How one copywriter relies on cold calling to find new clients
If there’s one thing that can unite most creative types, it’s this: speaking on the phone can feel downright daunting. Very often, our native habitat is a solitary one, and we like it that way.
So it was with no small amount of surprise when, in conversation with Phil Tyreman, Head Pen Pusher at CoolContent, he swore that cold calling was the shit when it came to landing new clients.
What is cold calling?
Cold calling is the practice of reaching out to prospective clients without ever having spoken with them before. This is in contrast to warm calling: getting in touch with a client or prospect that you’ve already had contact with, even if just briefly.
But things have changed in today’s hyperconnected world. With resources like LinkedIn, it’s easy to find information on our prospects that would not have been as accessible in the past. With a bit of research, cold calling doesn’t have to be as cold as it once was. It’s easy to find people to target, and to learn more about them in order to break the ice and customise your sales pitch.
How do you find people to target?
“It’s simple,” says Phil. “I make a list of companies that I want to target. For me, these are firms with 3–50 employees and no marketing department. Then, find the name of a director, ideally the managing director. If there’s a mobile number attached to this name, all the better! Once you know the number to dial and the name to ask for, pick up the phone.
“I’ll only call at director level. These people are the only ones able to make decisions in the companies I target. Maybe in some, a more junior person might have some decision-making ability, however, this is rare and their autonomy is limited anyway so there’s little point speaking to them. It sounds harsh but it’s the truth.
“Speaking to managers and similar will get you needlessly hung up on (because these people don’t understand sales and don’t have the full picture so don’t know definitively if your product or service will help) or you’ll get your time wasted.”
How do you learn to cold call successfully?
Obviously, this is the sort of skill that takes time to hone. Phil worked as a recruiter for several months in order to learn to sell, and found that most of his business development came from cold calls.
“I’d read that speaking to people on the phone is the fastest way turn leads into clients but it takes skill. So, I worked as a recruiter for about nine months last year (2019) to learn to sell and most of my business development came from cold calls.”
The major lessons he learned during his time were:
- Pick up the phone
- Pick up the phone some more
- Listen more than you speak
- Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want
- Never discount
It’s also important to note that “prospects and clients really don’t care about you. They don’t care about your company, your unique selling proposition (USP) or your life. They want their problems fixed by someone they trust. Be that person. You’re not doing this to ‘build relationships’ or find a new best friend.”
How do you deal with the fear or awkwardness?
I thought perhaps Phil was immune to the anxiety I feel whenever I pick up the phone but turns out, that isn’t the case.
“Yeah [I feel nervous and awkward], but I remember that if I don’t [pick up the phone], I won’t be eating next month. Starvation is an excellent motivation.
“Sure, people have said no. Some people have hung up. But I don’t care. I’m making the call to sell things, not find a new bestie to go shopping with. They weren’t going to buy from me anyway.
“Just pick up the phone. Obviously, make sure you comply with any relevant legislation (TPS/CTPS in the UK, for example) but there really isn’t much to stop you if you have a mobile and the internet.”
The good news is that, according to Phil’s experience, people are generally decent.
“No MD will ever refuse a call that might help their business so, if they think you can help them, they’ll hear you out.”
Note: cold calling is sales, not marketing
And it’s an important distinction because, according to Phil, selling requires a completely different mindset and process.
“Marketing: Persuasive promotion of your product or service to raise awareness and prompt action.
“Sales: Verbal communication between two or more parties in order to exchange goods or services for money.
“There’s an old truism in medicine: ‘the patient will tell you their diagnosis.’ Same goes for sales. If they’re experiencing the pains that I can fix, they’ll tell me if I ask the right questions.
“I have to go out and find those people. So, when someone tells me they don’t have time or an expertise issue with their marketing content I don’t try to persuade them otherwise. The chances of success are minuscule and these people make poor clients because they never really believed they had a problem in the first place.”
Interested in working with Phil? He specialises in blogging, website content, email marketing, and direct mail marketing.
Find him on LinkedIn or at CoolContent.
