In The Field ~ Notes From the Ground
IN THE FIELD ~ NOTES FROM THE GROUND
Like many of you, I've been hopping around these forums looking for knowledge like a kid on Easter looking for candy. The techniques available to anyone and sheer infinity of possibilities has been daunting. But one piece of advice has stood out like a soar thumb, and that is the recurring theme among warriors, to just do it.This piece of advice holds true to success no matter what strategy you choose. It is the fact that every warrior is different,will market differently than any other, and should therefore learn through their own experience. Not just through research, but through practice. A samurai who does nothing but read about war won't match up against one who has fought in one already.
This thread is going to be used to log my time from a complete newbie, to making my first sales, to reaching a model of success. I hope that they prove useful to other people who are getting started in offline marketing, but also to those veteran warriors who see opportunity in inexperience. It may seem odd to some people that I am spending time on this while just above I mentioned to 'just do it'. But I will be using this thread as a tool for action and a way to self-motivate and follow that principle.
I am starting this thread with an upstart web development company, in a medium sized city, with no sales besides a few pro bono projects with sourcing expenses paid. I will be taking notes while in the field and will be updating this thread after every direct marketing endeavor. Each update will be formatted as the following...
I will be making lots of mistakes along this journey, and welcome thoughtful and respectful analysis from others on any of it. If the frequency of updates are not up to your standards, too bad, I'm on a part time schedule. I will be as honest about everything that happens as I can, so that people can see where I go wrong and where I succeed. All names, brands, and locations will be omitted or changed.
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UPDATE (1/1/2013-3/16/2013)
TECHNIQUE: Preparation
I've met with my life long friend and discussed ideas about going into web development business together. We overviewed a business profile and talked about what strategy we initially felt might be good to go in with. We both walk out of the meeting agreeing to go into business together, and agreeing that we would like to start working on it right away. We agree that once we make a few sales we will file an LLC and create our business account. I already have a team assembled for the work demand and we design our company site in-house within a month. We review it carefully and look for advice from every angle we can. We spend several weeks on revisions and content. I spend a considerable amount of time reading WSO's and these forums and tweaking the strategy we want to start with. During this research and development phase, we pick up several pro bono customers who just pay us the sourcing expense it costs to us.
AFTERTHOUGHT: I should not have spent so much time on the research and development before I started simultaneously marketing. It could have taken 1-2 months when instead it took 3, but also by the second month I could have already started my marketing campaigns (social media, cold calling, cold visits, etc). I think part of this was because of my own fear of marketing due to inexperience. Was worried about how I would be perceived by the business community, and tried to buffer that through my research. Some of my pro bono work also seemed slightly like charity for friends when I should have focused more on doing it for PR. However, I do believe in the cause of each pro bono project.
UPDATE (3/23/2013)
TECHNIQUE: Cold-Calling
Today I have tested cold calling for the first time in my life. To be frank, I disliked the experience. I did about 20 cold-calls and something seemed to stand out to me in particular. The people typically perceived my calls as a nuisance or a necessary ritual, rather than a friendly and sincere human interaction/conversation. When offering this sort of service the caller seems to usually want to refer me to the business owner or financial decider. However, for 14 of the 20 calls the owner wasn't in. For the 6 that were, they immediately said they weren't interested in web development or marketing at this time.
I got exasperated and starting scrolling through craigslist. In my area I stumbled upon a business looking for web design with a number listed. I called them and the business owner picked up. Immediately he asked me where I was located, and when he learned I was 4 hours from him said he was looking for someone local who could come work for him, and that he had a bad experience working with someone remotely. I told him I can understand how that might happen, and that I would drive out to meet him if he decided to have us handle the project. I also highlighted a few advantages to choosing our web design, and he seemed please at the fact that we don't outsource our work. He started to talk about how, "we would be your biggest client" and "many designers have been scared by what we are asking", etc, and I assured him that I was confident we would be able to handle the work after I looked at his project specifications. He said, "well send me an email and if i like your portfolio ill get back to you", and gave me his email. I sent an email talking about our service and why i thought we stood out from the rest.
