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Cold Email vs. Cold Call: A 2023 Guide to Which is Most Effective!

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4 min read

Cold Email vs. Cold Call: A 2023 Guide to Which is Most Effective!

cold email vs cold call

Cold emailing and cold calling are two popular sales techniques that businesses use to reach potential customers. Both techniques have their advantages and disadvantages, and the effectiveness of each one depends on the goal and objective of the sales strategy.

Lead generation is a crucial part of any sales strategy, with both cold emailing and cold calling proving effective to generate leads; Cold emailing allows businesses to reach a large number of potential customers quickly and efficiently, while cold calling allows sales representatives to have a direct and personable conversation with potential customers.

In other words, both sales methods can be used to generate leads and set appointments, however, each boasts its own success rates regarding conversion or otherwise.

It’s important to note that both cold emailing and cold calling have their place in any given outreach strategy, neither mutually exclusive to one another; who says you can’t do both?!

With that said, in what follows, we’ll be discussing the pros and cons of cold emailing and cold calling, and how to decide which method is most effective for your business. We’ll delve into the conversion rates, response rates, and best practices for cold emailing and cold calling. Additionally, we’ll be discussing the best ways to use both methods together to generate leads and increase sales.

Cold Calling and its Drawbacks

Cold calling is a sales technique in which a sales representative contacts potential customers by telephone, without prior contact or appointment.

It is often used to generate leads and set appointments and can be an effective way to reach valued future customers in a tactful and strategic manner while also garnering the ability to assess interest in a product or service.

Like any lead generation strategy, however, cold calling doesn’t come without its drawbacks. With that said, the following will be a discussion of the most notable drawbacks and disadvantages of cold calling.

man on phone call

Time-Consuming and Costly

One major disadvantage is that it can be time-consuming and costly. Sales representatives must make a large number of calls in order to reach potential customers, and many of these calls may not result in a sale.

Potentially Intrusive

Cold calling can also be seen as intrusive and unwanted by many potential customers, which can lead to a negative perception of the business. Like any lead generation tactic, it’s imperative to approach cold calls with caution and consideration. In any case, however, cold calling doesn’t come without tremendous risk.

Low Conversion Rates

Another disadvantage of cold calling is that it is often less effective than other methods of reaching potential customers. Many people are less likely to answer the phone when they don’t recognize the number, and even if they do answer, they may not be interested in the product or service being offered.

In fact, some research studies have shown that cold calling has quite a low conversion rate, comparatively speaking, with only around 2% of cold calls resulting in a sale or conversion of any kind.

Due to the development of e-commerce sales strategies and the maturation of consumer intelligence, cold calling, though still effective, has become somewhat of a less-respected, less efficient approach to lead generation.

So, you might be wondering, what’s the potentially superior approach?! Contrary to popular belief, email is far from being dead, and is, in fact, boastful when it comes to extraordinary conversion rates.

With that said, let’s learn more about cold emailing and its role in lead generation, shall we?…

Cold Emailing and its Advantages

Similar to cold calling, cold emailing, too, is a sales technique in which a sales representative contacts potential customers by email, without prior contact or appointment. It is often used to generate leads, set appointments, and promote products or services.

Though it doesn’t come without its drawbacks in some circumstances, Cold emailing has several notable advantages that make it an invaluable tool for businesses and brands alike seeking to grow their audience and boost their bottom line.

girl checking email

With that said, the following will be a discussion of the most notable advantages of cold emailing:

Scalability

One of the main advantages of cold emailing is its scalability. Cold emailing allows businesses to reach a large number of potential customers quickly and efficiently. This can be especially useful for businesses that have a large target market or a high-volume sales model.

Targeting and Personalization

Another advantage of cold emailing is that it allows for more targeted, personable messaging. Unlike cold calling, cold emailing enables businesses to segment their email list and send targeted messages to specific groups of potential customers.

This can drastically increase the chances of a positive response as the message will be more relevant and enticing to the recipient.

High Conversion Rates

Cold emailing also has a higher conversion rate compared to cold calling, with an average conversion rate of around 5-10%. Not to mention email marketing efforts at large have the potential to provide a 4400% ROI if executed properly!

While there are several likely reasons for this, one that stands out is that it’s far less intrusive and far more personable than a standard cold call, for example…

Easily Measurable

Finally, cold emailing allows for easy tracking and measurement of the success (or lack thereof) of campaigns, thus allowing coordinators to adjust accordingly. With the use of marketing automation software, businesses can track the open and click-through rates of their emails, which can provide valuable insights into what is working and what isn’t.

For those who thought email is dead, think again! Quite the opposite, email has proven and continues to prove a superior lead generation strategy for innumerable reasons as summarized above.

Understanding Your Audience

Understanding your audience is crucial when deciding whether to use a cold call or cold email lead generation strategy. Both strategies can be effective, however, the effectiveness of each depends on the goals and objectives of your sales strategy, your audience’s needs and demands, and the available resources at hand, among other considerable factors.

First and most importantly, when determining which strategy to use, it’s important to consider the characteristics of your target audience. Take the following two examples as illustrations of when each strategy might be most suitable…

For example, if your target audience is of an older demographic, they may be less likely to use email as their primary mode of communication. In this case, cold calling may be a more effective strategy. On the other hand, if your target audience is of a younger demographic, they may be more likely to use email as their primary mode of communication. In this case, cold emailing may be a more effective strategy.

