Not all that long ago, before the days of caller ID, you never knew who was on the other end when you picked up the phone. That didn’t stop us from answering. Back then, cold calling was a lot more common, especially because social media and email marketing weren’t yet a “thing.” These days, if you get a phone call from a strange number, you probably don’t answer. What does this mean for sales professionals? Is cold calling dead? The answer is… it’s tricky. Let’s explore.

Wait, What is Cold Calling?

Cold calling is an unsolicited attempt to sell a product or service. The term “cold” refers to the relationship between the caller and the person receiving the call. It’s cold because they’re strangers. They have no prior relationship and this is the first touchpoint.

When some people talk about cold calling, they also include in-person, door-to-door sales, as well.

Is Cold Calling Dead These Days?

Like most businesses, you’re probably constantly looking for ways to increase your sales. Does the answer lie in your phone, or is this technology obsolete when it comes to selling?

Certain professionals — like automotive sales reps — still do a fair amount of cold calling. However, we have to consider the drawbacks. Keep in mind that one survey found that 75% of Americans never answer calls from unknown numbers. This already decreases the potential success rate of cold calling quite drastically.

Even if the other person does pick up the phone, think of the circumstances. This call could be a huge interruption to their day. Are they in a position to be sold to? Do they want to be sold to? (Probably not. Nobody wants to be sold to.) What if they’re busy? What if you call their mobile phone and they have poor service? Or what if you didn’t reach the right person? Getting past the “gatekeeper” (like a receptionist) — whose job includes filtering out cold calls — is one of the biggest challenges of this method.

This is a much different approach to outbound sales than something like cold emailing. At least with cold emailing, the recipient can read the email when it’s most convenient for them. You also avoid putting them on the spot, as you would with a phone call. Plus, you can send emails a lot faster and with a lot less effort than you can make phone calls.

So, can cold calling work? Possibly. Is it the most reliable sales method? No. What’s a better alternative then? Is there another way to utilize phone sales? Yes!

Leveraging Inbound Calls to Increase Sales Conversions

Imagine if, instead of chasing down your leads (outbound sales), they came to you. This is called inbound sales. What would this look like, though? What reason would people have to randomly call you up and ask about your product or service?

Well, think about the greater customer/client journey and what that entails. A lot of nurturing goes into selling. Let’s say you’re a dentist. And on your website, people can download a free list of ingredients to avoid in their toothpaste. At the end of that free download, you tell them to call and schedule an appointment to get 20% off your teeth whitening services. That’s one example of how you can incentivize people to call you. Another benefit to this approach is that because they already established a relationship with you (through your free product), they’re no longer cold. They’re warm! This means that by the time you get on the phone with them, they’re just a little bit closer to saying “yes” and spending money with your company.

But your efforts can’t end there.

How to Convert More Inbound Calls to Sales

Getting people to call you up is pointless if you don’t know what to do once you’ve got them on the phone. A lot of small businesses are leaving money on the table when it comes to converting inbound calls to sales. In fact, most small businesses close inbound calls at somewhere between 20% and 30%.

It’s not about stale, gimmicky sales tactics that you’ve maybe read about online. It’s about truly connecting with the caller, establishing your expertise, and helping them come to the conclusion — on their own — that you are the solution to their problems. That should be your priority: Solving their problem. “But my priority is making money!” you’re saying, and I get it. However, your leads don’t care about you making money. They care about what you can do to help them. Focus on helping them, and the money will start to flow very naturally. This is where so many sales professionals go wrong!

What’s so exciting about forming relationships with your leads via the phone is that it has the potential to increase your inbound call conversion rate to 80%. If you’re a service-based business — and especially if you’re spending money on something like Google ads to try to get more phone calls — then you have to know how to leverage these incoming calls. Otherwise, you won’t see a return on your investment. Learn more about the high converting call class, where I’ll show you exactly how to master the art of phone sales and turn those inbound calls into new clients.

So, is cold calling dead? Not really, but it certainly isn’t the sales tactic it used to be. These days, you can leverage the internet to first connect with your leads and get them to call you instead. And, with the right approach, you can consistently turn these callers into new clients or customers.