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When does it make sense to sell to cold traffic?

by allancaeg
10 replies
Most entrepreneurs go to cold traffic prematurely.

It's not their business to reach a stranger in another country, but they're too busy with it.

I love it when Bryan Harris talked about starting your mailing list with closest friends and family. That's how realistic freelancers usually do it, but many of us try to start our online businesses for premature scale.

1 area I know where cold traffic makes sense is if you're selling someone else's product. If you're an affiliate, you're selling something with thousands of customers and testimonials. In a sense, being an affiliate is like starting a McDonald's franchise. It's most likely going to work, unless you screw it up really hard.

Now, for our own new products & services, when does it make sense to go out and sell to cold traffic?

I've fallen into the trap of being too busy with Twitter marketing, that I've neglected people in my existing network. It's just silly.

On the other hand, what's the "go signal" for us to know that it's become our business to build marketing funnels, automation, and acquiring cold leads online?
#cold #make #sell #sense #traffic
  • Profile picture of the author agmccall
    whenever you have that traffic. I mean, why not

    al
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    • Profile picture of the author allancaeg
      Originally Posted by agmccall View Post

      whenever you have that traffic. I mean, why not

      al
      I think the key question is about focus.

      Magical free traffic is great, sure. Everyone wants that.

      The question is what to focus on in early days, with scarce resource. Say you work 40 hours a week, what customer acquisition method should get most of your time?
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  • Profile picture of the author wordwizard
    The problem with "warm" traffic is that not everyone's warm market (i.e., friends and family) is interested in the sorts of things I'm marketing (i.e., internet marketing stuff).

    I remember disgruntling quite a few friends who had actually willingly JOINED my email list and then accused me of spamming them. I deleted them really fast, if they hadn't already unsubscribed themselves.

    Unfortunately, some of them don't even understand the unsubscribe process.

    Also, the cold market doesn't have to be totally cold. Leads you get from places like the Warrior Forum or Facebook already show an interest in what you do...
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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Originally Posted by wordwizard View Post

      The problem with "warm" traffic is that not everyone's warm market (i.e., friends and family) is interested in the sorts of things I'm marketing (i.e., internet marketing stuff).

      I remember disgruntling quite a few friends who had actually willingly JOINED my email list and then accused me of spamming them. I deleted them really fast, if they hadn't already unsubscribed themselves.

      Unfortunately, some of them don't even understand the unsubscribe process.

      Also, the cold market doesn't have to be totally cold. Leads you get from places like the Warrior Forum or Facebook already show an interest in what you do...
      I remember an acronym from my MLM days - N.F.L. for No Friends Left.

      Unless those friends/family are actually part of your target market, you stand to join that NFL, and trust me, it could also stand for No Fun League.

      That said, unless you are going after impulse purchases, the only sale to cold traffic that makes sense to me is selling the opportunity to learn more. In other words, sell a place on your list, so you can take them from cold to lukewarm to warm, to...
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      • Profile picture of the author allancaeg
        Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

        I remember an acronym from my MLM days - N.F.L. for No Friends Left.

        Unless those friends/family are actually part of your target market, you stand to join that NFL, and trust me, it could also stand for No Fun League.

        That said, unless you are going after impulse purchases, the only sale to cold traffic that makes sense to me is selling the opportunity to learn more. In other words, sell a place on your list, so you can take them from cold to lukewarm to warm, to...
        Great distinction @wordwizard and @JohnMcCabe

        The key is to focus on qualified leads.

        I have insurance agent friends that are definitely part of the apparently NFL. I didn't enjoy their approach and have even lost trust in our friendship.

        The key is to have qualified leads and be graceful about opting them in. That can be done with:
        • sharing your stuff in your personal social media account
        • manually handpicking your friends and crafting personal 1:1 emails / messages
        • having them opt in to your mailing list first, just like how we deal with cold traffic to be nurtured, but the leads are already much more interested in your stuff

        Another key here is to...

        Network with qualified leads.

        Instead of making cold lead acquisition via social, ads, SEO, etc.; it's a smart bet to grow your personal network offline. These people are already volunteering their interest in your stuff, by attending relevant meetups and conferences.

        By merely showing up and telling them what they do, they're far more likely to dig more about your stuff after meeting you in person, provided that you're actually likeable in person.
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  • Profile picture of the author Randy McLean
    The only time I use cold traffic is when it's really cheap. They might convert later on but it will take way more exposures up front.

    If I am going to pay for traffic, I will make sure the traffic is targeted. You usually get what you pay for.

    Sometimes free traffic can convert great too. It just depends on the source and how you market to them.

    I always test small then work from there.

    Sometimes I am surprised at what actually converts and what doesn't.
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  • Profile picture of the author Edwin Torres
    To test how well a funnel or sales page converts
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  • Profile picture of the author talfighel
    When you build a list, people who come on your list are COLD.

    When you follow up with them overtime and give them value, they become HOT and they know and like you.
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  • Profile picture of the author david beck
    [DELETED]
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  • Profile picture of the author misterkailo
    Starting with warm market? Man I began with the NFL club lol No Friends Left
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  • Profile picture of the author RefuseToLose
    I wouldn't recommend selling to cold traffic to begin with.

    You're better off sending that cold traffic down a funnel and segmenting that traffic to give yourself a higher chance of converting that traffic on something relevant to them.

    It's not easy to do, but if you can master that funnel process. You will turn dirt into gold and the best part is... There's an endless amount of dirt you can process through your funnel to turn into gold.
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