Ten Things to Love about Cold Calling

Cold-calling is a way of approaching an employer by telephone. Although some people handle their ability to engage a cold-calling better than most of the others, contacting a potential employer can be quite stressful.

We have made a “ten thing list” about what to love about cold calls. So before you find yourself in a stressful situation remember all the benefits this tool brings.

1) It Works – Cold calling works! It requires skill, the right mental attitude, and an iron will. Those three things make me smile!
2) Speed – I can go as fast as I can, and take on the attitude of, “There is somebody out there who is ready to do business with me… I’m gonna find ‘em!”
3) Efficiency – Think of cold calling as a quick filter. You can quickly learn who your best prospects are going to be.
4) Sharpens Skills – You have to be quick on your feet, maintain composure, and always be professional. Nothing sharpens skills like cold calling!
5) Keeps Me Humble – All great sales people can get a little cocky sometimes. No matter how good you are, you are going to have days when you get beat up on the phone. A little humble pie is a good reminder that we can always get better.
6) Hidden Prospects – There are prospects out there that have a need and are ready to buy. Nobody knows about them until the cold caller finds them!
7) Follow-Up Opportunities – Cold calling creates follow-up opportunities. I love it when a prospect says something like, “I have X, Y, and Z going on right now, but call me in two weeks.” When I call them back, they are “often” ready to have a professional conversation. The more I cold call, the more follow-up opportunities I create!
8) Builds My Pipeline – As a salesperson, it isn’t a natural tendency to be organized. Business opportunities can fall through the cracks. Cold calling makes it easy to sit at my desk, and build a pipeline. I use my CRM to keep quality notes on all of my prospects. Everything I need is in front of me.
9) Multiple Decision Makers – Within seconds, I can try to reach multiple decision makers within a company. If one isn’t available, I try the other one!
10) Willing to Do What Others Won’t – I love cold calling. I tell myself that every day. In fact, I make it a point to walk into the office, turn on my computer, and dial my first call before I do anything else. It sets the tone for the rest of the day.

This article is a GRN Corporate property.
Prepared by Deni Jelinčić, Social Media Project Coordinator

This post was taken from our Wordpress blog page:

http://grnczech.wordpress.com/2013/01/07/ten-things-to-love-about-c...

Comment by bill josephson on January 8, 2013 at 10:06am: Excellent piece.

Cold calling takes intestinal fortitude gaining the respect of most people you contact providing what you're presenting to them is in their market niche.

Comment by Malia Jorgensen on January 8, 2013 at 11:12am: Great article! Cold calling is very effective. I've always enjoyed it and had success with it, but not everyone is comfortable with it. When I first started in recruiting - I just had the phone book and my phone.

Comment by Suzanne Levison on January 8, 2013 at 12:06pm: BRAVO! The phone is magic

Comment by Elise Reynolds on January 9, 2013 at 10:10am: Thank you! Well done

Cold Calling is one of the most important skills for anyone in almost any profession. Being able to cold call is a big part of being able to make things happen

Comment by Michele St.Laurent on January 9, 2013 at 2:16pm: Great post!

The phrase "cold calling" sounds worse than the actual act is. Can we re-name it?! (Somewhat like a root canal. Those two words make me cringe, but having endured a few, they are not that bad!)

Comment by Maureen Sharib on January 10, 2013 at 7:48am: I love that last one.

It's true!

Comment by Ray Colby on January 11, 2013 at 9:40am: I am always calling potential candidates. I do not just send an e-mail. Follow up is key! great post

Comment by Anita Zurkinden on January 14, 2013 at 10:25am: Hi Everyone,

Interesting subject – the cold calling. The recruitment industry is moving forward and changing. The cold calling was good in "rolodex era" . Now days, with the global data base such as internet, I would call it warm calling. We can gather some info and get prepared before we call.

Comment by bill josephson on January 14, 2013 at 10:28am: True, it's still a cold call, though, if you've never spoken with them before.

Comment by Elise Reynolds on January 14, 2013 at 10:40am: I am finding it harder to get people on the phone than in years past. With so many other forms of communication unless you have someone's mobile phone number they very often don't answer their official work phone. There are a lot of people out there that make it a policy to never answer their work land line. They might check the voice mail once or twice a week and at that point they are not going to return a call unless they are sure they want what you are offering.

I am wishing I could make my emails more persuasive because with some people that is the only shot you have. I will say I think I have improved my LinkedIn communication and I have a decent engagement rate. However I am sure I could improve that quite a bit.