Return to Dylan Wickliffe's Blog November 08, 2022

The Case Against Cold Calling

dylan-wickliffe-media-junction

FF4A3531

This might be the article that shows me the scary side of the internet—the haters. Before I get into the reason why I am a cold call skeptic, let me just say: I am NOT anti-prospecting or anti-hunting for business. I am just anti-calling-someone-who-doesn't-know-who-you-are-or-why-you're-calling-ahead-of-time.

 

Again, huge fan of prospecting—the ability to target good fit prospects and earn your way to a discussion is what separates the good sales reps from the great ones. I just believe in 2022, we can do better with our approach to earning those phone calls. In the age of the internet, there are far more effective ways to reach your target market. The amount of information we can gather and exchange before ever even picking up the phone is unreal. If you're a believer in cold calls, maybe this article is for you. Maybe not.

The case against cold calling:

 
1. Cold calls are annoying—and can damage your brand.

Let's be honest. No one likes getting cold calls. They're disruptive, intrusive, and most people will go out of their way to avoid them. If you want to build strong relationships with your customers, you give yourself a better chance by adding value and earning your way to a phone call before cold calling. When you make a cold call, you're representing your brand. A really good cold call at a really bad time is really bad. People will associate those annoyed feelings to you before you ever even get a chance to solve real problem for them. On the other hand, if you take the time to build genuine relationships with your customers, you can create lifelong advocates for your business.


2.You're probably wasting Your Time

Even if you do manage to get someone on the phone, there's a good chance you're going to end up wasting your time. According to HubSpot, the average conversion rate for cold calls is just 2%. That means that for every 100 calls you make, you might only generate two leads—neither of which is guaranteed to convert into a paying customer. Is that really the best use of your time? That's not rhetorical; if you think it is, then keep smiling and dialing. The vast majority of cold calls go nowhere. You might get lucky and reach a decision-maker on the other end of the line, but more often than not you'll end up talking to someone who isn't interested and/or doesn't have the authority to make a purchase decision. The bottom line is that cold calling is a giant time sink with that leaves ROI to be desired. For me, it's better to research and reach out to 25 people and earn 5 phone calls than to cold call 100 people get maybe have 2 meaningful discussions.

3.You don't need to cold call to start a discussion.

In the digital age, we have more information at our fingertips than ever before. With tools like ZoomInfo, Apollo, Linkedin, Outreach.io, and so many others, you have the opportunity to do so much research in so little time and bring something of value to the table—before ever picking up the phone.

4.Cold calling is not cost-effective—in more ways than money.

When I factor in the cost of making those 100 calls (in terms of money, energy, time, and morale), the juice is just not worth the squeeze. There are much better ways to spend your time and money when it comes to marketing and sales.

There are many reasons why cold calling is no longer a sales tool that I recommend for my team. From the high cost of making calls to the low conversion rate, it's simply not worth it for me. If you're looking for a more effective way to reach your target market, consider investing in inbound marketing instead. Or get really strategic with your ABM process. With inbound marketing, you can attract qualified leads who are already interested in what you have to offer—which means more closed deals and a higher ROI for your business.

I know this all sounds nice, but it's nothing if I don't at least show you what I WOULD recommend. I am creating an outreach playbook that you're welcome to have and try yourself! Make it your own or copy it word for word (you know I recommend putting your own flavor on it though). Earn your way into phone calls by doing research and adding real value before every picking up the phone.

Make sure you sign up to receive my occasional emails so I can send the playbook to you when it's ready!

Related Posts

How to Sell Like a Human
How to Sell Like a Human
Read More
Die Hard is NOT a Christmas Movie: 5 Reasons Why
Die Hard is NOT a Christmas Movie: 5 Reasons Why
Read More

Comments

No comments yet. Leave yours below!