When I get that type of sales call, I just hang up the phone. I don’t say anything to the caller, nor do I slam the phone down. I’ve been scolded for being rude, and told I should at least say: “No thanks” (or something similar).
My contention is that I’m not wasting time or energy, and the salesperson can quickly move on to the next call. My belief is that they don’t care whether I’m polite, I’m either a sale, or not a sale. And they’d prefer to move on ASAP, rather than waste time on pleasantries.
For anyone who’s done cold-calling, am I right about this?
I belong to a well-known, well-respected, conservative finanial services firm. While we do not dial at random, we do mine “orphans”–folks who bought something years ago, and have purchased nothing since, and also work from targeted lists.
The newer associates generally work these to build their book of business: we do not use a call center.
The general feeling among the small sample of newer agents with whom I interact is that it’s just not worth it. Naturally, it’s also difficult–most do not have the temperament for it.
This is improper thinking. Those 99% are now going to be less inclined to ever purchase anything else from you. Depending on the business, that could be very detrimental to you. It’s a pros v. cons game.
For example, I would think telephone companies would be one where it’s likely not worth the risk, precisely because it’s a big enough bill for the majority of people. The more important a decision, the more likely someone is to actively shop for it. Using a form of advertizing that is viewed negatively is likely to disuade those people from choosing you. And since the number of companies is relatively small for most people, it’s easier to remember the one company that bothered you.
And this isn’t even getting into the fact that even minimum wage for the number of calls necessary is still rather expensive. Robodialing reduces the costs somewhat, but that just cuts out the people who prescreen their calls. I know that the majority of calls I get seem to believe that using a prerecorded combined with linking you to an actual sales person if you stay on long enough is sufficient.
In fact, I suspect that the reason cold callers are constantly being hired is not high demand, but the fact that so few people average out as better than the machines.
I’ve done cold calling to consumers and a lot more in Business to Business. B2B is generally more accepted, because people are, on average, more likely to offer you time during their work day than during their personal time. I think it also has to do with the fact that they are in a business oriented state of mind and ultimately, most of them depend on their sales department to drive the company that signs their paycheck. They mostly won’t admit that fact, but know it to be true.
Calling people at home and interrupting their personal time is brutal. I won’t ever do it again if I can help it. B2B cold calling still isn’t fun, but people are generally more tolerant of it.
To answer the question, no. Cold calling is not a waste of time. It’s not fun, but it is productive. If you make 80 calls a day, and ten people listen to you, two people are interested and two people are buyers at the end of the week, your company has two new customers. The numbers shake out differently, depending on what you’re selling and how much recurring revenue those customers generate, but if it was a waste of time, successful companies wouldn’t continue to do it. And they do.
I’m wondering who wrote a book saying that you shouldn’t cold call prospects. Must be a marketing person.
What’s the difference between cold calling and telemarketing, then? There’s a lot of hate for telemarketing but I’m not seeing the hatred for cold calling here…
No difference, except that telemarketing has the connotation of direct to consumer calling while cold calling is associated with B2B calling. Literally, cold calling is telemarketing, in every sense of the word.