AFTERTHOUGHT: I was way too self-centered with this pitch. When he mentioned other designers being scared because of his project, I should have used that as an opportunity to talk about his business and his needs. I should have asked more questions about his business and expressed more curiosity in what they did. Instead I talked a lot about what we did, and I think that was the main reason I lost the sale. After several follow up emails and follow up calls it was to no avail. As for the cold calling, I really needed to do 5x more calls to expect any results, but the experience with the 20 cold calls has scared me away, at least for now. Especially when it was contrasted to talking with someone who actually was looking for web design directly after I gave up on cold calling : /.
UPDATE (3/24/2013-3/25/2013)
TECHNIQUE: Emailing Craigslist Leads
Today I had things to do so when I got home in the evening I pursued emailing craigslist leads and working on some social media techniques. My last experience finding a lead through craigslist made me decide to give it a try. I created a template that I just changed a bit for each person I emailed. I targeted people posting in the web design listings and in the marketing listings. Most of them were looking for employees, so many of my emails were expressing why we might be better than an employee.
The format of my first template, which I used for about 20 emails, was fairly long. It went on for a while about why our team was better than just one person, and why we thought we would be a good fit for their company.
Later I decided a shorter template would be better, and this time basically did the same approach but in small paragraph. In each email I mentioned we do a money back guarantee.
AFTERTHOUGHTS: I wasted time. The response rate is super low, even if you send a resume and phone number. I sent 100 inquiries, trying several different variations of phrasing, and didn't get a single response. After reading this thread, the data agreed. I will, however, continue to post my own ads on craigslist.
UPDATE (3/30/2013)
TECHNIQUE: Cold-Visiting (no pre calling, just walk-ins)
Today I did cold visits because I decided it was the quickest way to get a back and forth interaction with potential customers. And boy was I glad I tried this out. The rate of sincere interactions I had seemed to be much higher than with cold calling or emailing. I visited 25 businesses, and 25/25 were actual conversations rather than formal dismissals. I have made notes for each place I visited...
Gymnastics Center: I inquired at the front desk, "hey I'm wondering if you can help me with out, I'm in the area visiting businesses and Im offering web design and content management services. I work with a team of specialists who help me deliver web development to businesses. I'm checking with businesses to see if they or anyone they know are looking for those sort of services." (**This is the initial introduction, give or take a few words or slight phrasing variation, that I used all day with every business I visited.)
The man thought for a moment and said he didn't know of anyone and that they were good with where they were at for now. But then he thought for a moment more and said that they were eventually thinking about paying for a professional design and finding someone to do content management. I told him that thats exactly what we do, and that I think we would be a great fit for him. As soon as I started talking about my service he started looking away as if busy or distracted. I told him I would love to talk further and that I could visit later since "I know you are busy and I can come by later". He said sure and took a few cards.
Auto Service Center: Place was closed, lady came to door and said they were closed. I said ok and left.
Apartment Complex: The lady at the office said they do all their web work at a corporate level and werent looking for design services. I left her with my business card.
Grill: Bartender gave me the names of the owners and when they would be in. Said it would be best to visit instead of email or try to reach their phone. I left him with business card.
Salon: Lady said the owner wont be back until Tuesday and gave me her card. I left a few cards.
UPS Store: Lady said they already have someone handling their web work on a corporate leave (of course). Left her a business card and a stack of cards in the post office.
Italian Restaurant: Lady said they already have someone doing web design. She seemed busy. I left her with a biz card.
Eye Glasses Store: Owner was the only one in and there was no foot traffic. This guy was a talker. He seemed very satisfied in his own strategy that he was already taking and talked a lot about how he liked what he was doing already. When I mentioned web development he said he was already very happy with his own website, and that it was a good website. He said he liked it because he could manage it on his own. I decided that stroking his ego might help so I asked a bit about his business. He showed me a program he used where people could take pictures of themselves on the computer (it was very basic). He said he found it in Germany, and I wondered how much money he spent on it. I asked to see his website and it was terribly designed. Half the logo was pixelated, no contact above the fold, poor design, etc. I told him right off the bat a few changes I thought he could use, and that the logo could be redesigned. He said he was very happy with it already and that the pixelation was intentional so that people would want glasses. I mentioned that even though he may be satisfied where he is at, we can help him get even further. He didn't seem interested but referred me to a restaurant nearby. Left with biz card.
