Cold Calling - a Waste of Time…or NOT

Preparation and goal setting
You need to set clear goals. For example, I keep a weekly tally sheet for one of the products/services (ads in print & on the web) I sell. It outlines the number of new (cold) phone calls I make each day along with existing (or follow up) calls. I also keep track of email/faxes I send out, and ”in person” appointments I have. I tally this weekly-the weeks I make more calls, I make more sales. Therefore, I feel cold calling is well worth it. 

Target the proper person you need to contact. My first call is to simply ask for the full name and title of the person who makes the advertising decisions for that company. I verify the mailing address and thank the person with whom I was speaking. Then, I have my corporate office send out a media kit; one to two weeks later, I call that “advertising” contact. When I first started, I would talk to the person before sending the media kits-I kept getting no’s. So, I changed my strategy to sending the sample magazine and info first and now I get people who will talk to me when I call back. 

You might write a letter prior to calling them – but, be sure you have the proper person to contact. Then, when calling back, you’re following up with information on the letter. (This works well to get past difficult “gatekeepers.) I do this in my home area – I cover the entire state of California (except for the Wine Country, SF & the peninsula). So, I write a letter “introducing” myself to contacts in the Central Valley-many of these people already know me. Then, I follow up with the media kit (unless I leave the letter with the media kit if I was in the area) being sent and finally I call them.

A time and a place
Set a specific time to cold call. I handle corporate accounts and advertising agencies back east (I’m in California) so one day a week (Tues-Thurs) I go directly to my office (at home) and spend 7am-8:45am (10-11:45am in the East) calling those clients. Then, I go and get ready for my day. About 10am I start in on phone calls in California.