Like most people, I do not jump up-an-down with joy at the prospect of calling strangers and risking rejection, especially since to be effective, cold calls must be made ‘en-mass’, meaning that you not only risk rejection, you are potentially setting yourself up to be rejected 30-40 times per hour or more.

But the fact that something is hard to do is often a sign that it should be done. Generally speaking, cold calls work. It is clear that, when done properly, it brings a good return on investment, or else we would not see so much corporate telemarketing. But this does not mean that a coach should emulate the mass telemarketing techniques and expect to be successful.

Mass telemarketing works because the solutions that are being offered through it are relevant to a great percentage of the population. The marketer can call ‘everyone’ and be certain that some significant percentage of the people being called are potential buyers (and you can bet your last coaching fee that they know very well what this percentage is before they commit the resources).

There are several aspects to be considered when planning a cold-calls campaign. Some of them are:
1. The list (who will you call, how targeted is it, how suited to the offer)
2. Your goal (a sale, a meeting, a permission to send more materials etc.)
3. The presentation (What you say and how you say it)

Clearly, you can not open the phone directory, work your way from A through Z and expect to get many coaching clients. Your list must be somehow targeted to your niche. The more targeted, the greater the chances are.

It is usually not worthwhile trying to sell anything during a cold call. The goal of most calls is to set up a meeting where you can learn more about the prospect and tailor your offer accordingly. However, with today’s abundance of marketing, a better idea may be just to obtain the prospect’s permission to continue and send him additional information. This would help qualify a prospect and ‘warm’ up the next call a little.

And last, the presentation itself should be focused on the offer and the prospect, and not on the fears and hesitation of the caller. The call must be well planned, but there is a difference between having a planned, rehearsed script and being a robot. Don’t we all hate those people who call us at home, reciting mechanically some sale script? I know that I do. Many coaches project this feeling unto their prospects; so naturally, they are then hesitant to make a call. But you don’t have to be like that. In fact, you must not be like that if you wish to succeed. Your cold call should be nothing like a corporate telemarketing call. In fact, they should be nothing like the prospect ever heard before. Your call should stand out, especially if your prospect gets many such calls (i.e. an HR manager).

I think that for a coach, a successful cold-calls campaign must be founded on the following:
1. Aim for permission to continue the communications.
2. Obtain or develop a relevant list. Always try to know something about the people you call. Use any possibility to make the call less of a cold one.
3. Have a good script. Practice it to perfection (and do not practice it on your best prospects, please… begin with your worst ones, and work your way up).
4. Be persistent.

I saw some statistics that even good telemarketing doesn’t land more than 3% success. Most do far worse. It may sound very little. But if you could call, say 100 people during a 2-3 hours session, and land one client out of it, wouldn’t you say it is a sound investment? I think it is.

So to answer my own question, cold calls can be effective for coaches, but they must be well tailored and well executed to work.