I’ve just opened my 10th offer of the week from a Digital Marketing Agency to generate me some leads.
Keener readers will know that I have recently set myself up as in independent Sales Leadership and Sales Advisory Consultant, because as we all know, the world is short of “experts”. A cursory glance at my LinkedIn profile and recent activity should provide these Lead Generation “experts” with sufficient background for them to know that I am unlikely to take them up on their kind offer, particularly when I strongly believe that opportunity generation should be driven by individual personal brand, but that my friends is a post for another day. (Probably Friday).
Curiously, at least half of the offers for leads I have received are from telephone orientated organisations. There has been much debate of late about the ineffectiveness of cold calling, it’s last rites read some time ago and many obituaries written from those that ought to know. B2B sales is more complex and sophisticated than it has even been. We are now dealing with at least 8 members of a Decision Making Unit, often 12 and above. Many of us haven’t used fixed desk telephones for a decade and with most of the population having a smart phone, communication utilises many different facets. Put simply:
Cold Calling doesn’t work anymore.
But, and it is a fairly hefty but:
The telephone can still be an effective means of communication.
What you do before you type in the number of the intended recipient is key. As it is before you press send on an email. Preparatory work is directly proportional to your likelihood of success. It starts with your personal brand, ability to stand out and more importantly, a presence that your recipient can check out before they embark on any dialogue exchange. I would estimate that 90% of LinkedIn profiles look the same: vague, bland and mostly anodyne. It is then imperative that you research your intended recipient.
Show them some love!
The bout of courtship can then commence. You have a profile that looks interesting. You demonstrate that you have a top level understanding of their issues and drivers. They believe it is worthwhile having a more detailed discussion, maybe, even an exchange of ideas. The best medium for this? Yup…. its the telephone. And that’s the point that is being missed. It’s not the telephone call that’s obsolete, it’s the crude way in which it has been used in the past to generate business opportunity.
When you make that cold call or worse still, when an agent on your behalf makes that cold call, put yourself in the position of the recipient. I guarantee its the same feeling you get when an unidentified number calls your smartphone and after a couple of seconds delay:
I understand you were recently involved in a car accident that wasn’t your fault.
Once the irritation has subsided, the natural reaction is cut the call immediately and then, if a number is visible, block it. That’s how most of your intended recipients will feel when they get your or your agents call out of the blue.
So, the next time your are tempted:
Think before you dial
There is a better way.
