For years a company could generate sales by putting together a cold calling campaign.
The sales department would buy a list of names and phones and start prospecting through them by calling each name on the sheet, hoping to strike a cord, get lucky and eventually turn a call into a relationship and then a sale.
It took time, but it was effective, and for many companies this method was how they would generate new sales almost exclusively.
But, it isn’t this easy anymore. For many industries cold calling has decreased in effectiveness to the point that it can no longer be depended on to generate revenue.
The companies that used to rely on this solely now have a gaping hole in their sales generation funnel.
Why Doesn’t Cold Calling Work Anymore?
There are multiple reasons cold calling has stopped working for many. Largely technology is to blame. Like several other outbound marketing techniques, technology has given the consumer control over what they have to listen to or watch.
Phones go to voicemail or a secretary as more executives screen their calls. Just the same as people record favorite television shows and skip through commercials.
Additionally people no longer want to be pitched. They want to use the Internet to research their needs, review products and services that might provide a solution, and ultimately make a purchase they are confident in.
There is far less trust in the sales person, and due to the astounding amount of research done on their own, consumers no longer need to speak to a salesperson until much later in the sales cycle.
What Does Work When Cold Calling Doesn’t?
A popular solution to overcoming cold calling demise is Inbound Marketing.
Based on the very reasons cold calling has declined in effectiveness over the past 5+ years, Inbound Marketing specifically addresses how sales have changed on the consumer side, and how it should also change on the company side.
Inbound Marketing Replaces Cold Calling
The method of inbound marketing focuses on providing consumers the information they want and need, as they ask for it. With search engines, Internet users simply visit Google, Bing or another website and search with keywords for what they need.
In response to these searches, inbound campaigns and content are written to appear in the results of these searches, and are used to meet the consumer where they are in the research process.
From there, a campaign introduces ideas, blog posts, and free guides that help educate the consumer on their needs, options and solutions.
Gradually the consumer is given more information, through further blog posts, social media and email marketing.
In the end, consumers are highly educated about their problem, and then they are led to make a call to the company to discuss the best solution, or they are asked to accept a call from sales.
Why Does This Approach Work Better Than Cold Calling Leads?
The beauty of inbound marketing is that you get the consumers’ permission to send them more information as they are navigating the sales process.
Not only are they going to simply see your messages, but, since they gave you permission, they are more likely to look forward to them, read them, and take action.
Combine this with the idea that the consumer wants control of their buying decisions and you have the perfect recipe for why inbound marketing works for so many businesses.
What Next?
It's time to start using inbound marketing to bring in leads. Undoubtedly, it will be a longer process, but the results should provide a higher quality of leads that are much closer to buying than you are used to. If you need any help, give us a call, we look forward to helping you get started.
