Hitting the phone for my web design business for the first time, posting stats.

37 replies
Hi all, sorry I have not contributed much over the years, more of a reader :-)


I have plenty of telemarketing experience in other industries but never had to outbound my web design services. Have not picked-up the phone and dialed in at least 10 years. Going to give it a solid 2 hours today and will post results.


I will be using free Manta leads and hand dialing, my goal is mainly to break the nerves, dreading this. Ok, will be very satisfied with 60 calls, 6 presentations and 2 solid prospects in 2 hours. the reason for the low calls is that i will quickly check out their website before each. This may be a waste of time and may drop that step in the future. Just don't want to call on prospects that have decent sites already.


I know 2 hours is not enough to judge results, just all the time I have today.


Wish me luck...
#business #design #hitting #phone #posting #stats #telemarketing #time #web
  • Profile picture of the author umc
    The numbers will be what they will be and by picking up the phone you'll learn what tweaks to make. Just calling is more than most will do. Don't get lost in minutia, just do it. Good for you.
    Signature

    Simple "pay what you want" life coaching services online.
    Get out of your own way in business. It's personal. Click Here

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10416972].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author chamberlain
    Ok, got about 1.5 hours in and here are the results:

    32 calls
    19 No answers, some I left messages for
    4 busy signals or disconnect
    4 not interested, only 1 rude :-)
    2 cold pitches, send email.
    3 warn pitches, send email and follow-up call.


    Funny, my best call was the very first one. He was in the market and looking at quotes between $500 and $2,500.


    I am pretty satisfied with the results and feel that I can get a deal out of this.


    Challenges:
    - My dog barked and lawn people showed up !
    - Had issues with cell phone, bad reception and some dropped calls
    - Leads from Manta have duplicates and no way to scrub
    - No CMS or autodialer, everything takes longer than expected.


    I plan to address the above issues moving forward with better equipment, leads, a CMS, and location. Just want to make sure it is all worthwhile first.


    I will follow-up and let you know if I get a sale on this effort.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10417068].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Jason Kanigan
      Originally Posted by chamberlain View Post

      Ok, got about 1.5 hours in and here are the results:

      32 calls
      19 No answers, some I left messages for
      4 busy signals or disconnect
      4 not interested, only 1 rude :-)
      2 cold pitches, send email.
      3 warn pitches, send email and follow-up call.


      Funny, my best call was the very first one. He was in the market and looking at quotes between $500 and $2,500.


      I am pretty satisfied with the results and feel that I can get a deal out of this.


      Challenges:
      - My dog barked and lawn people showed up !
      - Had issues with cell phone, bad reception and some dropped calls
      - Leads from Manta have duplicates and no way to scrub
      - No CMS or autodialer, everything takes longer than expected.


      I plan to address the above issues moving forward with better equipment, leads, a CMS, and location. Just want to make sure it is all worthwhile first.


      I will follow-up and let you know if I get a sale on this effort.
      Use a spreadsheet and sort by phone numbers to weed out the duplicates.

      Use conditional formatting to tell you when to call back.

      Use Google Calendar to book callbacks in conjunction with your spreadsheet.

      Watch your week start to fill up with high probably times to call back decision makers.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10417464].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author iAmNameLess
      Originally Posted by chamberlain View Post

      Ok, got about 1.5 hours in and here are the results:

      32 calls
      19 No answers, some I left messages for
      4 busy signals or disconnect
      4 not interested, only 1 rude :-)
      2 cold pitches, send email.
      3 warn pitches, send email and follow-up call.


      Funny, my best call was the very first one. He was in the market and looking at quotes between $500 and $2,500.


      I am pretty satisfied with the results and feel that I can get a deal out of this.


      Challenges:
      - My dog barked and lawn people showed up !
      - Had issues with cell phone, bad reception and some dropped calls
      - Leads from Manta have duplicates and no way to scrub
      - No CMS or autodialer, everything takes longer than expected.


      I plan to address the above issues moving forward with better equipment, leads, a CMS, and location. Just want to make sure it is all worthwhile first.


      I will follow-up and let you know if I get a sale on this effort.
      I guess you have to start somewhere...

      Your results, considering the very very small sample size, are actually pretty good. The problem you have is the volume... 1.5 hours for 32 calls is bad.

      You're manually gathering leads from Manta? Are you broke right now? You could be scraping them and save time, remove duplicates, etc.