Craft Store: The lady said they JUST hired someone but that they had already gone through several webdesigners they had to fire. She was very nice and seemed very interested in the service we offered because it seemed solid to her. I talked with them for about 20 minutes and talked about their store and how I loved art, etc, and they both took business cards and said they might contact me. Seemed like a very warm lead so I'll be contacting them again to follow up.
Furniture Store: Owner wasnt in. They gave me the owners contact info but said he probably wouldnt be interested since he was satisfied with his site. Ill follow up with the owner anyway. Left with stack of biz cards.
Hobby Store: Guy said he might be interested if I could come back when they werent so busy which would be in the week. Oddly though, there was only one person in the store so it felt a bit like he was shooing me away. But he did say he was interested in getting a website made, and said clearly for me to come back . So this felt like a hot lead. Left with biz card.
Jewelry Store: They said I would need to check in with their other store on the other side of town. Left with biz card.
Hobby Store: They were looking for a website and we set an appointment. They had a web designer that got frustrated with them and destroyed their website. Hot lead.
Clothing store: They had their web design covered but referred me to several businesses in the same building that were closed at the moment. Took several business cards
Hobby Store: Not interested. Left them with business cards.
Bar: Gave owner contact info and took business card.
Music store: JUST ordered a website from a trusted designer. If I had asked two weeks earlier I would have had a big client. They gave me the decision makers contact info though, and Ill follow up about our services. Left with biz card.
Bakery: Just launched website in house. They might be interested in other services so ill email them.
Bar: Check back for owner during the week around 4PM
Trinket Store: Website management and SEO and social media being done in house on an amateur level. They seem satisfied with that system but I will follow up about other services. Left with biz card.
Ice Cream Store: They said the owner is only reachable through facebook, but that I could inquire with him there. Left with biz card.
Clothing Store: Gave name and email of owner saying that was best way to contact. Said they have a person doing website who might be leaving soon but that they have social media covered. Left with a stack of biz cards.
Wine Store: Mid sentence in my introduction he put up his hand to interrupt me. Said he wasnt the owner and gave me the owners name and told me to call and set an appointment. He said he is looking for a website and that I should definitely call. Left with biz card.
Second Hand Store:Said I could find owner on Tuesday but that I should walk in and not try to email or call. Left with biz card.
Plumbing Place:
Said they were looking for someone to do social media and content. I set an appointment for an interview on Monday. Hot lead.
***I will be taking similar notes with all cold visits I do each week.
***Stats for today: 3 Hot leads, ~5 Warm Leads, ~12 Cold Leads
AFTERTHOUGHTS: I should have built more of a relationship with the gymnastics guy. I talked too much about myself and didn't ask enough about his business. While this was a warm lead i possibly could have made it hot just my engaging him more about himself. I think as soon as he even remotely sensed me being a salesman, I started to lose his attention. I shouldnt have wasted my time at the eye glasses place, he was too wrapped up in his own ego to pursue my service. I spend a good twenty minutes there which would have been better spent elsewhere. I should have felt that energy and moved on. There were also a few places where I forgot to get the owners name. Another afterthought is that I could have been generating a email list while I was doing these visits. Not sure how I want to do that. Another thing is that I should have split tested with several different types of introductions (anyone else have cold visiting introduction strategy for me to try?) Overall though I think this technique is working really well for me, as I've already generated several warm and hot leads in a matter of a day, with several promising interviews coming up. I find this way better than cold calling. If I do cold calling I'm worried that the impression I leave might hinder my cold visiting, but I'm still debating working cold calling into my methods despite my current inclinations.
More updates will be edited here. If there is character limit they will be added as replies. Strategic discussion is appreciated!
