The
Rebirth of Cold Calling!
You
must of all heard it? Cold calling is dead say the marketing experts and
online consultants vying for business! Get your lead generation techniques
right and you can sit back and carefully select who you want to work with.
Of
course online is vital. Yes, you can generate leads from various activities.
LinkedIn is crucial, Twitter beneficial, e-mail campaigns can work, and SEO
campaigns do drive traffic to your website...but is cold calling really dead?
Let's
explore further.
Imagine
yourself walking the floors of a buzzing recruitment office. What do you
picture? A hive of activity? Young professionals dressed in sharp suits? Phones
in hand enthusiastically selling the virtues of the latest candidate on their
books?
If
you did, you’ll be surprised to find it’s probably very different. The first
two might be right, but today you’re more likely to hear the tapping of fingers
against keyboards than the silver tongued sales patter.
E-mail,
Linkedin, SMS, on line communities, Twitter, Facebook, Google+, the avenues for
reaching out to candidates and clients has progressed beyond all recognition in
the last 10 years. It’s quite possible to complete the end-to-end recruitment
process without ever picking up the phone.
But
that doesn’t mean you should!
Hide
and Seek
This
isn’t to say that the phones of recruitment offices the world over are
gathering dust. Far from it, as anyone that has looked for a job recently will
testify, recruiters will call and look to attract the top talent.
No,
it’s more of a case that recruiters today are using other forms of
communication to avoid making the difficult phone calls.
When
a superstar candidate becomes available that’s perfect for a new prospect
client, rather than pick up the phone to let them know, some prefer to take the
easy way out by sending an e-mail.
Cold-Calling
Isn't Dead
How
have the qualities of the phone call been forgotten so quickly?
Isn’t
it clear to see that someone with the responsibility to hire would prefer a
polite and prompt call. A call in which they were quickly made aware of a
candidates availability. If they can't talk then make the call another time.
As
long as you have done your research and can demonstrate the value you offer
then you will be able to make impact. In certain cases, companies may not even
be aware they need that person until your call, but if you can show how others
have benefited from such an individual then you can form a new client
relationship.
The
key is to ensure you work on the best candidates and that you deliver. The top
recruiters and salespeople step out of their comfort zone to guide and coach a
client on why they should hire someone.
If
you represent a candidate who has tangible achievements and aspirations that
align precisely with their company. Why wouldn’t they appreciate knowing that
now, as opposed to sifting through a mountain of mail to potentially find this
important news.
Of
course there are those that think no contact at all is preferable. In truth
though, the right type of phone call, to the right person, at the right time,
with the right candidate/product/service is often going to be listened to.
If
you have someone that can bring benefit to their team then most will listen.
For the client who prefers e-mail, they exist but are rarer and especially in
our area of sales, then educate them on the fact that you can get the message
across to them far easier with a quick call.
If
they are adamant then use e-mail. Or if is really not worth it then
"fire" the client.
A
call is more effective than an e-mail or a Tweet. These are great tools that we
readily use but the phone is still the most effective tool for business along
with meetings.
Why
it Still Works
People
buy from people. Trying to convey personality in 140 characters is a tough
task. Getting someone to read your e-mail can be tricky and your
over-friendliness on Linked in could be deemed irritating.
A
phone call is the only form of modern communication (video messaging excluded)
that gives users the opportunity to convey, and pick up on, some of the 93% of
communication that is non-verbal.
That
extended pause after a probing question could be the hook you need to secure
your sale.
5
Situations When a Call is Better Than an E-Mail
1)
Selling a Candidate: if your candidate is
truly right for your prospects company, a call is the only reasonable way to
let them know. If you receive a response to a mail shot then call them! The top
recruiters and salespeople consult and this is hard to do via e-mail.
2)
Rejected Job Offer: when your candidate
turns down a role it’s customer service 101 to call and let the company know
why.
3)
Offering: never give a job offer via e-mail,
you can’t gauge reaction or answer any immediate questions.
4)
Getting Feedback:
gathering feedback from interviews should, whenever possible, be performed via
a phone call. You can assess enthusiasm and immediately address concerns.
5)
Negotiating Terms: many
people enjoy toing and froing over e-mail negotiating terms. This wastes time
and won’t build rapport. Pick up the phone and hammer it out, your client will
respect you more. Even better, look them in the eye over a meeting.
Many
of the above are applicable to all sales roles, not just recruitment, you can
probably think of your own examples where a call might have been better.
Conclusion
The
title of this blog is slightly misleading. For something to be reborn it must
be dead and in truth cold calling never really went away. It has just been
hidden under a pile of alternative communication channels that whilst easier
are less effective.
The
market has changed, there are many ways to contact both candidates and clients
now. But with this rise in methods comes an increase in noise.
What
remains the same is that when you have something important to communicate,
something that affects the performance of businesses and peoples careers, there
is still no better way than to pick up the phone.
Not
only can you ensure your message is getting through, but it shows you care that
it is being listened to.
Damian Eyre | Director
T: 0208 834 1392 | M: 07795 471963
http://www.saleslogic.co.uk/
