asiamaria

Hi guys,

Going to get back and do cold calling next week aka John Durham style.

I want to set a goal of selling 4 websites per month and just wanted some rough idea of what I need to do to reach that goal.

Any ideas on estimated conversions, i know there are many variables but I want a guide to keep me on track.

Number of dials over the month
Number of appointments/meetings
Number of websites

For example:

Number of dials over the month = 1400
Number of appointments/meetings = 14 (1%)
Number of websites = 4 (30%)

Any advice would be greaty appreciated

Matt

Dan McCoy

Hey Matt, the only reason you want to know these numbers is to ease your uncertainty.

These feelings of uncertainty are rooted in fear. I think waiting until Monday to start calling is rooted in fear. Why aren't you calling TODAY??

Just pick up the phone, start smiling and dialing, and then let US know your numbers.

Just hit it man. Go berzerk. Take a match to this thing and burn the building down. Melt your phone into a plastic mess.

You don't need the stats, you need to MAKE some stats right now. Today. Do it!

JohnDavid

Love it Dan! Melt that phone baby!

MAKE your own stats!

Good words to live by! I'm taking heed

rundmc56

JohnDavid, that is such great advice. How often are we getting ready to get ready? I know I have been guilty of that way too often. It just needs to be done now!!!

Rendition

I think thats good advice, but I am curious about something. When you are working in a local area and doing cold calls, are the ones who deny your inquiry lost business?

What I mean is, if they say they aren't interested, then what? Is it ok to physically visit them after theyve shut down your cold call inquiry? I'd hate to cold call 200 businesses and make that be -200 potential customers because i mass called them.

Im a newbie obviously so just looking for advice on the matter.

Dan McCoy

Heck no man don't throw it away.

If they are your target, call them back every month. You might just hit them at the right time.

Before long, you will have a list of several hundred companies you want to work with. At that point, you just keep hitting them until you figure it out.

Now, make sure they are a fit. If they are rude or you can't really help them, just delete.

Once you have a good list of companies you want to help, you can research their business and come up with ways to help them. Then, call them, mail them, visit them until they agree to let you pitch.

They might get mad, but they will be impressed by your followup.

Claude Whitacre

They aren't interested Now. You just talked to the person on the wrong day, or got the wrong person, or got them in a bad mood, or someone else just called, or they are trying to eat lunch.

If they don't ask you to stop calling, I would just keep calling. Eventually many of them will get used to you, and they will be open to a hard worker like yourself.

Do you sell online marketing or advertising to offline business owners? You can get a Kindle copy of my new book Selling Local Advertising... on Amazon. You can also just buy the book in print if you wish. Here is the link;
http://www.amazon.com/Selling-Local-...laude+whitacre

Dan McCoy

Even if they ask me to stop, I might just skip a month, then call them and make a joke about it.

Eventually, these people will warm up. I'll stop if they get pissed.

goblue1918

The first time you are making contact with the business owner, they do not know you at all. They see sales people come and go. Their first reaction regardless of what you are selling is no. That will get you out of their hair and they can go back to what they were doing even though what you offered could help their bottom line.

Be tenacious, drop by once a month. They will see your commitment abnd begin to develop a relationship with you. They will start listening to what you are saying. More importantly they will trust what you are saying.

If they truly need your services you will eventually be the person they contact.

socialentry

Just to answer OP, you need to gather your own stats because they are going to be different from campaigns to campaigns.

Perhaps not totally relevant but
you shouldn't look at dials so much as owners contacted. Reason being that the quality of the list is a huge factor. Old beat up commercial lists will have a reallly reaaaaallly low contact rate simply due to wrong numbers. Manta is a tad better. Yellow pages is a tad better (and many cold calling ops simply use yellow pages because they are up to date)

If you take the whole Sunday off to cherry pick your list, it is probably the best but most boring route

How does this work out?

I love making jokes on the phone but I can't wrap my mind around this.

JohnDavid

I made a load of calls today, and Made My Own stats!

Thanks for the inspire Dan!

I had fun on the Friday horn, is it just me or are biz owners a little more relaxed on Fridays. Had good success calling and actually speaking with contractors just after 5 pm our time.

Heck I'm even gonna try Saturday calling tomorrow to Make Some More Stats

Dan McCoy

Now THAT is awesome. Keep rolling like this and you will realize your goals very fast.

Call saturday. Call Sunday. Be relentless.

