Sometimes you have to cold-call. It’s not the most pleasant way to grow your business – but it’s often the fastest way to get leads on a small budget. It doesn’t have to wear you out if you do it correctly.
In olden times, alchemists tried to turn lead into gold, the more they tried the more they failed. Prospectors tried to find gold. The more dirt they dug, more more they succeeded.
If you have to make cold-calls, don’t try to turn lead into gold. Don’t try to convince everyone you call that they need your services. Trying to turn anyone into a qualified lead is like trying to turn lead into gold. It’s a waste of time.
Instead, use it as a way to discover qualified prospects. Be quick to end conversations with people who aren’t qualified ( if they are qualified, it means they have a problem your service can solve and they are looking for solutions) and be courteous to all. You’ll be able to revisit the same list over and over again if you don’t waste other people’s time trying to sell them something they’re not interested in.
I agree – cold calling is the last thing I’d recommend, but sometimes a firm’s gotta do what a firm’s gotta do. If you’ve gotta do it, do it right.
* Know who I am – not just my name
* Know what I need – more revenue, fewer expense, more access to valuable resource and contacts.
* Know when to not call.
It is possible to call strangers and get them to do business with you – and not be annoying. Call me to give, to help. Don’t call me to sell, to take.
If you want to sell me on using your speaker’s services – why not start by introducing me to a client of yours’ who needs what I sell? Offer me a spot on an expert panel and get me in front of my target market? Perhaps you could send me an article about my industry with some valuable insights?
Give to get. Don’t annoy people. Find out how you can help them first.