New legislation is set to be enforced from April 6 in the UK in an attempt to crack down on the number of cold calls businesses and the public are receiving from companies looking to sell their products and services. Last year alone, over 175,000 people complained to the Information Commissioners Office about unwanted and disruptive calls and text messages. Under current law, a fine can only be issued to cold calling companies if they cause, ‘substantial damage or substantial distress’, which can be difficult to prove in a court of law. The new law will mean companies can be fined up to £500,000; a penalty which could make a real impact on the prevalence of this traditional sales technique.
Being on the receiving end of these calls can be frustrating both when you’re at home and at work. It can cost businesses valuable time when their employees have to screen calls or explain for the hundredth time that day that they’re not interested in buying insurance for the office toaster. These calls are also tying up phone lines that could be used to serve their own clients. Cold calling can be a cheap way of reaching a large number of prospective customers whilst gaining immediate results, as Tenfold touch on in their article, Is Cold Calling Dead? Hear from the Experts. However, playing this numbers game is becoming increasingly redundant in the world of business. People like to buy in their own time and undue pressure is more likely to cause sales resistance than build a long-term relationship.
At SilverDoor we’ve never used cold calling as a way of gaining business, preferring to build genuine working relationships with clients already interested in booking serviced apartments for their business travel. Our employees’ time is best spent becoming experts in the serviced apartment sector so they can offer the very best service to our clients; not memorising a disingenuous script, cynically designed to gain as many leads as possible. Customer relevant knowledge really is the most important factor in gaining the attention of a potential client; they can see through the spiel of someone who only knows as much information as is placed in front of them.
Each of our clients is assigned a dedicated Client Account Management team who offer a personalised and knowledgeable service tailored to their needs. By consistently offering serviced apartments at the best price and in the best locations, we’re able to both retain our clients and acquire further business opportunities, without having to resort to cold calling.
Visit our enquiry page for more information on the variety of ways you can get in touch with our Client Account Management team.
