This dilemma is frequently faced by marketers. Both strategies have their upsides and downsides, and the key is to identify when it’s better to grab a phone and when to hit the send button. Generally speaking, some people like emailing better, mainly because it gives them more time to think everything through and come up with the best way to organize their thoughts. Another plus lies in the fact that there are no gatekeepers that will stop them from reaching a decision maker. On the other hand, we can’t deny that cold calling is popular despite its poor success rates. Surveys have shown that an average conversion rate for cold calling rarely goes beyond 2 percent. Not to mention, that many salespeople get cold feet whenever they pick up a phone to make a cold call. So, what’s the catch?
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When to Call?
Let’s get one thing straight: emails can be ignored more successfully. I bet that even your email inbox is full of promo and sales emails that you haven’t even opened. So, when you send an email, there’s a possibility the recipient will ignore it or send it to trash. Of course, a killer subject line can greatly reduce this possibility, but once you send it you have no idea when you can expect feedback. Let’s not forget that lots of emails are buried in an avalanche of emails that an average businessperson receives every day. That number is 92, according to the Radicati Group, Inc.
When you call, you’re more in control of the conversation and you can adjust it based on the person you’re talking to. It’s more interactive and you can use all the aces that you have up your sleeve. A phone call can be very effective when it comes to scheduling meetings or getting referrals.
A phone call is a better option when you expect that there are going to be lots of questions. In such cases, real-time communication is more effective and time-efficient, so when you want to discuss something complex, forget about email. If you’re afraid that you won’t be able to keep track of everything that has been discussed during the conversation or that you’ll forget something important, instead of taking mental notes, grab a pen and jot down essential points and conclusions.
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When to email?
It’s really crucial to emphasize that email marketing generates $38 in ROI for every $1 spent, which makes it one of the most effective marketing methods. A survey by McKinsey has found that the average order value of an email is at least three times higher than that of social media. There are numerous stats that illustrate the effectiveness of email marketing, and you can find some of them in our infographic.
Emailing makes it possible to reach several thousand people at the same time, by sending them a personalized message. However, before crossing your fingers and waiting for tons of conversions, you should make sure that you’ve got relevant, correct, valid, and active contacts. Otherwise, all your efforts are futile, as your carefully crafted emails won’t reach intended recipients. ExchangeLeads can help you with this, as our leads undergo both a 50-point manual and automatic verification process, which means that you can be sure that you’ll send emails to actual email addresses.
It’s true that cold emailing is more complicated than other types of communication, mainly because you send an email to a person out of the blue and without previously established contact, but if you employ a proper tactic, your efforts can pay off tremendously. This means that you need to identify your target audience, segment it, and personalize your emails. Marketing automation software is a must if you want this strategy to succeed.
As we’ve already mentioned, decision-makers can be extremely hard to reach, and before you get a chance to even schedule a meeting, you need to get past the gatekeeper. That’s one of the biggest problems with cold calling. Still, if you have a valid email address, your email will reach the decision maker. But, this doesn’t mean that you’ve made it. The hardest part is to get them to notice your message, open it, and click on that CTA. Unlike cold calling where you have to think quickly, engage your prospect in conversation, and capture their attention, cold email gives you an opportunity to carefully compose it and test its performance.
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Conclusion
Before you decide when to use one of these strategies, here are a couple of guidelines:
- Get to know and understand your target audience, and try to determine which channel of communication they prefer.
- If you’re just starting your business, and your goal is to reach 50-100 people in order to schedule appointments, it’s ok to call them. However, when you grow your business, it’s more time and cost-effective to contact your prospects via email.
- When you want to contact the top management of a company, it’s better to start with an email, as it’s much easier than to reach them by the phone.
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