Direct Selling, also known as Multilevel Marketing (MLM) or Network Marketing, builds relationships. It is about expanding the network of your people contacts. And if you are a Direct Seller on an expansion spree to grow your network contacting and interrupting someone you do not know, you need to ensure that your interruptions are worthwhile from the recipient’s angle. This write-up delves into ways of cold contacting – cold calling or cold emailing, and how doing it the right way can benefit your business.
Direct Marketing and Its Types
Direct Marketing is all about marketing relying on direct communication or distribution to customers without the intervention of any third party or intermediaries. There are several ways in which you can carry out Direct Marketing. Using Email Marketing, you can reach existing or potential customers via email. Using Telemarketing, you can communicate with an existing customer or prospect using a phone. Then there is door-to-door selling where Independent Salespeople can sell directly to their clients.
Further, there are digital means like Social Media Marketing and Internet Marketing. Direct Marketing is data-driven that aims at its recipient to act. Segmenting recipients can enable you to address them with a personalized message.
Cold Calling V/s Cold Emailing
Cold calling is a marketing technique that uses the phone to approach your client or prospect without them expecting to hear from you. Generally, you encounter many NOs and HANG-UPs when you make cold calls to your prospects as you interrupt their daily activities. When you make cold calls, it is often annoying for the recipients. Cold calling is like trying your luck at the spinning wheel! As long as you keep prospecting, make phone calls, and approach your leads, your chances of generating business are alive. The moment the wheel stops, and you do not get lucky, your business stops! Therefore, it is always essential to create a valid and genuine business reason for every call or interruption you make. Communicating effectively and adding value can help you avoid listening to NOs and experiencing HANG-UPs from the other end and enhance your relationships when cold calling.
Cold Emailing is again a marketing technique where you send a message, content, promotion, or advertisement via the email system to your prospect who does not know you and not expecting the email from you! You can track its response and change your marketing campaign accordingly after sending your email, including informative content or postcards or brochures. The beauty of this type of direct cold emailing is that it allows the customer to decide at their leisure. And, when they revert via their mail or call, they already know you and your business. It is as good as the prospect raising their hand and asking for what you are offering.
Effective Cold Calling Tips for Direct Selling
If you are holding yourself back from cold calling or cold emailing out of fear of being rudely countered or having a futile experience, you need to give it another try. You can have a pleasant experience if you use some of the below research-backed and easy-to-implement cold contacting methods.
Research the Prospect
Before you call a prospect, researching about them should always be your pre-call rule. Gathering information about your prospects – either online or other means-makes it convenient for you to deliver calls. You can add value keep them focused. They are likely to appreciate personalized efforts made by you and will enable them to open up to a better conversation. Pre-call research certainly will help you to have a better vision and tailor your message accordingly.
Create an Outline of What You Need to Communicate
Writing a quick script or even a transcript of the things you want to say or convey to your prospect can help you clearly and confidently communicate your content and get a good response from them. It can enable you to achieve your goal of making them commit to a meeting and scheduling it too. For example, you may organize your script with a short introduction about yourself, the reason for your calling, a few qualifying lines about your prospect, and finally asking them a few questions.
Dial Prospects at Convenient Times
It would help if you chose a convenient timing when cold calling your prospects else, it could be annoying to them, and you may not get a favourable response. As per studies, it has been found that the best time to make cold to prospects is during afternoons on weekdays – especially between 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Tuesdays or Thursdays. Though these timings are great to inspire, they aren’t a prescription for success!! Several online tools can help you to find the best times to make a cold call.
Influence Your Prospect with a Social Proof
Behaviors can influence people around them, and social proof can play a role in your selling. By telling a sales story about a customer with similar pain points can influence your prospect’s behavior and induce them into making a purchasing decision.
Conclusion: Reviewing the above tips can help you in your next cold call!
Reviewing the cold calling tips discussed above can enable you to deliver an effective next call. You need to keep focused on your goal. It would help if you did not waste the time of your prospect by discussing irrelevant things. You should watch the tone of your voice, listen to them carefully, appear positive, and stay on track throughout the call. Cold calling works for any business, even for your Direct Selling Business. You need to leverage cold calling people who are just a phone call away. All the best.
