The two are not mutually exclusive; in fact a good cold call is a Smart Call! At the same time there are "dumb" warm calls. Or maybe regardless of the kind of call, it is the caller that is either Smart, or not.

First we would need to define a cold call, my definition is when you call on someone who did not have you on their agenda that day. In that context you can be a smart caller, by preparing, having a process and understanding of what exactly they want to get out of the call. Knowing how you will handle objections, and knowing what it takes to engage. When you look at it, these are the same elements that make for a good warm call, and if they are not in place, you end up having a dumb warm call.

Boiled down to basics, the difference would be objective, preparation and EXECUTION.

Dan McDade

President, PointClear, LLC

Posted on Aug. 12, 2011

I like Tibor's reference to a dumb warm call! The other element I would toss into the discussion is that using a standalone medium (such as a call) is generally a mistake. If you use a multi-touch, multi-media, multi-cycle approach, then the research to warm the call up is well worth it. If you are just into smiling and dialing (dumb, cold call) then I think you are wasting your money.

John Cousineau

President, innovative information inc.

Posted on Aug. 12, 2011

To Tibor's points + Dan's, I'd add these two points:

a/ smart calling is differentiated from cold calling by the timeliness + helpfulness of the buyer experience, as proven by the (number and outcomes of) subsequent sales conversations provoked from such calling.

b/ in execution, the smartest of smart calling practices tend to be less 'locked down' and more dynamically adjusted with closed loop feedback on the outcomes achieved from past efforts. The Einstein-versions of smart calling practices, IMO, are ones where the cycles between execution, observable outcomes, adjustments, and improved outcomes are measured in days, not months or quarters.