PROCESS
What is the best channel to prospect with and why?
We love cold calling. We probably like the sound of our own voice too much, but it’s not just that. When we talk to prospects live on the phone, we can gather more information than simple replies via email or social media. Out of all the prospecting channels to choose from, phone works well for us.
But for as much as we love the phone, it’s not for everyone. Across the hundreds of thousands of cold calls we’ve made, we’ve only ever reached 40-60% of any list.
Why is that?
Some people just don’t pick up the phone.
That’s a fact. It’s human behavior. If you’re a phone person, you tend to pick up the phone. If you’re not a phone person, you tend to not pick up the phone. So no matter how much I cold call a non-phone person, I can’t force them to take my call.
This is the case with all prospecting channels including email, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc. This has always been the case. Think about door to door sales - if you were carrying a suitcase full of dictionaries to sell to folks (before Amazon!) you could only ever talk to the folks who were home and willing to answer their door.
If you’re trying to pick the best prospecting channel for your own sales efforts, don’t think about what you prefer (that’s a common mistake). Think about where your audience spends time and expects to have a sales conversation. That’s where you need to reach them.
The Bridge Group created an ebook that provides real insights on what makes buyers stop, listen and ultimately, engage. We encourage you to download it for some key data so you can learn what prospecting channels might work for you! Or if you’re looking for someone to do this for you, contact us today to discuss your goals.