Should you immediately call a cold client, or is it better to send an offer by email first? Are cold calling effective or is it just a myth? This question worries everyone who is involved in sales. However, successful sellers always know exactly how to establish the first contact, and in this they are helped not only by experience, but also by a competent assessment of the situation.

In fact, it is impossible to say unequivocally which is better: both are good. But when it comes to first interaction, it is important to make the right choice. In this post we will talk about 3 criteria that will help you decide and choose the right approach to processing leads.

What time is it now?

The first thing to consider is the time and day. Open your calendar and look at the clock: statistically, the effectiveness of cold calls is greatest in the afternoon and at the end of the week. Obviously, as the evening and weekend approaches, people feel joy and satisfaction, which means your offer may be received more favorably. Thus, if you are faced with the task of contacting a potential buyer (leads) or even making a series of cold calls, and it’s Monday morning outside, put it off “for later”: call in a couple of days, or at least in the afternoon.

But you call on time, but the other end doesn’t pick up? Leave a voice message. People like to look at missed calls before going home, so your evening voicemail will come in handy.

On the other hand, while waiting for the right moment to call, you shouldn’t just sit idly by - start making proposals. But don’t rush into sending out emails: email marketing also requires some regulation. Emails sent at the beginning and end of each hour - 10 minutes before and 10 minutes after - are less likely to go unnoticed, since this is usually when people take a break (between meetings, appointments, etc.) reading news and browsing. email on their smartphones.

By sending a message at this moment, you will increase the effectiveness of the mailing campaign, and the letters are unlikely to get lost among others.

primary goal

When establishing first contact with a buyer, ask yourself: what is the purpose of your appeal? Do you want to make a business meeting, find out Additional information or just get feedback or a recommendation - depending on the importance of the issue, you will understand which strategy to choose.

Serious purposes, such as a meeting, conference call, or product trial, require the customer to take some action, in which case a phone call would be more appropriate. At the same time, if you just need to clarify information or get feedback, you may well submit your request in writing.

Interestingly, sales agents often do the opposite: they try to decide difficult questions by email, while wasting clients’ time and bothering them with calls for trifles. in this case tends to zero, as does the return from a telephone conversation. Sales people probably do this out of fear of being rejected, but the point is that convincing someone to say “yes” over the phone is much easier, as is handling their possible objections.

Don’t let your emotions take over: choose a communication method that is appropriate to the situation, and before you know it, your sales will increase.

Client status

If you work in sales, then you certainly know: the higher the status of a potential client, the greater the chance that you will have to communicate with his secretary.

However, in most situations this works to your advantage - regardless of whether you managed to talk to the right person or only with his representative, a subsequent email with a proposal gives the right to move on and seek favor at the level of management and top officials of the company. Direct interaction with decision makers is the secret to the success of talented managers, besides, the higher the client’s status, the more calmly he perceives a call with a commercial proposal.

The situation is completely different with ordinary employees: if your call is missed and the number is unknown, then most likely they will not call you back. Moreover, regular employees typically don't hear their phones during the day—they might be in a meeting, on the road, or working in a group—so if you can't get hold of your client, the only way to get the word out is to send them an email .

Instead of a conclusion

These are 3 criteria based on which you can determine which option - email or phone call - is preferable for the first contact potential client. But now the connection has been established, contacts have been received, what should be done next?

1. To improve the behavioral characteristics of the site. The recipient receives a letter containing a link to your website. If the reader is interested in the proposal, he goes to the thematic page and spends time on it a certain amount of time (obviously not 5-10 seconds). As a result, domain-wide behavioral characteristics are improved: the average time spent on the site increases and the bounce rate decreases.
2. Reminder about yourself. This recipient may be a customer of your company (who has previously made one or more purchases). If you promptly remind him of your existence and proposals, there is a chance that another deal will take place.
3. Formation of target audience. The client could visit the site, but not buy anything, only leave a request. Well, it didn’t work out last time (the deal didn’t go through) - you can try in the future. Tomorrow, in a week, in a month. The main thing is to send the recipients really interesting (for them) offers.
4. Authority, work on image. A newsletter can not only sell directly - it can improve the image of your company (organization) if you share valuable information with customers. useful information. Over a long period of time this will play a positive role.
5. Making sales/re-sales. This is exactly what you are spending time and energy for. Thanks to the newsletter, you increase the recognition of your brand - in the future, when a buyer visits the site, it becomes easier to make a decision about a transaction, because for him you are not a black box, not a sealed secret. Relationships are formed - conversion increases.

11 ways to get customer addresses and phone numbers

1. Applications through Onikon. As we said earlier, the Onikon service is convenient because it works in two modes. If the manager is in touch, the service allows you to start an online chat and answer questions from a potential buyer in real time. If the operator is absent (for example, it is evening time) - Onicon turns into . In this form, the client asks a question and, of course, leaves his e-mail (to receive an answer). Carefully storing all email addresses in the database will allow you to accumulate a very, very decent “army” of potential clients over time.

