Any Californians Cold Call? Results??

[xcslx]

I ask because as a Californian, I think we are set apart from most other parts of the US. I know here in Los Angeles & Orange County, people dont associate with their neighbors, we do not have Good Samaritans and anyone I know (myself included) do not succumb to any kind of solicitation, ESPECIALLY through the phone.

Also, as a minority - I know its even harder as minorities here are even more likely not to answer any questions or agree to stop by the office over a phone call.

Ive met people from across the country and I can see how cold calling works for them... But here in CA metro areas, I just dont see it working!

On the flip side, I havent had cold calling experience - but for us here in the LA/OC metro, dealing with minorities - Personalized mailings work!

So has anyone around here cold called? How has it worked out for you??

 

[bobson]

Now I can't speak for Californians but I think the vast majority of us don't succumb to solicitations over the phone, that is until we need something.

I switched land lines because my cable company called me a few days after something happened with my internet provider.

 

[insurehound]

It's worked OK for me the little I have done it. It's purely a numbers game. You have to set aside time to keep calling one after the other. Eventually, you should see some results. Not sure I agree with you that California is any different then other places when it comes to cold calling. I cold call businesses so maybe you are referring to residential?

 

[Central Coast Agent]

I'm in California, but on the Central Coast, however I was selling down in LA for over 10 years. I'm a big proponent for cold calling as virtually my entire business is from either dialing or knocking on doors. I just sell to businesses, not residential.

The above reply is dead on...its a numbers game. The key is finding someone ready to buy or needing to buy at the right time...and it takes a lot of calls to find these people. But there is something called the "snow ball effect" in sales. The more calls you make, the more leads you get, the more sales you make. Sales turn into referrals for other sales.

I'm not sure how agents and brokers make it in this business without knocking on doors or dialing...one thing I can tell you from selling in LA and outside of LA is that when you get away from the metro areas, people are more friendly and willing to talk...you may want to try dialing into the outskirts of the metro areas like San Pedro, Torrance or the Beach Cities...or even further out to Riverside and San Berdo.

Good luck...and remember, it is truly a numbers game in my opinion. More dials simply equal more chances of finding a person that needs what you have at the right time.

 

[xcslx]

Ah yeah, I should have been specific. I do mean residences..... You know, the agents who look though the white pages and call...lol. Many swear it works, that even 2-3 people out of 100 helps greatly - but I cant see getting even that many here..

I know, Im a debbie downer - havent even tried it yet and talking smack.. But I just cant comprehend. Maybe Ill just have to give it a shot?

And CentralCoast - good idea! I was actually raised in Torrance! People are definitely nicer there - might be a good place to start off...

 

[mickeyma]

Keep in mind that it's not the quantity of calls but the quality.

Google Mike Brooks, Mr. Inside Sales, and Art Sobczak, who offer free ezine articles and books to help you fine tune your phone pitch.

 

[bobson]

Keep in mind that it's not the quantity of calls but the quality.

Google Mike Brooks, Mr. Inside Sales, and Art Sobczak, who offer free ezine articles and books to help you fine tune your phone pitch.

Read a book called Go For No. It is the quantity of calls not the quality.

 

[Central Coast Agent]

Have to chime in...its quantity, not quality. My reasoning and experience is that with insurance, you are NOT going to talk someone who does not have a need for you or your product into buying insurance or switching to you...if there is no need, there is no sale.

There are very few individuals in the world that can "create" need over the phone when it was not there before the phone rang...very few. Its a nice thought...and if you are a sales manager or an author of sales books, it sounds good.

When I was a sales manager for a Fortune 100 company, my best reps were the cold calling maniacs. They were like machines, very diciplined. High outbound activity. They were not the most articulate of the group, but their numbers were more consistant because they touched more people. Period.

Fact is, you have to make a lot of calls to find a person who needs what you want, when you call. Its the "Yeah, my wife and I were just talking about this" response you are looking for with Life, or "My rates just went up..." for Health. "My policy renewals are up next month..." for P&C.

If you get "No, I'm not intersted" move on to the next call, quick. Seriously, what are you going to do, try and talk them into being interested...have fun with that.

Also, are you calling on residences from the phone book? You really need to be careful about DND...fines are stiff.

Just my thoughts, I'm sure some in the "quality" camp will disagree, but it is a rare breed that changes the will of others.

That said, I better get back on the phones....

 

[insurehound]

Keep in mind that it's not the quantity of calls but the quality.

Google Mike Brooks, Mr. Inside Sales, and Art Sobczak, who offer free ezine articles and books to help you fine tune your phone pitch.

I disagree, it's quantity not quality. It is the same principal as a sales pipeline. The more you have in your pipeline, the more opportunities you have to close deals.

 

[DHK]

I'll also agree that it is about QUANTITY.

I DO think you can intrigue people well enough to give you some time to show them what you do.

"You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make 'em drink." BUT you can salt the horse's OATS to get them to WANT to drink!

Become an "oat salter" and you might win a few more sales while going for quantity.