Walk in or Cold Calling which do you suggest?

mogulmap · 04-19-2012, 10:41 PM

Hey All,

I am getting ready to do some prospecting and wanted to get some feedback from you offline pros. Which do you think is better, cold calling or walk in?

Just not sure if I should start pounding pavement or dialing.

Thanks in advance for your help

payoman · 04-19-2012, 11:49 PM

Admittedly, I haven't done walk-ins yet. But I only started about a month and a half ago with cold calling and to this day have 4 paying clients from it and I am certain I could have more if I was more persistent with the fence sitters.

You can cover MUCH more volume with calls, plus you can't 'walk in' on tradesman that want a website for their mobile business.

JamesCx · 04-20-2012, 03:37 AM

Based on the fact that I hang-up on 99.99% of cold callers, walk-in. But then, the rest of the population isn't like me, I assume!

Anton Nadilo · 04-20-2012, 03:38 AM

Do both...and test and measure your results.

Cheers

Anton

Jason Kanigan · 04-20-2012, 03:45 AM

Calling is more efficient: if you know what you're doing, you can reach many more people in less time.

Walk-ins do have a power all of their own...but again, you have to know what you're doing. You can waste a lot of time driving around if you don't have a plan.

Use the search function of this site: you'll be able to find many good threads about both topics.

BenQ · 04-20-2012, 06:07 AM

Do both. Calling can reach the masses, but when you're out and about don't be afraid to talk to the vendors you're visiting. I've gotten more sales by starting simple conversations than I can remember.

beeswarn · 04-20-2012, 07:37 AM

Both are types of cold calls, as they aren't expecting you and have no warm feelings toward you.

I use both both methods. Telephone prospecting is uniformly more efficient and productive for me, but walking in works well in certain situations.

David Miller · 04-20-2012, 01:43 PM

Having recently purchased pants, I decided to take my show on the road. It was an interesting change of pace from spending my day on the phone, but I don't think I am going to surprise anyone if I say I prefer the phone to knocking on doors.

The clear advantage is the number of contacts you are able to make on the phone compared to how many you can make pounding the pavement.

One of the great myths of sales is that it's harder for someone to reject you in person than it is on the phone. You'll find that people are equally skilled at face to face rejection as they are on the phone.

At $5 a gallon, the phone should be your greatest business asset.

webgeniuz · 04-20-2012, 01:45 PM

You;'ll get a much better result Walking In.

I've found this when I was soliciting my first company.

I've had a success rate of somewhat of 33%. To improve your odds of Walk-ins, make sure you have some visuals to show them and perfect your Elevator Speech (1 minute). Get their attention really quickly and turn that sale or you'll lose it.

rbecklund · 04-20-2012, 01:50 PM

I would say cold calling. I haven't done any drop ins myself and David is right people can blow you off in person just as easy. I'd rather get blown off in a 30 sec. phone call than get dressed, drive somewhere and then get blown off.

kenmichaels · 04-20-2012, 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by webgeniuz

You;'ll get a much better result Walking In.

I just love blanket statements like this.

No situation is the same, no body has the same skill set.

So the truth is IF you don't try both, and i mean really try both,
then you wont know which is better for you or YOUR situation.

Some people are great on the phone, some people are great in person.

the question is really, which one are you?

Personally if i were you, i would start on the phone.
Its easier to adjust your script, its easier to contact more people,
it will save you time perfecting your approach.

Then when you feel confident in your approach, try out some door to door... see how that works for you.

TheShark · 04-20-2012, 03:37 PM

Depends on who your target market it, the time of day and what your pitch is.

I'd seriously consider a combination of both if that is the way you want to go. You might consider a call followed by a walk in. Or mail, walk in or some combination.

Play around until you find what works best for you.

TheShark

eguinan · 04-21-2012, 11:22 PM

Having worked in sales for years. I say both. Stopping in to introduce yourself gets past the "gate keeper" faster, but a day of cold calls is faster. I grew up in my father's small business. The only way for new sales people to actually reach him was to stop in. A meet and greet at the local Chamber of Commerce is a great way to network.

unlimitedmarketing · 04-22-2012, 01:41 AM

I've been doing walk-ins, and it takes forever, and a lot of the time the business owner isn't even there. Then I leave a flyer and call back later to follow up. Takes a lot of time and it's starting to get hot outside, and gas prices are going up. So I'm thinking more about leaning towards cold calling. I've got this crazy thing in my head that it's difficult, but I gotta do it!

JRS1 · 04-22-2012, 02:09 AM

Some good information here...

I'm living in Japan so I was thinking that to market my mobile business I'd need a partner in the states, to market there. Reading through this thread has given me some hope that I might be able to get this started on my own.