CURRENT STATS (from all techniques. This will be kept updated):
Customers: 2 (Pro Bono)
Hot Leads: 3
Warm Leads: 5
Cold Leads: 13
Hot: Set an appointment and or seem very interested
Warm: Did not set an appointment and or seem moderately interested
Cold: Have not yet reached decision maker and or they are not interested
Like many of you, I've been hopping around these forums looking for knowledge like a kid on Easter looking for candy. The techniques available to anyone and sheer infinity of possibilities has been daunting. But one piece of advice has stood out like a soar thumb, and that is the recurring theme among warriors, to just do it.This piece of advice holds true to success no matter what strategy you choose. It is the fact that every warrior is different,will market differently than any other, and should therefore learn through their own experience. Not just through research, but through practice. A samurai who does nothing but read about war won't match up against one who has fought in one already.
This thread is going to be used to log my time from a complete newbie, to making my first sales, to reaching a model of success. I hope that they prove useful to other people who are getting started in offline marketing, but also to those veteran warriors who see opportunity in inexperience. It may seem odd to some people that I am spending time on this while just above I mentioned to 'just do it'. But I will be using this thread as a tool for action and a way to self-motivate and follow that principle.
I am starting this thread with an upstart web development company, in a medium sized city, with no sales besides a few pro bono projects with sourcing expenses paid. I will be taking notes while in the field and will be updating this thread after every direct marketing endeavor. Each update will be formatted as the following...
|
UPDATE (Date) TECHNIQUE: (e.g. "Cold-Visits, Cold-Calls, Emailing) AFTERTHOUGHT: (My thoughts after the fact) |
-------------------------------------------
UPDATE (1/1/2013-3/16/2013)
TECHNIQUE: Preparation
I've met with my life long friend and discussed ideas about going into web development business together. We overviewed a business profile and talked about what strategy we initially felt might be good to go in with. We both walk out of the meeting agreeing to go into business together, and agreeing that we would like to start working on it right away. We agree that once we make a few sales we will file an LLC and create our business account. I already have a team assembled for the work demand and we design our company site in-house within a month. We review it carefully and look for advice from every angle we can. We spend several weeks on revisions and content. I spend a considerable amount of time reading WSO's and these forums and tweaking the strategy we want to start with. During this research and development phase, we pick up several pro bono customers who just pay us the sourcing expense it costs to us.
AFTERTHOUGHT: I should not have spent so much time on the research and development before I started simultaneously marketing. It could have taken 1-2 months when instead it took 3, but also by the second month I could have already started my marketing campaigns (social media, cold calling, cold visits, etc). I think part of this was because of my own fear of marketing due to inexperience. Was worried about how I would be perceived by the business community, and tried to buffer that through my research. Some of my pro bono work also seemed slightly like charity for friends when I should have focused more on doing it for PR. However, I do believe in the cause of each pro bono project.
UPDATE (3/23/2013)
TECHNIQUE: Cold-Calling
Today I have tested cold calling for the first time in my life. To be frank, I disliked the experience. I did about 20 cold-calls and something seemed to stand out to me in particular. The people typically perceived my calls as a nuisance or a necessary ritual, rather than a friendly and sincere human interaction/conversation. When offering this sort of service the caller seems to usually want to refer me to the business owner or financial decider. However, for 14 of the 20 calls the owner wasn't in. For the 6 that were, they immediately said they weren't interested in web development or marketing at this time.
I got exasperated and starting scrolling through craigslist. In my area I stumbled upon a business looking for web design with a number listed. I called them and the business owner picked up. Immediately he asked me where I was located, and when he learned I was 4 hours from him said he was looking for someone local who could come work for him, and that he had a bad experience working with someone remotely. I told him I can understand how that might happen, and that I would drive out to meet him if he decided to have us handle the project. I also highlighted a few advantages to choosing our web design, and he seemed please at the fact that we don't outsource our work. He started to talk about how, "we would be your biggest client" and "many designers have been scared by what we are asking", etc, and I assured him that I was confident we would be able to handle the work after I looked at his project specifications. He said, "well send me an email and if i like your portfolio ill get back to you", and gave me his email. I sent an email talking about our service and why i thought we stood out from the rest.
