Frank Rumbauskas has just launched a revised edition of his book "Cold Calling is a Waste of Time: Sales Success in the Information Age" in which he gives a strong case for why you should never cold call again. Judging by just how much some salespeople hate cold calling this verdict must fall on eager ears. I have to confess that I have only read the introduction to this book and so don't have his solution to "leveraged systems that gets your message out to a tremendous number of people at one time with little or no effort on your part". However, I will offer one of my own - teleseminars.



Here's why teleseminars fit the model that Rumbauskas describes as a solution to what he thinks he an outdated, ineffective and inefficient mode of selling.

1. "Cold calling destroys your status as a business equal"

In many cases salespeople are taught that they should appear as if they don't need the sale. However, if you are a commissioned salesperson then that sale may determine whether or not you can pay your rent that month. It's tough being nonchalant under such conditions.

With teleseminars the tables are turned. When people attend your teleseminar they call you or, to be more specific, your bridge line. They want to be present. They are willing participants. They can even remain anonymous during the call and, depending upon the system you are using, even hang up without you knowing. It's a very different situation with cold calling where someone may slam a door in your face, hang up on you or is monosyllabic.

2. "Cold calling limits production and wastes valuable time"

Do you know that some salespeople have to make hundreds of calls per day to generate just a few leads? That's all very well if you've nothing better to do with your time but doesn't that seem like a very inefficient way of working? Is it any wonder that some salespeople come across as insensitive and some can downright rude?

Would it not be more effective to create systems which attract prospects to you and then you can deliver your presentation on a one-to-many basis? You can achieve this through teleseminars and, because you are sharing your presentation with several listeners at once, you leverage your time.

3. "Cold calling makes timing work against you, not for you"

With cold calling most of the people you speak to have no interest in your product or service. Some people may talk to you because they are not assertive enough to say no. Some people may speak to you because they are lonely and your call fills a void. But generally when you are at the receiving end of a cold call it is nearly always when you're busy.

When people attend your teleseminars they have specifically set aside time to listen to you and your guests. You are not intruding. When people attend your teleseminars they are expressing their interest in you and or your product or service. Teleseminars provide a safe forum where prospects can get to know you better - a critical factor in making a sale. They may not buy from you immediately but once you've established trust, when they do have need for your product or service guess who they will be likely to turn to?

5. "Cold calling automatically puts you in a negative light"

Many people have deep dislike and distrust of salespeople and if you are cold calling people can generally tell within the first few seconds. Their guard goes up and the likelihood of you making a sale goes down. Cold calling intrudes on an individual's privacy. In many cases, the individual did not even give their contact number to the company that the salesperson represents. The call is completely unsolicited.

However, when you conduct a teleseminar you are perceived as an expert even if it is just by association because of the expert guests that you interview. Remember that many people will not have access to the experts that you do - through teleseminars you can help to connect people. As long as you give great content, you are viewed in a positive light and you gain the trust and respect of those that listen to your teleseminars.

6. "Salespeople detest cold calling"

It is said that those who are most successful in life do work they love. Now salespeople may enjoy selling but they just may not enjoy the manner in which they are often made to sell. Countless cold calls day in, day out, listening to rejection after rejection is demoralising. Yes, the likes of Robert Allen say that if it takes 100 calls to get one yes and that call is worth $1,000 then each rejection you receive is worth $10. Yet somehow, even although you understand this intellectually, it still doesn't feel good when you are experiencing it. Surely there's another way.

I have yet to meet a teleseminar host who didn't love what they do. It's an opportunity for them to talk about what they love, to discuss stimulating issues with people they admire and respect and to spread their message to a receptive audience. There's no hard selling involved. It's more gentle persuasion and, because you are delivering your content in a one-to-many format, you can be more relaxed about making the sale. You are not so desperate for an individual to make a purchase. Instead you are aiming to convert a percentage of your listeners into customers and so the chances of you succeeding are greater.

If you make a 45 min presentation to an individual for a product or service that sells for $1,000 and they don't buy from you have wasted that time. However, if you made the same presentation to 10 'qualified leads' via a teleseminar and just one person bought - you're in the money and a 10% conversion under these conditions is highly achievable.

So construct your 'honey trap' to attract individuals to you who have an interest in your product or service - qualified leads. Deliver a high-content teleseminar, packed with information that attendees can put into practice immediately whether they purchase from you or not and watch your client database increase and your income multiply.

Record your best presentations and put them on autopilot so that they continue to work for you even while you sleep. Sure you will continue to deliver live teleseminars because you will want to continually improve and update your content but start incorporating effective teleseminars in your sales program and never cold call again.