Cold Calling B2B: Part 2

The next step in creating a powerful cold call marketing machine is to create the campaign.

Definition of "Campaign":  a systematic course of aggressive activities for some specific purpose.  


So to lay just a little more foundation, before you can create a "systematic course of aggressive activities" you need to know the specific purpose.  


What is the desired result of your phone call.   Poor cold calling says, "Just anything to move the customer forward."  or "I'll take a sale, an appointment, or even a request for more information."    Not very specific, is it.  And since it is not specific you will not get specific results.  If you don't get specific results you don't get a good and solid cold calling result.  If you don't get good solid results you don't enjoy cold calling.  When you don't enjoy cold calling, you suck at it and choose every other activity to take up your time.  Fair enough?


So what is the specific objective.  For each of my campaigns in the B2B world I'm trying to get one thing.  Some objectives of various campaigns have been to get a 20 minute meeting, to get a 20 minute phone appointment, or a one on one webinar.  Does that mean some will ask for information first?  Sure.  Do I give it to them?  It depends on the campaign I design.  However, when I do, I send information in the form of a link to our website that shows 90 seconds of what we do.  

An example is at:  http://www.finishlinefloors.com/floor-finishing-ultra-durable-floor-finish.html.  Notice all the information, pictures, and testimonial we give in 90 seconds.  Brevity is the key to everything in today's marketplace.  It is the key to your information packets, your appointments, and yes, even your cold calling.

Just two links for you to learn a little more about "The Objective."  A year ago I wrote on my military training in strategy and wrote a two-part series on "The objective."  

• http://unlockyourlife.blogspot.com/2010/11/strategic-thinking-objective.html
• http://unlockyourlife.blogspot.com/2011/01/strategic-thinking-objective-part-2.html

Once you have decided on your objective then create a plan on what activities you will do in order to get that objective. What are the activities you will do and in what order?


For instance:  In some campaigns I will send an e-mail first and the next day make the cold call.
In others, I will cold call only for appointments.
In others, I will cold call, send information, and have a follow up call.


Some of the activities can be: calling, email, postal mail of a reference letter with your post it note telling them you will call, phone calls, and whatever else you can think of.  In your campaign you will choose the order you feel will be the most effective.


Such as:  

• call, email, call
• email, call
• call, mail, call
• call only
• email or mail only (direct response marketing).

After you determine the order of activities you want to do the real key is to create a tracking system so you know which of the plans are the most productive.

Next time I will present a really easy tracking system that if even better than most computer programs.