I got an email yesterday that read: “Cold Calling works and is one of the fundamentals of selling. If you have the resources to generate leads without cold calling or telemarketing, direct mail, or some other form of advertising, Cold Calling is the most cost effective and efficient for those disciplined enough to follow a routine.” (Spelling corrected)
I get emails like this all the time.
Instead of going into a huge rant about why cold calling doesn’t work (cold calling is like taking a model T car and trying to race at the Indy 500) I want to dissect what this person believes selling is. And why you shouldn’t think like him if you crave success.
First off he used the word “fundamental.” Really? Cold calling is fundamental to selling? That’s weird because I make a very nice income in selling and I don’t cold call…EVER! In fact all very successful salespeople I know don’t cold call. It’s not a good use of their time. So it’s not fundamental at all.
Secondly he says “…for those disciplined enough to follow a routine.” Yikes, disciplined and routine in the same sentence. It makes me shudder! Although I think you need a little bit of both I don’t think any salesperson wants a routine that they need to be disciplined enough to follow. In fact that’s what I think attracts people to selling; there’s no routine and every day brings something new.
This email probably came from some cold calling zealot that doesn’t make an income from his commissions. He probably got promoted to some middle management job and makes the new salespeople’s jobs pure hell by teaching them tactics that are about 20 years old.
No wonder salespeople have such a hard time! All the managers are so disconnected with the world that they are no longer relevant. In fact I predict that in the next 5-10 years sales training will be completely different and they will finally start to teach the techniques that I and hundreds of others use everyday.
Of course if I were you I wouldn’t wait. It’s time to evolve or die. If what you are doing doesn’t work, then find something else.
Until next time…
Tyler
http://www.coldcallcrusher.com/thesystem.html
