Cold Calling: Dead or Alive?

I find it fascinating how many people (including sales experts and trainers) claim that cold calling is dead, that it is a waste of time and that it is the least effective way to generate new sales leads.

 I know that cold calling is tough. And that it is extremely challenging to connect with busy decision makers. And that many companies don't even accept cold calls from sales people.

 However, that doesn't mean cold calling is dead.

 But, there is no magic cure. No "if you do this you will win" approach. No magic pill. And no single strategy that will product results every time.

 It takes hard work, effort, and discipline. 

 I recently spoke to a veteran sales guy who admits to looking for an easier way to capture more deals even though he knows it takes hard work to capture any sale worth in excess of $25,000.

 On the converse side, I know someone who consistently calls more than 100 people everyday. Not surprisingly, this individual connects with more people than the veteran.

 Cold calling still works.

 But need to make a lot of dials. You need to target the right companies. You need a compelling opening. You need to ask lots of questions. And, you need to speak with the right people.

 Is cold calling the most effective way to generate leads? Perhaps not.

But I don't believe that it is any less effective than any other single strategy.

 Networking requires a tremendous amount of personal time, effort and energy. So does building a business strictly on referrals. Other forms of pull marketing such as blogging, tweeting, working LinkedIn, mailing, etc., also require time, effort and energy.

 Contrary to popular belief-and some so-called sales experts-cold calling is NOT dead.

Have a productive and profitable week!