My boss told me to stop sending cold emails, so I tried something else

For a year, our lead numbers were flat. We were sending hundreds of emails a week and getting maybe two replies. My boss said it was a waste of time and to find a new way. I got mad and decided to just start calling people, but not to sell. I'd find a target company, call the main line, and ask for the person who handled our type of software. When I got them, I'd say 'Hey, I'm not selling anything today. I just saw you use X system and we help companies fix a specific reporting bug in it. Can I ask if that's a pain point for your team?' Out of 30 calls, 8 people actually talked. Three became real leads. One signed a contract for 15k after six weeks. It's not magic, but it worked when emails died. Has anyone else just picked up the phone lately?

3 comments

3 Comments

coran6326d ago

Oh man, YES! This is so real. I had the exact same thing happen at my last job where I was spending hours crafting these perfect emails and getting nothing back. I got so fed up one day I just started calling people cold and said "I'm not selling, I just want to hear if you're having the same problem everyone else is." It totally changed the game for me too. People actually appreciated the honesty and it felt way more human than those automated sequences. Honestly, getting angry enough to just try something else was the best thing that could've happened.

abby_chen2mo ago

So you got mad and it just worked like that?

robert_hayes2mo ago

Yeah, the "got mad and it just worked" thing. My friend had a similar moment when his boss kept ignoring his reports. He finally snapped in a meeting and listed every single problem, and suddenly they listened. Sometimes anger cuts through the usual noise, you know?