Alternatives to Cold Calling - better ways to prospect for new business

by Tim Connor

Last month we discussed the prospecting technique of cold calling. Although this sales skill is necessary to develop and to know when and how to use it as a part of your overall prospecting approach, it's success can be a long and hard journey that most salespeople tire of taking before they have a chance to develop an effective strategy that works and is productive.

As I indicated in last month's article, there are other and more effective and time saving approaches that over time will eliminate the need for cold calling. Following is a brief overview of some of the more productive approaches that when mastered will guarantee a consistent flow of well-qualified prospects, thereby contributing to increased sales sooner and with less stress and potential for failure. The following are in not in order of their importance as any or all of them can work when used consistently and professionally.

Keep in mind that your prospects have other things going on in their lives than buying from you. The key to long-term successful selling is using the right combination of the following techniques.

Keep in mind that all of the following deserve far more depth but we are limited here to a few words so I'll just give you a brief overview of the following.

1. Referrals

One of the major weaknesses of poor salespeople is the inability to ask for referrals. Many of these salespeople feel that they will be freely given without requesting them. Yes, this can happen from time to time; but if you don't have a referral strategy, I'll guarantee you won't get very many of them and will always be struggling with who will your next prospect be.

Keep in mind that a referral, even if you get one, is still just a name. It's no better than a cold call unless you have the ability to use the leverage of the relationship the person giving the referral to you has with the person he or she is referring. In addition to this, it is essential that you ask the person giving the referral for qualifying information about the person to whom they are referring you. It is also helpful to get the person giving the referral to contact the person they have referred you to and give you an endorsement. The bottom line is simply: if you don't ask you won't receive.

2. Strategic alliances

A strategic alliance is simply a relationship with someone or some organization where you are both suppliers to that organization or industry and you don't compete with each other. The more strategic alliance relationships you develop, the more prospects you will have to work through the sales process.

For example, let's say you are an MH community developer or owner. Who could you develop a strategic alliance relationship with that would be mutually beneficial?

Bankers? Contractors? Real Estate Firms? HVAC services? Plumbing contractors? Land developers? Small business owners who provide services to renters or home owners? This list could be endless. The key is to develop a list of potential strategic alliances and then begin to develop relationships with these organizations. The key to the success of this approach is that it must be mutually beneficial and again - you need to ask.

3. Champions and advocates

A champion or advocate is someone who believes in you and your products or services and wants to help you succeed. As a result of this relationship with you, they are willing to prospect for you, endorse you, support you and help you achieve greater success.

It doesn't take a lot of advocates to hit a lot of home runs if they are well placed in your industry. For example, let's say the president of a major manufactured home building company is an advocate for you and they also have solid relationships with their suppliers or vendors or even developers. Due to their relationships, they can give you entrées into new organizations with a simple phone call, introduction and endorsement. But you have to look for these people and then cultivate these relationships; they won't happen on their own. Again the key is - to ask.

4. Networking

Each month in your geographic area, I'll wager there are hundreds of networking events. Some are socially focused, while others have purely business agendas. There are three things to remember when networking.

1. Make sure you have a clear agenda for attending a networking event and be sure that the focus of the group matches your agenda or expectations.
2. Networking is not about who you meet, who you know or collecting business cards. It's about who knows you and what you do. Too many people in a networking event waste far too much time talking with the wrong people or not talking to enough people. This is why it's called "networking;" it's about mingling and meeting. But you must have some specific goals, otherwise you will waste time, energy and resources.
3. Have a follow-up strategy with the people you meet. Send them a note, an email or a follow-up telephone call to suggest you meet to further discuss your mutual interests. You never know when one of these people could become an advocate or a strategic alliance relationship.
5. Social media

Social media today is all the buzz. Everyone is using it but few people are using it effectively. They think it's about the number of connects. WRONG. It's about the right connections and developing them. Every day I receive a dozen invitations to participate in a Facebook Social Media seminar to learn how to use this tool effectively. Some of these people have specific agendas while others just want to reach out and help others. (By the way, Bob Stovall had a great Feature Article and Cutting Edge Blog on this subject last month - be sure to check them out!)

Don't be misled, however; for a great as they are, social media will never completely replace effective face-to-face or voice-to-voice connections. They are a worthy preliminary tool.

6. Trade shows

At a trade show, people come to you. But here's the problem, everyone comes to you - good and bad prospects alike. I've worked hundreds of trade shows for clients over the years and I'll tell you most people working the booths have little or no understanding about how to make effective use of this prospecting opportunity.

You have less than 30 seconds to engage a visitor to your booth in a conversation to determine whether they are worthy of more of your time, so use the 30 seconds wisely.

The critical skill when prospecting in a trade show booth is the ability to ask engaging, thought-provoking and qualifying questions. If you haven't developed such a list, well, you will continue to spend too much time on poor prospects while missing opportunities on good ones.

Well, there you have it - a few alternatives to cold calling. But after over 35 years of teaching people around the world to sell more effectively, I will tell you that any one of the above is far more effective in contributing to your success for the long term than cold calling, no matter how good you are at it.

If you want further information on any of these techniques, purchase one of my best-selling sales books - Soft Sell, Your First Year in Sales or 91 Mistakes Salespeople make and 91 ways to eliminate them. Or, you can register for one of my Sales Boot Camps held twice a year in Charlotte, NC.

Tim Connor, CSP is an internationally-renowned sales, management and leadership speaker, trainer and bestselling author. Since 1981, he has given over 4000 presentations in 21 countries on a variety of sales, management, leadership and personal and business relationship topics. Tim has been a member of the National Speakers Assn for over 30 years. He is the bestselling author of over 75 books including the international best sellers Soft Sell, Corporate Disconnect, 81 Challenges Managers Face, Your First Year in Sales and Life Is Short. He can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it - 704-895-1230 or visit his websites at www.timconnor.com and www.CorporateDisconnect.com. Connect with Tim on FaceBook, LinkedIin and Twitter.