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Proper way of contacting business owners

by Joe Cohen
5 replies
What is the next step. I do restaurant menus and food photography for local restaurants in my local area. I spoke to a local restaurant via the phone a few weeks ago during the conversation he said to contact them in a few weeks. I have done that and left several messages with no return phone call....what is my next step send them a text message go drive out to the restaurant I'm new to this i haven't been told no so I'm just pursing them till I'm told diffrent. I'm open to suggestions on how to approach them..
#business #contacting #owners #proper
  • Profile picture of the author Ron Lafuddy
    Originally Posted by Joe Cohen View Post

    What is the next step. I do restaurant menus and food photography for local restaurants in my local area. I spoke to a local restaurant via the phone a few weeks ago during the conversation he said to contact them in a few weeks. I have done that and left several messages with no return phone call....what is my next step send them a text message go drive out to the restaurant I'm new to this i haven't been told no so I'm just pursing them till I'm told diffrent. I'm open to suggestions on how to approach them..
    How is it that you decided to start a business that involves selling to restaurant owners, when you don't have a clue how to sell to restaurant owners?

    This place is getting stranger by the day.

    Ron
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    • Profile picture of the author savidge4
      Originally Posted by Ron Lafuddy View Post

      This place is getting stranger by the day.
      Have to give the OP some amount of credit.. when was the last time you saw a post about food photog?

      When on the phone.. and they say call me in a few weeks.. they are basically blowing you off.. hence the multiple calls and no return. What I might suggest is in the future, when they say "Call me in a couple of weeks" reply with "that sounds great <insert name>. In the meantime can I get your e-mail address and send you my digital brochure?" ( a good looking pdf file that has some sample images some testimonials.. your background, and maybe a list of past clients kind of thing... phone number website social media etc )

      Because the pdf is a download.. you can actually track to some extent if they actually looked at it.. they looked, they are probably interested, I would in a few weeks call and if needed leave a message something to the effect of "Ill be in the area on Tuesday next week, text or call me and we can set up a time"

      If they do not open the file... after a few days... give a call.. if they answer.. "Hey sorry to bother you, I have been having some difficulty with my e-mail did you get the digital brochure I sent you?" they lie and say "oh yeah I got it thanks.. in a few weeks call" then you move onto the next one... or they say "no I didnt" you ask to confirm address and then state you will send another one out, and maybe because there is a file attachment they check their junk mail folder. Wish them a great day and go about your business.

      The flip side of all of this... do you eat out often? are you that guy that takes photos of his food before he its it? maybe you should start if you don't... take images of the food and share those on their social media pages... over the period of a few days see if your images get any social signals ( likes comments etc ) use this in your phone conversation as a point of the power of images.
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      • Profile picture of the author TwoPointZero
        Originally Posted by savidge4 View Post

        The flip side of all of this... do you eat out often? are you that guy that takes photos of his food before he its it? maybe you should start if you don't... take images of the food and share those on their social media pages... over the period of a few days see if your images get any social signals ( likes comments etc ) use this in your phone conversation as a point of the power of images.
        I am in no way an expert but this sounds like an excellent idea! Helps make it so you are not a total stranger when you talk to the restaurant owner because I bet they will have noticed your images.
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        • Profile picture of the author Oziboomer
          Originally Posted by TwoPointZero View Post

          I am in no way an expert but this sounds like an excellent idea! Helps make it so you are not a total stranger when you talk to the restaurant owner because I bet they will have noticed your images.
          The necessity of content marketing to gain traffic is a big part of this.

          One thing is social proof and the other is content that ranks when people are searching for it.

          Restaurants have their regulars but they always need new fans to keep their profits up.

          You could mock up a review type content piece that included your photographs and include a masthead as if it was published and use that as leverage.

          You could use a company like blogmutt to produce content that you interlace with your images.

          Most businesses struggle to keep up with the content production required to maintain a website and social accounts.

          If you can offer both (outsource content to blogmutt) and include your images you could attract the better restaurant who wants to establish a longer term relationship.

          Don't think so much about selling the images.

          Think about selling the empty tables and chairs.

          If just one table of four gets booked in addition every other day because they read and saw your images it gives you ammunition to sign someone up for a longer contract.

          Best regards,

          Ozi
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  • Profile picture of the author SalesGod
    When You first talked to them was it a call to set an appointment or did you pitch your service on that call?

    If it was an appointment call " call in a few weeks" doesn't work. You need to lock down a set in stone time to call them back and pitch them.

    If it was a sales call they should have either bought what you were selling or hung up on you. Those are the ONLY two ways a sales call should end. And if they hang up on you, you wait a couple days and then call them back and try to close them. Do that over and over again.
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