by Erika Cannon
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No one has answered a cold call since 2009. The automated attendant, voicemail, caller ID and Google all preclude any need to answer the phone from a number you don’t know. And even though everyone has a phone, people seldom talk on them. Seriously, when was the last time you saw someone talking on their phone? No one answers the phone unless they know who is calling, and they actually want to talk to them.
Chances are, you answer more email than cold calls. Check your office phone for cobwebs to be sure.
It’s a statistical necessity, to call on new prospects. But the statistics are also daunting – the 2% connect rate still applies; and if you have to talk with 10, 20 or 30 prospects to make a deal, then 98% becomes a large number for each close.
But how do you get to know a new prospect – someone you’ve never met before – if he won’t answer his phone because he doesn’t know you?
Enter email. Seems easy enough. We all do it, all day, every day!
But when you use email to prospect and communicate en masse, the rules of engagement change. As the recent trials of politicians on both sides of the aisle have proven, email isn’t just a click and send economy. Who you send to, what you say, how you send it, and where you send it from are all integral pieces of complex puzzle that most of us take for granted when we’re emailing about our daughter’s wedding plans.
It you work with a reputable prospecting automation expert and stay out of the national news, email can be an effective and efficient partner in your prospecting efforts.
