Stop the cold calling madness.
Why are you still cold calling? Even if you’re not actually using the phone, when you send cold emails and automated requests to connect on LinkedIn, your outreach is still ice cold.
Wake up: Cold calling success rates are dismal!
Break Free from Failed Selling Strategies
It’s common sense that annoying strangers who never expressed any interest in hearing your sales pitch is a waste of time. Yet far too many sales pros are still doing it, usually because their sales managers demand it. But cold calling doesn’t work.
[Tweet “Annoying strangers who never expressed any interest in hearing your sales pitch is a waste of time. Yet far too many sales pros are still doing it”]
So why are you still going through the motions with this nonsense? You and I both know deals get done when you build a relationship with your prospect—when you have conversations, exchange ideas, and educate your buyer on the business impact of your solution. And if you have a referral introduction, you’re more than halfway there, because you’ve earned trust before you even walk in the door.
So why are you still wasting time cold calling?
Seal the Deal by Building Relationships
Social selling evangelist Barb Giamanco agrees with me. In her scathing post, “You Got My Attention,” she writes:
You got my attention. Or did you?
What you really did is interrupt me. I don’t know who you are, but you think you are special enough that I’ll stop everything just to meet with you, talk to you or respond to you.
You don’t really care if the initiative that I am responsible for rolling out is a success. You certainly don’t care about what is at stake if I fail. All you care about is getting your sale.
…
I don’t need sales people. I need trusted advisors. People that I can count on to tell me the truth, present fresh ideas, look at the problem holistically, work seamlessly with other providers and challenge me to think differently. (Read the rest of the article.)
Hear, hear! Barb has put her finger on what distinguishes a mediocre sales rep from a rainmaker—trust, relationships, asking the right questions, and delivering real value for our prospects and clients.
When you learn how to do that, you don’t have to worry about keeping your sales pipeline full. Your army of satisfied customers will keep sending you referrals, and you’ll never have to make another cold call again.
Connect with No More Cold Calling
Follow Joanne on Google+ or Twitter @ReferralSales, or connect on LinkedIn and Facebook.
