When it comes to lead generation and closing new business, it’s probably not going to be a surprise to hear me say that I believe that cold calling is a critical component. I have had potential clients challenge me, asking: “Why not just ‘drop in’ to a likely customer? If you drop in and they’re willing to talk to you, you might even be able to close business that day.”
As owner of One of a Kind Sales, I work with businesses that provide solutions that may represent a significant investment for their customers. In my experience, a successful, same-day close is highly unlikely for this type of sale
The Pitfalls of the “Drop-In” visit
- An in-person visit requires non-productive travel time. A 30-minute drive means an hour wasted.
- If you happen to catch a prospect who is willing to talk to you, this person may have agreed because you’ve asked for a very short period – not what you’d need to close new business.
- You may be unprepared to have an in-depth discussion because you can’t predict which of the prospects you plan to visit will be able to see you.
- It is unlikely your prospect is prepared to have the conversation that you would need to have to close new business.
Ultimately an in-person visit to someone who does not know you (a cold visit) should have the same objective as a cold call: to qualify the prospect and make an appointment for a more substantive meeting.
Why Cold Call?
- Since the objective of the call is to qualify the prospect and set an appointment, there is no need to do any research on the prospects you speak with. Preparation is minimal.
- You can qualify more prospects more quickly by cold calling. There is no wasted “windshield time”. There is only the gap between one cold call and the next.
- Making an appointment allows your prospect the time to collect their thoughts so that the discussion will be more fruitful.
There is a direct relationship between the number of appointments with qualified clients and your sales numbers. Increasing the number of qualified appointments we make will result in increased sales. As an experienced cold caller, I would place my bet on using cold calling to drive sales growth any day. Cold calling is a skill that is often neglected in sales training.
If you would like to explore how cold calling can impact your business, please reach out to me at 908-879-2911. At One of a Kind Sales, we are experts at cold calling and would love to help.
