“Cold Calling is Dead” According to the Modern-Day Sales Guru

I have noticed in recent years that the so-called “Sales Gurus” tend to write off cold calling as a legitimate sales strategy. There are several reasons for their train of thought, such as deeming it to be old school and therefore dismissed as a credible avenue for prospecting. My thoughts on their objections include:

• They tend not to be good at it.
• It’s never been explored as an option.
• They think there are “easier” options for lead generation.

Cold calling is one of many tools that can form an effective sales strategy. The beauty of the phone is it’s very personal and possibly the most personal interaction outside of a face-to-face meeting. So, here are several things you need to know to implement a cold calling strategy:

• Give it a set amount of time each week.
• Devise a script: Scripts are only robotic without practice and refinement. A good and practised script will roll off the tongue and be natural. Every sales conversation is a “script”. There is a formula or an avenue that salespeople use to guide the prospect along regardless of platform/strategy. Is this not a “script”? Never under-estimate scripting for any sales interaction.
• Know the top 10 objections that may come up.
• You will hear “NO” on many occasions; however, it’s just the start of a relationship and a valuable touchpoint with a prospect.
• Look to add value and not be viewed as a timewaster. Demonstrate your uniqueness in the marketplace.
• Keep it simple and short unless the engagement dictates otherwise.
• Understand the goal of a cold call. It could be to get an appointment, permission to send samples etc. Know what you want from a cold call.

To give further credence to cold calling, consider these statistics:

• 69% of buyers accepted a call from new salespeople in the past 12 months.
• 82% of buyers accept meetings when salespeople reach out to them.
• 57% of C-level buyers prefer that salespeople call them. (Source: Rain Group)

Good salespeople have many strategies with different weightings/time given to each. Cold calling should always be explored as an avenue to engage with your dream clients.