Cold calling is surely one of the most polarizing topics in the freelance-o-sphere. Those who love it can be downright fanatical about its strength as a tool for finding new clients and freelance jobs. Those who hate it are equally passionate about it making us no better than telemarketers.
Count me among the former. If business is slow, I can’t think of a better way of uncovering a company that might be in need of freelance writing, editing, graphic design or web services. With that in mind, I wanted to share a link to U.K.-based Localistic Marketing’s series on cold calling tips, starting with “3 Cold Calling Mistakes that Trigger Rejection.” (Make sure you scroll to the bottom of the page—all of the related articles are worth reading.)
Their formula, which rejects many of the old-school tactics you’ve heard over the years, dovetails nicely with my experience in making those over-the-transom contacts:
- You need to focus on the potential customer’s needs, not run down a script on how wonderful you are.
- Your goal is to engage in a comfortable conversation rather than a full-speed-ahead sales pitch.
- If things don’t work out, that’s OK. Overcoming objections is fine if you’re emulating Glengarry Glen Ross, but we’re in a relationship business, not pushing shady land deals.
- Be truthful, human, genuine.
- Done right, cold calling can even be—yes!—enjoyable as well as profitable.
Bonus lesson…think outside the freelance echo chamber: On a final note, when I stumbled across this gem of a site (courtesy of a tweet by the company’s founder, Mark Mottershead), it underscored one of my guiding principles in finding and securing new business. Many of the freelancing blogs out there may be helpful, but it behooves us all to do a better job of learning about sales from expert sources outside our immediate industry. And in this case, the tips came from the other side of the Atlantic!
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I hate cold calling but I’ve gotten good at it. Basically, I just remind myself that the goal is to make a certain amount of cold calls. The law of averages says that if I make a certain amount of calls, eventually somebody will say “Yes.” So I call, I feel out the prospect and try to figure out what they need. Then tell them why I can give them what they need. If they take my information or set up a meeting, great. If they don’t, great too. Because that’s just one more “No” down before I get to my “Yes.”
That’s exactly my thought process! It’s much better to look at “no” as a stepping stone than a rejection. And if you accidentally run into someone who’s a jerk about it, just be glad that don’t have to work with such a nasty person!
This article was great indeed, its very informative especially to those newbie here in the industry. We really do need a prospect to do the cold calling in our business. And we must be aware of things that are included to that field. If you have time and want to know more about this please check my blog at http://www.inboundsales.net/blog/bid/24655/When-is-the-Perfect-Time-to-Call-a-Prospect
I’ve found my most lucrative clients by picking up the phone. Some have come through cold calls. Others through warm calls.
If you’re looking for techniques that may be useful, I’ve written a couple of FreelanceSwitch articles. See:
http://freelanceswitch.com/the-business-of-freelancing/freelancing-911-turn-your-business-around-with-cold-calls/
http://freelanceswitch.com/freelancing-essentials/freelancing-911-turn-your-business-around-with-warm-calls-and-e-mails/
Hope they’re helpful!
Thanks for commenting, Martha. You’ve provided some excellent, usable info in those links—highly recommended reading! (And FreelanceSwitch contains a wealth of great tips on a variety of topics.)
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