The Cold Call: Have Success with Just a 2% Response Rate

Award-winning writer Kathy Widenhouse has helped hundreds of nonprofits and writers produce successful content and has gained 600K+ views for her writing tutorials. She is the author of 9 books. See more of Kathy’s content here.

An online devotional for writers

A Word From The Word

Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. (Matthew 9:35, NLT)

A Word For Writers

One New Year’s Eve, as a private driver to transported Garrett Camp home safely, Garrett saw plenty of other cars on the roads. He wondered, Why not simply tag along with one of them to get home … and spend a whole lot less than the $800 I just shelled out?

The experience led Garrett and business partner Travis Kalanick to launch the independent taxi service and app Uber. But they needed drivers to make it work, so Travis “went to Google, typed in San Francisco chauffeur or San Francisco limousine, and just started dialing.” In other words, he made a cold call – an unsolicited contact with a prospect.

Cold calling not only launched Uber, but it’s also a technique that freelance writers use to get assignments. You assemble a list of prospects, reach out to them (by phone, email, letter, or on social media), and offer your writing services.

The cold calling success rate is only about 2%. That seems very low until you understand the potential for plenty of work from two clients – plus referrals. And once you start getting referrals and regular work, the process changes. Prospects reach out to you, instead.

At the start, Jesus’s ministry was a series of cold calls. He entered a village, found a place to present the Good News, and invited people to believe and follow Him. As Jesus’s reputation grew, so did the crowds. He no longer made cold calls. He had a valuable message. People wanted to hear it, so they sought Him out.

That’s the secret to a successful cold call. It’s not in how many responses you receive. Rather, your success lies in the kind of service you deliver when a prospect responds.

Deliver quality – and you won’t make cold calls for long. Prospects will seek you out, instead.

A Wise Word

A cold call gives you the chance to offer quality service.

A Word To Pray

Gracious Father,
Thank you for Jesus’s willingness to reach out to people and share the Good News. Give me courage to reach out to prospects. Open the door for the ones you want me to connect with and let me provide quality services.
In Jesus’s name, Amen

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