      I recommend looking into using Mobile Renegade for scraping... maybe a free option to keep track of your leads... vtiger, zoho, insightly... I recommend Nutshell CRM but it costs money. I hate calling from my cell phone, definitely prefer an old fashioned land line.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10417689].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author chamberlain
    Doubling up tomorrow, Goal of 1k thiis week from telemarketing.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10417315].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author hearme
    SO what are new results any conversions till today ?
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10418115].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author chamberlain
    Today I changed things up a bit. I opened a Nutshell CRM account as suggested by iAmNameLess (thanks). I Installed Skype and the click to call feature and I purchased some Logitech noise canceling headphones. The dialing process was much, much easier today!


    I continued to use Manta for leads mainly for the fact that I can link to the customers website quickly before I call or see if they even have one.


    Collecting a lot of email addresses so I integrated Nutshell with Mailchimp for long term marketing, with a verbal permission of course.


    With all of the above, did not have much call time today but here are the numbers:


    30 calls
    14 No answers, on 11 I left messages
    4 busy signals or disconnect
    3 not interested, No rudes :-)
    1 cold pitch, send email.
    4 follow-ups from previous contacts
    4 warn pitches, send email and follow-up call.


    Challenges:
    - Learning Skype and Nutshell CRM
    - Skype did not show my real number yet on caller ID (unknown caller) and may have caused more no-answers. I subscribed last night and they say it takes up to 24 hours.


    Other than that, I feel really good with the 4 pitches today. One company is paying $600 a month for a crappy YP page. I was calling on Pool service company's today because I have a few in my portfolio.


    8 solid leads in 62 dials, can't beat that! If I double production over the next 2 days, could have another 16 for a total of 24. I am pitching a $720 package so all I need is 2 deals to call it a good week.


    Will update tomorrow.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10419133].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author umc
      Originally Posted by chamberlain View Post

      Other than that, I feel really good with the 4 pitches today. One company is paying $600 a month for a crappy YP page. I was calling on Pool service company's today because I have a few in my portfolio.
      I was talking with a company that did our hvac work about their site, and they too were paying a ton of money for a YP site. It was ugly, spammy, and expensive. Hopefully you can turn that one over.

      Thanks for sharing your stats. Keep it up!
      Signature

      Simple "pay what you want" life coaching services online.
      Get out of your own way in business. It's personal. Click Here

      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10419175].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author chamberlain
        Originally Posted by umc View Post

        I was talking with a company that did our hvac work about their site, and they too were paying a ton of money for a YP site. It was ugly, spammy, and expensive. Hopefully you can turn that one over.

        Thanks for sharing your stats. Keep it up!

        The only reason that was not a laydown sale is that she is looking to see if she is still under contract. Anyone know a way to find YP created sites? That would be a good lead list.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10419338].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author Naren Blaice
          Originally Posted by chamberlain View Post

          The only reason that was not a laydown sale is that she is looking to see if she is still under contract. Anyone know a way to find YP created sites? That would be a good lead list.
          Type "powered by yell business" into google, with the quotes included.
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10420625].message }}
          • Profile picture of the author chamberlain
            Originally Posted by Naren Blaice View Post

            Type "powered by yell business" into google, with the quotes included.

            This did not work but figured it out by copying their disclamer in the footer + my city name.
            {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10422579].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author DannyBags
      Loving reading this thread! Recently I have been building a spreadsheet of local leads as well. You are giving me a whole lot of inspiration. Thanks Chamberlain
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10424741].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Garymgar
    Thanks for being brave and posting your results. I am subscribing to this thread to get my courage up to start calling. Your an inspiration.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10420866].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author chamberlain
    Update:


    Did not make calls today, pissed at myself and need to hit it hard tomorrow.


    GOOD NEWS !!


    Had a call back yesterday afternoon and the result was that he wanted to meet me with his wife (she is the techie). I informed him that I do not go out to meet clients but he is welcome to come to my house. After explaining that this keeps my costs down, he understood and set a time for 6:00pm today. They just left and I have $240 cash in hand, another $240 next week upon launch and another $240 in January for a total of $720. I used to charge $480 for this package but figured I would tag on an extra payment at the end. Customers do not seem to balk at it because it is over a month away and they feel the new website will help out in bringing in more business. This is the first time I tried that and have been pitching the 3 payments this week.


    Anyway, very happy that my measly 60 calls converted :-) BTW, this guy was a call-back, never pitched him until he called me, could have been a VM message. That means my 7 warm pitches are still on the table.


    Thank you for the encoragement, I need it. Still not happy that I did not hit the phones today.