2. Order (purchase) of goods. When placing an order, the customer must leave his contact information, otherwise the transaction will not be completed. Almost all selling sites require either an e-mail, or a phone number, or both - after all, the online store operator must contact the buyer and make sure that he is really waiting for the goods and is ready to pay for it. Save information about the client to the database - it will be useful for newsletters in the future.

3. Registration on the site. This is a rather delicate method - it must be used very carefully so as not to frighten off the visitor even before the start of a strong relationship. You cannot immediately block all content from access under the registration form - seeing this, a Web user will definitely leave the site. Rather, leave the registration so that thanks to it the client can receive some additional bonuses and benefits (write comments, see special offers about discounts, promotional programs, etc.).

4. Receiving free information materials. We talked about a practical case describing this case in the issue “Two-step sales”. Remember? If you forgot, be sure to look at an example on how to correctly set the direction of contact in relationships with clients, how to increase your trust index, how - by sending out information useful to the client -.
Articles, books, practical guides in exchange for an email address where you need to send information - this is an interesting move!

5. Review of your company on the website. Does the client want to leave a review on the site? About a purchase you made? Ask him to provide minimal information about himself - just to make sure: he is not a robot, and the review is not spam. Just two fields in the review form (name and email address) will not bother the commentator very much and will not raise any puzzling questions. And they will help you over time to collect a “warm” base for newsletters and repeat sales.

6. Calculator on the website. Is there a calculator connected to your selling website that allows you to make an online calculation of a project (cost of a kitchen, room decoration, window structure, interior door, chimney system)? Just add to the calculator a small option “Send calculation results to my address” Email" And - if a potential customer left his e-mail - of course, use the address in the future.

7. Competitions and prize draws(with registration by e-mail, of course). Two things are important here: a decent prize for winning and a large number of participants. Actually, the first is very closely related to the second. If the prize is not very significant, you will not be able to attract a wide range of interested users to participate. And if there are few participants who “donate” their email addresses to the database, the cost of the prize will not pay for itself. Here, in essence, there is an exchange: for the money that the prize is worth, you buy out a base of “warm” users for your business. If you offer a decent “carrot” and make the competition long-term, then you can gain a decent base.

8. Coupons and discounts(for those users who register on your site). A very promising option. A site visitor registers, and this automatically allows him to buy goods at a discount (3, 5, 10% - you can see how much you can “move up” in price). In essence, the two-step sales mechanism is activated here again. The first transaction goes to zero or with a very small profit - in order to have the user’s contact, and therefore to sell him goods (or services) in the future.

9. Webinars, educational trainings. This option is good in situations where your organization (company) has something to tell (show) potential customers of goods or services. In what areas of activity is this mechanism applicable? Legal services. Accounting services. Consulting. Distance learning working with equipment. Demonstration of new technologies. IT sphere. By the way, a similar mechanism is very often used in the SEO industry and in Internet marketing. Of course, only those who register for this (and provide their email address) will be able to listen to the webinar.

10. Use of aggregators. There are sites that offer ready-made databases (your target audience), or for a certain amount they will collect such a database according to your criteria. Of course, this method must be used very, very carefully, precisely. Otherwise, your newsletter will end up in spam. However, you can try.
Where exactly to find target recipients?
http://soksaitov.ru/ - here you can buy ready-made databases (obtained by automatic site parsing), or order the collection of addresses according to the necessary criteria.
http://work-zilla.com/ - here you can try setting up a task to manually collect the database. In this case, the accumulation of data will not occur automatically, but due to the work of the performer (your remote assistant, who is ready to complete the task for a certain payment - he will, as they say, “pick with his hands” sites and databases in search of information useful to you) .

11. Finally, a method such as “Don’t miss your chance!” You can simply invite interested visitors to your site to subscribe to the newsletter so that they do not miss the moment when discounts are announced on this or that type of product, seasonal sales, etc. There are people who prefer to buy during sales - for them it is extremely important to be in right time in the right place. Help them with this, make an announcement (which is why they need to subscribe to the newsletter), and promptly inform them about the start of the distribution of “gingerbread”. Read more about how to implement this technically in the tip of the day.

Tip of the day. Use the Maliver service subscription form to collect addresses

We talked about several ways to obtain addresses and phone numbers of potential customers for your products and services. Don’t forget about the ability to collect addresses in “passive” mode. Place a subscription form for your newsletter on the website using the capabilities of the Maliver service.
Using this form, visitors interested in your products and/or services will be able to see valuable information in a timely manner. You will get the chance to work effectively with target audience, which will only increase over time!

To find out how to install the code on the subscription page (one), .

If you want the form to be end-to-end (visible on all pages of the site) - .

Anna IZMAILOVA

Business coach, employee of the Stockholm School of Economics in Russia

Should I write a letter to my partner or immediately call him with a proposal, a new idea, or criticism of the project? As a rule, we choose the option that is more convenient for us, without thinking that the person on the other end of the line may have a different opinion. But not only the speed of the response, but sometimes the result of the negotiations depends on what type of communication is convenient for the interlocutor.

How often have you heard: “I’m busy right now, I’ll call you back,” and then no call followed? This behavior does not always mean a polite refusal. Some people prefer email to mobile phones. And sometimes they can be understood.

