It's Time To Bury Cold Calling

By: Kenrick Cleveland..

Endings are hard. Sometimes we cling to people, places, things, that we've outgrown, because of a nostalgia, or out of habit.

In some ways it's like having to put a beloved pet to sleep. We know that it's the best thing to do, but want to keep them around for our own benefit. Having to come to terms with what's best for the pet is really tough.

As we grow, learn, strive, we have to let go of ways that we functioned in the past, ways of being that no longer apply to our present selves.

In sales, and in persuasion, there are two outmoded, I might even say embarrassing, things that will hinder your progress and hamper your results.

Cold calling.

At a recent seminar an attendee asked me how criteria elicitation can be applied to cold calling. And my answer, in a nutshell was: It can't.

Cold calls are not selling. Cold calls are marketing. For those of you that do cold calls, stop it. Learn how to market. Spend some money and actually market your product or service. Marketing works.

If you're in a business in which you must cold call, supplement it with real marketing.

There are a few business that have to cold call. I understand that. Realtors farm areas all the time. It works in this profession and more likely still, they don't cold call, but they cold visit getting the face to face element to work in their favor.

Some stock brokers choose to prospect by telephone. It isn't easy, nor is it fun. But in some ways, the game is rigged. If they work for a company that has a compliance department, they may not allow them to do much else.

Maybe you don't have options, and cold calling is it. Well, if that's the case, just don't confuse marketing with selling.

In sales, we are simply looking for someone with their hand raised. Cold calling is nothing more than getting someone to raise their hand. When they raise their hand you switch hats and move from marketing to sales. Now criteria becomes an issue, whereas in the 'marketing' side it was not.

Unless you LOVE to cold call and unless your business requires it, I'd advise to stop at once. There are less painful, more productive ways to market which create steady, reliable streams of traffic.

It's time to let this one go. Sorry old pal, your time has come. As with 'features and benefits', our time together must come to an end.

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Kenrick Cleveland teaches strategies to earn the business of affluent clients using persuasion. He runs public and private seminars and offers home study courses and coaching programs in persuasion strategies.

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