That's typically why firms who successfully use cold calling for lead generation and appointment setting turn to an outsourced firm or hire an inside sales team.

But the question becomes, how much should this team emulate you? How much does the team need to know about your product or service? How many questions should they answer before passing the opportunity to you to pursue.  

As you know, my firm makes business to business cold calls all day long. We represent very sophisticated firms with complex products and services and processes that can take months to forward qualified opportunities to our clients.

It is my very strong opinion based on experience that firms who rely on cold calling should proceed with caution when asking too much from the cold calling team.  

There is one primary role the inside sales team or outsourced cold calling firm should play:

Save company executive's time by having them focus on only the most qualified opportunities.  

To do so, there are three fundamental activities to be completed through cold calling:

1. Make hours upon hours of calls to find qualified decision makers who fit your buyers' profile. 
    
2. Cultivate and nurture these decision makers, who often require email communication and/or repeat telephone follow up, until the decision maker is ready to set an appointment. 
    
3. Deliver qualified opportunities to the sales executives or business owner, without disrupting the sales process.

The fundamental cold calling activities require that the cold calling team:

• Knows what constitutes as a "qualified opportunity"
   
• Is capable of writing great emails and making follow-up phone calls that represent the company professionally
   
• And most importantly recognizes when the decision maker is ready to set an appointment.

Contrary to some opinions, the cold caller should not possess a vast amount of knowledge about the product or service he/she is calling about. A little bit of information is important, so the caller sounds credible and represents the company professionally. But, if the cold caller is not also the sales person, too much information is dangerous and could actually result in a lost sale.

Once a cold caller is armed with too much information he/she will begin to sound like a sales person to the prospect. A pass off at that point will disrupt the momentum of the sale.

A seamless - and effective - pass off from the caller to the sales person sounds like this: "That is really not a question I can answer, and that's the reason my colleague would like to speak with you. He has that expertise and can answer any questions you have. Let's set a time when you two can talk/meet."  

If the cold caller has actually made a "presentation" and has begun answering questions that would normally occur in the sales process, a pass off will disrupt the sales process. The bond between the decision maker and sales person will need to be re-established. Worse, the cold caller may not be as effective in selling as he/she is in identifying a qualified opportunity. The cold caller may ruin the sale and the decision maker may walk away prematurely.

My advice is not to replicate yourself in the cold calling team. Let the cold callers do their job finding opportunities. Let the sales team move prospects through the sales process and convert these qualified opportunities into sales. 

Growing your business can be done in several ways: by adding customers, new products or services, through acquisitions or by expanding into new geographic regions. All of these activities can be risky and expensive.

How can you reduce your risk and your costs, plus increase your chances of success? One important strategy is to leverage what you already have!

What does leveraging mean?

Simply put, leveraging means capitalizing on a strategic advantage to achieve what you want. Your business already has many assets. Here are six ways to leverage them:

1. Leverage your current customers.

• Survey your current customers. Ask them what other products or services they would like to receive from you. Or give them some suggestions and see how they react.  
• Always ask for referrals. This is the easiest and most powerful way to gain new customers, because your credibility is already established.

2. Leverage what your company has in-house.

• What expertise do you already have in-house that you can tap for new services?
• What new products or services can you implement quickly, easily and at low cost? (Hint: think line extensions, product upgrades, and add-ons.)
• Which of these can be delivered to your customers in the same way as your existing products (so you don't have to change your infrastructure or distribution system)?
   
• Can your Customer Service Department handle these new products without adding staff or requiring additional training?  
• Can you incorporate the new items into your current advertising and promotions?  
• Can your current sales people handle them?

3. Leverage your competitors.

Research what your competitors are offering. Evaluate their products and sevices within the context of what your company stands forand what it can do.

• Do these products lie within your current area of expertise (your "core competencies")?
• Do they fit with your company's image and/or reason for being (your "mission")?  
• Do they help you reach your goals for the business (where you want to be in five years)?

4. Leverage your company's image and position in the marketplace.
 

This is where you can differentiate yourself from your competition. Conduct research with your target audience to identify product areas that tie into your positioning and brand image. Then, as you flesh out the details, make sure you stamp your new offerings with your company's unique identity.  

5. Leverage with subcontractors. 

Subcontracting is one of the easiest ways to expand your services without investing in new staff or training. But quality control is very important here. Since your clients won't know your subcontractors, it will be your reputation, not the subcontractor's, that is on the line.  

6. Leverage with a partner.   

Partnering with a complementary business is a big way for you to grow your business in many ways - expanded customer base, products, geography.  But it goes without saying that you must pick your partners carefully. There has to be a good fit in terms of business practices, company image and products - not to mention compatibility with key management personalities and philosophies. 

Growing your business often means expanding the scope of what you offer to current and new customers. 

Do your homework first!

• Make sure all of your products and services - current and planned -- are aligned with your business identity and goals.
• Do some research to determine how big the demand is for your new products.
• Then see how you can leverage your existing assets to minimize risks and boost your success.