I read something the other day that really rubbed me the wrong way.
For starters the author mentioned someone he was talking with who said something about cold calling he didn’t agree with. He then goes on to say how he wanted to call her an “idiot”. I can’t help but think that some person, just read his post, recognized the reference and then had that horrible “That’s me he’s talking about” moment but that isn’t the point I want to make.
He openly bashes cold calling and that’s OK because to each their own but I happen to know something about the guy because I made the mistake of being on his mailing list a while back.
He spams the hell out of his readers.
I’m not talking about the occasional offer, I’m talking blatant and repeated spamming to the tune of several times per week.
The funny thing about that approach is (believe it or not) it can work when you play it as a numbers game. The same way it can work if you cold call hundreds of people each week but . . .
We’re really fooling ourselves if we think that spamming the hell out of someone versus interrupting them with repeated cold calls is somehow, more respectable and effective.
Yes, the person who’s on your list has opted in and therefore has a higher probability of converting than someone you cold call but we’re missing a really obvious turn off . . .
You’re probably annoying the heck out of your audience with both of these approaches.
I see this way too many times in sales where we blame the platform (cold calling, direct mail, networking, social networking) and meanwhile the poor platform didn’t do anything to anyone . . . It was you!
The cold call isn’t a pain in the ass . . . you are!
The e-newsletters aren’t a pain in the ass . . . you are!
You can find the best approach in the world but if you abuse it and bombard your prospect it’s just as ineffective as the absolute worst approach.
Today, you’re invited to look at how often you contact your prospect and to have the guts to know when it’s YOU and not the method of contact.
And if you’re a blogger, stop using the people who were kind enough to engage you as negative examples in your blog, It’s a real dicky thing to do!
Cheers!
FYI . . .
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Spammers usually get their just rewards-nothing!!
Very true Francey!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
Great Post Paul! You are the only guy I know to take this on publicly and you are 100% on the money.
I bet I know exactly who you are referring to Paul and I totally agree. I even bought into his system awhile back. Some good stuff but it didn’t convince me to eliminate cold calling. It just reminded me to expand my horizons and try different approaches. Cold calling will always be around so why not master the skill and proceed.
Thanks Paul.
I hope this guy reads your blog because he’s having a “that’s me he’s talking about” moment. I also thought it was ironic that someone who talks about how annoying cold calls are, spammed the hell out of me. Finally unsubscribed from his ENL a while back, self-pats on the back all around. Your post reminds me of something I was told awhile back, “If you polish a turd, all you have is a shiny turd.” Thanks, Uncle Paul!
I just have to say I love ya Uncle Paul.
The feeling is mutual Debra 🙂
Thanks!
I think I know who you are referring to and couldn’t agree with you more Paul. Thanks! 🙂
Thanks Jerry!
Thanks Pete!