Cold Calling

Really interested in your feedback here. We hear enough from mediocre VPs of sales and sales gurus and people trying to sell us sales enablement - what do YOU think?


Personally, my experience tells me there's much better ways to create demand and leads than with cold calling - it just takes investment and skill with understanding the modern customer.


But we all know what our mom said about people and opinions - so what's yours? Opinion, that is...

Cold Calling via a telephone is

Attached poll
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🔎 Prospecting
📞 Cold Calling
👥 Social Selling
21
TennisandSales
Politicker
22
Head Of Sales
ok so cold calling STILL WORKS.

BUT cold calling is NOT a way to create demand. it is a way to CAPTURE demand.

so if your company is doing ZERO marketing, and there is ZERO brand awareness, than cold calling is going to be SUPER hard.

its also still a really important skill to have as a salesperson.
coletrain
Politicker
4
Account Executive
Bingo, marketing has to be there for cold calling live up to its potential.

Otherwise you're trying to create and solve a problem, which is much harder than just solving over a 2-3 minute cold call if you even get that.

Email, especially over the last decade has become saturated and cybersecurity products filter out junk more than the email providers.

In person, while effective, takes time and is not efficient unless done at a larger event it seems.

Calling? Not everyone picks up the phone but enough do if marketing is done right. Marketing and sales need to work together, otherwise the whole point gets lost.
notdavemoss
Valued Contributor
2
CCBW
Understand your argument. I am often perplexed at CROs and VPs of sales who simply think hiring more SDRs is a way to increase pipeline.
antiASKHOLE
Tycoon
1
Bravado's Resident Asshole
I prefer prospecting with a more nocturnal approach...owls
sugardaddy
Politicker
0
🍬
What @TennisandSalessaid! 100p!
Pachacuti
Politicker
5
They call me Daddy, Sales Daddy
I'd be the first to jump ship if CC didn't work - but it does. If you know how to do it right. And there's the real problem - most (90%+) of sales people SUCK at CC.

Most companies would try to make it a Science (I'm looking at you Gong), but in reality its an Art - mastered only through adversity and experience.

But even when you are good at it, its still one of the least desirable aspects of Selling.
notdavemoss
Valued Contributor
2
CCBW
Great comment - I think it's both art and science. Kinda like carpentry. You need to know the skills and science around building stuff with wood, but you also need an aesthetic idea of what looks good and is pleasing to the eye - and the butt if it's furniture! So sales prospecting is more an artisan trade, IMHO.
ThatNewAE
Big Shot
4
Account Executive - Mid enterprise
I think on these lines:

- Cold calling is very much relevant. The amount of emails and LinkedIn messages we all receive is beyond manageable anyway. But cold calling on completely new accounts to try and create interest is very very unlikely.

- If there's an account you were in touch earlier - you can call new POCs to pitch that and see if rekindling discussions would be relevant.

- Following up is brilliantly successful when we call and take an update from them.

@TennisandSalessaid it best too! If there is enough awareness already around your brand, it is easier to call and sell more.
Gasty
Notable Contributor
4
War Room Community Manager
I think it’ll continue to work as long as people have phones with an incoming call functionality.

Having said that, it might not be the most efficient one in today’s world for many.
AlwaysBeHunting
Executive
3
Enterprise Account Executive
No longer works unless you have significant brand ID or your cold calls are really what I coin, “warm follow up” - dials in follow up to an email/LinkedIn/other form of communication.
Kosta_Konfucius
Politicker
2
Sales Rep
I would like to know reps who don't call, what they do for cold outbound outreach.

I think its best to use multiple channels so using emails, cold calls, snail mail, and LinkedIn.

But I am in no way a outreach guru
BTQ
Politicker
2
Account Manager
Cold calling aint dead!

I like to do an omnichannel approach through Linkedin, Email and cold calling.
Justatitle
Big Shot
2
Account Executive
Cold calling is still the fastest way to get in front of someone. your email gets buried in their inbox and you can easily reference your email with a voicemail. People will also appreciate the call especially if you are somewhat decent about it.
DecentGolfer69
Valued Contributor
1
Sales and Business Development Consultant
cold calling still works but I've found to have better response/closing via email or even texting
CuriousFox
WR Officer
0
🦊
A topic I'm tired of hearing about. It works.
Jamallen
0
Regional Vice President Sales, East
There is a direct correlation to ineffective sales reps and looking for excuses not to cold call. If you cant cold call you are in the wrong field, or you should become a CS or AM.
celestine
0
accountant
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RelationshipMaker
Opinionated
0
Head of Sales
Cold calling IMO, is the last resort or something you do when you've had success in a particular segment and you know your product/service will work with similar companies.
It's easier to ask for referrals or send emails. If you have a marketing team, they should be generating demand before you have to resort to cold calling. It's an expensive, scatter gun approach.
morenitomarcus
Opinionated
0
Business Development Manager
In my opinion, it’s a necessary evil. I don’t like doing it, but it’s still one of the best ways to capture attention.
ade
Contributor
0
AE (Account Executive)
Cold calling is essential, but it has to be part of a larger campaign. I leave a voice mail, send an email and sometimes a LinkedIn request. I get appointments this way. Right now, I’m getting about 1/2 of my appointments by cold call and the other half by email alone. I would add, in this day and age, your professional business writing game better be on point.
thestartupsaasfella
Member
0
Vice President of Sales
I am a VP of sales, but I don't believe I am mediocre :) - but my thoughts are it depends on the market/type of pitch/sale itself. If you are trying to build a company and are just trying to get meetings with anyone then the spray and pray/automated emailing setups will probably lead to more business. If it's a heavy relationship-driven sale they will be more likely to pick up a call vs answer one of the 40000+ emails we all get a day now.
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