Going in "Cold" or Appointment First?

Darrett · 24th Jun 2012, 06:18 PM

Is it better to head into a business cold and try and meet with the manager, or cold call to make appointments first?

I'm interested to know which one is more productive for my time.

Would love to hear some feedback from your guys' experiences.

Thanks,
Darrett

nickhumph · 24th Jun 2012, 06:38 PM

Definitely cold call and get an appointment scheduled first. The manager of the resturant, beauty salon, etc will not be at the business half the time + if they are available, they will probably be busy with something.

Get them to schedule and dedicate 10 - 15 minutes of their day face to face with you.

Nick

ACTMobileSolutions · 24th Jun 2012, 11:18 PM

This post interested me as I'm doing the same thing so I felt compelled to reply! I agree with Nick - I find people prefer to choose a time that's good for them over you trying to sell them something that they're not even thinking about at that moment. When you ask for an appointment, you're being respectful of their time and you're also getting them in the right frame of mind to be sold to :-) BUT, what I will say is that you should be prepared to tell them the benefits of your company/products just in case because sometimes you get lucky and they are willing to hear you out straight away. In my earlier days of selling, I lost a few prospects because I wasn't expecting them to say 'ok, so why should I buy your product?'. If you really can't come back with anything at that particular moment, you can just say something like 'well, I know you're busy and there are many reasons why so I'd rather set aside 10 minutes at a convenient time for you'. Once you've got your foot in the door you want to do some serious research in to their company, what they sell, who they sell to, who their competition is and what their competition is doing in the mobile/web space and how you can help them beat the competition in that area. Customers love the fact that you go the extra mile for them. However, this approach is quite time consuming but I find it's really important because you are aiming to sell them an expensive service so you have to do the work to get them. But it's worth it in the long run - I find anyway. Best of luck with it. I'd be interested to hear any other situations you've come across in the sales process.

Mobile application development
Mobile reporting and analytics

IWelcomesocialmedia · 25th Jun 2012, 03:59 AM

Cold calling to get an appointment is always best. That way you are showing the prospect that you respect his time and you are not like all the other cold callers who has no regards for your prospect's time.

By cold calling as well you get the chance to ask a few vital questions that will set you up ready for when you meet with the prospect.

Its all about being different and unique in your approach.

Success is yours
Claudine

Darrett · 25th Jun 2012, 09:40 AM

Thank you all for the replies.

I agree Claudine and just wanted to get some closure on it, thank you for the feedback.

marketingrep4u · 25th Jun 2012, 12:47 PM

I agree with the others up top. Get the appointment first.

Here's an idea that will also help you streamline the appointment and it's what I'm doing now:

1) IF you have a smartphone, contact your carrier and have it set up as a mobile hot spot.
2) Buy a 7 inch tablet with wi-fi capability.
3) Bookmark the site on your tablets browser that you built for them.
4) Bookmark your payment page (PayPal buy now page or whatever).
5) Power up your tablet before you walk in the door.
6) Open the bookmarked pages before you walk in the door.
7) Show off the site and all the bells and whistles.
8) Close the sale.
9) Get paid by visiting your payment page.
10) Finalize the install of the mobile site for the customer.

Keep in mind, this plan is not without the need for the occasional detour or issue to resolve. It was just designed to streamline the meeting and help close the sale faster so I can move on to the next appointment.

It also assumes that you pre-built a site for them, BEFORE going to the meeting. I don't attend meetings without a pre-built site ready to show. In fact, that's how I'm getting the appointments.

My appointment setter is a young guy. He calls up and acts like a young kid that just started today and says something like "My boss told me to call you and set up a time for you to meet up. He mentioned that you didn't have a mobile ready website, so he built you one and wanted to show it to you. He's open Tuesday at 10:00am. Will that work for you?"

Just 2 cents worth of wisdom that hopefully helps someone appreciative...

Rich

Rich

midasman09 · 26th Jun 2012, 04:22 PM

I place Special Cards IN Hotel Rooms. I deal with restaurants, gift shops and local attractions.

The "Pitch" I use is;
"Hello (Restaurant Owner)....I'm working with the Comfort Inn over on 2nd Ave. They have 150 rooms. ALL their guests have cell phones. They are hungry and looking for places to eat.

YOUR restaurant does NOT show up very well on their Phones. I'd like to show you what your website COULD look like.

It's too hard to explain on the phone. Would you have a "quick minute" this afternoon or would tomorrow morning be better?"

If my prospect asks a question like; "How Much?" I tell him again; "This is too hard to explain....ON THE PHONE! You have to SEE what I'm talking about! Would YOU like to have 50 to 100 MORE DINERS each month?

I then keep plugging for a TIME! If I get too much friction, I thank him for his time and go to the next prospect.

I get a good percentage of appts with this. One reason is because it's NOT just little ol' ME....it's ME...."WORKING WITH"....the Hotel!

I always try to use "3rd Party Psychology"! It's VERY POWERFUL!

Don Alm....Sales Guy

Rymico · 26th Jun 2012, 04:37 PM

Guess I have just been selling with cold calls for too many years. My best luck has been just walking in the door and finding the decision makers. Then I have a number of techniques to close them.

I have a sample account set up to show anything that needs a demo. And, when they try the sample, I capture their cell phone number. lol If I do not sell them on that appointment, I send them a remember me text to follow up. Show them how easy it was to get ahold of them and present my followup message.

Rodney

nickhumph · 26th Jun 2012, 08:35 PM

Originally Posted by midasman09

I place Special Cards IN Hotel Rooms. I deal with restaurants, gift shops and local attractions.

The "Pitch" I use is;
"Hello (Restaurant Owner)....I'm working with the Comfort Inn over on 2nd Ave. They have 150 rooms. ALL their guests have cell phones. They are hungry and looking for places to eat.