    Tomorrows goal is at least 60 dials and a $720 deal from follow-ups.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10421033].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author animal44
      Well done on your sale.
      Originally Posted by chamberlain View Post

      I informed him that I do not go out to meet clients but he is welcome to come to my house.
      I like that. Taking control right from the beginning...
      Signature

      People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.
      What I do for a living

      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10421501].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author chamberlain
    For the record, this guy was not the one paying YP $600 per month. This is a start-up tub and tile refinishing 1 man company, so a large investment for him. I will deliver value as always.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10421074].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author sintzu
    Great progress chamberlain. Looking forward to seeing more success. One question, are you somehow scrubbing the manta list and looking for people without websites? Or ones with crappy websites? Or just calling regardless of their website situation?
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10422325].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author chamberlain
      Originally Posted by sintzu View Post

      Great progress chamberlain. Looking forward to seeing more success. One question, are you somehow scrubbing the manta list and looking for people without websites? Or ones with crappy websites? Or just calling regardless of their website situation?
      now I am just calling listings with no websites or crappy websites. Plan to put a promo together for all in January.


      Here is the plan for all: Facebook contest to clients target market ($100 spend max). We will be giving away 2 FRONT ROW SEATS to a Tampa Bay Buccaneers home game. The promo will run for 6 months at a cost of $800. Fortunately I have season tickets at a cost of $200 per game. 10 games should bring me a profit of $5,200. Any thoughts, anyone try something like this before? Think it will be a hard sell? I may keep a pair to run same promo for my company.


      BTW, not making excuses but no time to cold call today. Getting ready to follow-up my warm leads in a few. Sent them all an additional email this morning letting them know that I will be calling.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10422545].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author chamberlain
    The lady with the YP site has 5 months left !! She really wants to work with me, maybe will convince her to do a 2nd site now and then upload to main domain when contract is over? Calling back next week.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10422593].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author chamberlain
    No luck on follow-ups, 1 invoice for deposit sent but not overly confident in buyer execution.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10422688].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author chamberlain
    More good news...


    Just upsold my one sale by $400 for citation listing service !!


    60 calls = $1,120.00


    Thanks for holding me accountable but I will not be hitting the phones today as I want to get this job done asap. I will give my warm call-backs a rest today as well. Plan to call them tomorrow and back to the cold calls on Wednesday.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10427608].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Michael Nguyen
      Originally Posted by chamberlain View Post

      Thanks for holding me accountable but I will not be hitting the phones today
      You definitely want to be hitting the phones and building that pipeline. Peaks an troughs is not nice for business. Only pipeline will make things consistent. Everyone can spare an hour a day for prospecting and call backs etc
      Signature
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10427611].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Clautusoar
      Originally Posted by chamberlain View Post

      More good news...


      Just upsold my one sale by $400 for citation listing service !!


      60 calls = $1,120.00


      Thanks for holding me accountable but I will not be hitting the phones today as I want to get this job done asap. I will give my warm call-backs a rest today as well. Plan to call them tomorrow and back to the cold calls on Wednesday.
      lets train on handling objections, i stutter and fumble whenever the dm hits me with 2 objections.

      This is what happened today

      Me: i ask to speak to sales deparment to get the name of the dm(stan billue getting past the gk technique)

      He eventually got on the phone and i hit him with my pitch.

      DM: we dont have the money for adverstising right now

      ME:thats fine, were not looking to sell you anything today.(stuttered and fumbled like a mf)

      DM:blah blah, were not interested.

      I forgot how to answer this objection and he hung up.


      You been telemarketing for 10 years, you shouldnt be surpised at the progress you been making. You know have more experience than a seo nerd that relies on facebook ads for leads.


      Anybody that knows how to sell on the phone can make money doesnt matter what service or product that is.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10427791].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author chamberlain
        Originally Posted by Clautusoar View Post

        lets train on handling objections, i stutter and fumble whenever the dm hits me with 2 objections.

        This is what happened today

        Me: i ask to speak to sales deparment to get the name of the dm(stan billue getting past the gk technique)

        He eventually got on the phone and i hit him with my pitch.

        DM: we dont have the money for adverstising right now

        ME:thats fine, were not looking to sell you anything today.(stuttered and fumbled like a mf)

        DM:blah blah, were not interested.

        I forgot how to answer this objection and he hung up.


        You been telemarketing for 10 years, you shouldnt be surpised at the progress you been making. You know have more experience than a seo nerd that relies on facebook ads for leads.


        Anybody that knows how to sell on the phone can make money doesnt matter what service or product that is.

        Thanks for asking my advice, I am no expert but can give you what I got :-)



        No money right now objection: I completely understand, I just want to make sure that when you do have the money that you use me because... (pain point - solution) relax and keep a conversation going to see if there are buying signals. If not at this time, ask if you can send him an email and follow-up at a later date. move-on the the next call.


