6 Data-Driven Reasons Why Cold Calling Flat Out Sucks

It's no secret that it's become harder for salespeople to connect with buyers over the past few decades. The advent of caller ID technology and the do not call list means that professionals can screen their calls and ensure they never pick up the phone for an unknown number. The internet enables prospects to do preliminary product research on their own -- no salesperson required. And the rise of customized and personalized services and technologies has made consumers all the more resistant to generic, one size fits all messaging. 

Add up these trends and the plight of a salesperson trying to hit their quota amidst titanic changes in buyer behavior and preferences comes into focus. So what's the solution? 

For many salespeople, the answer is simply to hit the phones even harder. If they get half the meetings they used to from 10 cold calls, then they just have to buckle down and make 20 instead -- skipping the pre-call research, of course, since time is of the essence.

But while this fix might work for a few months, it's a band aid at best. Radically changing buyer behavior calls for radically different sales techniques. Instead of doubling down on legacy tactics that are swiftly losing efficacy, it's time for salespeople to quit cold calling entirely and completely transform the way they approach buyers. Check out these lead generation alternatives to cold-calling.

Not convinced that cold calling is in its death throes? The following infographic from Unifyo contains six eyebrow-raising statistics that underscore how distasteful cold calls are to buyers, and how ineffective they are for salespeople. Stop cold calling today and start selling to buyers the way they'd like to be sold.