CATCHING A COLD-CALL
People are busy. If we have a relationship with them, we need to respect that as much as we would a stranger, and interrupting someone that doesn’t provide something valuable to them is simply insane.
A couple of cases in point:
I was in the middle of an online meeting the other day — my microphone and camera were off — I was plunking away on some mindless paperwork and administrative tasks and listening intently.
Then my phone rang. The session I was watching was being recorded, so I knew I could watch it again later — so I logged off to take the call. A missed call can mean missed business in my business, so I try to pick up promptly.
But it was neither friend, nor foe or client, it was the bane of my existence, the cold call of the worst kind, the dial-script-talk type, and this was from someone I know!
The last time I spoke with him to explore how we might do some business together, he brushed me off — dismissed me out of hand, and now he’s phoning me with a ‘let’s get together to discuss my investments’ pitch. I politely declined with the truth — “too busy, not interested, and have a nice day.” I returned to my webinar and mind-numbing paperwork.
The next day someone I’d never heard of rang me — confirmed he’d reached my company and wanted to know if I was the owner, and asked my name. And it became clear, after about 30 seconds, he tried to set up a time to meet with me to poke into my investments so he could ‘help.’ Oh, I forgot to mention, he sells mutual funds and life insurance products. Was it a social call? Was he prepared? Did he take the trouble to find out my name before he called?
These calls are illustrative of the same issues — nobody wants to be cold-called, nobody wants to reveal their personal information to a casual acquaintance, and they certainly don’t want to share that with a stranger.
I have colleagues who swear by cold-calling. I swore off that practise decades ago.
I don’t respond well to them, and I don’t expect anyone to react well if, when I call them, I am not fishing for business leads, pushing for an opportunity to strut and brag. This is not to say I don’t use sales experience to develop business — and not to imply I’m entirely subtle, just different in my approach. If I have something specific, I call/email people specifically about that — the response is usually quick, they’re interested, or they’re not …
If I want to stay in touch and stay top of mind with people, there are many ways to do that — like mailing or emailing on a frequency that doesn’t offend, offering something of value when I connect, and not expecting a response — either quickly, or at all.
The cold call with nothing of value to offer will, I hope, be extinct soon.
