Computer Network Support Companies – Does Cold Calling Generate Leads?

Do you need to consistently and cost-effectively generate better leads for your computer network support company? And can cold calling help?

These are two big questions that I got a few months back from Mark Huffman, owner of Creative Business Technologies in Corona, California (USA).

Cold Calling Frustration

“Hi, Joshua! Thank you for the reports. I had a quick question. In your opinion, is cold calling a viable method of getting new IT clients? It seems very difficult to get clients through this avenue. I feel it wastes my time to cold call via the telephone and door-to-door canvassing. It has yielded very little results. The usual response is, ‘We already have someone or some other IT firm already in place, so we are not interested.’ Also, the other response I get is, ‘Please send some information, and we will look it over.’ I do, but when I call them, they say they have put it on file and may call someday. Well, someday does not work. I appreciate any feedback that you can give me concerning this. Thanks for your time.”

When Cold Calling Can Effectively Generate Network Support Leads

Cold calling is no longer a tactic that should be on the lead generation must-do list for most small computer network support companies. The only exception really is if:

a)      There's a pre-existing relationship – For example, you met at a chamber of commerce meeting, attended a seminar together, or a client referred him/her. In that case, it's a warm call, not cold. And the “temperature” makes all the difference.

b)      You're already highly-skilled in cold calling – This is something extremely rare among those starting up small IT companies.

I personally don't blog much about cold calling because I've never been a big fan of it for SMB VARs and MSPs that don't have professional sales staff. There are much better and much less expensive ways for most small VARs and MSPs to generate leads.

So, does it pay for computer network support companies to use cold calling to generate leads? In some circumstances, yes, but the answer is no for most small business VARs and MSPs. 

What have you found to be most effective for consistently and cost-effectively generating leads? What would you tell Mark Huffman? Please share your tips, hints, and best practices in the Comments area below.