Is cold calling too old school or is it still appropriate in today's marketplace?
I've been in the insurance business for 27 years and it keeps changing. I do direct mailings for outreach on behalf of my company but, I am also open to new ideas. What are your thoughts?
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May 17, 2016
I think cold calling is dead to consumers. I personally think it is a violation to my personal privacy if a business calls me without my permission. But for the B2B, there is still a marketplace there. People are more likely to pick up the phone if it is going to benefit them at work.
Jan 29, 2016
Any business that does marketing shall use just all available communication lines, that are worth the expense. To find out if cold calling works for you, you would need to test it as a marketing line. You would make a list of 1000 people, make your calls and simply invest in the marketing. You would review your marketing action and decide if it is worth to continue in the future with it.
I tend to believe it is worth. I have done it, and want to setup cold calling department with few people.
Cold calling can be very personal and very helpful for people. That is how you CONNECT to your leads and future customers. Connecting is always good. Even if you just call a customer one time, you will leave an impression.
Communication process shall be well designed and controlled. That is why salesmen when doing cold calls, are salesmen and not just everybody. Making calls is for skilled people who know how to sell.
You would need to have a master sales manager who supervises the salesmen making cold calls. Without the appropriate person supervising the communication one cannot get a proper answer "Should I cold call?"
A master expert in cold calling would tell you YES.
Your marketing statistics should always use multiple communication lines, and you would count:
- emails sent
- SMS sent
- calls made
- letters sent
- brochures & gifts sent
- leads generated
and so on
Cold calling is especially important to attract those people who don't use Internet, and there are many of them.
May 22, 2015
It doesn't matter how old or how new the business, in my opinion COLD CALLING will never disappear, and over half of my business exists as results from COLD CALLING. COLD CALLING is not an easy thing to do, but it can be very rewarding. I love building relationships, and always like to follow-up with an e-mail that has my picture in my address information. I believe it is important to put a face to a voice and name.
Also, it is good to always try to compliment the recipient on something, whether it is the way they answered the phone, the tone and friendliness of their voice, their politeness. People like to receive compliments, and it is always important to make sure it is a good time for them. After all, their timing is what is most important, not what you have to say.
Jan 3, 2015
as someone who has been in the game for 20 yrs yes it certainly still works if done properly. Format I use is call then send info then follow up call. about 1 in 15 ROI
Jan 14, 2015
Thanks Greg I just signed up with MoJo dialer, auto dialer. Thank you.
Dec 27, 2014
I believed if the insurance company is changing due to advancement in technology and globalization, we also need to have a positive correlation with the changes in terms of being renovating and creative!
Dec 24, 2014
Anything that gets you noticed is what you should be doing. Try cold eMails, cold calls, be part of your local Chamber of Commerce, write a newsletter, offer insurance tips and review. Write a blog for your website, assuming you have one.
Dec 23, 2014
Many companies have switched over to lead generation marketing as a method of filling an inside sales pipeline with more qualified leads. Digital marketing is more efficient than cold calling for most situations in insurance.
Dec 21, 2014
Cold calling still happens but I believe it is more about indirect marketing these days! Try to join groups on social media to talk more about your product and the benefits that it offers.
Dec 20, 2014
Its still appropriate . We have been lucky to have our clients spread the word about us.
Thanks Greg I just signed up with MoJo dialer, auto dialer. Thank you.