12 Handy
Tips for Generating Leads through Cold-Calling
by: Glenn Murray
Cold calling can be a great way to generate
quality leads. You get to speak to the gatekeepers and stakeholders,
and you get a great insight into their requirements and influences.
But cold calling is an art-form. It can be daunting, it’s
always a lot of work, and you always need to make a good impression.
So you need to do it right. Following are some tips which will
help you do just that.
1) Record everything
Always write down all details of every phone call. Write down
any names and titles you learn. Not just the name of the person
you’re trying to contact. The receptionist's name can be vital
to remember as they're often gatekeepers. Write down when you
called, and when you said you'd call back.
2) Use a database or spreadsheet to record everything
You’ll never manage by hand, and Excel spreadsheets aren’t
user friendly in the long term. If you’re prepared to invest
in a real CRM (Customer Relationship Management) tool, that’s
a great idea. If not, you there is a cheaper alternative. I
created my own database using Microsoft Access. Visit http://www.divinewrite.com/downloads/contacts
and jobs.mdb to download a 208KB working copy for FREE. You’ll
need Microsoft Access 2000 to run it. I’m no database expert,
so it’s not a work of art. It’ll certainly get you started
though. (TIP: When using the database, press Ctrl + ; to enter
today’s date.)
3) Always call back when you said you would
Don’t let them down. They may not even remember that you committed
to calling back. But if they do, and you don’t meet your commitment,
you’ll lose valuable credibility and respect. And wherever
possible, work to their schedule. You're here to help them,
not make things harder.
TIP FOR COPYWRITERS: If you’re an advertising
copywriter or website copywriter, ask to speak to the Marketing
Manager (or
if the person who answers the phone says they don't have a
marketing manager, ask for "the person who looks after
your advertising & website" - all businesses have
that person - it's generally one of the owners).
4) Always try to get on with the gatekeepers
Receptionists and personal assistants have great influence,
and quite often do more of the real work and decision making
than the person you’re trying to contact! Make friends with
them and you’ve got a foot in the door. (But don’t waste their
time or crawl – they get a lot of that!)
5) Keep it short ‘n sweet
When you do get to speak with someone, keep it short 'n sweet
unless they want to talk a lot. The purpose of the phone call
is to get their attention, let them know you're there, get
their name and contact details, and assess whether they have
any requirement for your services. (TIP FOR COPYWRITERS: If
you’re an advertising copywriter or website copywriter, you
might have called about brochure writing and then find out
they need web writing.)
6) DON’T HARD SELL!!!
Don’t pressure people or make it hard for them to get off
the phone. Tell them what you do and that you'd like to send
them an email with a link to your website with samples and
testimonials (or with an attachment containing samples), then
leave them to it.
7) Follow up with an email
If you have permission, always send a follow-up
email – and do so immediately. Be specific in your subject
line. (TIP FOR
COPYWRITERS: If you’re an advertising copywriter or website
copywriter, use the words "advertising copywriting" or
“website copywriting” in the subject. Most people don't get
many emails with this in the subject line, so it'll be distinctive
and probably won’t be snuffed by their spam filter if they
have one.) Address the email to them (e.g. "Hi Joe"),
keep the email short 'n sweet. Include only the essential info,
make it easy to read and conversational, and bold the important
words or phrases as they'll probably only skim it. Include
a link to your website, reference the day and date you talked
on the phone (and thank them for that time), mention any names
you learnt (e.g. receptionist's name, especially if the receptionist
gave you an email address but you didn't actually get to speak
to the decision maker), tell them that you'd like to follow
up in a few weeks (assuming the conversation indicated that
this would be a good idea).
8) Follow up with another call
If the lead looks promising, make sure you follow up. And
when you do, always mention the day and date of the original
call, as well as the fact that you sent an email. Give a quick
summary of who you are and what you do, and say that you're
just calling to make sure they got the email. Most of the time,
you’ll find the lead will talk to you about your services,
if only to remind themselves of what you do!
9) Don’t expect to make too many calls
On a really good day, I've made 80 cold calls. Most days,
though, you should be very pleased to average around 40. You’ll
spend a lot of time playing telephone tag.
10) Don’t leave message
Unless you absolutely have to (or you’ve just about given
up on the lead), don’t leave messages. Most people have trouble
returning phone calls from people they know and like; returning
phone calls from someone who’s trying to sell them something
isn’t high on their list of priorities.
11) Don’t expect to qualify too many leads
Depending on your business, if you get one good lead a day,
you're probably doing very well.
12) Don’t expect immediate conversion
Unfortunately, most leads take a long time to come to fruition
(up to 2 years). So you have to be prepared to be patient.
Good luck and happy calling!
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About The Author:
Glenn Murray
is an advertising copywriter and heads copywriting studio
Divine Write. He can be contacted on Sydney +612 4334 6222
or at glenn@divinewrite.com. Visit http://www.divinewrite.com for further details or more FREE articles.
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