Kiss Cold Calling and Phone Prospecting Goodbye And Use Social Media To Close More Sales
By: Sandi Krakowski
Have you noticed a shift in how people communicate?
No one wants to talk on the phone anymore!
Even when it's a friend or family member calling, talking on the phone all day is no longer desirable!
Most people do not want to answer the phone when someone they know calls. They'd rather talk to them online through social media, email or texting. So how can someone who is trying to build a business use the phone to do so? Or would a better question be, do you have to use the phone like we used to in years past to grow your company?
We can't do cold calling and phone prospecting like we used to be able to do it. As someone who has personally dialed more than 30,000 leads myself in my years of phone prospecting, it is my belief that we either have to step up- or step out, when it comes to using the phone to build our business. (Yes! I have phone logs and lead lists to prove I DID that many phone calls! Wild huh?)
If people don't want to answer the phone when a friend calls what makes anyone think they'd want to talk to a complete stranger?
Currently, A Real Change International has a client base of over 1.5 MILLION customers. News flash! We don't have phones ringing non-stop, we don't have a call center and we don't have employees falling like flies because they are worn out with whining customers. Most of our clients speak to my team of staff through either email or social media. Answers are fast and easy – everyone is happy. This is the new way to do business. Our customers tell us all the time they love it!
When you build a company, one of the biggest keys to success is staying relevant to where customers are currently. If customers don't want to talk on the phone, it's our responsibility as business owners to put up systems so that they can contact us in a way that they feel most comfortable. It's obvious that social media is where people want to communicate in the year 2014.
Having someone active at all times through email and social media gives our clients a high level of security and trust when doing business with us. Here at ARC, we do have a phone line where someone can be reached during normal business hours. But most of our clients reach out to us through email and social media, as their preferred means of communication.
This same method can be in place if you are running a business that requires a lot of phone prospecting or calling. One of the best ways to get through to a gate keeper is to build a relationship with them online! By doing some initial connection with a client's assistant or secretary through Facebook, Twitter or email, you'll not only be welcomed when you call by phone, but you'll be invited!
Social media and email are great ways to 'warm up' a lead or to even do your sifting. When I was prospecting years ago for a direct sales company, I would send out initial emails that asked all the right questions to get my clients to reply back to me. These are some of the same things we do today with every person who joins our email list and the results are amazing!
Rather than having hotel meetings, many people online are now hosting tele-classes, info summits that are run virtually and even Skype Chat video parties! In the same way social media and email have made it much more easy to connect with people and start a genuine conversation quickly.
Disconnect your phone a few hours per day and start making relationships with prospective clients through social media. This is how I was able to make a solid 7-figure income in my copywriting business, too!
Social media and email are how most people prefer to communicate. Go to where your client is, speak their ideal language and closing more sales will be easier than ever!
Come join me on Twitter and let me know if you are already using social media to build your business! I'd love to hear how it's going for you! Connect with me here: http://www.twitter.com/sandikrakowski
Whatever you do, remember this- People love to talk to those who care and make them feel special. Social media is one of the best places to make that happen!
