cold calling mean

What does cold calling mean for lead generation

Cold calling has been dying throughout the marketing industry, but it is considered the best technique for lead generation. It has been acting as the primary service from lead generation agencies, but why is this method useful?

 For lead generation, cold calling allows people to directly reach out to potential leads. 

Telemarketing, in general, has received a bad reputation in the past. Cold calling alone is very challenging and requires skills. Luckily, lead generation employees are trained or have experience in cold calls. 

Many people may not know that a lead generation agency will undergo many strategies before making a call. Cold Calls can be very time consuming; thus, a lead generation specialist wants to make sure that they are spending time calling potential leads. 

This is where the bad reputation is placed on cold calling. It was widespread to call people within a specific area, such as country or city. People had the location as the only calling requirement, which meant that people were calling large groups. 

Cold Calling Definition

Cold calling is actively calling people who have no prior connection with the company. With lead generation, agencies strive to find high-quality potential leads through research, lead scoring, etc. 

This research allows for more productive calls that will narrow down to potential customers. 

To better understand what cold calling means for lead generation, let’s look at the process. 

Cold Calling Proccess

Cold Calling Proccess

Source:dreamstime

The cold calling process will be different for every lead generation agency. Over time agencies have discovered what works for them, but here is the general process. The approach to cold calling will be different because research can vary. I will go over lead scoring, the script during the call, and the approach. 

Lead scoring

Lead scoring

Source: outfunnel

Lead scoring prioritises leads based on who is most likely to become a customer. This process helps lead generation specialist to work efficiently and have more productive calls.  Companies might prefer a broader target audience for more opportunities, while others like to narrow their research. 

Cold calling, by definition, means that there was no previous connection before the call. This means the calling group is still significantly large but does not mean callers didn’t do prior research. 

Having a Flexible Script

Having a Flexible Script

Source: squibler

Some companies might prefer their employees to stick to the script, but callers can be creative in most cases. As I said before, cold calling takes many skills, and the most successful callers don’t stick to scripts. 

Callers tend to talk more comfortably with the prospect by having a conversation rather than sounding like a machine when using a script. This doesn’t mean to avoid altogether using a script. 

Instead, callers have a flexible script that allows room for creativity. If needed, the caller can make a few bullet points to mention that he/she needs to work into their calls.  

Using a Small Talk Approach

small talk

Source: WDRfree

This section will vary depending on the agency and can even vary depending on the lead generation specialist. Cold calling typically involves little to no small talk. It has a direct approach, but sometimes agencies may use small talk for preference.

Small talk is not for everyone. Some people can be successful with a direct approach but not the greatest at small talk and vice versa. 

The Result from Cold Calling

I will now talk about the three significant results from cold calling that explains why it is still widely used. 

  • Target desired customers 
  • Generate Awareness
  • Increased Sales 

As I said before, lead generation agencies will research the prospects before making a call. This helps the callers identify a target audience. A target audience not only saves time for the caller but results in more successful calls.  

Cold calling is also a way to raise brand awareness. If someone does not need your service right now, they might need it in the future. People are more likely to hire a company they recognise, and cold calling has been proven to result in future sales. 

Of course, a result of cold calling leads to an increase in sales. It is not a waste of time, as many might think. This method has been proven to be effective, which is still used for lead generation agencies. 

Conclusion

Once you have a clear offer, you want to place the CTAs in all the right places on your website. Have your CTA match with a specific blog post or page. 

You don’t want multiple offers on the same page if it doesn’t make sense. For example, if you say, “ 50% off women’s clothing”, then you don’t want that on a page for men’s clothing. 

For CTAs that are for specific categories, only place those on content that matches.