- When it comes to lead generation, the phone has fallen out of favor for a number of reasons.
- Using the phone to interrupt people you do not know is an intrusive and inefficient way of doing business.
- More than 70 percent of Americans prefer text or email over phone calls.
The real estate industry has a love-hate relationship with the cold call.
Before the advent of digital technology, the phone ruled the sales world. In many ways, it still is the real estate agent’s tool of choice.
When it comes to lead generation, the phone has fallen out of favor for a number of reasons.
Cold calling is when you call someone with whom you have no current relationship in an attempt to gain their business. When you practice business this way, the public will view you as a telemarketer.
According to a survey by PayScale.com, even telemarketers themselves see their job as one that makes the world worse.
Using the phone to call a client, customer or lead is appropriate. Using the phone to interrupt people you do not know is an intrusive and inefficient way of doing business.
Top 3 reasons agents should stop cold calling
1. Most people do not want to be interrupted by a phone call
According to a recent study by the PEW Research, more than 70 percent of Americans prefer text or email over phone calls. The time it takes to make phone calls, the unexpected intrusion on time and the way people prefer to use their phones causes this preference.
Texting, email, social media and browsing are the most common uses of a phone. Significantly more common than calls. On average, the average American sends and receives 32 texts and six phone calls per day.
Another thing to consider is that approximately one-third to half of people have introverted personalities. According to PsychologyToday.com, most introverts hate both interruptions and talking on the telephone.
2. Not everyone is made for cold calling
Cold calling can take a great salesperson and make them hate their job. Not everyone is wired to make cold calls. Most people have a personality profile that that is not compatible with cold calls because they have difficulty in handling constant rejection and conflict.
Another reason agents feel burnout with cold calls is due to the reliance on scripts to communicate. Scripts make the conversations repetitive and monotonous.
Instead of focusing on relationships, telemarketers feel robotic and disengaged from the consumer.
3. Building relationships is a better way
In a recent study by the Canadian Professional Sales Association, researchers discovered:
- Less than 2 percent of cold calls result in an appointment being set.
- Cold calling cost 62 percent more per lead than inbound marketing.
- Only 2 percent of consumers want to be contacted by telephone.
- 80 percent of decision makers will not buy from a person making a cold call.
Before the internet, there was a one-way flow of information: from the business to the consumer. The rise of social media has created a way for consumers to have a group conversation with other consumers and the brand.
The amount of information available to today’s consumer pushes back the need to talk to a salesperson until they are ready to purchase.
This makes inbound marketing successful.
Hubspot, a world leader in marketing, says, “Inbound marketing is an approach focused on attracting customers through content and interactions that are relevant and helpful — not interruptive.”
Inbound marketers use channels such as social media, email, blogs, SEO and events to find opportunities to build relationships and solve problems. Inbound marketing delivers consumers who want to have real estate related conversations.
The choice is yours when it comes to running your business.
Why not use a non-intrusive, less costly and more effective strategy?
Steve Jolly is a broker in Nashville, Tennessee, with Benchmark Realty and author of the book, Kill Cold Calls. For more information, go to KillColdCalls.com.
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