Cold Calling vs. “Dropping In”
Nancy Calabrese
Lead Generation | Appointment Setting | Cold Calling | Inside Sales Management | Sales Training & Coaching
When it comes to lead generation and closing new business, it’s probably not going to be a surprise to hear me say that I believe that cold calling is a critical component. I have had potential clients challenge me, asking: “Why not just ‘drop in’ to a likely customer? If you drop in and they’re willing to talk to you, you might even be able to close business that day.”
As owner of One of a Kind Sales, I work with businesses that provide solutions that may represent a significant investment for their customers. In my experience, a successful, same-day close is highly unlikely for this type of sale
The Pitfalls of the “Drop-In” visit
Ultimately an in-person visit to someone who does not know you (a cold visit) should have the same objective as a cold call: to qualify the prospect and make an appointment for a more substantive meeting.
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Why Cold Call?
There is a direct relationship between the number of appointments with qualified clients and your sales numbers. Increasing the number of qualified appointments we make will result in increased sales. As an experienced cold caller, I would place my bet on using cold calling to drive sales growth any day. Cold calling is a skill that is often neglected in sales training.
If you would like to explore how cold calling can impact your business, please reach out to me at 908-879-2911. At One of a Kind Sales, we are experts at cold calling and would love to help.
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1yNancy. This is so interesting. Thanks.
Sharpening the Point of Sales Enablement
1yThe drop-in call is typically good for short-term, quick sales, usually to set up a future appointment, think copier machines. However, I have personally used the drop-in call effectively when I am already in a building or industrial area, with a legitimate scheduled appointment. We all know in todays world just getting inside a building is a security challenge by itself. Yet, once in a clients location, and completed the scheduled meeting, I have used the "Columbo ask" and said "oh, one last thing" where is the ABC group, or sometimes just "walk the hall," or take the elevator to another floor. I've even asked the security desk which department or division handles XYZ, and sometimes they've connected me to the right person. Yes, I've gotten to other departments in a politically siloed organization because I took the risk to "drop-in." Mind you, my only goal is to meet someone new and set up a future appointment -never to "sell" on the spot. In my experience, the drop-in approach both fails more than it succeeds. Yet, the fact I am already on-site and have nothing to lose, the risk to me is minimal. To answer the reader's begging question, yes, if my hand gets slapped then I simply apologize and don't do it again. 😁