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Call or walk in?

by Neodism
13 replies
I am planning to visit a nearby city tomorrow morning and walk cold into businesses to try to pitch my service. I feel like this will be a better option than cold calling for these reasons:

They will remember seeing me more than they would a phone call.
I believe they will have a harder time giving a flat out "NO."
I can give them a brochure to keep them reminded of my service.
I will have more time to describe my service and what I am offering them.
I can give them a business card.

I am doing this for my SMS blast service. I plan to walk into at least ten businesses and land at least three of them. (By land I mean they will push my VIP subscriber list with a flyer on their counter.)

I feel like calling in advance would give them a chance to tell me no and not to come in. Walking in is like setting my own damn appointments!


What do you fellow Warriors think? Which is better? To walk in or cold call?
#call #walk
  • Profile picture of the author Aaron Doud
    Depending on the business and how busy they are this may or may not work. If you can present fast and it's not a hard sell you got a good shot.
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  • Profile picture of the author Hugh
    I prefer to just walk in. No briefcase, no notebook. Just walk in
    and chat. Mostly ask questions. Don't try to close first call. I want
    to get him interested enough to agree to an appointment at a time
    of his choosing. If he gives me a definite appointment, I get a
    90 % close ratio.

    Hugh
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  • Profile picture of the author Warrior Ben
    I've found that both methods (walking in and over the phone) work. The thing I've noticed with walking in is that they remember you more and you can potentially do a presentation and even get a deal on the spot, but it takes a lot more time to talk to businesses than to call through a list.

    Also, for restaurants in particular, my experience has been to always call. Even during down times restaurant managers are really busy doing other work, so scheduling an appointment is better for that particular type of business.

    Boutiques and less trafficked businesses are great for walking into though. They are generally not as busy as restaurants and if you go during a week day the business owners actually love to have somebody to talk to.

    I hope this helps!

    -Ben
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  • Profile picture of the author 1960Texan
    Ben and Hugh have both just given you some excellent advice. There's no one method that works, and it really does matter what type of business you're cold calling (restaurant vs boutique).

    In general, walk-ins are successful when I'm just trying to casually get the appointment, and phone calls work when I have something free to entice them with (Which I always do).

    Will
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    • Profile picture of the author P1
      I only do walk in's so I can tell you.

      - Owners and managers are rarely there so you have to leave your brochure with a worker who probably just leaves it somewhere when they get off work.
      - Owners do tend to talk a lot because they are curious about the service.
      - It takes hours to hit a good amount of locations.
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      • Profile picture of the author midasman09
        Banned
        I work small towns (pop 3,500 to 20,000) and due to the small number of competitors in each biz category....and the ease with which they can say "No!' (maybe it's my presentation)....I "barge in"....find the person who can write a check....show my "stuff" and close 1 out of 3 (average)

        I sell "Advertising" programs.

        Don Alm
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  • Profile picture of the author Jason Kanigan
    You can move through a large number of prospects quickly using the phone. If you're in a situation where you want to find new business rapidly, calling to set appointments is your best bet. You can qualify out more people more quickly, and discover the few who urgently need what you have to offer.
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  • Profile picture of the author Leslyaviel
    You have been fortunate to have received some great advice. Each marketing technique has its advantages and disadvantages. The most important aspect of it all, is to know who you are and to know your skills.

    I for one am better face to face and I know how to get appointments. If this is the case and you know that's the essence of your first visit, than I would have to say go with it.

    On the other hand, if you have difficulties setting appointments in a face to face setting than cold calling might be better for you. It gives you a chance to perfect your script and work on your presentation on the phone. Once this is perfected you should have no problem getting the appointment.

    The above might help you. Good Luck to you friend.

    Lesly
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  • Profile picture of the author Voasi
    Here's what we do:

    - Sent out a mailer (usually 30-40 pieces per rep). We make sure the business "qualifies", meaning their annum revenue is enough to afford our services.
    - We put a dollar bill (to show we're "vested" in their company) along with dice (to make the letter appear bulky so they'll open).
    - Our rep will go in there and say, "Hey, Mr. Business Owner, did you receive my letter? Great! Let's talk about what we can do....etc..."
    - Basically, my reps get warm leads each week to go and follow-up with in-person

    The reason I like to send out letters is because it turns a cold lead into a warm lead. Plus, we add the $1 and dice in there so it gives them something to talk about and shows we think outside the box and are looking to grow their business!
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    • Profile picture of the author TheLocalCoach
      As others have pointed out, both approaches work, and for you, one may work better than another, depending on your confidence, skill strengths and knowledge. In either case, you want to seek advice and training to develop an expertise in your primary solicitation method, and then focus on it.

      One suggestion on your specific question: rather than just walk down a street going blind door-to-door, why not spend an hour or so pre-qualifying some businesses in the nearby town? Target where you want to start, then do some online research on the businesses in that area, and try to find out who is spending money on advertising (yellow pages, glossy mags, newspaper), who has a mobile site, who may already be doing SMS, etc. I would rather walk cold into 10 pre-qualified businesses than waste time on every business in an area.

      Good luck, and let us know how it goes.
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    • Profile picture of the author Rocketguy
      I really like this idea with the dollar bill because it really gives them something to talk about when they call.



      Originally Posted by Voasi View Post

      Here's what we do:

      - Sent out a mailer (usually 30-40 pieces per rep). We make sure the business "qualifies", meaning their annum revenue is enough to afford our services.
      - We put a dollar bill (to show we're "vested" in their company) along with dice (to make the letter appear bulky so they'll open).
      - Our rep will go in there and say, "Hey, Mr. Business Owner, did you receive my letter? Great! Let's talk about what we can do....etc..."
      - Basically, my reps get warm leads each week to go and follow-up with in-person

      The reason I like to send out letters is because it turns a cold lead into a warm lead. Plus, we add the $1 and dice in there so it gives them something to talk about and shows we think outside the box and are looking to grow their business!
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4966413].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author kirbymarketingconcierge
    Originally Posted by Larches View Post

    I am planning to visit a nearby city tomorrow morning and walk cold into businesses to try to pitch my service. I feel like this will be a better option than cold calling for these reasons:

    They will remember seeing me more than they would a phone call.
    I believe they will have a harder time giving a flat out "NO."
    I can give them a brochure to keep them reminded of my service.
    I will have more time to describe my service and what I am offering them.
    I can give them a business card.

    I am doing this for my SMS blast service. I plan to walk into at least ten businesses and land at least three of them. (By land I mean they will push my VIP subscriber list with a flyer on their counter.)

    I feel like calling in advance would give them a chance to tell me no and not to come in. Walking in is like setting my own damn appointments!


    What do you fellow Warriors think? Which is better? To walk in or cold call?
    do what you are passionate about and believe in. it's what are you sold on.
    leverage what you do.

    I'm sold on the phone. that's me.
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  • Profile picture of the author phatgirl18
    "Walking in is like setting my own damn appointments!" I have to agree. You have to consult with them or else you might waste your time going there.
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