Guest Post by Anthony Lobosco, Cisco Systems
The cold call and follow-up email, a long-time weapon in the arsenal of a salesperson, is very inefficient at recruiting leads when compared to the more modern method of social selling. Instead of slamming my customers with emails about local events, product webinars, and Cisco resources, I have found it much more efficient to direct my leads to a one-stop, online spot for my customers to get company-related updates and information in the form of a high-powered sales blog.
This blog simplifies communication, giving me the ability to create more targeted email campaigns by including links to relevant content. It’s a great way to be proactive with clients and circumvent the “take me off your list” response. With a Jazzboo Sales Blog, I have a concrete reason to reach out via phone, rather than calling out of nowhere, giving me an in to discuss the email I just sent.
Now let me tell you why social selling works. While I may not be connected with every client on LinkedIn and Twitter, there are three clear benefits to reaching out via social.
- I can invite clients to connect through social channels. It’s less aggressive and I’m more likely to get a platform to communicate with them then through a cold all.
- It increases my thought leadership and relevance to the folks with whom I am connected (partners, clients, former clients, etc.)
- The best part – these connections create a ripple effect where my messaging reaches people I didn’t directly intend to contact.
So is the cold call dead? No, but with so many better options through social selling, it might be needing life support pretty soon.