Does Cold Calling to Generate Leads Still Work in 2021?
Cold calling often gets a bad rap – does cold calling to generate leads still work in 2021? The process is old-fashioned and time-consuming. On top of that, cold calling even prompts SDRs to talk with complete strangers which may sometimes get uncomfortable.
But if these conversations are made properly again and again, they’ll spur growth and improve a business’s bottom line. In this blog, we’ll explain why cold calling is alive and how your business can make the most of this underrated lead-gen strategy this year.
Is cold calling dead?
The answer is a decisive no.
Whether it’s a Fortune 500 company or a high-growth start-up, every business depends on cold calling for driving revenue. And that’s why cold calling is far from being dead; instead, it has only started to evolve in 2021. Most businesses either have hired sales reps or outsourced them for eagerly dialing numbers every day.
Despite cold calling’s growing relevance, most sales leaders assume that it’s dead because they can’t make it work. Here’s one of the top reasons why cold calling techniques may not yield expected returns: Most businesses are used to doing it the old way.
However, a majority of B2B buyers have changed the way they buy stuff. The shift in buying behavior requires a change in the cold-calling strategies too. The fact is that business buyers have little or no patience for true cold calls. Most sellers now want cold calls to be a part of a more holistic approach for engaging buyers.
Cold Calling to Generate Leads: 6 best practices for 2021
The year 2020 revealed many truths for businesses. Among so many truths, the one that stands out the most is how important cold calling is for a B2B organization. For small- and medium-sized businesses, survival meant modifying lead-gen strategies at the drop of a dime.
As the first quarter of 2021 draws to a close, you may want to reset your lead-gen game. Moreover, every lead-gen strategy is incomplete without cold calling. Here are cold-calling best practices that will help you raise your lead-gen game this year.
Figuring out an ideal time to call
Nobody likes picking up sales calls whenever they’re about to step out of their home. Monday mornings aren’t the best times to call anyone, for example. Likewise, Thursday mornings and afternoons may generate frequent positive responses than other times or days.
Understanding the company and its offerings
Your sales staff may not be trained to field your lead’s questions properly. When leads aren’t getting satisfying answers more often, it’ll reflect your company’s poor knowledgebase and won’t leave a positive impression on them.
Learning voice modulation
The outcome of a sales call depends on the salesperson’s voice. Your cold callers should shed away any hint of monotone—instead, they should bring freshness to their voice. When the tone of their voice is filled with enthusiasm, they’ll definitely make your offerings sound more appealing.
Drafting the perfect cold-calling script
You have to train your sales team in writing the perfect elevator pitch. The first few drafts of any elevator pitch may not yield concrete results. Besides, a salesperson’s voice may not have the confidence in the first few cold calls too. However, your salespeople should pull out all the stops to make sure their cold-call script should project your products or services as the ideal problem-solvers.
Practicing the pitch with coworkers
Experienced sales colleagues may know a lot about cold-calling scripts that work. That’s why you should motivate your salespeople to find experienced sales experts with whom they can practice their script. Practicing the script for five minutes every day with someone experienced will help your sales staff get the idea of how to further the conversation with leads.
Adding warmth to the call
Cold calling is rapidly evolving. This year, things are expected to get a bit warm. Businesses are dependent on conventional strategies for reaching out to prospective customers. Besides, companies are leaving no stone unturned to make sure the prospective buyer finds them first. The year 2021 may also include warm calls—a situation where the prospective customer knows about the brand then receives the call from your sales team.
Does cold calling give your sales team the chills?
If yes, it is about time to outsource cold calling to a reliable outsourced sales partner. Here’s where we, at Acquirent, come in. Chicago-based outsourced B2B sales and marketing company, we are helping companies generate leads through cold calling. We have seasoned salespeople and sales enablement tools to help your company get the most out of every cold call. Get connected with one of our reps and discover how we can help your sales team pull off cold-calling campaigns.