In this post, I will show you the results of our End of Year, 2021 Prospecting Survey and share my takeaways. 

First, a big thank you to everyone who participated – I truly appreciate your taking the time to share your experience! 

The Survey 

The survey was short, only 3 questions. The goal was to see what is working for YOU and to identify YOUR preferred methods of prospecting. 

People were allowed to pick multiple options and to write in any that were not on the list.

What works? 

The first question was: “What mode of communication is most effective for you when prospecting?”

As you can see from the screenshot above, Email came in first. As a die-hard Cold Calling fan, I was happy to see that Phone Calls came in a close second.  

And I will note that one person wrote in, ‘direct mail’ as their choice.

Which tactics do YOU prefer? 

The next question was, “What is YOUR preferred mode of communication when prospecting?” 

Someone wrote in Direct Mail for this question as well. 

It was interesting to see the same first and second place entries and I wonder if some of this is because people tend to use the tactics they are most comfortable with. 

Age range 

The third question asked people to indicate their age range. We did have a good mix of participants and because there weren’t any large discrepancies in the results, I didn’t drill down to cross reference by age.

Some surprises 

I was surprised that LinkedIn came in so low. Clearly, more people need to tap into the power of that platform. I will address this in a future post.

And it seems that video is also underused. As much as I LOVE Cold Calling, it really is only  one part of a comprehensive outreach plan. Remember to use all tools at your disposal!

Some takeaways and insights 

Again, it is clear that people are still uncomfortable picking up the phone and talking to a stranger. They are still more comfortable with text or email – but neither of those tactics offer human connection. And we KNOW that human connection drives engagement and sales. 

A lot of people think they need to reach out to a potential prospect via email before cold calling – to ‘warm them up’. That is a falsehood. Emails don’t warm anyone up and opening an email doesn’t mean they read it. When they pick up a phone, at least you KNOW you are talking to them.   

And you know that you are standing out. Not lost in a sea of emails in an inbox. 

We have found, over and over, that people are happy to talk to strangers – it is just how you approach it.  

When you launch into selling mode or start off by listing your features and benefits you can be sure they will be turned off and disconnect.  

No one cares about Features and Benefits – they are busy and care only about their own world. Showing them that you understand that world and explaining how your service and insights can help them succeed and get ahead in that world, IS of interest! 

ADDING value to the prospect’s day and business is all that matters. Focus there.

You must keep in mind that what the person values is key – not necessarily what you are there to sell. And to understand what they value, you need to ask the right questions and LISTEN to the answers! 

Click on the links below for some articles on the right questions to ask and how to actively listen:

https://oneofakindsales.com/how-to-create-an-effective-cold-calling-script/ 

https://oneofakindsales.com/laurel-bernstein-how-active-listening-can-help-you-sell-more-effectively/ 

Give Cold Calling a chance 

To all of those who didn’t choose Cold Calling as a tactic that works for them, I challenge you to TRY it! 

I don’t mean to just pick up the phone and dial. I mean to really set up an effective Cold Calling Campaign and see the results. Or better yet, have us implement one for you (click here to learn more about how we can make Cold Calls and set qualified appointments for YOU.

What do YOU think? 

If you didn’t participate and you would like to take the brief survey, click here

I will keep it live through the end of March and I will revisit/ revise this post if there are any significant changes. 

Thank you again and keep Prospecting!