Think You’re Warming Up Cold Leads with Pre-Call Research? Try Again

I actually answered a prospecting call the other day. And I’ve got to say, I’m glad I did. The sales rep who made the call did an outstanding job of gaining my attention.
She started the conversation by tying in something I’d written and even mentioned a picture I had recently tweeted. I was so impressed that I decided to hold back on giving her the brush off.
After another minute or so and a few questions, however, it became obvious we weren’t a fit and I ended the call.
After I hung up, I thought for a moment about the research she had done prior to picking up the phone. I realized how personalized, how ‘social’ her preparation had been. This was textbook ‘warm call’ stuff. Yet, from my perspective, it didn’t feel all that different from the standard cold call.
I’m sure the rep felt better about making that dial and dials like it. But to be honest, after my initial interest (Hey! Who doesn’t like to hear about themselves?), the call settled into the typical protocol: I have a finite supply of time – you want some of it.

Who Does Pre-Call Research Really Benefit?

All of this left me thinking — is “warm calling” about the prospect or the seller? Does “warm call” research actually warm up the call? Or does it just make sales reps feel more comfortable picking up the phone?
I think of a prospecting call as an inverted pyramid:

 
 
My hunch is that ‘warm calling’ is effective at leveraging that first 20 seconds to earn the next 60 seconds. But I’m not sure it can carry a rep past that point.
Insidesales.com President Ken Krogue is fond of saying “Interest is often the counterfeit of need.” I love that line! Well perhaps, when it comes to outbound prospecting, familiarity is the counterfeit of insight.
Vorsight co-founder Steve Richard also recently shared some excellent advice: “Pre-call research is really about discovering the ‘why.’ Why are you calling, why should the prospect care about you, and why is what you’re about to tell them truly valuable to their business, rather than just any other business.”
That really resonates with me.
Without a hypothesis, without a big idea, without a “save-money, make-money, reduce-risk” insight – simply knowing a handful of facts about the person doesn’t get you to three minutes and beyond.
After all, as a prospect, I already know a lot about me. What I need to learn is what I don’t know (about my business), but should.
What’s your take? Are “warm calling” techniques for the prospect’s benefit or is it just a way for a rep to put off making dials?
Photo by: James Vaughan