AFTERTHOUGHT: I was way too self-centered with this pitch. When he mentioned other designers being scared because of his project, I should have used that as an opportunity to talk about his business and his needs. I should have asked more questions about his business and expressed more curiosity in what they did. Instead I talked a lot about what we did, and I think that was the main reason I lost the sale. After several follow up emails and follow up calls it was to no avail. As for the cold calling, I really needed to do 5x more calls to expect any results, but the experience with the 20 cold calls has scared me away, at least for now. Especially when it was contrasted to talking with someone who actually was looking for web design directly after I gave up on cold calling : /.
UPDATE (3/24/2013-3/25/2013)
TECHNIQUE: Emailing Craigslist Leads
Today I had things to do so when I got home in the evening I pursued emailing craigslist leads and working on some social media techniques. My last experience finding a lead through craigslist made me decide to give it a try. I created a template that I just changed a bit for each person I emailed. I targeted people posting in the web design listings and in the marketing listings. Most of them were looking for employees, so many of my emails were expressing why we might be better than an employee.
The format of my first template, which I used for about 20 emails, was fairly long. It went on for a while about why our team was better than just one person, and why we thought we would be a good fit for their company.
Later I decided a shorter template would be better, and this time basically did the same approach but in small paragraph. In each email I mentioned we do a money back guarantee.
AFTERTHOUGHTS: I wasted time. The response rate is super low, even if you send a resume and phone number. I sent 100 inquiries, trying several different variations of phrasing, and didn't get a single response. After reading this thread, the data agreed. I will, however, continue to post my own ads on craigslist.
UPDATE (3/30/2013)
TECHNIQUE: Cold-Visiting (no pre calling, just walk-ins)
Today I did cold visits because I decided it was the quickest way to get a back and forth interaction with potential customers. And boy was I glad I tried this out. The rate of sincere interactions I had seemed to be much higher than with cold calling or emailing. I visited 25 businesses, and 25/25 were actual conversations rather than formal dismissals. I have made notes for each place I visited...
Gymnastics Center: I inquired at the front desk, "hey I'm wondering if you can help me with out, I'm in the area visiting businesses and Im offering web design and content management services. I work with a team of specialists who help me deliver web development to businesses. I'm checking with businesses to see if they or anyone they know are looking for those sort of services." (**This is the initial introduction, give or take a few words or slight phrasing variation, that I used all day with every business I visited.)
The man thought for a moment and said he didn't know of anyone and that they were good with where they were at for now. But then he thought for a moment more and said that they were eventually thinking about paying for a professional design and finding someone to do content management. I told him that thats exactly what we do, and that I think we would be a great fit for him. As soon as I started talking about my service he started looking away as if busy or distracted. I told him I would love to talk further and that I could visit later since "I know you are busy and I can come by later". He said sure and took a few cards.
Auto Service Center: Place was closed, lady came to door and said they were closed. I said ok and left.
Apartment Complex: The lady at the office said they do all their web work at a corporate level and werent looking for design services. I left her with my business card.
Grill: Bartender gave me the names of the owners and when they would be in. Said it would be best to visit instead of email or try to reach their phone. I left him with business card.
Salon: Lady said the owner wont be back until Tuesday and gave me her card. I left a few cards.
UPS Store: Lady said they already have someone handling their web work on a corporate leave (of course). Left her a business card and a stack of cards in the post office.
Italian Restaurant: Lady said they already have someone doing web design. She seemed busy. I left her with a biz card.
Eye Glasses Store: Owner was the only one in and there was no foot traffic. This guy was a talker. He seemed very satisfied in his own strategy that he was already taking and talked a lot about how he liked what he was doing already. When I mentioned web development he said he was already very happy with his own website, and that it was a good website. He said he liked it because he could manage it on his own. I decided that stroking his ego might help so I asked a bit about his business. He showed me a program he used where people could take pictures of themselves on the computer (it was very basic). He said he found it in Germany, and I wondered how much money he spent on it. I asked to see his website and it was terribly designed. Half the logo was pixelated, no contact above the fold, poor design, etc. I told him right off the bat a few changes I thought he could use, and that the logo could be redesigned. He said he was very happy with it already and that the pixelation was intentional so that people would want glasses. I mentioned that even though he may be satisfied where he is at, we can help him get even further. He didn't seem interested but referred me to a restaurant nearby. Left with biz card.
