Alternatives to Cold-Calling Prospective Customers
Introduction.There are many different views on cold-calling. Some love it, some hate it. Here is one view on this controversial topic, if you use, or plan to use, it as a business development tactic.The Prospect's Perspective.Imagine being a busy business owner. You must deal with the day-to-day challenges of running a company.Now, imagine getting several unsolicited calls per week (or per day). These are calls from sales people who got your name from some compiled list. For the most part, these sales people, who call you, have not bothered to take the time to do any research. They do not know anything about you, your company, nor its problems. As you think about this, you're probably shaking your head, in agreement. Assuming Too Much.Most B2B sales people assume, just because you are a business person, you have an inherent need for what they sell. For example, if you are a web site designer, you assume businesses without a web site are receptive to having you develop one for them.What most sales people fail to understand is, just because people theoretically "need" what you sell, it doesn't mean they actually "want" it. Or, if they do want it, it does not mean they want it "now". If they did, don't you think they probably would have already called someone about it? Alternatively, if people "do" want what you sell, they often have other problems to face. These are more important than the problem your product, or service, solves. Until those front-burner problems are resolved, your product, or service, stays on the back-burner. Permission vs. Intrusion."Permission marketing", which has been widely applied to email marketing, says you must get people's 'overt permission', before you contact them. Further, you also must honor that permission. You do not veer from the topic, on which the permission was granted, when you make subsequent contact. Otherwise, you're practicing, "interruption marketing", or "intrusion marketing."Cold-call marketing.Cold-calling is a form of intrusion marketing. When you cold-call, you are most likely intruding into someone's life. You are usually interrupting what they are doing. You are uninvited. Despite your best intentions, you are probably perceived as an annoyance.If you disagree, ask yourself if you wake up every morning thinking, "Gee, I just don't get enough unsolicited calls from sales people. I sure hope I get some today." You say you "don't" wake up thinking this? Well, guess what? No one else does either! Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to get business, without cold-calling. There is no need to call strangers out of the blue, with an offer they probably don't want, at least not at the moment. Alternatives to cold-calling.The antidote to cold-calling is "strategic positioning". You are posturing yourself as an expert in your field, through various methods. This way, people know something about you. They know how you solve one, or more, of their problems.With strategic positioning, people start calling "you". When they do, they usually believe they want what you sell. They already have the perception you are the best choice, to deliver it. Being perceived, as the one to call in your field, is the key to your success. Being strategic.Strategic positioning takes time to set up. It's not a quick fix. As such, many people are too lazy to implement a strategic positioning plan. But, consider the amount of time and energy it takes to cold-call, day after day. If you use cold-calling, you know most of that time and energy is wasted.Now, this is not to say cold-calling doesn't work. Heck, it has worked great, IF you have the patience and temperament for it. But, when you think about all the frustration, and yes, humiliation you have to endure, it is nice to know there is strategic positioning. Conclusion.Instead of contacting strangers all day, to make sales, there are alternatives. While cold-calling is effective, with effort, it is not the only way to generate business. With other forms of marketing, the same results are achieved, using entirely different methods.Xanga Myspace LiveJournal | free pics images | free My space Backrounds |