Freelancers: How did you first start offline marketing?

Sunday August 28, 2011

I've been into "Offline" Marketing for 23 years now...but when I started, it was called advertising/marketing sales...of course back then, we didn't have the internet either...call this "Old School" ... I kind of get a kick out the way online marketers use the word "Offline"...we call it "brick and mortar" for a physical location...anyways...enough of this...

I started out learning sales by telemarketing...reading a stupid script and reply to objections with the canned answers...basically a "meat grinder"..
BUT...it was the best introduction to selling I ever had...and I made some great friends and clients...I broke the "Ice" so to speak in the phone sales business...they couldn't see me and I didn't have to worry about rejection from a face to face standpoint...

I progressed into outside sales...and I'll say that if I didn't learn my script presentation first...practice with someone until I could deliver the words like a good actor...especially overcoming objections and still gain momentum in the sales presentation...I would have been a total failure.

Where am I going with all this...???...here's some advice and wisdom based on my personal experience and the countless people I've trained in sales over the past couple decades...and you would be wise to eat it up.

To deliver your presentation with the best voice variables(direct, serious,flambouyant, excited, etc..) to get your lines down the fastest..is over the phone...you can make more complete presentations over the phone faster than any other way...period..!! You can test your different answers to objections quicker...you can test different niches and conduct your own evaluations quickly too...you can tweak your pitch fast...and get on to the next call...(not making the same mistake again..hopefully)..

The biggest fear with most "Onliners" is they're afraid of rejection...either on the phone or in person...all that it boils down too really is that they don't have a pitch in their mind...maybe some shyness too...but I'll say this like so many major successful sales people will tell you...if you don't believe in your product or service...if you don't know your product or service..inside and out...then you'll fail because you don't have the authority to speak outwardly over the phone or in person confidently.

You'll have the infinite problem of coming up with the right words to say, you'll be knocked out with the first objection or punch thrown by any gate keeper or business owner...you'll hangup or walk away with a bloody nose and your feelings and emotions will drive you to hate this whole thing of sales....

So what's the thing to do?....first...get your mindset right.....you're not a sales person...!!! yes...you do write up the sales order...I call it a "work order"...and every business owner understands what a work order is...use that instead of sales order....put it on your form or written agreement...but call it a work order....you're a professional...an authority...you provide solutions that help businesses .. help themselves...into realizing more revenues...get that in your mind....

OOOOOOOOPPPPS...I went ahead of you here....let me rewind....I started in this selling game long ago...and it wasn't easy...I paid my dues...and with each due paid?...I made more progress and more cash...more clients...more friends...and I emphasize "friends" here.....WHY???.

Here's the 3 step formula for selling....
1.Make a friend
2.Make a deal
3.Make a friend
There's a lot that goes in between it all too....but that's the essential formula...I didn't say process...I said formula...cut and dried....

So I started as a telemarketer...I beat my head against a wall asking myself what the hell am I doing selling on the phone...until I had bells go off in my head...started applying myself from mind set to techniques...
started smiling a lot...enjoyed talking to people ... as people...started finding out what was important to the different people I talked to daily..I got into current events...up to the minute news...interesting stuff and started using it in my pitch...people started to actually listen and want to talk to me...they liked me...I polarized myself into a magnetic force...it was fun for a change...my attitude changed from the stupid pressures I put on myself about me to what can I do to help others...it was major.

How long was that learning curve..???..well...I didn't have a coach...I only had me, a miserable pitch..a good service...and an infinite amount of businesses to call...the faster I dialed and smiled...the more contacts..the more people listened to me...I told them I was on a mission...yes mission!

I altered my pitch to fit the contacts...honed my answers to any objection and delivered myself unto the prospect ...all in all...if you work..and I mean work at what you're doing..analyzing each pitch made..every hangup...every objection and making the tweaks...maybe 1,000 to 2,000 dialed calls...stats wise...maybe 400 complete pitches...about 40 verified complete deals...start to finish...maybe a full month at 40 hours a week normal business hours...160 manhours...to master my product and service, tweak my presentation, handle any objection and it's answer with natural ease...learn all my paperwork...to process a "work order" and and have the most excellent mind set a professional can have in the business...and become consistent....

I finally realized that I was my own best asset...applying myself like a pro..and getting verified results...let alone the cash was flowing in...
I had to put myself thru the meat grinder before I learned to grind out work orders at will...my number of cold calls went way down...I worked a referral system that onliners call viral...I used ethical bribes to get it done too...still do...and most importantly...I became an "A List" Promoter.

You get out of it... what you put into it...people can detect that in your voice and your personal delivery expecially eyeball to eyeball...

I exploded into a full blown marketer...then came the internet...and I was ready to jump on that new opprtunity and help more business people...and it's all history today...nobody knew how to build a website let alone what it was at first...and it took about 5 years to get momentum for business people to get off their ass and start actually wanting an online presence..
I lived it out though...by the turn of the century..millineum..whatever, there wasn't a business owner out there that was serious about their business that didn't want a website and internet presence..a gold mine.
but I worked thru it for 5 years learning code...networking globally...with people who had skills I needed to have to keep an edge...

However, I had a main stream income thru my marketing company...yes..I started a business...so I made the lateral transition into online marketing part time testing my knowledge and abilities along the way...but not totally dependent on internet marketing...and I'm still not ...I have a nice mix between offline and online...it took 10 years or so...but I'm comfortable and balanced with work orders...there's that keyword phrase again...or document title...whatever...

So what new stuff am into right now?...offering mobile website services...optimizing existing websites for mobile devices...that's my loss leader...into what?...bigger money down the road...text message marketing, QR Codes, etc...and I'm launching that in October for the Holiday Season...businesses would be stupid to let their competitor get a hold of what I have coming available...and the market is basically virgin..

I've been a warrior member under this username for about a year and half..my old username sucked..and didn't represent something semantic with this industry that I do...I've rebranded myself specifically for this industry...email accounts and much more...including offline...it works!

I've revealed a lot in this post...I don't make many posts...not here anyways..and ya'll can see that...but...it was an interesting thread to me...very little replies...more views...and I hope this will help at least one person to either get into offline or save their ass from getting beat up and losing their focus and money trying to make it without this personal stuff.

I rarely post anything about myself...usually it's about someone else with me as the credited reviewer or promoter...an authority...remember?...

Anyways...for those of you who think it's long winded??..I agree...but...I'm not posting it for you...it's for the person seeking this information...so please look at it as a sharing...pulling back the curtain and revealing something personal to help someone else..if not you...

I have no personal or business motives for self embellishment or self gain
I'm not promoting a product or service...consider this a special exchange.

Let's connect on Skype as well if you want.