Hey everyone,
Welcome back.
Cold calling is not my cup of tea.🥶
Isn’t it the worst feeling?
You call hundreds of people and get five discovery meetings.
If you are lucky, you close one sale.
You experience massive rejection and go into a downward spin, which can be demoralising and discouraging, making it even harder to pick up the phone and make more calls.
It is bad for your mental health.
So, how can you find clients and generate new business without the pain and agony of cold-calling?
This week, we will delve into two important aspects of boosting your sales strategy.
Firstly, you need to build your network.
And I am not talking about a simple networking event. You need to put in the work to generate results.
Next week, we will cover the second part- generating sales leads without cold calling. The goal is to build a pipeline of relationships that will bring you closer to achieving your sales goals.
Ready?
🗼How to build your network
1. Find People Who Naturally Recommend People
The first step to getting prospects to call you is to identify the people with a reputation for recommending others.
To find these people, start by asking your own network for referrals. Ask your colleagues, current clients, and even family and friends if they know anyone who is well-connected or has a reputation for referring others.
Building a relationship with these individuals can position you as someone worth recommending.
2. Become a Go-To Source Yourself
Once you’ve identified the people in your network who are natural recommenders, it’s time to become a go-to source yourself.
Start by researching and connecting with companies and individuals who serve your industry. Offer to share their content on LinkedIn or recommend them to your network. Once you’ve helped them, tell them what you do and describe the problems you solve. Let them know that you appreciate any referrals they can send your way.
Do it willingly; don’t expect a “Quid pro quo.”
3. Connect or Introduce Your Clients to Your Network
Your client will love you! Who does not want new connections?
New connections can lead to new opportunities.
Your clients might find collaborators, potential business partners, or even new customers within your network. This will help you gain more trust and ask for referrals when the right time comes, which leads us to the next strategy.
4. Ask Your Happy Clients for Referrals or Warm Introductions
One of the simplest yet most overlooked strategies for getting prospects to call you is to ask your happy clients for referrals.
Most salespeople do not take the time to do this, but it can be highly effective. Simply reach out to your clients and ask them if they know anyone who may be interested in your services. Alternatively, ask for a warm introduction to someone in their network who could benefit from what you offer.
This personal recommendation will be more likely to convert into a sale.
5. Spend 1 Hour a Week Building Your Connections
Once you’ve implemented the strategies above, it’s time to start building your list actively.
Set aside one hour a week to focus specifically on this task. Call it your “Getting Clients to Call Me Time”. Use this time to look for networking events, participate in LinkedIn groups, and connect with potential prospects in your industry.
Make the most of this hour by researching the people you want to connect with, finding common interests, and starting conversations that could lead to a business opportunity.
6. Make Yourself Known in the Market You Serve
Finally, one of the most effective strategies for getting prospects to call you is to make yourself known in your market.
Attend conferences and events where your prospects are likely to be. Offer to share your knowledge and expertise with the community by speaking on panels or hosting workshops. If you are not ready to speak to a large group, do a one-on-one coffee meeting.
By building a reputation as a thought leader in your industry, you will become someone prospects are eager to learn from and connect with.
7. Stay Consistent
Book a time in your calendar to connect and engage with people.
It is a long game.
I always say, build it before you need it.
Remember, this is YOUR brand and network.
Getting prospects to call you requires effort and strategy.
But it is so worth it.
Cold calling and spamming people do not work. How many times do you get these random emails and LinkedIn direct messages? They don’t even read who you are and what you do.
It’s not rocket science, but technology has made most people lazy.
Successful salespeople build meaningful connections and give value, ultimately leading to the acquisition of your most valuable clients.
And those valuable clients will bring you more clients.
Which specific strategy are you committed to taking action on?
One new connection a week is 4 a month and 48 in a year. And you will be surprised how this will serve you in the future.
Networking can be challenging for most people, especially if you are an introvert.
In Dale Carnegie’s classic book How to Win Friends and Influence People, he gave the best advice on how to make people like you.
Six Ways to Make People Like You
Smile
Be a good listener.
Be genuinely interested in other people.
Talk in terms of the other person’s interests.
Encourage others to talk about themselves. It can be a simple “What brought you here?”
Always mention the other person’s name. It’s the sweetest and most important sound in any language.
And lastly, make the other person feel important – and do it sincerely.
📚Free Books
Thanks to Alex Wiec, I discovered you can access 2 of Erik Jorgenson’s books. Erik is the author of two excellent books, and he’s uploaded both on the internet so anyone can read them for free.
Click the links below and scroll down on the website, and you’ll see the download for free options. Enjoy!
A Guide to Wealth and Happiness. This book collects and curates Naval’s wisdom from Twitter, Podcasts, and Essays over the past decade.
This book is a guide to thinking for yourself, seeing possible futures, and learning how to build a piece of the future.
You will love Alex and his newsletter. If you love books and want to become a better reader. Subscribe 📬here.
You can also find him on LinkedIn.
🤔Why Learn Email Marketing
In the last few years, the convergence of sales and marketing has been unmistakable. My POV is that sales professionals must learn how to use email marketing to engage with prospects and clients effectively.
Yesterday, I had a session with Pablo Gallego, an expert on email deliverability and Cold Emails (I told him I don’t believe in Cold Calls!). He has helped over 200 businesses fix their deliverability issues.
We discussed why business and sales teams should understand email deliverability and how email is still an effective lead-generation strategy. And strategies to nurture leads, ultimately converting them into valued clients.
Why is it important to know about Google’s new rules on email marketing and more!
I’m excited to share and break it down next week!
Thanks for being here. See you next week!
Ren