Cold Calling is a Marketing and Sales tool used for many many decades. However, it isn’t the most effective tool anymore. Whilst it may still be used effectively by many business owners, there are other ways you can generate sales.
Here are a few ideas you can implement in your business so that you can either eliminate the need to cold call or use it as a last resort.
Lead Magnets
Creating checklists, problem-solving tools, templates and e-books for people to download in exchange for their details is a marketing strategy that creates warm leads. This is a good way to increase the leads in your database and then nurture. Warm leads may still take time to convert and may need to be nurtured longer, but they have shown interest and will respond to your call more openly than a cold call.
You can also use Digital Marketing, for example, Facebook Ads, to create leads. Offer your service or a simple lead magnet on Facebook and generate leads. Remember to always test and measure your campaign and know what’s giving you good leads as opposed to ones that are giving you duds.
Networking
A sure-fire way to make connections is by getting out there, with your business cards, and introducing yourself to people. Networking events are easy to find. Target the ones that your target market go to and attend yourself. That way they get to know you, they know what you do and what you sell and will think of you if they ever need your product. Networking also proves to be great for referrals. Whilst the person you meet may not be your ideal client, they may know someone who is.
Referrals from Clients
Your biggest fans are your clients – if you give them an experience they will not find elsewhere. The first piece of advice – keep your clients happy. Because happy clients can refer you to their friends, colleagues and other potential clients that may be interested in your product. The best piece of marketing is your clients. If they are satisfied with your product, ask them for a testimonial that you can use in your marketing. It is also important to come up with a strategy to ask your clients for referrals for you to follow up.
Referral Partner Program
If you have people in your network who have target markets and databases like yours, set up a Referral Partner Program. People are tempted to join as they get rewarded for giving referrals who turn into sales. It is imperative that you chalk out the terms and conditions of your referral partner program. That way there is no misunderstanding.
It is also important for you to stay connected and keep in touch with those in your program. Give them material they can use. Write out email blasts that they can send to their leads. Equip them with all the Marketing Material they need to make it super simple for them to get you leads. It is also important that if you are doing this, you track each leads to progress. Infusionsoft does this well and has the capability to set up a referral partner system that is easy to use and simple to track.
Guest Speaking
There are many organisations who are always on the lookout for guest speakers, especially ones that have experience and know-how in the business world. Create a profile for yourself and look put yourself in front of organisations who seek out speakers for their conferences and put yourself in front of a crowd who will then know who you are and what you do and sell.
Webinars and Seminars
Events are a great way to make people aware of your expertise. Seminars are good because you get to meet people and talk in front of a crowd. It is an opportunity for people to get to know you and understand what it is that you do and what you can do to help them grow their businesses and solve a problem they have.
Webinars are more informal as you don’t always get to see the person. But webinars tend to generate more leads than webinars and you can always host live ones where people get to ask you questions at the end.
If you apply any of these ideas in your marketing, you may not need to cold call at all. If you do have cold-calling as a key marketing strategy in your business then click here to read one of our previous blogs on how you can effectively cold call and make sales.
For more information on how Max My Profit can help you with your business, please contact us here
