Thawing The Big Freeze
Can you believe this arctic blast we’re having? I don’t know about you but if we weren’t isolated enough with the COVID pandemic, this weather is certainly ensuring we stay home and away from others. What was a positive market response for us in January froze up like a water pipe in February! Now we await the big thaw and our flow of leads.
So let’s talk about marketing ideas! As I’ve said in previous blogs, my mind is always racing - thinking of the next opportunities, new strategies, paths to get new eyes on our brand. And when our leads freeze up, it seems like an appropriate time to discuss “cold calls” (no pun intended… ok slightly intended). It’s just so darn cold and being cold can be miserable. Being forced to do cold calls can also be miserable. I’ve been involved in this debate so many times I’ve lost count. On the one hand, “just stop whining and do the calls” is a common response I hear from people who manage or lead others who have to do it. On the other hand, I know and hear that cold calls in today’s age have the lowest ROI in your toolkit. Americans are just overwhelmed with spam calls and more likely than not, won’t even answer your call. Even if you get a good list of ideal customer prospects, springing a cold call on them without a contact to direct it to, will likely get your number blocked! I do that, don’t you?
Let’s think about this approach further. I’m an advocate for smart, warm calls… just feels better to me. One day I made a list of area businesses that I wanted to talk to about our sign products. And it occurred to me that I have a huge network of business professionals on Linked In. I don’t even pay for the premium business version on Linked in, I’m just a standard user. But I did some strategic searches for contacts in the businesses that I wanted to call and found connections in my network that I could reach out to! You know it’s not just about the people you know, but about the people your people know. I messaged those contacts that had the connections I needed and asked them if they would do an in- person introduction or even a virtual introduction for me. And you know what? All of them said “Yes”, they’d help me. Once my contacts made the introduction, the rest was on me. Now that feels so much more productive than a cold call, even if I didn’t get the meeting. Because I got my name on a decision maker’s desk. Also when you ask someone for help, people want to help, and one day they may come to you ask you for help. And the cycle of love has been established. I hope this helps warm up your day!