In terms of traditional marketing techniques, there are few methods which has received more negative press than cold calling. One of the main reasons for this observation arises from the fact that the majority of the calls were unsolicited.
Furthermore, countless individuals fell victim to unscrupulous sellers offering entirely fictitious products. While cold calling enjoyed a great deal of popularity during the 1980s and 1990s, consumers slowly became aware of the possible dangers.
This is why hardly any businesses still choose to employ this approach in modern times. However, has cold calling truly run its course or might it still be useful in some situations? You might be surprised at the answers to this seemingly simple question.
The Stigma of the Cold Caller
Most of us associate cold callers with an anonymous voice on the other end of the phone. He or she nearly always contacts us at inopportune times with promises of a small fortune. Of course, all that would be required is a “tiny” up-front payment.
In some cases, our greed may begin to supersede sound logic and as a result, we could end up losing a significant amount of money. Many consumers who have fallen for such a scheme are also too embarrassed to report this scenario to the authorities, so the cold callers walk away unscathed.
A Dying Realm
We can therefore understand why many businesses have chosen to abandon cold calling as a viable marketing option. They are now employing other techniques such as social media advertisements, automated emails and pay-per-click campaigns. However, does this signify that cold calling is truly dead? Might there be some situations that could still warrant this approach?
Possible Benefits of Telephone Contacts
One of the main stumbling blocks which businesses need to overcome within a digital world involves the ability to establish an organic connection with the average customer.
When we take into account that the consumers are bombarded by numerous pop-up advertisements and similar marketing detritus on a daily basis, the challenge becomes very real. This is why cold calling could still represent an avenue to explore. However, we need to point out a critical caveat.
We are not referring to cold calling in the traditional sense. In modern times, this form of contact can be used in synergy with an existing enterprise ecommerce platform such as Shopify Plus. Let’s take a look at how such a process might take place:
- The customer visits a website.
- He or she requests further information via email.
- A telephone number is included within his or her contact details.
The Bottom Line
In this scenario, the potential client has already shown interest in what the business has to offer. As a result, he or she will be much more receptive if they happen to receive a phone call in the future. Not only is this an excellent way to help cement a potential sale, but businesses can begin to establish long-term relationships via word of mouth as opposed to relying upon the digital domain alone.
