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Should you immediately call a cold client, or is it better to send an offer by email first? Are cold calling effective, or is it just a myth? This question worries everyone who is involved in sales. However, successful sellers always know exactly how to establish the first contact, and in this they are helped not only by experience, but also by a competent assessment of the situation.
In fact, it is impossible to say unequivocally which is better: both are good. But when it comes to first interaction, it is important to do right choice. In this post we will talk about 3 criteria that will help you decide and choose the right approach to processing leads.
What time is it now?
The first thing to consider is the time and day. Open your calendar and look at the clock: statistically, the effectiveness of cold calls is greatest in the afternoon and at the end of the week. Obviously, as the evening and weekend approaches, people feel joy and satisfaction, which means your offer may be received more favorably. Thus, if you are faced with the task of contacting a potential buyer (leads) or even making a series of cold calls, and it’s Monday morning outside, put it off “for later”: call in a couple of days, or at least in the afternoon.
But you call on time, but the other end doesn’t pick up? Leave a voice message. Before going home, people like to look at their missed calls, so your evening voicemail will come in handy.
On the other hand, while waiting for the right moment to call, you shouldn’t just sit idly by - start making proposals. But don’t rush into sending out emails: email marketing also requires some regulation. Emails sent at the beginning and end of each hour - 10 minutes before and 10 minutes after - are less likely to go unnoticed, since this is usually when people take a break (between meetings, appointments, etc.) reading news and browsing. email on their smartphones.
By sending a message at this moment, you will increase the effectiveness of the mailing campaign, and the letters are unlikely to get lost among others.
primary goal
When establishing first contact with a buyer, ask yourself: what is the purpose of your appeal? Do you want to make a business meeting, find out Additional information or simply get feedback or a recommendation - depending on the importance of the issue, you will understand which strategy to choose.
Serious purposes, such as a meeting, conference call, or trial of a product, require the customer to take some action, in which case phone call would be more appropriate. At the same time, if you just need to clarify information or get feedback, you may well submit your request in writing.
Interestingly, sales agents often do the opposite: they try to resolve complex issues via email, while wasting clients’ time and bothering them with calls for trifles. V in this case tends to zero, as does the return from telephone conversation. Sales people probably do this out of fear of being rejected, but the point is that convincing someone to say “yes” over the phone is much easier, as is handling their possible objections.
Don’t let your emotions take over: choose a communication method that is appropriate to the situation, and before you know it, your sales will increase.
Client status
If you work in sales, then you certainly know: the higher the status of a potential client, the greater the chance that you will have to communicate with his secretary.
However, in most situations this works to your advantage - regardless of whether you managed to talk to the right person or only with his representative, a subsequent email with a proposal gives the right to move on and seek favor at the level of management and top officials of the company. Direct interaction with decision makers is the secret to the success of talented managers, besides, the higher the client’s status, the more calmly he perceives a call with a commercial proposal.
The situation is completely different with ordinary employees: if your call is missed and the number is unknown, then most likely they will not call you back. Moreover, regular employees typically don't hear their phones during the day—they might be in a meeting, on the road, or working in a group—so if you can't get hold of your client, the only way to get the word out is to send them an email .
Instead of a conclusion
These are 3 criteria based on which you can determine which option - email or phone call - is preferable for the first contact potential client. But now the connection has been established, contacts have been received, what should be done next?
Anna IZMAILOVA
Business coach, employee of the Stockholm School of Economics in Russia
Should I write a letter to my partner or immediately call him with a proposal, a new idea, or criticism of the project? As a rule, we choose the option that is more convenient for us, without thinking that the person on the other end of the line may have a different opinion. But not only the speed of the response, but sometimes the result of the negotiations depends on what type of communication is convenient for the interlocutor.
How often have you heard: “I’m busy right now, I’ll call you back,” and then no call followed? This behavior does not always mean a polite refusal. Some people prefer email to mobile phones. And sometimes they can be understood.
People like to plan their day themselves, and a call, as a rule, interferes with plans and ruins an orderly schedule. Often businessmen do not belong to themselves, their working day is scheduled minute by minute, so many of them will be grateful if you replace the call with a letter. However, there are those who definitely prefer telephone conversations to written communication.
Call me
In addition to the obviously greater speed of communication, a call has another important advantage - it can convey not only information, but also emotions. Sometimes it is important for a person to hear a voice in order to form an opinion about a potential partner and either close the door in front of you or open it wide to meet a commercial offer.
