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Is Cold Calling Dead? |
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by: Frank J. Rumbauskas,
Jr. |
And if laws are being
passed to put it to rest once and for all, how do we generate
business from now on?
Opinions on the subject vary greatly
depending on the background of the individual. For example, most of
the old-timers are vigilant in preaching their belief that the only
possible way to succeed in the world of selling is to make no less
than fifty calls each and every day. On the other hand, younger
salespeople tend to become frustrated with this rather quickly and
begin looking for more innovative ways to generate business.
I was just reminded of how ingrained this cold calling
belief is. I spoke with a friend who left a sales position with a
major merchant processing bank only a few weeks after starting. The
reason? He was required to make a minimum of 400 cold calls each and
every week and to document his activity with business cards. He is
highly experienced and knows how to generate business without
knocking on 400 doors per week and decided to discuss the strategies
that have worked for him in the past with his managers. Their
response? This is how we've done it for forty years and we're not
about to change.
That response, in my opinion, is the reason
we're seeing record business bankruptcies today. The world and our
economy have changed and are breaking into bold, unchartered
territory. But the management of most business organizations insists
on doing things the old way, even though the old way produces less
and less results as time goes on.
The concept of "Permission
Marketing" is slowly but surely gaining popularity as the old idea
of "Interruption Marketing" becomes less efficient and more
wasteful. There are several reasons why cold calling in particular
has become less effective as we move further into the Information
Age. It destroys your status as a business equal. It forces you to
spend time with unqualified prospects while the qualified ones are
buying from your competition. It annoys people and is increasingly
considered to be rude and disrespectful. Moreover, it may now be
illegal (and in several states it's been illegal for quite some
time). But, most importantly, it destroys sales peoples attitudes.
Where is the good news in all of this? Well, the great news
is that if you begin using new, innovative, "Information Age"
methods for prospecting, you'll be miles ahead of your competitors
who are wasting their time annoying people with cold calls. In this
age of the Internet and vast communication networks, why on earth
would anyone knock on doors or make cold phone calls to look for
business?
Think of the power at your fingertips: there are
literally dozens of ways to use the Web and e-mail to let the idea
of Permission Marketing do its magic. Allow customers to raise their
hands and let you know they're interested. Begin finding,
implementing and reaping the benefits of this bold, new Information
Age we are in. Your competitors will be the ones standing in
bankruptcy court and explaining their "do-not-call" violations to
the government while you are happily taking orders.
About
the author:
Frank Rumbauskas is the author of Cold Calling Is A
Waste Of Time: Sales Success In The Information Age. He is the
founder of FJR Advisors, LLC, which publishes training materials
that educate salespeople on how to generate business without cold
calling. For more information, please visit http://www.nevercoldcall.com
Circulated by Article Emporium
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