Reaching out to businesses to introduce yourself and your product used to be a major sales initiative. It got you on the phone and allowed you to create a connection with the person on the other line. Known as cold calling, this sales tactic has been used for decades as a method to reach new potential customers that you feel may be a good fit for your business.
As communications have changed however, cold calling has slowly become a distasteful and ineffective method, that no longer belongs in your arsenal if you’re looking to increase your sales long term and want to be viewed as a trustworthy company. Below we will discuss the disadvantages of cold calling, and where your focuses should lie to begin truly expanding your reach.
Disadvantages of Cold Calling
Today’s market is going much more digital as younger generations move into the business field. This can put cold calling at a disadvantage for multiple reasons.
Cold calls can come across as rude, as phone users now find calls to be disruptive. If you’re intruding on someone’s day, they aren’t very likely to want to buy what you’re selling.
Additionally, users are no longer answering their phones for unknown numbers for the same reason. They’ll gladly send to voicemail without another thought, leaving you holding that perfectly phrased sales pitch. In fact, as many as 77% of users purposefully screen sales calls.
An additional disadvantage of cold calling is that while your intentions may be pure, the number of actual scammers out there have increased buyer’s skepticism on business related phone calls. Nearly all buyers have their guard up when it comes to receiving unknown telephone calls.
While the internet has made it easier to put information out for customers to find on their own, it has also trained consumers to do research prior to making purchases. This may not be a direct disadvantage, but has altered how consumers shop, making them less likely to respond positively to cold calling.
This transition to a more knowledgeable audience has caused online marketing to take over, forcing outdated methods like cold calling to take a back seat.
The Cost of Cold Calling
In addition to cold calling being increasingly more difficult to accomplish, it is also an expensive method. It’s quick to eat up all your productive time with dial tones and “No, thank you” (assuming the other line is polite) and leave you at the end of the day with nothing to show.
It can also end up costing you in the long run. Your businesses reputation can be put on the line as cold calling can leave a nasty taste in your potential customers mouths. Most cold calling receivers feel you’ve violated their privacy by calling before any previous contact has been made.
Difficulties in Cold Calling
Most cold callers focus on the number of potential buyers they contact over a specified time. Instead of the quality and ability to gain the buyer’s interest in their products or services. This has proven to be a very inefficient method because once the call ends, any interest that might have come up goes with it. Or even worse, they don’t even pay any attention to the cold caller’s passive means of marketing.
Cold calling can also be emotionally and physically draining to the sales person. With every call, the sales person feels the irritation they put on the buyers.
With today’s technology-focused world, consumers no longer want to receive cold calls. They like to do their own research on products before ever having a conversation, and they want to be the ones that initiate it.
Simply put, cold calling is outdated and is doing more harm to your business than good. In a world where people prefer texts to calls and Google over asking a real person, your marketing needs to adapt.
Benefits of Using Other Strategies
The idea of no longer cold calling may sound scary and leave you feeling like there is nowhere else to go, but there are plenty of additional options out there. Most businesses cold call to avoid the expenses of running ads. Well, utilizing inbound marketing strategies is a great and affordable alternative to costly ads.
Inbound marketing, while seemingly intimidating at first, is a perfect alternative for businesses where cold calling has stopped working. Inbound marketing’s aim is all about bringing the leads to you, so that when you call that lead is already warm. This can save your business so much time and build your company a great, and lasting, reputation.
While planning an inbound strategy, you’ll be utilizing the most popular form of technology consumers rely on today: The Internet. That means that your website needs to be more than just a business card. You’ll need to supply consumers with rich information and a high-quality user experience.
The main aspects to focus on are search engine optimization (SEO) and content. These are the pieces that will have search engines ranking your website appropriately.
Continue reading about Inbound Marketing: Inbound Marketing Strategy
Figuring out how to best align these efforts may take a little work at first, but can pay off in a big way for your business. Inbound marketing is the perfect alternative to cold calling and other intrusive marketing efforts.
Time to Cut the Cord
Colding calling doesn’t have to be your only option when it comes to affordable marketing. At GreenStar Marketing, we focus on inbound solutions that bring customers to you. Our solutions focus on saving you money, help you compete against the big brands, and build up your content so that it’s still paying off for years to come.
Our search engine optimization (SEO) can help elevate your website and make sure it’s putting in the work it should!
Think your website could use a full update? We can help with that too! From start to finish, we design your website with your customers and search engines in mind, so you’re always putting your best foot forward.
Need more content to increase your traffic? Our telecom background means we know how to write pieces for your business. No more spending hours explaining the ins and outs to basic marketing firms. We can get right to work!
Want to learn more about how GreenStar Marketing can help your telecom company reach further? Contact us today!
