. Before you pick up the phone, be sure the person on the other end at least knows who you are and is expecting your call. Your task is to find an appropriate intermediary who will suggest to your prospective client that your call is worth taking.
Second, send your prospective client a report or article about the substance of your call in advance. It will also help if you can be sure the person has seen your material before the call. That way, the client can let you know right away if the subject isn’t of interest.
Finally, don’t be pushy. If a third party has provided a preliminary introduction to a prospective client, don’t squander that goodwill by pressing for that coveted in-person meeting. The value of your offer, not your aggressiveness or persistent follow-up, will determine the likelihood of any subsequent meetings.
Give Them a Reason to Call You
Using the phone to sell isn’t dead, but true cold calling should be. Trade the time you’d put into a cold calling strategy for the other marketing tools at your disposal, and you may never need to make a cold call again. You’ll have prospective clients calling you.
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