Cold calling has been an option in the world of marketing for decades now, but with the relatively recent changes in people’s telephoning habits – the shift from landlines towards mobile phones – can we still say that it is an effective method for developing business opportunities? The answer to this has certainly become less clear over the last ten years.
We can see that, for the most part, the companies which still use this method of marketing are generally big corporations, like internet service providers, banks, insurers, and many more; so they certainly think that there is something to be gained from this activity. You can see their point: Direct marketing does have advantages over other forms of marketing, like website marketing. You can directly get in touch with people, and try to generate business, while much of internet marketing relies upon traffic to your website and off-site content. However, due to the fact that the success rate is so low for these cold calling activities, you should carefully consider whether to do this, or choose a different direct marketing platform, such as with direct mail. This is both less expensive, and less likely to bring the ire of annoyed people down on your business and brand – although the success rate is lower still.