Cold Calling - 8 Prospecting Horrors
(4 minute read)
There are parts of all jobs that people prefer. Who amongst us doesn’t sometimes choose to cherry pick those tasks we know we excel at or that we prefer doing? Ticking off a line on a to do list feels great. And some of us can be guilty of “polishing the Bentley” by overworking something that is already good enough perhaps due to the avoidance of another task.
But there are things that we all dread. The tricky, chewy, difficult tasks that are avoided for as long as possible and loom like overdue homework on a Sunday evening. And for many business owners, Sales managers and Sales professionals, including those who are tasked with business development the horror that I write of is cold calling.
“If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And If it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.”
In the days of Pay Per Click, email advertising and website tracking software such as Lead Forensics some companies choose to shy away from what could be construed as “traditional business development”. Research - Initial Contact - Understanding - Relationship Building - Sales.
But when I speak to Sales Directors and Managing Directors, Owners and Managers one of the most common frustrations is that of the “silent sales office”. There is no doubt that email traffic is now high and with instant messaging services and SMS customers are choosing to communicate across an array of platforms - but do any of them actually replace a phone call? (Spoiler: The answer is “no”)
There tend to be 8 common reasons I come across for cold call avoidance. Which I refer to as “Prospecting Horrors”
Lack of training
We wouldn’t ask someone to operate heavy machinery or write software code without training and the same applies to Sales skills. Making a first impression is vital and the cold call approach has to be structured and delivered with confidence. A confidence that is unjust to expect if you don’t have the training to do it.
Fear of rejection
With the right approach and process the likelihood of someone being rude to you on a B2B prospecting call is very low. But when it does happen there are ways to turn it into a positive.
This is completely understandable. Prospecting can be hard going and isn’t for everyone. Even some seasoned Sales people are not cut out for prospecting because they are excellent “farmers”. They are happy nurturing and growing existing client accounts but they like a fish out of water when it comes to the onboarding process. Rejection can hurt but if the right person is prospecting in the right way, the rejection can actually be seen as a positive - no really.
Open plan working spaces
Common feedback from people asked to get on the phone to customers or prospects is that they can feel uncomfortable in an open plan office environment as they feel that they are being listened to and ultimately scrutinised by colleagues. Couple that with a lack of training and confidence and this is very demotivational and individuals will find anything to avoid picking up that phone even if the suspicions are untrue. Add the dreaded “duel listening coaching sessions” to the melting pot and you really do have a horror show.
Lack of time
Many of us struggle with having enough time in the day and if we’re running our own business or looking after existing customers, the first thing that doesn’t get done always seems to be the hunt for new customers. Even companies large enough to have dedicated Business Development resources seem to struggle with time management as internal meetings, conflict resolution, clunky processes or travel time seem to prevent them from consistently delivering high levels of new lead generation each week. The odd hour here or there is unlikely to yield results.
Time is precious but if some of it is not spent filling the Sales funnel then leads, opportunities and ultimately orders will dry up fast.
No leads to call
The purpose of a lot of Marketing departments is blurry. They are spinning so many plates that losing sight of the end game is understandable. But Marketing exists to create awareness and desire - essentially leads and opportunities. Unless your online PPC spend is creating so many leads you have them coming out of your ears then you need to create them in other ways, either with your Sales and Marketing departments or if you don’t have one, through other means. Lead generation and subsequent conversion into solid opportunities and ultimately Sales are the heartbeat of any company. Without your Sales funnel being filled with leads your order book will dry up.
Fear of the unknown
We now live in a world of sanitised communication. Carefully drafted emails, professionally crafted social media posts and spell checked LinkedIn discussions remove spontaneity from business discussions and interactions tend to follow an easily predictable pattern. The art of the conversation can be diminished in business and fuels the fear of the unknown. “What if they ask me a question I don’t know the answer to?” Rather than embrace that as a task you can complete with an opportunity to call that prospect back, some people would rather not make that call in the first place.
Perceived low hit and conversion rates
One thing is for certain - if you don’t make any prospecting calls you’ll never have to worry about low contact and conversion rates. I made 7 prospecting phone calls yesterday for my own business. 5 of them went to voicemail (by the way, I left a message). 1 of them had recently committed his business to a family friend. And one responded with “you must have read my mind - I was literally thinking of this yesterday”. They now have a draft proposal to consider. The follow up process is the next vital step.
Misunderstanding of Data Protection Legislation
The change to GDPR has caused a lot of confusion and has also provided a veil for some Sales people and some companies to hide behind. It is not illegal to make B2B cold calls to most businesses and the objections presented by the dreaded “gatekeeper” are almost exclusively based on a company policy. GDPR is viewed as a barrier to prospecting but with the correct and compliant techniques this need not be a reason for not picking up the phone.
And these 8 prospecting horrors are only the tip of the iceberg. Some people would rather do almost anything than make a cold call. And this is a key requirement for most companies - there are so many amazing products, services and companies out there but they are well kept secrets and essentially competing in a global market. PPC pricing is going up, there is more competition than ever and if you’re not willing to pick up the phone and frequently and consistently prospect then your competitor will gladly take your market share.
- Silent Sales
