12 Handy Tips for Generating
Leads through Cold-Calling
By Glenn Murray | Advertising
Copywriter & Website
Copywriter *
Cold calling can be a great way
to generate quality leads. You
get to speak to the gatekeepers
and stakeholders, and you get a
great insight into their
requirements and influences.
But cold calling is an art-form.
It can be daunting, it's always
a lot of work, and you always
need to make a good impression.
So you need to do it right.
Following are some tips which
will help you do just that.
1) Record everything
Always write down all details of
every phone call. Write down any
names and titles you learn. Not
just the name of the person
you're trying to contact. The
receptionist's name can be vital
to remember as they're often
gatekeepers. Write down when you
called, and when you said you'd
call back.
2) Use a database or spreadsheet
to record everything
You'll never manage by hand, and
Excel spreadsheets aren't user
friendly in the long term. If
you're prepared to invest in a
real CRM (Customer Relationship
Management) tool, that's a great
idea. If not, you there is a
cheaper alternative. I created
my own database using Microsoft
Access. Visit
http://www.divinewrite.com/downloads/contacts
and jobs.mdb to download a 208KB
working copy for FREE. You'll
need Microsoft Access 2000 to
run it. I'm no database expert,
so it's not a work of art. It'll
certainly get you started
though. (TIP: When using the
database, press Ctrl + ; to
enter today's date.)
3) Always call back when you
said you would
Don't let them down. They may
not even remember that you
committed to calling back. But
if they do, and you don't meet
your commitment, you'll lose
valuable credibility and
respect. And wherever possible,
work to their schedule. You're
here to help them, not make
things harder.
TIP FOR COPYWRITERS: If you're
an advertising copywriter or
website copywriter, ask to speak
to the Marketing Manager (or if
the person who answers the phone
says they don't have a marketing
manager, ask for "the person who
looks after your advertising &
website" - all businesses have
that person - it's generally one
of the owners).
4) Always try to get on with the
gatekeepers
Receptionists and personal
assistants have great influence,
and quite often do more of the
real work and decision making
than the person you're trying to
contact! Make friends with them
and you've got a foot in the
door. (But don't waste their
time or crawl ? they get a lot
of that!)
5) Keep it short `n sweet
When you do get to speak with
someone, keep it short 'n sweet
unless they want to talk a lot.
The purpose of the phone call is
to get their attention, let them
know you're there, get their
name and contact details, and
assess whether they have any
requirement for your services.
(TIP
FOR COPYWRITERS: If you're an
advertising copywriter or
website copywriter, you might
have called about brochure
writing and then find out they
need web writing.)
6) DON'T HARD SELL!!!
Don't pressure people or make it
hard for them to get off the
phone. Tell them what you do and
that you'd like to send them an
email with a link to your
website with samples and
testimonials (or with an
attachment containing samples),
then leave them to it.
7) Follow up with an email
If you have permission, always
send a follow-up email ? and do
so immediately. Be specific in
your subject line. (TIP FOR
COPYWRITERS: If you're an
advertising copywriter or
website copywriter, use the
words "advertising copywriting"
or "website copywriting" in the
subject. Most people don't get
many emails with this in the
subject line, so it'll be
distinctive and probably won't
be snuffed by their spam filter
if they have one.) Address the
email to them (e.g. "Hi Joe"),
keep the email short 'n sweet.
Include only the essential info,
make it easy to read and
conversational, and bold the
important words or phrases as
they'll probably only skim it.
Include a link to your website,
reference the day and date you
talked on the phone (and thank
them for that time), mention any
names you learnt (e.g.
receptionist's name, especially
if the receptionist gave you an
email address but you didn't
actually get to speak to the
decision
maker), tell them that you'd
like to follow up in a few weeks
(assuming the conversation
indicated that this would be a
good idea).
8) Follow up with another call
If the lead looks promising,
make sure you follow up. And
when you do, always mention the
day and date of the original
call, as well as the fact that
you sent an email. Give a quick
summary of who you are and what
you do, and say that you're just
calling to make sure they got
the email. Most of the time,
you'll find the lead will talk
to you about your services, if
only to remind themselves of
what you do!
9) Don't expect to make too many
calls
On a really good day, I've made
80 cold calls. Most days,
though, you should be very
pleased to average around 40.
You'll spend a lot of time
playing telephone tag.
10) Don't leave message
Unless you absolutely have to
(or you've just about given up
on the lead), don't leave
messages. Most people have
trouble returning phone calls
from people they know and like;
returning phone calls from
someone who's trying to sell
them something isn't high on
their list of priorities.
11) Don't expect to qualify too
many leads
Depending on your business, if
you get one good lead a day,
you're probably doing very
well.
12) Don't expect immediate
conversion
Unfortunately, most leads take a
long time to come to fruition
(up to 2 years). So you have to
be prepared to be patient.
Good luck and happy calling!
* Glenn Murray is an advertising
copywriter and website
copywriter and heads copywriting
studio Divine Write. He can be
contacted on Sydney +612 4334
6222 or at
glenn@divinewrite.com .
Visit
http://www.divinewrite.com
for
further details or more FREE
articles.