At some point you figure out exactly how many leads you need to keep in the pipeline and your life becomes much more predictable.

Thanks for coming back to report! Made my night.

Dan McCoy

Think about it. If you listen to them and stop calling, they aren't going to buy from you anyway. You got nothing to lose baby! I love being in that situation. When you got something to lose its harder to go all in.

Since they wouldn't have bought anyway... Go ahead and call. If they cuss you so what. They might just decide to hire you.

I do the same in a pitch. If I feel I'm losing the sale, it's easier to go all in. I pull all the stops to find some way the deal can be done. There is SOMETHING they need that I can sell them... Or I would not be there in the first place.

Never back down when things look bleak. When it looks bad, that just means its time to double down on your efforts.

ckbank

Success should be around 1/100. Having said that, if you are good, you can convert 10/100. Also, don't be scared of selling. Because you really aren't selling, but rather providing a service that THEY need or want. Do you know Napoleon Barregan? He established 1-800-mattress and is one of the best salespeople in the world. Do you know how he got started in sales by selling beer and soda in the back of a burro.

Now that's what I call Guerrilla Marketing.

Claude Whitacre

That's selling. Providing a service they need or want is selling. Helping people get what they want is selling.

Any time you are talking to another person, with a goal in mind...you are selling.

I have notice that, on this Forum (and nearly anywhere I talk to people) "Selling" is considered the evil part of business. Something you are doing to the other person.

I've had dozens of people try to pay me a compliment by saying something like "What I like about you is that you aren't selling. You're just showing us how you can help". They mean it in the nicest way....but I'm selling.

Bad selling is talking about you and what you have. (without engaging the prospect)
Great selling is talking about them, and what they want.

That feeling of resisting you have when talking to most salespeople? The salesperson created that. If you are talking to a good salesperson, you don't get that feeling of resistance. That's why, if there is no resistance...most people don't consider it selling.

The exception to this is Pitching, after you establish that what you have, is in demand. It's another approach.

Anyway, this wasn't really meant for CKBANK, but his post triggered the thought.

Do you sell online marketing or advertising to offline business owners? You can get a Kindle copy of my new book Selling Local Advertising... on Amazon. You can also just buy the book in print if you wish. Here is the link;
http://www.amazon.com/Selling-Local-...laude+whitacre

Dan McCoy

Isn't it interesting how people look down on selling?

Selling is a real skill. A powerful and noble ability to help people make choices which are good for them.

Good sellers make the entire economy function, and yet we are reviled. The important thing is to never give up on getting people what they want.

If you KNOW you can help them, you have to bring all your passion, intelligence, and skill to the table to get them the result THEY need. If you aren't sure of your ability to help them, it is much more difficult. That is when people resort to being pushy or desperate IMHO.

ckbank

Glad we agree on selling Claude. Let me tell you something. I would love to have a profession as a salesperson. I worked for quite a while as an inside salesperson. It sucked. Sales sucks for at least couple of years, but once you start moving up, you start moving on and start doing REAL sales, which I believe is called Account Management. I guess what I'm trying to say is that it will suck selling crappy things for the first year or two, but once you get some good experience under your belt, you can sell IT solutions, medical devices, luxury vehicles and other high item tickets and once you start selling those, it will be more of managing accounts rather than begging people to buy.

Now that's what I call Guerrilla Marketing.

John Durham

OMG this is a SMOOOOOKIN' hot post!

Yeah Dan! That's he ticket right there!

Heck yeah buddy, you just made my mind up about something, and you know what Im talking about!

Edit:

Damn! This is the best post I've ever read!

I wanna build a SHRINE to it! lol

You are an ace in the hole bro! Yes, indeed!

Dan McCoy

HAHA! Yeah buddy let's burn up the phones and MAKE SOME STATS.

Take MASSIVE action and tap-dance all the way to the bank!

joe golfer

Exactly. In your population of prospects, under 15% will make a decision in the next 90 days. The large majority will not be ready to buy until 90 days from now or longer. As long as you've qualified them, when they say NO think "you only mean NO today."

Buyers control their movement through the buying cycle more than ever before. For example, Forrester Research says that B2B buyers are anywhere from two-thirds to as high as 90% to the point of making a purchase by the time they talk to any salespeople. That's why you should do plenty of content marketing at the same time you are working the phones.