        I like to use real life scenarios to overcome objections: I understand that funds are tight right now as I am talking to small business owners all the time. As a matter of fact I called a local moving company last month, he was a little tight on funds so I was able to get him online for only $480, gave him a $100 Google Adwords voucher for free to get him some immediate business and he received 4 jobs totaling $1,800! That is awesome and that is why I love what I do and why I am the best at it. Now if I told you that a $480 investment could return you $1,800 in new business this month, you would want to get started sooner than later right? What if I can split the payment up, would that help you out?
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10427945].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author Matthew North
        [QUOTE=Clautusoar;10427791]lets train on handling objections, i stutter and fumble whenever the dm hits me with 2 objections.

        This is what happened today

        Me: i ask to speak to sales deparment to get the name of the dm(stan billue getting past the gk technique)

        He eventually got on the phone and i hit him with my pitch.

        DM: we dont have the money for adverstising right now

        ME:thats fine, were not looking to sell you anything today.(stuttered and fumbled like a mf)

        DM:blah blah, were not interested.

        I forgot how to answer this objection and he hung up.


        You been telemarketing for 10 years, you shouldnt be surpised at the progress you been making. You know have more experience than a seo nerd that relies on facebook ads for leads.


        Anybody that knows how to sell on the phone can make money doesnt matter what service or product that is.[/QUOTE

        Instead of pitching try having a conversation first. Have a sincere curiosity about what's happening in their world. Sincerity sells. Those objections at the start are the phantoms of every failed cold caller that came before you. They aren't real; they're excuses and a defensive reflex.
        Signature

        you cant hold no groove if you ain't got no pocket.

        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10427984].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author chamberlain
        [QUOTE=Clautusoar;10427791

        Me: i ask to speak to sales deparment to get the name of the dm(stan billue getting past the gk technique)

        [/QUOTE]


        I am starting by calling small businesses where the decision maker usually answers the phone ie... painters, pool cleaners, plumbers, realtors, accountants, lawn care, movers etc...
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10428019].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author Clautusoar
          Originally Posted by chamberlain View Post

          I am starting by calling small businesses where the decision maker usually answers the phone ie... painters, pool cleaners, plumbers, realtors, accountants, lawn care, movers etc...
          Yeah they usually pick up. I personally like to call to businesses that have $1000 in avg customer value, i dont have time to mess with $600 for any kind of service
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10428033].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author savidge4
      Originally Posted by chamberlain View Post

      Thanks for holding me accountable but I will not be hitting the phones today as I want to get this job done asap.
      I was reading through this thread and this line caught my eye. THIS is the start of a bad pattern that will later cause trouble for you, or any business for that matter. I have to Fullfill my orders today so I can not make calls - and the flip of that.. I have to make sales calls today and do not have time to fulfill orders.

      Per this thread you are consuming 1.5 hours a day with calls... what is going on the remaining 22.5 hours?

      When you are in business for yourself, you simply can not stop the portion of the work flow that brings work in, and by all means you can not stop the portion that pumps the work out.

      When either of these things happen is when you start the pattern of chasing your tail. All you do is sell, and no fulfillment gets done.. or you sell a job, you complete a job before getting your next and stuff happens and you cant call and yada yada and you are broke and cant pay the rent etc.

      Putting aside 2 hours a day for sales and 6 hours a day for fulfillment would be a good start for you. All these years later I am about 3 for sales and 8 for fulfillment. 7 days a week more or less. If you are not actually calling and selling, you can spend the time compiling a list and making notes.

      GET IN A PATTERN and keep it.
      Signature
      Success is an ACT not an idea
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10437715].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author Jeremiah Walsh
        Originally Posted by savidge4 View Post

        I was reading through this thread and this line caught my eye. THIS is the start of a bad pattern that will later cause trouble for you, or any business for that matter. I have to Fullfill my orders today so I can not make calls - and the flip of that.. I have to make sales calls today and do not have time to fulfill orders.

        Per this thread you are consuming 1.5 hours a day with calls... what is going on the remaining 22.5 hours?

        When you are in business for yourself, you simply can not stop the portion of the work flow that brings work in, and by all means you can not stop the portion that pumps the work out.

        When either of these things happen is when you start the pattern of chasing your tail. All you do is sell, and no fulfillment gets done.. or you sell a job, you complete a job before getting your next and stuff happens and you cant call and yada yada and you are broke and cant pay the rent etc.

