More “inside” than “inside sales.”
One April morning my phone rings. “Hello?” I state/ask. “Hi, Mr. LaGreeeeeka,” stammers the other person. Okay, I know this is a sales call, but I remain silent. “We’d like to offer you web design services for your small business.” Now I’m in disbelief. They’re offering me web design services?!?! For my web design business?? I’m trying to be polite, but I ask very pointedly, “do you have any idea what I do?” “No, sir.” With that, I give them my thanks and send them on their call-spamming way.
It seems companies big and small have taken to the generic approach of sales. I’ve even gotten cold calls from hot-shot marketing firms that tout their target marketing capabilities. Their lack of information about what I do is surprising given that they are a technology company.
The point of the story is this: It is better to make less but better researched outreach rather than high-volume, cold sales approach. (This only applies to the small business. Rules change for larger businesses). There are a few reasons behind this change in sales philosophy. First, the information age. We now have so much information and technology at our fingertips that customers can perceive you as “lazy” if you take a cold sales approach. Not only are there more tools available to research about a particular person or business, but also more specific information is being captured about consumers.
Second, we have research and target marketing tools that allow us to truly focus in on our target customer. What to target teenagers who have mp3 players and are interested in environmental causes? You can target this market segment today. Marketing companies are capturing this information and advertising services are allowing for this level of targeting. For example, Google (Adwords) continues to improve their system to allow you to narrow in on when, who, and where your ads appear. This level of targeting is simply not available in other mass mediums.
Research tools are the other tool that is at your disposal. Want to call a prospective customer and pitch your service? Do research first! You can find out so much more with the help of the Internet. In the old days (1980’s), you could dig up some information at your County Clerk’s office or your local library. But any information found was sparse at best. Now entire lives and businesses seem to be captured on the Internet. Think about what you can discover through Internet research tools:
• Professional, community, and educational memberships (general Google search)
• Professional network and associates (Linked In)
• Beliefs, attitudes, and values (revealed in a social network such as Facebook and MySpace)
• Places they’ve been (through their photos at Flickr, Orkut)
• What domains they own (Domain Tools)
This is only an example and there’s so much more information you can gather. It isn’t spying or stalking — its good business.
Finally, consumer behavior is changing. As more companies engage in targeted marketing, consumers will grow in their expectation that you “know them.” Therefore, the perception of cold sales will grow more negative. But the more you are prepared, the better you can communicate and target your product or service to your customer’s needs. Happy hunting!