Second, It’s also important to consider the goals and objectives of your sales strategy. Cold calling can be an effective way to set appointments and generate leads, while cold emailing can be an effective way to promote products or services and increase brand awareness. Depending on your goals and objectives, one strategy may be more effective than the other.

Third, it’s imperative for businesses to consider the resources they have available. While cold calling requires a team of well-trained sales representatives, cold emailing requires a level of skill and knowledge to curate a well-crafted email campaign and develop a robust email list.

Finally, and as mentioned earlier, there’s no rule that suggests you can’t implement both a cold email and cold call strategy simultaneously as a means of trial and error. If you have the resources, it might just be in your best interest to do both, choosing one over the other depending on the current goals, objectives, and circumstances of your strategy at large.

prospective customers

To make your decision a little easier, below is a summarized data chart listing the pros and cons of both cold emails and cold calls.

Cold Call Cold Email
Pros Pros
Can set appointments and generate leads quickly Can reach a large number of potential customers quickly and efficiently
Allows for direct conversation with potential customers Allows for targeted messaging
Can assess interest in a product or service Has a higher conversion rate
Cons Cons
Can be seen as intrusive and unwanted Can be seen as impersonal and unwanted
Has a low conversion rate Can be marked as spam
Time-consuming and costly Requires a well-crafted email campaign and a robust email list
Limited targeting Privacy concerns

Note: The data in the chart is for informational purposes only and the effectiveness of each technique ultimately depends on the goal and objective of the sales strategy, the audience’s needs and demands, and the available resources at hand.

The Benefits of Buying Email Lists

Now that we’ve established the pros and cons of both call emails and cold calls as a lead generation and sales strategy, it’s safe to presume that if all resources are available to you, cold emails are the likely superior approach, while cold calls can be used as a secondary approach if time allows.

With that said, one notable drawback about cold emails that we’ve failed to mention is that it requires a sizeable email list to begin their execution. In other words, without a list of contacts to email, there are no executive actions that can be taken!

This begs the question of the true value of an email list; the short answer? It’s immeasurably important…

While there are several ways, both organic and paid, to garner a sizeable email list built atop your existing email database, one of the most efficient and effective is to purchase relevant lists from email database providers.

Luckily, we here at buyemailmarketinglists.com can help!

friends doing email marketing

If your efforts in building a sizeable email list have proven insufficient to date, purchasing an email list might just be the strategy for you. With that said, the following is a summarized discussion of the most common benefits of buying email lists:

Saves Time and Money

Purchasing email lists can be a cost-effective way to generate leads and increase sales. Building a list from scratch can be time-consuming and costly, but purchasing an email list can provide businesses with a ready-made list of potential customers at a fraction of the cost.

It eliminates the need for businesses to spend time and money on lead-generation activities, such as cold calling and networking events, rather allowing time to focus on sizeable email campaigns proven to generate higher conversion rates.

Increases User Engagement via Relevant Targeting

Many email list providers segment their lists based on demographics and interests, which allows businesses to target specific groups of potential relevant customers and audiences.

This can increase the chances of a positive response, as the message will be more relevant to the recipient. Targeted marketing can also increase user engagement, as the recipients are more likely to be interested in the products or services being offered.

Expands Audience Reach

Email list providers provide businesses with a ready-made list of potential relevant customers, which can increase the reach of their marketing efforts. Not to mention, simultaneously going from a small or non-existent list to a large list doubly increases reach potential.

This can be especially useful for businesses that have a large target market or a high-volume sales model. By purchasing an email list, businesses can expand their audience reach to new customers that they would not have been able to reach otherwise.

Boosts ROI

Purchasing email lists can be a quick and easy way to generate leads and increase sales. With the use of marketing automation software, businesses can track the open and click-through rates of their emails, which can provide valuable insights into what is working and what isn’t.

This can help businesses optimize their campaigns and increase their return on investment (ROI).

A Final Word

In conclusion, cold emailing and cold calling are two popular sales techniques that businesses use to generate leads and increase sales. Both methods have their advantages and disadvantages, and the effectiveness of each one depends on the goals and objectives of the sales strategy, your audience’s needs and demands, and the available resources at hand.

Lead generation can be a difficult and challenging task for businesses, but finding the right strategy for your business can be the difference between low and high conversion rates. While cold calling can be an effective way to set appointments and generate leads, cold emailing can be an effective way to promote products or services and increase brand awareness. Businesses should consider using a combination of both strategies if they have the resources to do so in order to maximize their chances of success.

With that said, in recent years, cold emails have become the superior approach in most cases as they have a higher conversion rate compared to cold calling, with an average conversion rate of around 5-10%. Additionally, cold emailing allows for more targeted messaging, scalability, and easy tracking and measurement of campaigns.

Finally, businesses should consider purchasing email lists as it can be a cost-effective way to generate leads and increase sales. As previously discussed, email lists provide businesses with a ready-made list of potential customers, which can save time and resources compared to building a list from scratch.

To learn more about purchasing email lists and their benefits, OR to purchase your own email list today, be sure to check https://www.buyemailmarketinglists.com out! We look forward to helping you take your email marketing efforts to new heights.