Every business, every organization wants its sales and marketing team to reach their highest potential. So they let them undergo training and seminars as well as acquire the latest tools and systems to keep the team up-to-date.
By keeping the team abreast of new strategies and methodologies, organizations hope their marketing and sales teams get more leads and generate more sales.
However, despite all the training and tools, a lot of businesses are still puzzled why they can’t achieve the target they have. Organization leaders are left scratching their heads what could have gone wrong.
“Didn’t we create an airtight strategy to reach our goals?”
Well, the problem might not be in the training or the tools. The problem could be in the misconceptions that leaders have failed to address from the very start.
There’s an adage that says, “Every misconception is a poison; there is no harmless misconception.”
When that misconception occurs from the very start, imagine how deep-seated the damage can become.
Nipping Misconceptions at the Bud
Cold calling is one of the primary steps in lead generation and even at this point, misconceptions already abound.
Here are a number of myths/misconceptions in cold calling that you might or might not be aware of.
Myth #1: Cold calling is dead, people are annoyed about them already
With social media taking precedence over almost everything, it is easy to assume (and a lot do) that cold calling is not relevant to businesses anymore.
Contrary to that belief, however, cold calling has even become more powerful because of social media.
This point has been nicely illustrated in an article called, “The ‘Cold’ is Dead, Not the Calling.” The article points out that because of social media, your sales team won’t have to deal with names and phone numbers they have no idea about.
With social media, you can easily look up a person and get some information about him or her before you make the call. That information can give you insight into his position in the company, his skills and interests, and who are the people he/she is in contact with.
Smart box: Social media and cold calling can become a powerhouse ‘couple’ for your lead generation.
Myth #2: The customer is always right!
On the contrary, the customer is NOT always right.
You already know this but for someone to actually say it, well, that might come as a shock.
Let me reiterate that: The customer is NOT always right!
However, the customer is KING.
There’s a whole world of difference between the two.
The modern-day customer might have access to the information they need before their purchasing decision, but that knowledge is not as in-depth as yours. You and your team are the experts. On the other hand, consumers still need someone to guide them to make a better choice.
The guidance includes helping them identify their pain points and show the relevance and value of your product to ease that pain. As your sales team does that, they are also establishing a relationship with the prospect, rather than making a sale. This, in turn, can turn the “cold” call into a “warm” one.
Myth #3: If they said no, move one
Patience is a virtue – everybody knows that. The same goes true with cold calling.
According to Tenfold, a typical lead needs at least two phone calls before you can get their interest. That’s also the same amount of time you need so you can classify them whether they are active or passive leads.
And the work does not stop there. You have to be with the prospect throughout their buyer’s journey. Therefore, you should have a clear plan of what to do with each group on every level of their journey. You also need to anticipate any objections they have and address them accordingly.
The Truth Will Indeed Set You Free
The phone is not dead and by combining the right strategy with the tools you have, you can turn a cold call into a warm one.
Evaluate your current process to identify any misconceptions you have been practicing. Once you identified them, make your team become aware so they can avoid using them when calling prospects.
So next time you make a call, remember that social media is a powerful ally; be the expert who helps identify your prospect’s need, and do not take “no” for an answer.
