Show
Don’t let anyone convince you cold calling has one foot in the grave. Cold calling statistics prove it’s very much alive and one of the most effective ways to gain new customers when prospecting. The more you know about what you’re up against – and what’s working – the more effective you can be at cold calling. The doors are open and buyers are waitingBuyers are interested, willing to take your call and want to know more so they can make an educated decision is right for them. Researchers dug deep when they looked at the state of cold calling and prospecting, talking to salespeople and buyers. There is good news for salespeople:
The facts on cold phone callsIt may seem challenging to get buyers on the phone (after all, don’t all of them screen calls?), but making a personal connection is key to cold phone calls. Here’s what you need to know:
“A phone call will get someone’s attention much quicker than an email, and you’re able to customize your sales pitch,” says Stuart Leung, SEO manager at Salesforce.com. “With actual, real customer interactions, you will be able to pinpoint the problem by asking specific questions and offer the prospect a solution.”
The low-down on cold emailEmail may be easy to send, but cold call email results can be difficult to see. Here’s what’s important to know:
“In general, though, you’re more likely better off if you send your emails in two time slots, from 10 to 11 a.m. and from 2 to 4 p.m.,” says Michal Leszczynski, Content Marketing Manager at GetResponse. “That’s when most marketers see the highest opens and clicks, and when almost one-third of all email marketing campaigns are sent.” “We ran the numbers and found that open and reply rates were pretty similar no matter what weekday an email was sent,” says Bernie Reeder, Director of Product Marketing at Yesware. “Despite the bad rap, Fridays are no better or worse for sending emails than any other day of the work week.” The impact of social selling on cold callingYou can hardly sell these days without some element of social media networking mixed in your process. That’s especially true for cold calling. Social media is a powerful tool for gaining cold calling inroads.
“Online social networks play a vital role in the purchase process of 84% of the most senior B2B buyers,” says Kathleen Schaub, Program Vice President, CMO Advisory & Customer Experience at IDC. “In the final stage of the purchasing process, when stakes are highest, online professional networks … are the number one information preference of buyers.” Why referrals make a difference on cold callingNothing is officially easy about cold calling. But using referrals to kick-start cold calling efforts can ease some burden.
“The speed at which referred customers churn and leave … is, on average, about 18 % lower than that of other customers,” says Phillip Schmitt, one of the Wharton School study authors. “Referred customers are more profitable and more loyal.”
The logic on lead nurturingNurturing leads – making sure they’re qualified candidates and learning as much about them as possible before making a cold call – can lead to success, if it’s done right.
“Despite all the emphasis being placed on sales and marketing alignment today, that alignment … remains elusive and frustrating,” says Conversica CEO Alex Terry. “Our survey found, as we suspected, that lead engagement is clearly at the heart of … problems.”
The biggest obstacles for cold callingOf course, cold calling is still one of – if not the – most difficult parts of selling. Here are some of the tougher obstacles researchers have found salespeople are up against when they set out to make cold calls:
“These complications make it imperative to know who your audience is and how to best tailor the sales process for relevance and value,” says Shelley Cernel, a researcher and senior marketing manager for LearningTree.
|