The Cumulative Effect of Cold Calling.
Contrary to popular belief, the time and effort we put into the calls we make today that do not immediately result in an appointment today still has value. In other words, be in it for the long run to leverage that investment of time and effort. Design a well-defined Best Practice that defines how you will pursue a homogeneous set of targets and stick with it because appointment making has a cumulative affect over time. Then make sure to employ a technology that enables the Best Practice to be efficiently executed.
Here are six reasons to build a Best Practice for your appointment setting efforts and to stick with it over time:
- Have a warmer and better defined territory on January 1st of next year than it is today. Appointment setting is generally not the most enjoyable part of the job, so why make any more cold calls than necessary? Cull the list as you make those dials.
- Each dial has value, so don’t waste them. Each dial has value because it takes time to make them and then record the results. If we need to set our own appointments and need a minimum of just one a week, the time we invest in this process becomes challenging and expensive. (Don’t believe me? I challenge you to do the math.) For a further discussion, see my blog: The Dial is the Coin of the Realm.
- Each dial also represents the investment in the putting together the list of targets we’re calling on (regardless of whether it was a purchased list or accumulated over time through networking, referrals and/or marketing programs). Treat them like gold. After all, all of your current clients/customers were once names on that same list.
- Each dial also includes the investment of time and effort put into creating the messaging we deliver on each call, as well as the practice time it took to learn the methodology we use to make calls and counter the no’s we typically hear.
- If we deliver a well thought out message via voicemail and email in the manner we prescribe each time we make a dial, we are delivering a marketing message of why our current clients/customers profit from, and love, doing business with us. Even if we don’t speak to the decision maker when we call, we are warming up the territory with the same type of messaging our marketing department is tasked to deliver to a much more general audience. (They would kill for the opportunity to deliver your value proposition straight to a person who uses and buys what you sell.)
- Things change over time. In fact, one of the most constant things in life is change. Suppliers stumble, promotions occur, people get fired or leave that particular job, organizational needs change; the list goes on. If we think we’re calling into a good organization that could benefit from doing business with you, don’t give up on them just because you couldn’t get through to the decision maker, or heck, even if that decision maker said no. No should mean not right now, not no forever…
We have a lot of clients that will tell you that subsequent times going through a list each brings better metrics (fewer dials per appointment). If you would like to make fewer dials over time, make a plan, apply an appointment making methodology you feel comfortable with and stick with it.
If you’d like more information on how to build a plan or why no team of sales professionals has ever failed to at least double the number of Initial Appointments they were setting after going through one of our programs, give us a call or drop us a line. We love talking about the challenges of appointment making!
Caponi Performance Group and Contact Science jointly market the telephone prospecting and cold calling solution called Coldcalling101™. It is the only comprehensive solution to solving the biggest barrier to success in most selling organizations—the inability to secure enough Initial Appointments to begin the selling process. We accomplish that through simultaneously addressing both the efficiency and effectiveness of the process. We can be reached at 817 224-9900 or at bcaponi@caponipg.com. You can also find answers to many of your challenges in our books: Contrary to Popular Belief, Cold Calling DOES Work! Volume I: Effectiveness, The Art of Appointment Making and Volume II: Efficiency, the Science of Appointment Making.
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