Is Cold calling losing its relevance in the current world?

Is Cold calling losing its relevance in the current world?

I have been facing these questions from multiple people including colleagues, senior management as well as inside sales executives. People are getting the feel that the cold calling is losing its relevance and social media & internet marketing is replacing the same but I have my own views.

I believe that the lead generation channel differs as per the level of the organization. We can categorize the organizations based upon their position in the industry growth curve.

* If the industry is mature and products are also mature then cold calling is definitely needed. In this type of industry, competition is fierce and nobody takes the pain to search for a vendor for their needs. Due to competition, sales are always positioned around the customers and hence to crack those kinds of customers, cold calling is the best option.

* If the industry is in growth phase then the products and services are also in the growth phase. In this kind of environment, customers generally look for referrals and relevant execution experience so as to mitigate risks. Cold calling is generally effective but it is not the only thing. It should be accompanied with the right content marketing to generate business.

* If the industry is in the take-off phase and at that point cold calling is again very effective as customers are unaware of the companies operating in the concerned area.

At the end we can conclude that cold calling is still an effective way of lead generation but it need to be supported by the content marketing to realize benefits in current economic scenario.