Gentle Telemarketing that gets results

You know you need to do it but dread the thought of cold calling.  Here are a few ideas if you would like to ease in gently to cold calling, where a gentle approach to making calls could make it more comfortable and build confidence

Market Research Calls

Do a survey by phone and have an online version to send out with an email where the purpose of the exercise is to gather info. This is good as

a) you get email addresses for ongoing marketing/newsletters/promotions etc

b) it gets conversations going with out any pressure to sell,

c) the results of the market research can help you look at things objectively and can be a huge confidence boost to get on the phone later when you know what people like across the board.

Do an “Opt in” campaign

These calls are purely calling to introduce yourself and ask who would be the best person to send some info to by email, capture the relevant email address. Be prepared to have conversations about your product or service as people don’t like to give their email addresses out willy-nilly but this is really about having conversations rather than “must-get-a-sale”.

Call friendly people

Calls to friendly suppliers, people in the industry, influencers can be useful to see if they would refer others to you and again just to have conversations and see what comes out of it.  From these calls you can possibly send info to them or explore joint marketing opportunities

Call an “A” List

Build up a highly targeted list, and really do your homework before you get on the phone so you know what their business is like, have an idea what their needs are, who the decision makers are in the business etc. When you start making calls to these people you will have the feeling and attitude that these are likely to be more interested than anyone else on your other lists and mentally you are likely to feel better prepared for any questions that you receive.

Realistic expectations

Don’t have unrealistic expectations from cold calling… just keep a note of how many call attempts you make, how many conversations you actually have with decision makers, how many not-interested, send me info, quotes, appointments.  When you make future calls you will know what the realistic ratios are likely to be so you don’t focus on the rejections just how many you need to make to build up some good pipeline and instant leads.

Hope this helps and would be interested to hear other views on gentle telemarketing.

Please note that TPS/CTPS checks are still required for all types of unsolicited cold calls.  For market research calls a check is not required but you must not promote your business (contact trading standards for more guidance).

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