Cold Calling Blues

Thanks, it's good to know I'm not the only one
I guess I'm just feeling down, because my first week was so easy.
I practically got two sales within an hour of calling

I also have till Friday to make a sale, I'm extremely broke

I don't have the money to hire out right now.
I'm just starting my web design company, so i would prefer to learn the ropes myself before hiring.

Thanks for the tips everyone! I have got one interested guy, but he was with a client so he asked me to call him back this evening.
Back to cold calling for another 5 hours :p

Talking to yourself? :confused:

Here's some inspiration...

For the last 3 months, I have been making between $4500-$6000 selling websites purely through cold calling.

So, there's my evidence it can be done.

In terms of improving results, I recently found ALOT more success using a new method. First, I will contrast my old method vs my new one...

OLD METHOD
1. Scrape ALL Google Places listings without a website for varying niches (ie plumbers/electricians etc) and cities.

2. Call all mobile phone numbers (since virtually all those numbers were direct to business owner).

3. Get a sale in roughly 1 in 150-170 via phone only (no appointments).

This method was REALLY draining, since it took hundreds of calls before even 1 sale.

NEW METHOD
1. Go through the **LOCAL** Yellowpages/Newspaper/Magazines.

2. Call ONLY local businesses that either have a domain name email address (ie Joe's Plumbing has the email info@joesplumbing.com) with no website listed, or have a website listed that looks old/bad or has a broken link website listing.

3. Call and ask about their website, mention I am a local web designer and was wondering if they might like to have an appointment at my office (or their business) to discuss a website update?

4. Got a sale in about 1/10 calls (usually with appointments) that met these criteria, basically a 10x increase in results.

Sure, the sample size is quite small, I only called about 30 businesses and got 3 local sales, but the criteria made it ALOT easier.

So don't take my word as gospel, but I am just letting you know that I really did see a HUGE increase in results using those calling criteria.

Hows that relevant to the original question?

Lee

Yeah! And why doesn't someone leave their address so I can send them 10 junk mail pieces a day! See how that feels!

Or...why doesn't someone here just leave on their TV so I can broadcast ten commercials! See how that feels!

Wait, Wait..I'm on a roll.....
Why doesn't someone just look at their computer screen so I can show them two posts that don't add anything to the discussion...see how that feels! :rolleyes:

(Break for applause)

Of course, that's the smart answer.

You could just "trial and error" your way to stumble onto what works, or you could hire John Durham to write a great script, or let Jason Hanigan show you painless, yet proven ways to get sales over the phone.

Sorry, but I keep seeing these cold call questions that indicate that people are spending huge amounts of time on scripts and approaches that simply don't work.

There is a diamond mine in this town. You can stumble around in the dark until you fall into it...or you can buy a map.

These "tales of woe" don't need to exist.

sloanjim; Calling another business is never illegal. There is no "Do not call" list for businesses. For consumers? Sure, if they are on the "Do not call list".

It's not a matter of right and wrong. You don't like cold calling, or getting cold calls...apparently a lot.

And, in my experience, they are never really desired. But they aren't evil.
Cold calls never ruin a sane person's day.

I own a retail store that gets about 15-20 cold calls a day (most selling Viagra or upselling free subscriptions I get. I'm on a ton of lists)

Every once in a while, I get a cold call from someone selling internet marketing services. If there is no 2 second delay and a voice from a foreign country, I listen politely. I'm thinking "this guy is industrious. Good luck to him". But I don't buy, because I sell those services.

For some reason cold calling makes you very angry. But for the vast majority of the people I've ever cold called, it's a painless enjoyable chat.


Now, an angry person, who hates cold calling? Well, cold calling isn't in the cards. But for competent salespeople? It's pretty painless to the person called.

I've called about 2,000 organizations seeking speaking gigs. I've never been talked to in a rude way. Nobody has ever hung up on me. I've had many many people not be interested, but I didn't affect their day.

I agree that getting BAD cold calls is irritating. Cold calls with the 3 second delays are irritating (because they never have anything of value to sell, it seems).

But trained cold callers? If you (OK, maybe not you) someone gets a call from John Durham, Jason Kanigan, Ken Michaels, or me....I promise you, it's a painless educational experience.

Cold calling equals selling drugs? See, you do have a sense of humor.


And to "Bob" from India: Really, really guy...I don't need any Viagra. Wait! I guess some cold callers really are selling drugs!

you can get results,when you are persistent. In every call you made, think that you are helping them.

You have to be careful with a strategy like that, the longer in between
picking up the phone ... the harder it gets to do it.

what starts out as simple procrastination, can easily turn to fear,
as well as excuse after excuse, next thing you know, its been
a month since you have picked up the phone.

Lots of people do it. Especially people new to phone sales.
Once they stop, they lose all momentum, and that's it
Game Over.