Just need to figure out when the different businesses have some down time, then see if I can talk to the small business owners.

Anyone think that I might be able to sell mobile websites, Google Places optimization, and text marketing from a distance without being face to face with businesses?

Thanks for any help!

kian boon · 04-22-2012, 03:57 AM

Walk in has better conversion rates, as customers are able to see the "Physical" thing of your service.

ePolymath · 04-22-2012, 04:22 AM

Although I don't personally do it anymore. For me, it was cold calling all the way. You can go through a whole lot of people stopping only for those that are interested. Also you'll cover a lot more "ground".

Choose whichever one you will be more likely to stick to. Since both methods are proven to work. All that is required to succeed, is consistent action.

Ashera · 04-22-2012, 05:40 AM

Standard routine for me is cold calling but I always carry business cards and if I'm out to lunch somewhere I'll take a look at their site on my mobile and if its junk, if the owner is working I'll chat him up and give him a casual pitch.

04-19-2012, 10:41 PM	#1
mogulmap HyperActive Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 349 Thanks: 72 Thanked 120 Times in 47 Posts	Walk in or Cold Calling which do you suggest? Hey All, I am getting ready to do some prospecting and wanted to get some feedback from you offline pros. Which do you think is better, cold calling or walk in? Just not sure if I should start pounding pavement or dialing. Thanks in advance for your help
	Want to make money online? I made over $60,000 with pigeons! Let me show you how I did it.

04-19-2012, 11:49 PM	#2
payoman www.offlinenewbie.com War Room Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Australia Posts: 365 Thanks: 48 Thanked 198 Times in 68 Posts	Re: Walk in or Cold Calling which do you suggest? Admittedly, I haven't done walk-ins yet. But I only started about a month and a half ago with cold calling and to this day have 4 paying clients from it and I am certain I could have more if I was more persistent with the fence sitters. You can cover MUCH more volume with calls, plus you can't 'walk in' on tradesman that want a website for their mobile business.

04-20-2012, 03:37 AM	#3
JamesCx Active Warrior Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: England, UK Posts: 79 Thanks: 14 Thanked 12 Times in 11 Posts	Re: Walk in or Cold Calling which do you suggest? Based on the fact that I hang-up on 99.99% of cold callers, walk-in. But then, the rest of the population isn't like me, I assume!

04-20-2012, 03:38 AM	#4
Anton Nadilo Launch BIG or Go Home! War Room Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: New Zealand Posts: 245 Thanks: 22 Thanked 95 Times in 61 Posts Social Networking Contact Info	Re: Walk in or Cold Calling which do you suggest? Do both...and test and measure your results. Cheers Anton
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04-20-2012, 03:45 AM	#5
Jason Kanigan Mr. Sales On Fire War Room Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: NC, USA Posts: 2,686 Thanks: 1,017 Thanked 2,184 Times in 1,090 Posts Social Networking	Re: Walk in or Cold Calling which do you suggest? Calling is more efficient: if you know what you're doing, you can reach many more people in less time. Walk-ins do have a power all of their own...but again, you have to know what you're doing. You can waste a lot of time driving around if you don't have a plan. Use the search function of this site: you'll be able to find many good threads about both topics.
	Presidents Sell. I work with people who see themselves as Presidents, and want to sell to other Presidents. ---> The REAL Way to Get Great Offline Clients and Make $5000/Mo--Sale On NOW! <--- Watch This Interview with Jason Kanigan

04-20-2012, 06:07 AM	#6
BenQ Advanced Warrior War Room Member Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 812 Thanks: 82 Thanked 177 Times in 144 Posts Contact Info	Re: Walk in or Cold Calling which do you suggest? Do both. Calling can reach the masses, but when you're out and about don't be afraid to talk to the vendors you're visiting. I've gotten more sales by starting simple conversations than I can remember.

04-20-2012, 07:37 AM	#7
beeswarn Advanced Warrior Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: USA Posts: 553 Thanks: 234 Thanked 161 Times in 107 Posts	Re: Walk in or Cold Calling which do you suggest? Both are types of cold calls, as they aren't expecting you and have no warm feelings toward you. I use both both methods. Telephone prospecting is uniformly more efficient and productive for me, but walking in works well in certain situations.