Often such people are extroverts - their innate sociability is stronger than the desire to act strictly according to plan. “Why write when you can just call?” - they think. And this is quite logical: indeed, why complicate everything if you can get answers to all questions in a matter of minutes?
The frantic pace of life does not prevent sociable people from finding time for a telephone conversation of any duration
In addition, a telephone call allows you to better assimilate information using auditory memory, check the competence of the interlocutor and the speed of his reaction, get to know him as a person, quickly make a counter-offer, and simply enjoy the communication.
The frantic pace of life does not prevent sociable people from finding time for a telephone conversation of any duration. As a last resort, you can always make a few calls in the car while stuck in traffic. Having received a call at an inconvenient moment, such people will definitely call back or will not mind a repeat call from you.
What should you pay attention to during a telephone conversation?
Don't start a conversation without introducing himself. At the same time, it is advisable to avoid the hackneyed phrase “You are worried about...” or “You are worried about...”. By telling a person that you are bothering him, you are creating a negative attitude towards yourself and your call.
Be sure to inquire whether the person is busy, and whether it is convenient for him to talk.
Get to the point as fast as possible.
Adjust to the speed interlocutor's speech. It usually corresponds to the speed of assimilation of information, so it is important not to let the interlocutor who speaks too quickly get bored, or who speaks too slowly to lose his train of thought.
Use the Hold function on your phone if you need to keep your interlocutor on the line and at the same time protect him from unnecessary sounds around you. However, before pressing the Hold button, you need to ask the other person if it would be convenient for him to wait for you on the line.
The main rule of telephone communication - listen to the person. Do not allow yourself to interrupt him and always give him the opportunity to express his thoughts to the end.
Write letters
Despite the increasingly rapid spread mobile technologies, modern research suggests that for most people email is the most in a convenient way obtaining information. Thus, during a survey by Yahoo! it turned out that 74% office employees consider e-mail to be the preferred method of communication, and a Litmus survey conducted in January 2014 email research Analytics showed that incoming emails are increasingly ignored. If at the beginning of 2013 only 21% of all letters were read, then in December 2013 their number increased to 51%.
Probably, in a study by Yahoo! Mostly introverts participated, but it is difficult to believe that the ratio of psychological types was so unequal. Perhaps mail really is more convenient?
many people have a harder time getting back to work after talking on the phone
People prefer to read emails rather than talk on the phone because they can do it at a time that suits them, rather than when your cold calling plan goes awry. Nobody forces them to listen to an unnecessary sentence and say banal phrases in response. When refusing something, they do not need to come up with excuses or feel awkward. There is also no need to ask again for the name, position and company name of the recipient. When you receive a letter from a stranger, you can Google his name or go to his company’s website. In addition, many people have a harder time getting back to work after talking on the phone.
What should not be forgotten in business correspondence?
Give your letters titles , but avoid meaningless titles. Try to come up with succinct headings that really correspond to the subject of the letter, so that your interlocutor can easily navigate his mail.
Try to provide comprehensive information on the topic. Insert links, attach files - there is no need to force your interlocutor to write you a response letter asking you to clarify something, because by the time you receive it and respond, it may take several more hours.
Include in your message excerpts from the letter you are responding to. Perhaps some time will pass from the moment of sending and the interlocutor will forget what was discussed.
Read letters carefully , you may miss something important and create unnecessary misunderstandings.
Use short automatic signature, in which you must indicate alternative ways communication with you, in case your interlocutor hates email.
What to choose
Perhaps the time is not far off when business cards will indicate only one possible communication option - mail or mobile phone. Until this happens, before you call or send another e-mail, you should think not only about what type of communication is convenient for you, but also what your partner, colleague or client prefers.
There are several ways to find out what type your intended interlocutor is.
Ask directly : “How will it be convenient for you to continue communication in the future?”
Note to markers in the interlocutor’s speech - “direct by e-mail, I’ll take a look”, “I won’t be able to talk”, “in our company everyone reads their email all the time.”
Analyze the area activities - how often a person goes on business trips and meetings.
Understand psychological type - whether there are obvious communication barriers, whether the person is restrained in communication or feels free.
By correctly determining the type of interlocutor, you will increase the likelihood successful communication. Combined with an individual approach to each interlocutor, a good attitude and the results of successful negotiations will not take long to arrive.
But if you still consider only one type of communication acceptable, and would prohibit all others at the first opportunity, try to accustom your client or partner to your method of communication, but do it carefully, minimizing stress. And the recommendations described above will help you gain confidence in order to recruit a person into your camp.
