No matter what you hear, cold calling is far from dead if you work in the B2B sales and marketing arena.
But they are different today. Sure I still run through cold telephone calls, letters and emails, but more and more today I find myself establishing first contact via LinkedIn and even Twitter in one case.
In the B2B game you cannot simply just rely on inbound marketing. That is, people noticing you and sending you inquiries for your services and products. That would be almost fatal for most consultancies.
Twitter, blogging, LinkedIn and YouTube should definitely form part of your marketing strategy - but only a part. You will still generate far more from identifying decision makers, building a trust based relationship with them, and providing enormous value for them when you get a chance to prove capability.
The online stuff does generate opportunities - no doubt. But it is more about supporting the brand you are developing, giving people something to check you out with, and providing the means of maintaining contact far beyond the first engagement.
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