        Putting aside 2 hours a day for sales and 6 hours a day for fulfillment would be a good start for you. All these years later I am about 3 for sales and 8 for fulfillment. 7 days a week more or less. If you are not actually calling and selling, you can spend the time compiling a list and making notes.

        GET IN A PATTERN and keep it.
        Yes! Right on the money.

        You must first and foremost set up a cadence for prospecting and stick to it unless it is near life or death. Even if it is 2 hours a day, you must prospect. If you don't, you will have nothing coming in to replace this job once it is done.

        Think of it as a pipeline. You must constantly put stuff into one end of the pipe in order for $$ to come out the other end. The moment you stop putting stuff into the pipe, you will have a gap in your $$.

        Always be selfish with your prospecting time. Always make time for it. Always.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10437732].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author animal44
        Originally Posted by savidge4 View Post

        Putting aside 2 hours a day for sales and 6 hours a day for fulfillment would be a good start for you. All these years later I am about 3 for sales and 8 for fulfillment. 7 days a week more or less. If you are not actually calling and selling, you can spend the time compiling a list and making notes.
        I'm sure Richard Branson puts aside 3 hours for sales...

        That's not a business, it's a job. What happens when you become ill... too ill to work...?

        Any marketing should be as automatic as possible and ideally integrated into your day.

        Even if you're passionate about what you do, time off is important or you'll suffer burnout...
        Signature

        People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.
        What I do for a living

        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10438074].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author chamberlain
        Originally Posted by savidge4 View Post

        I was reading through this thread and this line caught my eye. THIS is the start of a bad pattern that will later cause trouble for you, or any business for that matter. I have to Fullfill my orders today so I can not make calls - and the flip of that.. I have to make sales calls today and do not have time to fulfill orders.

        Per this thread you are consuming 1.5 hours a day with calls... what is going on the remaining 22.5 hours?

        When you are in business for yourself, you simply can not stop the portion of the work flow that brings work in, and by all means you can not stop the portion that pumps the work out.

        When either of these things happen is when you start the pattern of chasing your tail. All you do is sell, and no fulfillment gets done.. or you sell a job, you complete a job before getting your next and stuff happens and you cant call and yada yada and you are broke and cant pay the rent etc.

        Putting aside 2 hours a day for sales and 6 hours a day for fulfillment would be a good start for you. All these years later I am about 3 for sales and 8 for fulfillment. 7 days a week more or less. If you are not actually calling and selling, you can spend the time compiling a list and making notes.

        GET IN A PATTERN and keep it.

        Well put and you are 100% correct, thanks.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10438834].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author sintzu
    Awesome progress Chamberlain. Looks forward to seeing you kill it
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10427884].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Jeremiah Walsh
    Do you mind sharing your script? Perhaps someone here can help fine tune it for you.

    If you don't want to post it publicly you can feel free to PM it to me. I will try to help where I can.

    I have been prospecting regularly for the past 15 years and have a boat load of trial and error.

    Either way, keep it up. Prospecting is by far the best way to find gold. Keep going at this rate and you will find it.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10437695].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author chamberlain
      Originally Posted by Jeremiah Walsh View Post

      Do you mind sharing your script? Perhaps someone here can help fine tune it for you.

      If you don't want to post it publicly you can feel free to PM it to me. I will try to help where I can.

      I have been prospecting regularly for the past 15 years and have a boat load of trial and error.

      Either way, keep it up. Prospecting is by far the best way to find gold. Keep going at this rate and you will find it.

      I am not using a script but not quite winging it. I am pretty comfortable on the phone once a conversation starts. I was thinking about recording some calls to share. Good or bad, think that may help me and others.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10438832].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author Jeremiah Walsh
        Originally Posted by chamberlain View Post

        I am not using a script but not quite winging it. I am pretty comfortable on the phone once a conversation starts. I was thinking about recording some calls to share. Good or bad, think that may help me and others.
        Just be careful as people need to be aware of they are being recorded. At least they do in Canada. Have you ever tried to roll play it? It's a petting the cat backwards kind of uncomfortable... but its great practice and you can consider it like a kind of "proofreading" of your live pitch.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10439255].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author chamberlain
    Sorry I dropped the ball on this post...


    I had to come back for a very interesting update :-)


    The lady who was under contract with YP just called and I closed a $1.550.00 deal!


    The first sale I had for $720 ended up adding on another $600 for SEO.


    The grand total for 62 dials = $2,850.00

    I just need to get off my ass and do some more !!!!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10674339].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author bmminc
    congrats man but damn 5 months with no calling?
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10674731].message }}

Trending Topics