Craft Store: The lady said they JUST hired someone but that they had already gone through several webdesigners they had to fire. She was very nice and seemed very interested in the service we offered because it seemed solid to her. I talked with them for about 20 minutes and talked about their store and how I loved art, etc, and they both took business cards and said they might contact me. Seemed like a very warm lead so I'll be contacting them again to follow up.
Furniture Store: Owner wasnt in. They gave me the owners contact info but said he probably wouldnt be interested since he was satisfied with his site. Ill follow up with the owner anyway. Left with stack of biz cards.
Hobby Store: Guy said he might be interested if I could come back when they werent so busy which would be in the week. Oddly though, there was only one person in the store so it felt a bit like he was shooing me away. But he did say he was interested in getting a website made, and said clearly for me to come back . So this felt like a hot lead. Left with biz card.
Jewelry Store: They said I would need to check in with their other store on the other side of town. Left with biz card.
Hobby Store: They were looking for a website and we set an appointment. They had a web designer that got frustrated with them and destroyed their website. Hot lead.
Clothing store: They had their web design covered but referred me to several businesses in the same building that were closed at the moment. Took several business cards
Hobby Store: Not interested. Left them with business cards.
Bar: Gave owner contact info and took business card.
Music store: JUST ordered a website from a trusted designer. If I had asked two weeks earlier I would have had a big client. They gave me the decision makers contact info though, and Ill follow up about our services. Left with biz card.
Bakery: Just launched website in house. They might be interested in other services so ill email them.
Bar: Check back for owner during the week around 4PM
Trinket Store: Website management and SEO and social media being done in house on an amateur level. They seem satisfied with that system but I will follow up about other services. Left with biz card.
Ice Cream Store: They said the owner is only reachable through facebook, but that I could inquire with him there. Left with biz card.
Clothing Store: Gave name and email of owner saying that was best way to contact. Said they have a person doing website who might be leaving soon but that they have social media covered. Left with a stack of biz cards.
Wine Store: Mid sentence in my introduction he put up his hand to interrupt me. Said he wasnt the owner and gave me the owners name and told me to call and set an appointment. He said he is looking for a website and that I should definitely call. Left with biz card.
Second Hand Store:Said I could find owner on Tuesday but that I should walk in and not try to email or call. Left with biz card.
Plumbing Place:
Said they were looking for someone to do social media and content. I set an appointment for an interview on Monday. Hot lead.
***I will be taking similar notes with all cold visits I do each week.
***Stats for today: 3 Hot leads, ~5 Warm Leads, ~12 Cold Leads
AFTERTHOUGHTS: I should have built more of a relationship with the gymnastics guy. I talked too much about myself and didn't ask enough about his business. While this was a warm lead i possibly could have made it hot just my engaging him more about himself. I think as soon as he even remotely sensed me being a salesman, I started to lose his attention. I shouldnt have wasted my time at the eye glasses place, he was too wrapped up in his own ego to pursue my service. I spend a good twenty minutes there which would have been better spent elsewhere. I should have felt that energy and moved on. There were also a few places where I forgot to get the owners name. Another afterthought is that I could have been generating a email list while I was doing these visits. Not sure how I want to do that. Another thing is that I should have split tested with several different types of introductions (anyone else have cold visiting introduction strategy for me to try?) Overall though I think this technique is working really well for me, as I've already generated several warm and hot leads in a matter of a day, with several promising interviews coming up. I find this way better than cold calling. If I do cold calling I'm worried that the impression I leave might hinder my cold visiting, but I'm still debating working cold calling into my methods despite my current inclinations.
More updates will be edited here. If there is character limit they will be added as replies. Strategic discussion is appreciated!
CURRENT STATS (from all techniques. This will be kept updated):
Customers: 2 (Pro Bono)
Hot Leads: 3
Warm Leads: 5
Cold Leads: 13
Hot: Set an appointment and or seem very interested
Warm: Did not set an appointment and or seem moderately interested
Cold: Have not yet reached decision maker and or they are not interested
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