Cold Calling Vs Social Media

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last couple of years, you can’t fail to have noticed that the way the world does business has changed. Traditional methods of reaching new prospects are fading by the hour. Buyers are becoming desensitised to the overwhelming amount of marketing messages that they receive day after day. No longer will the buyer or the decision maker take a cold call or give valuable time to a complete stranger pushing their wares when there are so many other ways of finding information.

Or will they?

If used properly and maximised on, the two methods work well along-side each other. Research shows that 89% of decision makers will use Google first to find new suppliers. Then they turn to word of mouth referrals and social networking sites such as Twitter, and ask for recommendations from the people they follow, and those who are following them.

But isn’t that time consuming? And even after all that research they may not find the right supplier / product.

On the other hand, Mr Decision Maker could be sat at his desk, working away when the phone rings. The caller introduces themselves, they give their elevator pitch and pique the interest of Mr DM by mentioning that this product is in limited supply, a much reduced, time sensitive promotion. Whilst the telemarketer continues to sing the praises of their product, the buyer has looked at their website and has seen that this is indeed a brilliant money and time saving offer, and although they already have a current supplier he will not hesitate to change – it’s that damn good!

So the deal is done, but then the buyer is further impressed by his new supplier. Why? Because they have just asked if their new customer is on Twitter? Facebook? Can we connect on Linkedin? This company is clearly at the forefront of their industry, and a new relationship manifests itself, strengthening the customer – supplier chain.

Not to be under rated is the value of Linkedin. As every credible telesales company will tell you, the outcome of a call is influenced by the amount of research that is done before even picking up the phone. This is where Linkedin plays its part. Search for the buyers name and all of sudden you have their current position and responsibilities as well as their previous roles and experience. Take a look at the people they’re connected to – any cross over with your connections?

We’d love to hear what you think, do you agree with the above? What’s been your experience?

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