“I must’ve called a thousand times…”
As soon as Adele sang those words, I cringed.
I hadn’t picked up a phone to cold call a prospect on the phone for a loooooong time.
Despite the fact that some of my best clients ended up working with me as a result of a cold call I made, I simply stopped using this effective means of prospecting quite some time ago.
What prevents many people from picking up the phone and “dialing for dollars,” as a fellow I used to work with years ago used to say, is a fear of rejection.
I must say not once did I ever feel unwelcome.
Now, to be fair, I never called up and bent ears with a Zzzzzzzzzzz opener like ‘Hey, how are you today?
I always made sure I had something of value to offer.
Most business owners DREAD the thought of making cold calls.
Me? Not so much. Part of it has to do with the fact that much of my time today is spent as a lone wolf. I’m on the computer a lot and usually the only time during the day I get to interact with anyone is when I’m talking to a client.
I enjoy talking to potential clients. It’s an effective way to learn if there’s a way I can help them.
I have always subscribed to Zig Ziglar’s philosophy that says if you truly believe that your product or service can improve lives, it’s your duty to make sure you let as many qualified prospects as possible know.
Today’s technology allows you to pack your web copy and emails with conversational copy so your prospects at least “feel” that a human is communicating with them.
But it just doesn’t hold a candle to actually communicating with a real person.
I was reminded of this the other day when I spoke with a client whose entire industry has been taken over by technology. There’s almost no meaningful human interaction.
Instead, it’s a bunch of electronic back and forth, almost totally devoid of human contact.
People want to talk to people to help them solve their problems.
They want to ask questions. They want to get immediate answers.
And that is only possible when they’re talking to you on the phone.
And another thing… we’re social creatures. Not robots.
I know my customers love to talk to me about their businesses.
Not so much because I’m some genius, but I think it’s because they get so little opportunity these days to do it.
Automation has its place. But it will never replace human-to-human contact.
If you’re looking for a way to stand apart from your competitors and really understand what your prospects and customers want, call them and ask.
Tomorrow, I’m going back to my old-fashioned cold-calling ways – just to stay “connected.”
