Cold calling potential clients

I'm an agency trained Google AdWords account manager. I've recently got my feet wet in the freelancing area. I'm exploring as many avenues as possible to gather leads. How have people found cold calling? As I can see poorly managed AdWords account from simple Google searches so I can see that being a strong base for my proposal. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

Where are you located? Specific country and business cultures matter a lot when it comes to cold calling. E.g., I recently learned that in Germany, they are so anti-cold calling that you can be fined 250,000 euros per cold call you make.

Here in the U.S., I have seen cold calling effectiveness in a number of markets drop to almost zero. People have Caller ID and voice mail to hide behind, so actually getting someone on the phone is near impossible these days. In fact, about a year ago, I let go of our entire telemarketing team because results did not justify the cost.

In your case, you also want to call and tell the person what a lousy campaign they are running and how you can improve it. Tough way to start a conversation.

Let me ask the obvious: why wouldn't you run your own AdWords campaign to show your skills at generating your own leads? You could then quickly point out how effective your AdWords campaigns are based upon them responding to it.

 

Maybe, nowadays people feel more comfortable texting or emailing, when compared to talking.

 

If you like cold-calling, don't be afraid to stand for what you believe in, even if that means standing alone.

 

Hold on... define a cold call. If you are just calling random businesses who don't know who you are then you probably won't see a return. But if you are calling previous customers and/or companies who know who your company is the return would be a lot higher.

 

Cold calling, by just about all definitions, is performed on lists of prospects that do not know you or your company.

 

Secrets to Cold Calling Success
1. Plan Ahead
2. Investigate Before You Call
3. Seek Out a Personal Connection
4. Get Information Before You Give It
5. Get Out of Your Chair and in Front of a Mirror
6. Keep careful records
7. Use Referrals in Your Voice Mail Message

 

Cold calling is a waste of money just like McDonals burger, never worked and will not work 99% of the time.

 

It really depends on the services you provide. Cold calling does work and can be effective but the difficult part is being able to convert somebody into a customer. I do think it's not as effective as reaching out to your local community but it definitely works if you do the work and don't get discouraged after the 100th call. It takes a lot of work and effort.

 

Never antagonise your target or talk down to them, that's the first rule. Cold calling is an effective technique, but it comes with a lot of practice. Check out Grant Cardone's youtube videos. He's a master of sale and gives good advice on the subject

 

cold calling could work out. But just make sure you have a good scales script and all the info you need before you give the call.

 

I read an article from Harvard Business on the topic of cold calling about a month ago.
The main takeaway was:
People who emailed the company first then called within the hour had an 80% higher chance to close business when cold calling.

If you are going to target a specific state you could get a phone number through skype for $4 a month so that your phone number looks local and has a higher chance of getting answered.
The gatekeepers will end you, try to find out who the owner/ decision maker is. Find their website and look for names.
I'd offer value first, something that will throw them off.
"Hi Mr.Johnson, I found you from an online ad that got my attention. Did you see what the (text, image w/e) looked like when others see it online?
"No problem it's an easy fix so I figured id help out for FREE that way you're not wasting your money, do you want me to email you the format or do you have a few minutes for me to walk you through how to fix the ad?"
"Wait who are you?" "I'm a certified Google Ad's expert, my company is based out of ______ , I saw your ad and since the fix was so easy I figured I'd reach out FOR FREE and help you out"
"So this fix should boost your results by at least 60%, do you mind if I reach back out to you in a week just to make sure the fix worked?"
Follow up with a call confirming the results and explore their needs.

 

Just make sure you check the Do Not Call List before making the calls.

 

These days, people like me, rather a text message over a call in many situations.
Cold-calling: Never liked this strategy, even if they are potential clients.

 

Cold calling strategy is outdated in my opinion.
People need to see what you offer instead of hearing your voice.
It's really annoying.
Instead, you may try email marketing technique.

 

If you still prefer doing cold calls as a way of earning money, you can consider joining here: https://www.squadrunapp.com/ . However, don't consider it as any replacement for your income.

 

oh, I think it's time for you to abandon this outdated idea.

 

Hey Guys, so I have tried some cold calling as well to not only try to make a sale, but to collect some data as well about different markets. I was wondering if anyone could provide insight on the online marketing industry for Therapists and Psychologists. You don't see a lot of ads for them and wondering if something is restricting them.

 

It's not specific to therapists / psychologists. There will be very few ads being run by individual practitioners of any kind. If someone needs medical attention, they are not necessarily going to be online (in order to see such ads), which is why hotlines exist which need to be manned 24x7. (And of course, many calls to such hotlines are cold calls indeed). You might have advertisements from hospital chains, from health insurance providers, even from medical equipment suppliers but not necessarily from the doctors themselves, the reason being that you don't usually 'make a selection/choice' when you are ill (in any form) and need to seek medical assistance.

Also, some people might take offence when you (to be precise, your ad) tell/tells them that they need to seek therapy, a much harder task than to convince someone to buy, say, an iPhone (even though that iPhone might cost more than therapy). Online advertisements don't always make their intention clear. It is often difficult to generate the need/demand for such things because people hesitate a lot to go for it, regardless of whether they saw an online ad for it or otherwise. They often assume it won't work, they come under some kind of peer/societal pressure, they try to self-diagnose/order some kind of over-the-counter drug, etc. And in the worst case, they might be under the illusion that nothing is wrong with them in the first place. You can talk about the benefits of such services but it is very difficult to make someone want the service.

 

Cold calling will work but remember to warm them up before pitching any sales!