Cold Calling Still Works!!! Yeah, Right.

Business Week recently did a survey asking how salespeople get generate their sales leads. The top three results were:

1. Referrals from clients (22%)
2. general referrals (16%)
3. Cold calling (13%)

So, cold calling is the third most popular method of generating sales leads. Does this mean it still works? Business Week tends to think so. I don't. Just because 13% of salespeople, according to their survey, do it doesn't mean it works. It just means that people are still doing it.

So salespeople still cold call. Even with all of the modern sales prospecting methods now available, they still do it. That's unbelievable to me.

How To Leave Voicemail Messages When Cold Calling

I'm on the receiving end of cold calls, usually, once or twice a week since my phone number is posted on the contact us section of this website. I actually enjoy receiving cold calls, not because I think cold calling is a good way to sell, but because I like to hear everybody's sales pitches and selling strategies. I never buy what they're selling but, for me, it's just good entertainment.

Sometimes I don't answer and they leave voicemail messages. At least half of the voicemails contain the following mistake: They leave a lengthy message, sometimes a few minutes long, and conclude with their phone number or contact details at the end. What would happen if I was interested and, at the end of the call, I didn't catch their phone number for whatever reason? I would have to listen to the entire voicemail again to get to the phone number. What if I didn't have the time to re-listen? Then the rep just lost a potential sale.

How do you leave a proper voicemail message when cold calling? You start with your name and number, leave your message, and then conclude with your name and number again. That way, if someone needs to re-listen to your message, they can get your phone number right away.