That is a really interesting and debatable question.
I think any affiliate who considers all the possibilities for generating leads would definitely want to explore this avenue for leads. However, it has two sides to it just as any coin would have. It is purely a personal choice that one makes after weighing the pros & cons. I have attempted to answer this with some aspects of both sides of this question.
The positive aspect is that it opens up a huge, readily available data base of potential affiliates especially if the Directory has category wise listing. We are in a fluid & dynamic economic situation in almost all the countries of the world today and hence we can almost be sure that there would be at least one member in a family who is actively looking for earning an income either full time or part-time in nature. We are also more open now than ever before to working from home because we do not want to battle the traffic getting to work on a daily basis, higher time & cost of travel, exposure to pollution, lifestyle & age related health problems, work place stress & politics and many other factors.
The flip side in my opinion tilts against cold calling because of the following reasons especially for affiliates like us:
1. A cold call is treated as an intrusion by most people because there are so many businesses trying to sell them something or the other on a daily basis. The first reaction of the recipient of the call is to say 'No' irrespective of the product or service.
2. An affiliate who is not very thorough in knowledge about the business can end up being completely frustrated if the responses are negative to his/her cold calls. They are not yet used to hearing a "No" from a prospect unlike a seasoned & experienced Sales person. One has to be a high caliber sales person with a really high level of confidence in self & conviction in the product before attempting a cold call.
3. A Cold call could show the caller in poor light as it may give the recipient of the call that the caller is desperate for leads or prospects. This could also reflect on SFI as a company desperately trying to rope in people for their business.
4. The recipients of the calls could put SFI callers into a slot of 'nuisance value callers' without even taking the time to hear out what the caller has to offer.
5. All of us who have been in affiliate marketing for a while know that a personally referred product or service is much better received when compared to a cold call.
I am sure there are more reasons but I will restrict myself to these for now. In my opinion, a cold call should be used only one we have run out of all other methods to connect with people whom we know or can be referred to by someone before we try cold calls. We all know that PSA's are far more easier to work with than CSA's because of the personal touch involved.
Trust this answer helps you in making the right decision about making cold calls.
Cheers & God bless!
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That is a really interesting and debatable question.
I think any affiliate who considers all the possibilities for generating leads would definitely want to explore this avenue for leads. However, it has two sides to it just as any coin would have. It is purely a personal choice that one makes after weighing the pros & cons. I have attempted to answer this with some aspects of both sides of this question.
The positive aspect is that it opens up a huge, readily available
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