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Emailing Small Businesses: What has worked For you?

by him77
13 replies
I'm doing everything right now to get leads and what seems to be working the best is cold calling. The biggest issue I have with cold calling is finding the time to do enough of it to make my business full time. I did some emailing a while ago which did generate a few leads, but nothing closed. What are some email success examples or practices any of you have used in the past?
#businesses #emailing #small #worked
  • Profile picture of the author David Miller
    Years ago some old hippie said to me that the answer you are looking for is alway in the question you're asking...or some such mumbo jumbo. Reading your question makes his statement true.

    Whatever time you have should be spent doing what you already know is most productive. So many people find cold calling too intimidating and are anxious to let every one know it doesn't work, although they won't do it.

    If you think you have time to email, I would send emails to people I've called and couldn't connect with.
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    The big lesson in life, baby, is never be scared of anyone or anything.
    -- FRANK SINATRA, quoted in The Way You Wear Your Hat
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    • Profile picture of the author him77
      I think a lot of you are missing the point of this post. I really wanted to see what others have done to find success in emailing. I work in sales right now and cold calling is fun to me, but I just don't have the time to do enough of it to quick my job. I also have to do the web design work I'm selling so while I'm working I can't be cold calling at the same time.

      I'm not trying to sell via email either. My goal with the email would be to get an appointment so i can talk more to the business owner. I think people in this forum are so up in arms when someone says anything that has to do with emailing small business or any method that isn't cold calling/face to face.
      I'm in the process of finding a VA so I can focus on nothing, but cold calling, but why not email if you can? It doesn't make sense to me to use just one method only to get leads. If that one method stops working for any reason at all you are basically finished and out of business.

      Anyway,

      thanks for the replies.
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  • Profile picture of the author BUFFALOBT
    I have had great success using email to market our coop mailer.

    The key is what is in the email, when the email is read, and luck in terms of catching the right business owner at the right time.

    There is really no rhyme or reason to it- unfortunately.

    My suggestion...find an email that seems to work better than others, and stick with it.

    Hope this helps!
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  • Profile picture of the author jakecoop79
    The post by Buffalobt is really true.

    There is a little luck in catching the right person at the right time. Also always combine a letter/email with a follow up phone call a few days to a week later.

    I'm not sure what kind of business you are doing, I'm assuming it's SEO for small businesses. If that is true, one thing I have found really effective is to think of one or two good keywords for the small business I'm trying to develop as a client and then go to google and take a screen shot of the first page. Then I highlight the first 3 listings and say that if their website isn't one of these then are missing out on a ton of business and money. Then I let them know I can help them get where they need to be in the search engine.

    I have found that to be extremely effective.
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  • Profile picture of the author InVizion
    I agree with the above statements regarding email content! I will tell you from experience, using LinkedIn to contact business owners is really effective. Example: Make a valuable free offer, get the opt-in, build a relationship, and convert to sales.
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  • Profile picture of the author rbecklund
    If cold calling works, do that. Instead of figuring out another way to get clients, figure out a way to get more time to cold call. Have you tried calling businesses at night? or on the weekends? When I started cold calling and was having a hard time with it. I would call in the evenings to leave messages and I was alarmed at the number of people who actually answered their phones...
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    • Profile picture of the author roadcred
      There is no way to avoid the phoine or face to face when it comes to local businesses - there is no point in emailing! It shows a lack of bottle!
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      • Profile picture of the author BUFFALOBT
        Originally Posted by roadcred View Post

        There is no way to avoid the phoine or face to face when it comes to local businesses - there is no point in emailing! It shows a lack of bottle!
        Not true...except for the "lack of bottle" part...don't know what that means.

        Email DOES work, along with all the other ways to reach out to local business owners.
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  • Profile picture of the author I_AM
    I have a feeling that face 2 face yields the greatest results with the least amount of pain.... I could be wrong.
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  • Profile picture of the author Chronic IM
    Hello!

    I suggest you should find a quality and effective email and if you think it works better than others, you should use it. There is no exact tactics for an effective email but the right guessing and promising email. But face to face selling is also effective, considering.

    Best of Luck!
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