John Durham

What? You mean you got to speak with decision makers on your very first day of calling?

kenmichaels

the first bold line ... I don't agree with at all.

the second one, I don't know if Forrester research is right or not.

But i do know if those numbers are accurate, it is just one more reason
to

A) call them instead of meeting them.
B) and always ask for the money ... and then ask again.

joe golfer

oops, I didn't flesh that out. I should have said the 15%/85% stat refers to home buyers purchasing cycle as reported by Dean Jackson here: The Dean Jackson NewInformation! Marketing Letter

General consumer patterns are different: "One study by the Advertising Research Foundation indicates that 35 percent of purchasers took up to ninety days to make a decision, while another 28 percent placed an order between three to six months. And nineteen percent waited for six to twelve months after making the initial inquiry to actually buy.

The same study revealed that when it came to future purchases only thirteen percent would buy within three months; forty-four percent would require six to twelve months to decide. Yet, twenty percent announced at the beginning that they would require a full year or longer for the sale to be completed."
Don't Be A Buying Cycle Victim

For B2B, according to MarketingSherpa, 34 percent of sales cycles in 2011 were less than 3 months with 22 percent lasting 4-6 months, 19 percent 7-12 months and 10 percent more than 1 year.
Marketing Research Chart: Shrinking length of B2B sales cycles | MarketingSherpa

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

This is from Dean Jackson for realtors (from the above link):

"Here are some interesting facts about leads:

-Half of them are NEVER followed up!

-Just over HALF of the people who inquire WILL buy a house
in the next 12 months.

-Of those who DO buy a house - only 15% of them will do it in the next 90-days.

That means 85% of the leads you generate TODAY are more
likely to buy 90-days or more from now, so the longer you can
keep in contact with them.the better chance you have of
working with them when they're ready.

The good news is you won't have much competition.

Most of your competitors are more likely to have a 6 DAY follow up program than a 6 or 12 MONTH follow-up program.

Successful lead generators realize that the real EQUITY of their lead generation program is in the future. The NEW leads are not the HOT leads.

There WILL be some people who want to buy a house right away.

About 15% of them.

And you could make a good living and return on investment just working with the ones who want to buy now.but the BIG return on your investment will come when you've got a SYSTEM to
keep in touch with the 5-Star Prospects for a year."

kenmichaels

Brilliant, absolutely brilliant. This is the second time I have said this to you.
Only a master craftsman truly has the ability to say that AND i mean it
i cant wait to meet you in real life. The more i think about it, the more
i realize that phone call we had was unsatisfactory.


Selling is not something you do to someone, it is something you do with someone.

kenmichaels

let me get this correct. Your saying leads 6 months out.. with proper credibility building is worth more then the new leads? Is this correct?

We sell our "no" and "no contact" leads after 3 months for a premium to an outfit
in texas.

For us, the "sweet spot" is within one week of them purchasing the FE product.
After that, when we call, we have to remind them of what they bought and then
ask them why they haven't done anything with it.

We get a lot of no contacts, so we call and call and call.
Anyone who doesn't say "remove me" we call again, even if they said no.


Now correct me if i am wrong, your saying ... stretch that to 6 months
and give them a bunch of stuff in between .. and then they will be more likely
to buy?

BTW, I am about money, not ego, not about anything other then better business.
So, please don't think i am attacking your idea. I am simply trying to learn something.
If your Idea works better then mine... i have no problem trying it.
Most of what i know has come from trial and error and from listening to people who
know more then me.

joe golfer

I was clarifying that 15 percent/85 percent stat I threw out there. I should have sourced it on the first reference.

As far as sales cycles referenced for consumers and B2B, of course those are averages for all industries. Yours is a lot different as you described. Probably most sales cycles vary by industry, product, etc.

Whether you can benefit from content marketing in addition to outbound calling is an individual decision and depends on your personal style, your company and the available resources.

Jimmy Rodela

Exactly what I was thinking about.

Claude Whitacre

I don't mean this personally, but again, you triggered this thought.

Selling isn't begging. Ever. If the prospect ever has the thought that you need the sale, it destroys any momentum you may have built up. Any value you may have shown is now gone. Now, buying is simply to help you.

Your Mom may buy a $20 candle from you to help you, but now you have drained your supply of "People wanting to help you".

All these "Account management" positions are precisely sales positions.
"Area Reps", "Client Acquisition Executives"...Blah, Blah, Blah....

