I Hate Cold Calling, But, Will It Really Help My Small Business?

By: Brandt Stohr
Submitted: 2007-01-17 15:37:42
Print this article | Tell a friend | For publisher | Social Bookmarking
Rating:
 

I hate cold-calling. In fact, there are a lot of horrible pains I would suffer before cold-calling someone. And I think that many small business owners feel the way I do.

It’s true that there are a number of means of small business marketing – direct mail, personal letters, advertising, networking, public relations, internet marketing – and alas, cold calling is one of them. When it comes to small business marketing – any business activity, really – at some point you just have to buckle down and do what you gotta’ do if you want to succeed. But is cold-calling one of those small business marketing activities that small business owners simply have to suffer through in order to succeed in business?

Some experts say, loudly and with vigor: “Yes!” Others say, “Absolutely not.”

The truth about the value of cold-calling as part of your small business marketing strategy is that it’s somewhere in between, and it depends on your particular business. If, for example, you retail small-dollar items through a catalog and on the Internet, cold-calling your potential customers probably isn’t cost-effective: if each customer might spend $10 with you, spending 20 minutes or more on the phone with that prospect doesn’t make sense. If, on the other hand, you’re a manufacturer of small-dollar items that you sell to retailers who may spend $1,000 or more buying your products in bulk, then picking up the phone and making a call may well be worth your while.

If you decide to make cold-calling a part of your small business marketing strategy, there are a few things you can do to maximize the chances that your cold call will turn into a new client:

Cold-calling small business marketing tip #1: Take initiative. When you ask the potential client at the other end of the line “When would be a good time to meet?” you open the door for them to say “Never!” Instead, ask “How would next Tuesday at 11:00 work for you to meet?”

Cold-calling small business marketing tip #2: Approach the call with the idea that your goal is to help your prospective customer. Resist the urge to make the call about you – what you do, what you want. Instead, make the call about the prospect at the other end of the line. Ask the prospect about his needs and wants. Then suggest that you can help – and if he meets you next Tuesday at 11:00 you’ll tell him how.

Cold-calling small business marketing tip #3: Get to the point. The prospect at the other end of the line is going to feel, right off the bat, that you’re wasting her time. So, by all means, be brief. Be clear and concise. Avoid saying “um.”

Cold-calling small business marketing tip #4: Ask questions. This tip reflects back to small business marketing tip #2, making the call about the prospect, not about you. Asking questions also helps steer you to the right information and will help you tailor your sales pitch – for you to deliver at the appointment.

Cold-calling small business marketing tip #5: Save the sales pitch. Effective cold-calling isn’t about selling your product or service. It’s about getting an appointment so that you can sell your product or service in person.

As with any small business marketing strategy, the best way to figure out if it works is to try it. Make enough cold calls so that you can accurately measure their effectiveness. Then compare that measurement to your other small business marketing tools.

Brandt Stohr, The Small Business Marketing Genius has brought startup one man operations to billion dollar corporations by using creative marketing techniques rather then investors and capital. Brandt Stohr has been helped hundreds of entrepreneurs to get their small businesses exploding with sales without the use of expensive traditional marketing techniques. For more information and a free report on the ten deadly mistakes most small businesses are still making visit Brandt Stohr's site at http://www.smallbusinessmktng.com or http://www.brandtstohr.com

Article source: Expert Articles

Most Recent Articles in Sales Teleselling category

  • Selling Products and Advertising are Very Legitimate Methods - By: Suresh Kumar
    While creating an income with the internet, most people don't even consider a much more effective method for making money on the internet, which is by selling their own services. Now simple math will tell you that if you are selling DVD players and are making $5 for each one you sell, it will take 200 sales to make $1000 of profit.
  • Top 3 tips for choosing an Appointment Setting Telemarketing Company - By: David Regler
    Are you looking for a steady flow of appointments with prospects? For many companies considering using telemarketing, appointment setting is main objective. I've lost count of the number of times I've spoken with a client and they tell me "I just need to get in front of them..."
  • Cold Calling is a HIGH Percentage Game! - By: Dr. Gary S. Goodman
    If you go to Vegas, Atlantic City, or even Monte Carlo, it pays to find the high percentage games and to play them.Typically, Blackjack is among them, which means it returns generally more money in winnings than say, the slot machines.One of the main objections of ardent Anti-Cold Callers is that they believe cold calling is a low percentage play, that when you do it you’re phoning people with brick homes and trying to sell aluminum siding to them.
  • Reduce Resistance and Inspire Curiosity By Becoming A "Cold Calling Journalist" - By: D.M. Arenzon
    We’ve all heard the same brush-offs from our prospects at one time or another. And you know what? It really gets old after awhile and often it can get a bit frustrating, these include responses such as:"Call me back in six months and we can talk.
  • I Hate Cold Calling, But, Will It Really Help My Small Business? - By: Brandt Stohr
    I hate cold-calling. In fact, there are a lot of horrible pains I would suffer before cold-calling someone. And I think that many small business owners feel the way I do.
  • Cold Calling Can Lead To Severe Depression If Your Prospecting Efforts Are Not Diversified! - By: D.M. Arenzon
    In the financial markets the key to building a successful investment portfolio is through diversification. This means that a diversified portfolio includes stocks, bonds, mutual funds and other investment vehicles. This type of "diversified approach" in the financial markets can also be applied to your prospecting efforts.
  • Redecorate Your Office And Increase Sales! - By: D.M. Arenzon
    It’s just another day at the office, huh? The time is 8:30 in the morning, you walk into your office and the first thought that enters your mind is the following: "I feel like I was here like two minutes ago." We’ve all felt that way, no?
  • Why Cold Calling Detractors Don't Belong In Sales Work - By: Dr. Gary S. Goodman
    I’ve had it up to here with self-appointed sales experts who pop-off with nothing but disrespect for cold-calling.They don’t know what they’re talking about and they appeal to the worst possible motivation in other salespeople: The desire to get something for nothing.Cold calling takes work, and genuine salespeople don’t mind that one bit.
  • Five Ways Cold Calling Beats Competing Methods - By: Dr. Gary S. Goodman
    You’ve probably been a little confused by the ads and articles that say opposing things.Some tout cold calling as a great tool, while others claim it is a waste, pass?, and too difficult.
  • I Make Cold Calls And I'm a "Thank You Note O-Holic" - By: D.M. Arenzon
    It’s important that I get my feelings out and by doing so I’m hoping that I will inspire other cold callers to do the same. Are you ready to hear what I’m about to say? Ok, here it goes....