We mean it! We love doing what most people hate: picking up the phone and talking to prospects.
Sales prospecting and lead generation are vital for any company to grow. Yet statistics from HubSpot reveal that more than 40% of salespeople say it is the most challenging part of the sales process.
Many companies prefer to use other tools, such as email marketing or Social Media – anything but pick up the phone – or have not got the time to pursue prospects.
The HubSpot statistics suggest that it takes an average of 18 calls to actually connect with a buyer. This requires the tenacity and resilience lacking in many business development departments, especially since the pandemic, when teams have been depleted.
Cold calling, handled professionally, with adequate preparation and the right mindset can provide great results – warm calling, where the leads have been primed with email marketing and/or Social Media, even more so.
Most people hate cold calling or telemarketing because of the fear of rejection. Data from US company Yesware suggest that the average success rate for cold calls is around 2%! It requires a lot of persistence to reach prospects – often 6 call attempts or more, as many calls go straight to voicemail.
We agree with Yesware’s comments that cold calling is a numbers game, and if you keep calling prospects consistently, you’ll get through.
Having said this, research and preparation play a big part too, coupled with a professional, empathetic, and effective manner – we have all experienced callers who ramble on…
We pride ourselves on being adept at bypassing the gatekeeper to get through to the decision maker and building a rapport on your behalf.
As previously mentioned, ‘warm calls’ are a lot more effective than pure cold calling, and your campaign will generate higher results.
However, like all sales and marketing activity, it is essential to have a plan, which includes follow up.
According to the Yesware numbers, 50% of sales people never follow up at all! When we work on a campaign we always allow for follow up calls, ‘returned calls’ (yes – it happens!), and we provide a full report indicating which contacts are to be sent a follow up email, and when they should be contacted again.
Nothing beats persistence, consistency, and professionalism.
Make a plan, stick to it, and let us make these calls for you!
lesley@virtualleads.co.uk or 020 3778 0668
