Telephone prospecting in 2024

Many Sales people today neglect telephone prospecting, and for good reason: the evolution of prospecting channels, the fear of "no", the complexity of the product or service on offer, the feeling that this method is intrusive or unsuitable.

However, telephone prospecting is still the most effective means of prospecting.

What is a cold call?

A "cold call" is a business practice in which a person or company proactively contacts a prospect or potential customer without first establishing a link or relationship with them. These calls are generally aimed at presenting a product or service and generating interest in a future sale.

The benefits of telephone prospecting in 2024

What salesperson hasn't been disappointed by the number of responses they've received to their campaigns? Worse still, some forget that multi-channel also includes the telephone. Focus on the advantages of this practice in an ecosystem where value creation is a fundamental issue.

1) You'll stand out from your competitors

We may tend to think that at the end of the phone is a prospect who receives dozens of calls a day, but this is not the case. Many salespeople today tend to favor contacts by e-mail or via a professional social network like linkedin. They tend to favor these channels, which they find more modern, less intrusive and less emotionally taxing. By taking the risk of canvassing by telephone, you're putting much more of a chance on your side.

According to an article by Re-com, telephone canvassing allows you to stand out from the competition by personalizing your calls, and discuss your company's issues in greater depth, and capture its attention.

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2) Direct, personalized human interaction

By calling your prospects directly, you give yourself the chance to establish a more real and natural approach. This differs from the cold, impersonal connections we tend to create by e-mail, for example. What's more, we always trust the person who knows how to show his or her true colors, and who sings the melody with his or her voice. This shows that you really care about your prospect. Since it's impossible to automate over the phone, this rules out the vision of a single name lost among thousands of others in a database.

3) A proven immediatism

Telephone prospecting undoubtedly speeds up the sales process. Where email campaigns can go on for weeks without any response, a phone call enables an immediate exchange during which the prospect can quickly get to know the service or product you're offering.

4) A better presentation of our product / service

It's often difficult to present our product/service in a concrete way, especially when it's complex. Prospecting enables live demonstrations, providing concrete proof of the added value of what we want customers to buy. Calling provides an in-depth explanation of the product or service on offer.

5 ) Responding to objections

A significant advantage of cold calling is that it offers an immediate opportunity to respond to prospects' objections. Since they're in direct and instant contact with you, they'll rightly take advantage of the opportunity to voice their questions, giving you the chance to reassure them and avoid misunderstandings. By directly rebutting the objections raised by prospects, you demonstrate your transparency and your concern to satisfy their needs through active listening. In this way, you establish a relationship of trust that will ultimately help you close the sale.

6) Follow-up on your leads

Telephone prospecting enables us to rekindle the interest of leads who have previously shown an attraction for our solution, and to understand what may have slowed down the prospect's decision to buy, as well as to reassure them that personalized solutions can be offered to meet their specific needs. The call also enables immediate action to be taken, whether through a subsequent telephone appointment or a demonstration.

As you can see, despite the apparent diversification of prospecting channels, telephone prospecting remains the most effective alternative.