They just need to be propped up by being called something other than Salesman.
INC. Magazine (I believe) did a survey of top CEOs. The one word that described them most was "Salesman". Not "Account Manager"

Why would you ever sell "crappy products"?

When I hired salespeople, one of the first things I had to do was explain what selling is.

People don't dislike selling...they dislike what they think selling is.

There is no "Managing accounts". There is only selling. I am beating this to death, because these beliefs are widely held.

You're a brave man. These are deep waters.

Do you sell online marketing or advertising to offline business owners? You can get a Kindle copy of my new book Selling Local Advertising... on Amazon. You can also just buy the book in print if you wish. Here is the link;
http://www.amazon.com/Selling-Local-...laude+whitacre

Claude Whitacre

Ken; First, Thank you.

But I was completely satisfied after our phone call. I took a shower, smoked a cigarette, and took a nap.

My wife woke me up and said "Hey! You're still at work. We have customers! And when did you start smoking? And where the hell did you just take a shower?! And get off that forum!"

Do you sell online marketing or advertising to offline business owners? You can get a Kindle copy of my new book Selling Local Advertising... on Amazon. You can also just buy the book in print if you wish. Here is the link;
http://www.amazon.com/Selling-Local-...laude+whitacre

Dan McCoy

That is golden. The main job of the big boss is to sell. You never get away from it. Selling is the lifeblood of ANY business, no matter how large.

Everything in life, everywhere you go, sales are made. It doesn't matter if it is your spouse, your kids, or a stranger on the street just walking by...selling is a way of life.

It is not just something we do when we need money. It is something we become with practice. Once we become sellers, it permeates to every part of our lives, whether we think so or not.

kenmichaels

I laughed out loud. Heck i am still laughing.

Comedian or salesman ... you decide. Answer at eleven.

Claude Whitacre

Yup. I agree completely. But (for some of you reading this), this doesn't mean we are trying in influence everyone. Or doing something bad. But understanding how selling works, and internalizing great selling principles allows you to see marketing and selling...everywhere you look.
Communication becomes a form of dance. A dance where you know the steps.

I love watching sales be made. I watch videos of guys selling on the streets.

One of the most useful things I've done is go where high dollar sales are made all day. Watching money exchange hands is like oxygen to me. I don't even have to be the one making money. I can even be the one buying.

Buying and selling is a form of language. OK, now I'm getting off my soapbox.

Do you sell online marketing or advertising to offline business owners? You can get a Kindle copy of my new book Selling Local Advertising... on Amazon. You can also just buy the book in print if you wish. Here is the link;
http://www.amazon.com/Selling-Local-...laude+whitacre

ckbank

I agree with most of what you said Claude, but I guess sales feels like begging either when you don't sell things you are passionate about or you don't get paid for your hard work. Working on a salary as a salesperson and getting $20 commission on a sale you tried your best to close does suck.

Now that's what I call Guerrilla Marketing.

John Durham

Every year Walmart has a million units of product that they didnt sell, even though they sold millions of units.

You gotta focus on the prize man, not the "no's". The whole world is selling, its not begging, it's business. Either you are in business, selling, or you have a JOB working for someone else who does.

Those are the choices.

socialentry

You just gotta act as if you've got a million dollar check that you're about to give them. Why am I not begging?

because I'm telling you so.

If this job taught me anything is that you can be anyone. You decide what way you want to present yourself as on the phone.

techdharma

Dude, Dan! You need to be a motivational speaker man.

I read this post and went nuts calling everyone in the yellow pages. LOL. Lets see what happens but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Cheers!

taranisman

I'm just starting a new business selling mobile websites. I certainly plan on offering more services as well, but this is my "foot in the door". I have also (I think) perfected my cold-calling script.

I will be practicing and practicing, but I have found that best way to get better is to just keep calling.

The great thing about mobile sites is that when you show a potential customer what their website looks like on a cell phone, and they see just how cool and "techie" it is, they will jump at your offer.

There are really very few questions that you will have to answer because the proof is right in front of them.

"Here's your site on an iPhone as it looks now...now here is your mobile site on an iPhone...see the difference?"

Good stuff.

PS. I'm going to pick up my new Motorola Droid Razr Maxx HD tomorrow (I've heard that it can go for 2 days without a recharge...huh?) so I'm dying to show these owners what it will look like on my new phone. How can they say no?

Tired of wasting money on pathetic, weak social media marketing services? Come work with the Kings, baby! www.KingsofSocialMedia.com