It’s almost 2020, and cold calling seems dead if you are here and reading this than you would surely think that to be true. Moreover, we agree with you! Cold calling as we knew is dead and outdated.
So is cold calling dead?
Cold calling replicates the most fundamental sales tactic, a tactic that was used before we invented money! The tactic of convincing the prospect in-person live with instant feedback. Unless a channel is created that replaces the effectiveness of in-person meetings, cold calling can not die!
With changing marketing cold calling and the markets today have evolved, and marketers need to play catch up. We have compiled a list of questions along with the actionable you need to ask yourself to rejuvenate your cold calling.
Do you have a defined aim?
Every journey starts with a destination in mind. However, along the way, you may begin to love the journey more or get lost, at times like this, having an eye on your aim can keep you on track and motivated. Having a well-articulated objective like “I need to sell X products this month” or “I want to reach X people daily” makes it easier to achieve. It also keeps your calling script crisp, and on point, you can also check out a few sales scripts on our other blog.
Do you know your ideal customer?
Your answers may vary depending on the stage and the size of your business; the “who” may or may not be stone solid and that’s fine. The aim is to figure out profiles into which you can categorize your customers or another way around. What matters is including three core things that make up a perfect customer in your answer.
- the value your customer provides to you
- the value your customer gains from you
- the cost of exchange in the value transfer
Of Course, the answer has to be based on reliable data. The data can be found in the form of reports from previous campaigns, market research, existing customer profiles, etc.
Answering this question allows you to segment customers to cater to diverse groups simultaneously.
Do you have the right team and tools?
Are you a one-man army or are you the commander of one?
Spare me for stating the obvious, but active dialing agents are the essential resources of cold calling. It hence becomes crucial to figure out if you have the right resources to reach your aim.
Also Read: What is Warm Calling?
– The Lone Wolf
Since you would be doing the calling and managing all other stuff too, a decent level of Voice Marketing Automation would be highly recommended. Using tools like Cloud predictive dialer and Umbrella Approach is the right fit for you.
– The Fast Five
Most of the things that apply to the lone wolf still apply to you, but since now you are managing a team, dialers that can monitor are the best gift you can give yourself. The added admin privileges allow you to look at all the agent activity from a bird’s eye point of view.
– The Avengers
A team this size must have good cohesiveness; it needs regular updates and interaction between the agents. A daily stand-up meeting where daily goals and tasks have worked like a charm for our clients in the past.
– The Special Force
A team this size can be easily broken into multiple units to work on different campaigns simultaneously. Tools like our predictive dialer that allows you to bifurcate and restrict agents to specific campaigns can be a real lifesaver and reduce the management hassles. Integration with CRM software also is a must at this size; anything less will stop you from doing your best.
Do you have an inbound channel?
Although it may seem counterintuitive to have an inbound channel because let’s face it if you had leads walking in you wouldn’t need to cold call!
You are correct! However, since you are cold calling, you are also spreading awareness. That generates leads. Although it doesn’t work as a standalone channel to generate more leads, it is immensely useful in combination with other services. Inbound also gives an option for leads to call back later if they are busy at the moment. It’s the little small things that make the difference.
Also Read: Cold Email vs Cold Calling
Do you follow up?
Of Course, you do! What dumb cold caller wouldn’t? Let me rephrase the question, “Do you follow up or just call again?”
If you are following up then the lead already is weary, maybe they are busy at certain times of the day, maybe they did not want to get your call, or whatever the reason they gave you.
Calling back at a later date, hoping to get a different result is very random and inefficient.
A better way to follow up is
- Calling at a different time
- Warming up the lead with a Rich Text Message
- Dropping a Ringless voicemail before calling
- Using alternate channels to follow up
Not only these strategies spice up your follow-up but also give you a more significant presence.
Ultimately the more NOs you turn into YES, the more effective your cold calling can become. For a marketer that needs the best tools to run a cold calling campaign, our smart Predictive Dialer is the best tool that can help the business grow and grow along with you!