Why You Should Still Cold Call (Make It Happen Mondays Podcast)
Oct 11, 2024
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John Barrows, a sales expert and host of the Make It Happen Mondays podcast, dives into the often-overlooked art of cold calling. He presents compelling data illustrating how top sales reps successfully secure meetings through this method. Barrows emphasizes the importance of resilience, particularly for newcomers to sales, while discussing the benefits of integrating AI tools like Otter AI and PipeDrive to enhance productivity. He also addresses the unique challenges of remote work and the crowded email marketing space, making a case for cold calling’s resurgence.
Cold calling serves as a vital proving ground for early-career sales reps, fostering essential skills like grit and resilience amidst challenges.
As automation floods the sales landscape, a strategic multi-channel approach that incorporates cold calling significantly boosts engagement and quota success.
Deep dives
The Importance of Cold Calling for Sales Reps
Cold calling is essential for early-career sales representatives as it is a test of grit and resilience in a challenging field. Many new reps struggle with the demands of this role, which leads to a high turnover rate within the first few months. The learning that occurs in an office environment, often through observation of experienced colleagues, is invaluable and can compensate for inadequate formal training. As sales become increasingly automated and reliant on inbound leads, developing cold calling skills could set sales reps apart and ensure long-term success in their careers.
The Shift Back to Cold Calling
There is a notable resurgence in the importance of cold calling as email automation saturates the market, making it difficult for sales professionals to stand out. With prospects inundated with emails, relying solely on written communication can lead to poor engagement and quota attainment. Top-performing sales reps can book significantly more meetings with cold calling compared to average performers who make the same number of dials without achieving desirable results. Establishing a multi-channel communication strategy that includes phone outreach greatly enhances visibility and response rates in an increasingly competitive landscape.