Have you heard of the word – ‘cold calling’? Have you ever wondered why people used the term ‘cold calling’? Because you will most probably receive a ‘chilly’ response from the other side!

Let’s be totally honest with ourselves here. You don’t like to receive a call from a stranger (unless you are extraordinarily friendly or if they inform you that you’ve just won the lottery). Nobody likes to receive a call from a stranger – especially one who is trying to sell you something.

Cold calling is now one of the most ineffective ways to ‘market’ a product – by intruding into the privacy of a prospect that isn’t too keen on receiving your call. You will also need to overcome tremendous resistance and have nerves of steel (to withstand the rejection). It does nothing to educate the customer about your product and you won’t get very far with your sales force.

In the 21st century, the seller doesn’t go to the buyer – the buyer finds the seller and the ball SHOULD be on the seller’s court. If the buyer is the dictator, they will look down on the seller and it becomes very important to communicate the benefits of the product because they don’t have an open mind! So it becomes more important to optimize your communication to the buyer contacting you and feel a warm, sincere welcome from you. This must be optimized for your website, your help desk, your e-mail system and your phone system (so many internet businesses do not even list one).

People prefer to seek out their own merchants. All they need to do is switch on Google and type a few words into that little box. They don’t need a salesman to call them up.

Are you still using “cold calling”? What is your current experience?

Fred Lotgering
LotCon Biz Solutions Worldwide