Cold calling can be an asset for B2B lead generation companies if used properly and with careful planning. The improper use of this effective sales tool has let many B2B lead generation companies down when it could have helped them boost their business and enhance their profit margins. Cold calling is a maligned art that is almost hated equally at both the ends. Very few sales persons actually enjoy making calls for talking to a bunch of unresponsive, sometimes hostile people; while for the prospect it’s an unwarranted intrusion that eats into their productive time.

Changing times: The business environment has undergone a sea change, things are entirely different from what they used to be a few decades ago. Faster communication systems have revolutionized every walk of life, but they have also put added pressure on people, especially in the higher positions. A decision maker is exponentially more stressed and busy today than his counterpart two decades ago, he has so many fires to put out that each minute is virtually a matter of survival. Naturally, any call from an unknown person makes him suspicious, even hostile sometimes.

Make your calls more friendly:

If you want to build any business relationship with the prospect, you have to allay their suspicions and make them comfortable and trustful. However, that is the million dollar question: how can you accomplish this seemingly impossible task?

• Don’t act like a sales person:

B2B lead generation companies are never helped by over-eager sales persons who want to close a deal in the first call itself. You don’t yet know the prospect and they don’t know you, it’s time to build a little trust. If you can convince them that you have a solution for their problems and get an appointment, you have a chance to take this business process forward.

• Create interest:

If you can create enough interest so that the prospect is willing to meet with you to see if you have anything worthwhile for them, the road ahead is going to be smoother. Aggressive hard-sell tactics should be avoided during the first cold call, a gentle persuasion is always more fruitful.

B2B lead generation companies rely very heavily on the success percentage of the cold calls they make. It must be understood perfectly well that a “rifle approach” for cold calling is going to serve you better than a “machine gun approach”.