What Do You Do when Cold Calling Just Doesn’t Cut It?

Of all the different ways to generate leads and ultimately sales, cold calling is one of the most well-known. Though it has come under fire in recent years, it is still relevant today for numerous industries. If your company’s cold calling strategy just doesn’t cut it and your sales are suffering, there are things you can do to improve. Here are some ideas. 

Understanding Cold Calling 

Cold calling is a process via which a sales agent contacts a consumer or business in an attempt to inform them about a product or service that they may want to purchase. Many people view cold calling is intrusive and rude, but in reality, if you’re contacting the right people at the right time about the right product or service, it’s anything but intrusive. Cold calling doesn’t necessarily involve calling every name in a telephone directory hoping to find someone who’s interested in buying what you’re selling. In fact, in today’s day and age, cold calling has become a science. 

How Cold Calling Got a Bad Reputation

Once upon a time not so long ago, a group of sales representatives would sit in their cubicles with telephone books. Their employers would assign them a specific group of pages, and those agents would go down the list making calls – one by one – to try to sell a product or service. Unfortunately, this tactic didn’t work well, especially for extremely niche products and services, and it ended up giving cold calling a bad name. In fact, it gave birth to today’s “Do Not Call” lists after businesses and consumers alike got fed up with receiving multiple calls every single day for products that they had no use for.  

How Today’s Cold Calling is Different

These days, cold calling isn’t as cold as it once was. There’s so much data and information available to you nowadays that it’s possible to filter potential leads before you even communicate with them for the first time. Things like surveys and opt-in newsletters make it easy to find lists of people who fit your company’s criteria for a “good” lead. For example, if you’re selling accounting software, it’s possible to find lists of people who have expressed interest in accounting software in the past thanks to big data and analytics. This makes cold calling far more effective. 

Things to Change

If your company’s cold calling efforts seem to be a waste of time and resources, there are things you can do to improve. First and foremost, a consultation with an experienced sales professional can help you find the right path for your company’s needs. Aside from this, you might choose to outsource a few Sales Development Representatives (SDRs) who focus on data and research to help you improve your leads. You might even choose to outsource your lead generation and sales teams entirely, as well. 

Cold calling is still a good way to generate leads, but it’s highly nuanced and requires plenty of data analysis to be effective. Partnering with a company that has the resources, experience, and ability to help you discover the best cold calling strategy for your needs.