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Dale Carnegie says that the only way you can win an argument is to avoid it. But I’m going to throw caution to the wind and make a  bold statement. To paraphrase  Mark Twain “Reports on the  death of cold calling are greatly exaggerated.”  

You’ve probably seen ads online that make statements like this:

What are these ads trying to say?  Cold calling is hard and digital marketing provides a viable alternative. Why take precious time calling people who are just going to hang up on you? Why not let the magic of marketing find highly qualified,  ready-to-buy-now  leads that land directly in your lap. This sounds infinitely easier doesn’t it?  If only it worked.

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I’ve done a  lot of  digital marketing this year I can say with personal experience, it’s not easy. So let me share eight struggles people commonly find when embracing  phone-call free marketing methods:.

1. It’s expensive. You often get charged even if a lead doesn’t click or connect.
2. Beautifully crafted emails are often deleted by spam filters, never to be seen. Common open rates are 17% as of 2011 *
3. Brilliant copywriting  efforts in banner ads only have a .1% at click through rates as of 2010*
4. Facebook is constantly changing it’s algorythm and it’s hard to nail down when ads will show up in the newsfeed.
5. AdWords are no better. Cost per click has dropped  year over year down 15% as of  2012*
6. Twitter is a noisy media and it’s hard to rise above the chatter
7. Not to mention all the other usual suspects: Tumbler, Instagram, and Pinterest
8. Lastly  there is direct mail and it’s so 19th century

People put a lot of energy into these channels and they’re able to get returns. But it requires a significant amount of time and energy  to become an expert in these  media. For the novice and those  unfamiliar, it is difficult  learning  how to manage an ad campaign.

So if you don’t have a marketing department and  if you have more time than money,  using the phone to grow your business could make a lot of sense. You already have a phone, don’t you?

The Upside of Cold Calling

What are the pros of cold calling:

1. It only cost you time. Most people already have a phone with unlimited calling rates.
2. You have a higher probability of getting through to your prospective client. If they don’t answer you can leave a voicemail that they WILL listen to it..
3. Sometimes they do answer and you have a golden opportunity to personally make your pitch.

Now you may be thinking that people don’t answer the phone and you would be right. But again most everybody has a voicemail. And if you leave a well scripted voicemail that’s relevant to their lives, you will be able to connect to them.  This is the point of all marketing, to connect.

You want to get your message in front of prospective clients, don’t you? You also know not everyone is a buyer. But if an email goes to spam, or if a link never gets clicked, or if your banner is awash by anocean of display ads,  your client will never see your message. But when it comes to a phone call, there is a distinct possibility they may answer and even higher probability they’ll listen to your little voicemail advertisement. It makes you smile to think about it.

Digital marketing makes lot of sense in many instances. And having an extra market channel to connect with your prospects is always a good thing. But you if you’re tight on a budget but you’ve paid your phone bill, you might want to consider leveraging that little device. You may be surprised by what business it can generate.

Housekeeping

Don’t forget  to enter the contest for a free copy of Geoffrey Moore’s Crossing the chasm. Next week I’ll be announcing the winners.  To enter the contest o to www.salesbabble.com/contest and enter your contact information.  If you haven’t listened to that episode, take a moment and download it on Stitcher or iTunes. You may have noticed that I’m publishing these reports on LinkedIn now. If you’ve not connected with me please do.

Got a Question?

If so ask me!  Go here to  leave an audio message.   Or click here to type a message.  I’ll review your cold calling script! Leave a question and I’ll respond!

I really appreciate your support and sharing what we do with friends and colleagues.   If you would like to share the love  on Twitter, click here.

We can teach you a selling style that fits your personality and works! Start here.

 

* All number published in Jab Jab Right Hook – Gary Vaynerchuk 2013