Cover photo: Fotobank/GettyImages
By email we share personal secrets, conduct business meeting, we do a lot of other things. But most emails are sent in plain text and are stored in a format that is easy to read. Services with encryption have a higher level of confidentiality. Your letters will be encrypted both during transmission and on the server, and no one except you and the recipient(s) will be able to read them.
Which mail is the best and safest?
Encrypted mailers come in different types. Some work entirely in the browser, others are a desktop application, and others connect to existing mail and create an additional level of security in it. Let's figure out which email is the most secure.
Hushmail is one of the most famous encrypted email services. Here your mail is stored in encrypted form and is only decrypted when you log in with your password. Between accounts within Hushmail, mail is decrypted and encrypted automatically. When sending a letter to another mailer, you can use Secret Question, which the recipient must respond to in order to decrypt the message.
By clicking on the link, the recipient must answer the question, and if the answer is correct, the letter will open. 
But it is worth noting one detail. In 2007, Hushmail released correspondence from three email accounts following a court order. How did he do this if all mail is encrypted? The fact is that the system captures user passwords. In a candid interview with Wired Technical Director Hushmail Brian Smith said: "Hushmail helps you avoid conventional government surveillance like Carnivore and protects against hackers, but it is not suitable for protecting data if you are engaged in criminal activity and have a warrant against you from a Canadian court." So it definitely can’t be considered the most secure email.
Some people don’t use Hushmail precisely because of this, but we note that any other service can, under pressure from the outside, one day change its system so as to capture your encryption key. Only decision in this case – Enigmail or similar program at the do-it-yourself level. But even with such programs, authorities in most countries can still force you to give up the encryption key.
VaultletMail, part of the VaultletSuite, is a desktop program rather than a browser-based one. If two users use VaultletMail, messages between them are always fully encrypted. If you want to send a letter to another postal service, you can use the SpecialDelivery system.
With SpecialDelivery, you can create a secure passphrase that your recipient will use to decrypt all messages they receive from you through VaultletMail.
What additional features does VaultletMail have?
VaultletMail has a lot of features. It protects the recipient from forwarding, copying, printing and quoting letters. You can set the time after which your message will self-destruct in the recipient's VaultletMail. You can even send letters from anonymous addresses, thereby allowing you to avoid recognizing that they were sent.
Enigmail is a free extension for Mozilla Thunderbird. There are similar plugins for other popular mail programs. To work with Enigmail, you need to install the appropriate extension in Thunderbird and the GNU Privacy Guard program in the operating system.
After installing Enigmail in Thunderbird, a new OpenPGP menu will appear with a setup wizard. This wizard will walk you through the setup process, including creating or importing a public and private key.
By default, messages are signed only digital signature, thanks to which the recipient will be able to determine that the letter came from you. To enable encryption, you need to select the “Encrypt This Message” option in the S/MIME section of the letter writing window.
What are the disadvantages of this mail extension?
To correspond with other people, you need to exchange keys with them, so the setup procedure is somewhat complicated. Unfortunately, this always happens when working with encrypted mail. But there is one advantage: Enigmail can be used in combination with other email services, such as Gmail. There is no need to create a new account. Using FireGPG, a popular extension for Firefox, this could be done directly in the browser, but this extension is no longer supported and is no longer compatible with Gmail.
Will Yandex and Gmail help answer the question of which email is the most secure?
How secure are standard email services? Many people ask this question, so let's answer it by starting short review from the Russian service.
Over time, the Russian mailer has acquired security services sufficient for ordinary users. For example, Yandex identifies phishing emails on the fly, allows you to set up two-factor authentication, and can also include special passwords for third-party applications.
Naturally, there is also a visit log, the ability to set white IP addresses for login and much more. But Yandex doesn’t know how to encrypt correspondence, which means it won’t be possible to call its mail the most secure.
The protection capabilities of the American postal service are, of course, wider than those of the Russian one. It all starts with two-step (not two-factor) authentication, adding allowed programs (not just IP addresses) to access, and flexible setup access modes of sites and applications.
However, Gmail does not have phishing alerts and, like Yandex, does not have the ability to encrypt correspondence.
Conclusion
There is another option on how to make the most secure mail on the Internet yourself: using special encryption programs, you just need to encrypt messages and send them by regular mail as attached files, which the recipient must then decrypt.
Of course, encryption helps protect your privacy, but it's not a universal solution to government encroachment and won't give you the most secure email on the Internet. Neither Hushmail nor Enigmail's own encryption will help here. Often codes and passwords are obtained not by hacking, but by knocking them out of the owner in one way or another. And encryption in this case, alas, is powerless.
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