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Why Cold Calling Is Dead
Our world of selling is closed off from other areas of business that continue to
adopt and embrace new, efficient ideas. I was reminded of this recently while re-
reading Seth Godin's "Permission Marketing." Here's a book that was intended for
business owners and marketing executives, yet it provides a much-needed dose of
common sense that would be of great benefit to sales organizations, especially
sales managers, who continue to cling to very old, and, in their minds, very right,
ideas. Unfortunately, our brave new world has made these old ideas very wrong. Seth Godin talks about Interruption Marketing versus Permission Marketing.
Interruption Marketing is traditional advertising that interrupts your day in an
attempt to get your attention and sell you something. In other words, it is the
marketing equivalent of Cold Calling. Permission Marketing is systematically getting
prospects to give you permission to present to them. In other words, it is
marketing's equivalent of what I teach salespeople to do. In the book, Seth uses the
metaphor of someone trying to get married to describe the flaw in Interruption
Marketing, or Cold Calling. The bachelor goes into a singles bar and asks every
woman in the place to marry him. When they all say no, he blames his clothes, buys
a new suit, and tries again at another bar, only to fail again and again, just like a
cold caller. Are you getting the point he tries to make in that story? Think about it. A
salesperson spends weeks cold calling with dismal results. The salesperson goes to
the sales manager for advice on what to do differently to start getting results. A
conversation ensues about what the salesperson is doing. A lot of old ideas begin
to surface. Ideas such as "Initial Benefit Statement," "Elevator Speech," and other
concepts that once upon a time were the right answers, but have since become very
wrong answers. Working on these things is the equivalent of the man in the story
blaming his failure on the suit, changing into a new suit, then going to a different
singles bar to do it all over again. With the business world in its present state, I really don't see how salespeople can
afford to keep fooling away their time on old ideas that were once right but are now
fatally wrong. It is this very feature of capitalism that is causing salespeople,
managers and organizations to fail in record numbers. Capitalism is essentially
"creative destruction." In other words, capitalism is a perpetual cycle of destroying
old, less-efficient businesses and ideas and replacing them with new, more efficient
ones. People and companies are clinging to old, obsolete ideas and are being
dragged down to failure by them. Yet they still won't let go. I think the reason they
can't let go is simply because it wasn't all that long ago that they really did have the
right answers. It reminds me of a story I once heard about Albert Einstein when he
was a professor. One of his student assistants who was preparing for an incoming
class said, "Professor Einstein, what test are we giving them?" To which Einstein
replied, "The same test we gave them last week." Bewildered, the student assistant
replied, "But Professor Einstein, we already gave that test." Einstein simply said,
"Yes, but the answers are different this week." The bottom line is that the answers are different. The rules have changed. Time is
running out for those who do not adapt to the new rules. As Napoleon Hill put it so
well, "Whenever a nation, a business institution, or an individual ceases to change
and settles into a rut of routine habits, some mysterious power enters and smashes
the setup, breaks up the old habits, and lays the foundation for new and better
habits." If you're not achieving the sales success you desire, perhaps it is time for you to lay
the foundation for new and better habits. 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
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Cold Calling: Just Swallow the Frog Already! Part 2
So you are holding that ugly green frog in your hand, the one we call Cold Calling, and your boss says to eat it? How can one eat a green frog and even pretend to like it? Here are some tips on how to not only be successful in cold calling, but to also enjoy the process.
How To Be A Cold Calling Superstar!
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Mistake #1: Going with the flowInexperienced interviewers sometimes fall into the trap of letting the interview become "free form", spending different amounts of time on different questions, basing follow-up questions on on how the candidates answer. This can result in a candidate taking control of the interview and leading you where he or she wants to go, rather than where you can get the information you need.
Most Effective Cold Calling Tip
If you are looking for the one piece of advice that will help, you propel yourself into cold calling record books for success you should only look to your phone for help. After all, it is only you, the phone involved in the transaction, and all that stands between you and a sale is the phone. If you are looking to ultimately succeed at cold calling then you have to master keeping someone on the phone.
It's OK for Overseas & Research Telemarketing to Call People at Dinner time
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To Do Or Not To Do, Is Cold Calling a Waster of Time?
Many would say that cold calling is a waste of time in today?s society. That may be driven from a rather narrow perspective. Cold calling takes a lot of different forms.
Avoid a Three-ring Circus with These New Interviewing Strategies
I referenced the circus because I just finished another interviewing book that recommends asking for the job before leaving the interview. I can envision up to 15 qualified professionals each asking the interviewer for the job.
What To Look For In Your Telemarketing Call Center
As telemarketing is becoming a larger business it is becoming more important to find a good telemarketing call center for your business. By looking for a good, reliable company that can help you out you will be able to have a telemarketing call center that works well for you and your business. It is important because with a good telemarketing call center you can get more business for your group and be more successful in the long run as a result.
Selling - Could The World's Greatest Salesman Be A Waiter?
Years ago, My wife, in-laws, and I went into an expensive restaurant. The waiter asked us for our order. I don't remember what we ordered, but I do remember this: The waiter gave a funny look & said "The Cod isn't very fresh today, may I recommend the Scrod?" or words to that effect.
Stop Telemarketers, Do Not Call List or Not
American consumers have spoken and have done so loudly registering 50 million telephone numbers with the FTC's National Do-Not-Call list since the registry debuted in July.This new telemarketing sales rule, which was scheduled to take effect October 1st, recently encountered two legal battles which could diminish the rule's intent - to allow consumers to fight back against annoying telemarketing calls.
Cold Calling Does Not Generate Sales Leads
It is a fact of life for most new sales people; they get the dream sales job with unlimited earning potential and expect to earn so much money that they can now enjoy the fruits of their coming wealth. Everything seems perfect until they realize that before closing a sale and earning the big commission, they must first prospect for new customers (read, cold calls).
Cold Calling Reluctance
Most salespeople I know consider cold calling a dreadful, but essential activity in our profession. Even those who are good at it rarely like it.
Telemarketing Tips for Direct Sales Success
Unfortunately, the DNC legislation has many small businesses that use telemarketers a bit concerned about their choice of direct sales tactic. However, there are still many ways to have your message get into the right people's hands without annoying them.
New Book Extols the Joys and Necessities of Reading, Interviewing Authors, Librarians, and Public Figures to Challenge Readers to Dream
Jeannette Cezanne's new book, Open Your Heart with Reading, is a must-read for anyone who has ever loved a story ? and wanted to share it. Available now from your favorite bookseller.
"Instant" Gratification - Debonair Magazine Employs IM Interviewing
Debonair Magazine is now offering its readers "instant" gratification by conducting interviews via AOL's Instant Messenger software. "Catering to a young male demographic requires a publication to maintain a hip factor, as well as a social relevancy," says Creative Director John DeFeo. "The overwhelming popularity of AOL's IM software provides Debonair with the perfect tool to engage our readers while maintaining a journalistic standard."
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