People like to plan their day themselves, and a call, as a rule, interferes with plans and ruins an orderly schedule. Often businessmen do not belong to themselves, their working day is scheduled minute by minute, so many of them will be grateful if you replace the call with a letter. However, there are those who definitely prefer telephone conversations to written communication.

Call me

In addition to the obviously greater speed of communication, a call has another important advantage - it can convey not only information, but also emotions. Sometimes it is important for a person to hear a voice in order to form an opinion about a potential partner and either close the door in front of you or open it wide to meet a commercial offer.

Often such people are extroverts - their innate sociability is stronger than the desire to act strictly according to plan. “Why write when you can just call?” - they think. And this is quite logical: indeed, why complicate everything if you can get answers to all questions in a matter of minutes?

The frantic pace of life does not prevent sociable people from finding time for a telephone conversation of any duration

In addition, a telephone call allows you to better assimilate information using auditory memory, check the competence of the interlocutor and the speed of his reaction, get to know him as a person, quickly make a counter-offer, and simply enjoy the communication.

The frantic pace of life does not prevent sociable people from finding time for a telephone conversation of any duration. As a last resort, you can always make a few calls in the car while stuck in traffic. Having received a call at an inconvenient moment, such people will definitely call back or will not mind a repeat call from you.

What should you pay attention to during a telephone conversation?

Don't start a conversation without introducing himself. At the same time, it is advisable to avoid the hackneyed phrase “You are worried about...” or “You are worried about...”. By telling a person that you are bothering him, you are creating a negative attitude towards yourself and your call.

Be sure to inquire whether the person is busy, and whether it is convenient for him to talk.

Get to the point as fast as possible.

Adjust to the speed interlocutor's speech. It usually corresponds to the speed of assimilation of information, so it is important not to let the interlocutor who speaks too quickly get bored, or who speaks too slowly to lose his train of thought.

Use the Hold function on your phone if you need to keep your interlocutor on the line and at the same time protect him from unnecessary sounds around you. However, before pressing the Hold button, you need to ask the other person if it would be convenient for him to wait for you on the line.

The main rule of telephone communication - listen to the person. Do not allow yourself to interrupt him and always give him the opportunity to express his thoughts to the end.

Write letters

Despite the increasingly rapid spread of mobile technologies, modern research They say that for most people, email is the most convenient way to receive information. Thus, during a survey by Yahoo! It turned out that 74% of office workers consider e-mail to be their preferred method of communication, and a study by Litmus conducted in January 2014 by Email Analytics showed that incoming e-mails are increasingly less likely to be ignored. If at the beginning of 2013 only 21% of all letters were read, then in December 2013 their number increased to 51%.

Probably, in a study by Yahoo! Mostly introverts participated, but it is difficult to believe that the ratio of psychological types was so unequal. Perhaps mail really is more convenient?

many people have a harder time getting back to work after talking on the phone

People prefer to read emails rather than talk on the phone because they can do it at a time that suits them, rather than when your cold calling plan goes awry. Nobody forces them to listen to an unnecessary sentence and say banal phrases in response. When refusing something, they do not need to come up with excuses or feel awkward. There is also no need to ask again for the name, position and company name of the recipient. When you receive a letter from a stranger, you can Google his name or go to his company’s website. In addition, many people have a harder time getting back to work after talking on the phone.

What should not be forgotten in business correspondence?

Give your letters titles , but avoid meaningless titles. Try to come up with succinct headings that really correspond to the subject of the letter, so that your interlocutor can easily navigate his mail.

Try to provide comprehensive information on the topic. Insert links, attach files - there is no need to force your interlocutor to write you a response letter asking you to clarify something, because by the time you receive it and respond, it may take several more hours.

Include in your message excerpts from the letter you are responding to. Perhaps some time will pass from the moment of sending and the interlocutor will forget what was discussed.

Read letters carefully , you may miss something important and create unnecessary misunderstandings.

Use short automatic signature, in which you must indicate alternative ways communication with you, in case your interlocutor hates email.

What to choose

Perhaps the time is not far off when business cards will only contain one possible variant communications - mail or mobile phone. Until this happens, before you call or send another e-mail, you should think not only about what type of communication is convenient for you, but also what your partner, colleague or client prefers.

There are several ways to find out what type your intended interlocutor is.

Ask directly : “How will it be convenient for you to continue communication in the future?”

Note to markers in the interlocutor’s speech - “send me an email, I’ll take a look”, “I won’t be able to talk”, “in our company everyone reads email all the time.”

Analyze the area activities - how often a person goes on business trips and meetings.

Understand psychological type - whether there are obvious communication barriers, whether the person is restrained in communication or feels free.

By correctly determining the type of interlocutor, you will increase the likelihood of successful communication. Combined with an individual approach to each interlocutor, a good attitude and the results of successful negotiations will not take long to arrive.

But if you still consider only one type of communication acceptable, and would prohibit all others at the first opportunity, try to accustom your client or partner to your method of communication, but do it carefully, minimizing stress. And the recommendations described above will help you gain confidence in order to recruit a person into your camp.

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