04-20-2012, 01:43 PM	#8
David Miller Senior Warrior Member War Room Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: Tennessee Posts: 1,001 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 386 Thanked 820 Times in 392 Posts	Re: Walk in or Cold Calling which do you suggest? Having recently purchased pants, I decided to take my show on the road. It was an interesting change of pace from spending my day on the phone, but I don't think I am going to surprise anyone if I say I prefer the phone to knocking on doors. The clear advantage is the number of contacts you are able to make on the phone compared to how many you can make pounding the pavement. One of the great myths of sales is that it's harder for someone to reject you in person than it is on the phone. You'll find that people are equally skilled at face to face rejection as they are on the phone. At $5 a gallon, the phone should be your greatest business asset.
	The big lesson in life, baby, is never be scared of anyone or anything. -- FRANK SINATRA, quoted in The Way You Wear Your Hat

04-20-2012, 01:45 PM	#9
webgeniuz Warrior Member Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 1 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Walk in or Cold Calling which do you suggest? You;'ll get a much better result Walking In. I've found this when I was soliciting my first company. I've had a success rate of somewhat of 33%. To improve your odds of Walk-ins, make sure you have some visuals to show them and perfect your Elevator Speech (1 minute). Get their attention really quickly and turn that sale or you'll lose it.

04-20-2012, 01:50 PM	#10
rbecklund HyperActive Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Austin, Texas Posts: 191 Thanks: 84 Thanked 35 Times in 32 Posts Social Networking	Re: Walk in or Cold Calling which do you suggest? I would say cold calling. I haven't done any drop ins myself and David is right people can blow you off in person just as easy. I'd rather get blown off in a 30 sec. phone call than get dressed, drive somewhere and then get blown off.
	Deadwood Web Works

04-20-2012, 03:37 PM	#12
TheShark Active Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 87 Thanks: 29 Thanked 28 Times in 21 Posts	Re: Walk in or Cold Calling which do you suggest? Depends on who your target market it, the time of day and what your pitch is. I'd seriously consider a combination of both if that is the way you want to go. You might consider a call followed by a walk in. Or mail, walk in or some combination. Play around until you find what works best for you. TheShark

04-21-2012, 11:22 PM	#13
eguinan Warrior/Explorer War Room Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Omaha, NE Posts: 167 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 120 Thanked 29 Times in 25 Posts Social Networking Contact Info	Re: Walk in or Cold Calling which do you suggest? Having worked in sales for years. I say both. Stopping in to introduce yourself gets past the "gate keeper" faster, but a day of cold calls is faster. I grew up in my father's small business. The only way for new sales people to actually reach him was to stop in. A meet and greet at the local Chamber of Commerce is a great way to network.

04-22-2012, 01:41 AM	#14
unlimitedmarketing HyperActive Warrior War Room Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 490 Thanks: 136 Thanked 109 Times in 61 Posts Social Networking Contact Info	Re: Walk in or Cold Calling which do you suggest? I've been doing walk-ins, and it takes forever, and a lot of the time the business owner isn't even there. Then I leave a flyer and call back later to follow up. Takes a lot of time and it's starting to get hot outside, and gas prices are going up. So I'm thinking more about leaning towards cold calling. I've got this crazy thing in my head that it's difficult, but I gotta do it!
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04-22-2012, 02:09 AM	#15
JRS1 Warrior Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: North Japan Posts: 3 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Contact Info	Re: Walk in or Cold Calling which do you suggest? Some good information here... I'm living in Japan so I was thinking that to market my mobile business I'd need a partner in the states, to market there. Reading through this thread has given me some hope that I might be able to get this started on my own. Just need to figure out when the different businesses have some down time, then see if I can talk to the small business owners. Anyone think that I might be able to sell mobile websites, Google Places optimization, and text marketing from a distance without being face to face with businesses? Thanks for any help!

04-22-2012, 03:57 AM	#16
kian boon Active Warrior Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Singapore Posts: 51 Thanks: 0 Thanked 4 Times in 4 Posts	Re: Walk in or Cold Calling which do you suggest? Walk in has better conversion rates, as customers are able to see the "Physical" thing of your service.

04-22-2012, 04:22 AM	#17
ePolymath Warrior Member War Room Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Posts: 24 Thanks: 4 Thanked 9 Times in 6 Posts	Re: Walk in or Cold Calling which do you suggest? Although I don't personally do it anymore. For me, it was cold calling all the way. You can go through a whole lot of people stopping only for those that are interested. Also you'll cover a lot more "ground". Choose whichever one you will be more likely to stick to. Since both methods are proven to work. All that is required to succeed, is consistent action.

04-22-2012, 05:40 AM	#18
Ashera I am what I am War Room Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Irvine, CA Posts: 395 Thanks: 72 Thanked 204 Times in 90 Posts	Re: Walk in or Cold Calling which do you suggest? Standard routine for me is cold calling but I always carry business cards and if I'm out to lunch somewhere I'll take a look at their site on my mobile and if its junk, if the owner is working I'll chat him up and give him a casual pitch.
	If you don't change direction, you'll end up where you're going.