Let’s talk strategy!
Salespeople have been making cold calls for years, and 90% will admit it’s the worst part of their day-to-day work. But why? Because it’s intrusive and we can’t really anticipate a conversation or the client’s response. Since the publication of the University of British Columbia's paper on social selling in 2009, it has been argued that cold calling is a dying art. Many studies have been carried out, in numerous environments, targeting various markets; in some cases cold calling wins and in others, social selling comes up trumps.
Here are some of the findings:
- Social sellers realise a 66% greater quota attainment than those using traditional prospecting techniques
- 75% of companies that leverage social selling report an increase in their sales team using selling in the next 12 months
- 63% of social sellers report an increase in their company's sales revenue versus 41% of non-social sellers
Impressive, I’m sure you agree, but what is social selling?
Social selling is the process of developing relationships as part of the sales process
Still not making much sense? Social selling fosters relationships (usually) via social networking platforms (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook etc.) through sharing events, content and opinions, to improve chances of connecting and doing business with an audience (clients and candidates).
This is all well and good, but it is my belief that cold calling, when done correctly, remains critical to the sales process, providing a strong way to market for both new and established businesses no matter their sector. Cold calling promotes interpersonal communication and connects people directly, which in my opinion, can only be a good thing!
The answer?
Keep picking up the phone. Cold calling isn’t a dying art, it’s just in need of a social spin. Use all the tools at your disposal to make calls warmer, do your research on LinkedIn: your client will recognize and appreciate your dedication. Spending time building early foundations online will ensure your calls will go from cold to warm very quickly!
Written by Michael Robinson, Team Leader at Elitesoft Group