YOUR restaurant does NOT show up very well on their Phones. I'd like to show you what your website COULD look like.

It's too hard to explain on the phone. Would you have a "quick minute" this afternoon or would tomorrow morning be better?"

If my prospect asks a question like; "How Much?" I tell him again; "This is too hard to explain....ON THE PHONE! You have to SEE what I'm talking about! Would YOU like to have 50 to 100 MORE DINERS each month?

I then keep plugging for a TIME! If I get too much friction, I thank him for his time and go to the next prospect.

I get a good percentage of appts with this. One reason is because it's NOT just little ol' ME....it's ME...."WORKING WITH"....the Hotel!

I always try to use "3rd Party Psychology"! It's VERY POWERFUL!

Don Alm....Sales Guy

Don, you should have you're own blog or something.. always coming up with the best tips!

Darrett · 26th Jun 2012, 08:42 PM

Thanks for the replies, Don that is an amazing idea!

I agree man you need your own running blog.

Rodney you don't think cold calling is a better approach? Just since I have a seller and I don't want them to be traveling around only to find out the decision maker is not even in.

Rymico · 26th Jun 2012, 10:00 PM

For me, walking in is more effective. But, I know many of the owners because of Chamber of Commerce and other social activities in town.

And, I have been selling for 40 years. Sold a lot by walking in on cold calls.

nickhumph · 28th Jun 2012, 07:12 AM

Originally Posted by Rymico

For me, walking in is more effective. But, I know many of the owners because of Chamber of Commerce and other social activities in town.

And, I have been selling for 40 years. Sold a lot by walking in on cold calls.

How small is the town you live in to know so many of the owners? lol

Rymico · 28th Jun 2012, 08:13 AM

Originally Posted by nickhumph

How small is the town you live in to know so many of the owners? lol

Not real big. Only about 120,000 people. And we only moved here in 1988.

But, we owned two insurance agencies for over 11 years. We had over 3,000 families with us at any one time. We were then, and I am now, active in the Chamber of Commerce. Over 1, 000 members there. They have at least 2 events each month that I attend. I am a member of the local Homebuilders Assoc. There are about 200 affiliate members, all business owners. All of these are prospects.

My wife and I eat lunch together at restaurants at least 4 times a week. And the town I live in has one of the highest ratios of residents to restaurants as anywhere in the country. And, we have the highest ratio of churches to people of anywhere in the country.

Potential clients are where you find them. lol

sodomojo · 30th Jun 2012, 12:17 AM

Originally Posted by midasman09

I place Special Cards IN Hotel Rooms. I deal with restaurants, gift shops and local attractions.

The "Pitch" I use is;
"Hello (Restaurant Owner)....I'm working with the Comfort Inn over on 2nd Ave. They have 150 rooms. ALL their guests have cell phones. They are hungry and looking for places to eat.

YOUR restaurant does NOT show up very well on their Phones. I'd like to show you what your website COULD look like.

It's too hard to explain on the phone. Would you have a "quick minute" this afternoon or would tomorrow morning be better?"

If my prospect asks a question like; "How Much?" I tell him again; "This is too hard to explain....ON THE PHONE! You have to SEE what I'm talking about! Would YOU like to have 50 to 100 MORE DINERS each month?

I then keep plugging for a TIME! If I get too much friction, I thank him for his time and go to the next prospect.

I get a good percentage of appts with this. One reason is because it's NOT just little ol' ME....it's ME...."WORKING WITH"....the Hotel!

I always try to use "3rd Party Psychology"! It's VERY POWERFUL!

Don Alm....Sales Guy

Extra 50-100 diners per month because they have a mobile site? Hmm, not sure if I buy that.

rolltide · 30th Jun 2012, 08:36 AM

Good idea Don Alm.

Walkins and appointments both work. It is hard to sell the site over the phone. You need to show them what a mobile is.

Niks24 · 2nd Jul 2012, 12:21 AM

cold calling and setting appointment first is the best way for the sales person as it saves your time and energy at most places.

24th Jun 2012, 06:18 PM	#1
Darrett Entrepreneur Join Date: 2011 Posts: 118 Thanks: 145 Thanked 10 Times in 8 Posts	Going in "Cold" or Appointment First? Share on: Is it better to head into a business cold and try and meet with the manager, or cold call to make appointments first? I'm interested to know which one is more productive for my time. Would love to hear some feedback from your guys' experiences. Thanks, Darrett
	If you want to reach for your dreams, first you've got to roll up your sleeves

24th Jun 2012, 06:38 PM	#2
nickhumph Relentless Warrior War Room Member Join Date: 2011 Location: Australia Posts: 373 Thanks: 95 Thanked 29 Times in 18 Posts Blog Entries: 2	Re: Going in "Cold" or Appointment First? Share on: Definitely cold call and get an appointment scheduled first. The manager of the resturant, beauty salon, etc will not be at the business half the time + if they are available, they will probably be busy with something. Get them to schedule and dedicate 10 - 15 minutes of their day face to face with you. Nick
	Increase Page Conversions by 72% through the most underrated marketing tool out there!

24th Jun 2012, 11:18 PM	#3
ACTMobileSolutions ACTMobileSolutions Join Date: 2012 Posts: 2 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: Going in "Cold" or Appointment First? Share on: This post interested me as I'm doing the same thing so I felt compelled to reply! I agree with Nick - I find people prefer to choose a time that's good for them over you trying to sell them something that they're not even thinking about at that moment. When you ask for an appointment, you're being respectful of their time and you're also getting them in the right frame of mind to be sold to :-) BUT, what I will say is that you should be prepared to tell them the benefits of your company/products just in case because sometimes you get lucky and they are willing to hear you out straight away. In my earlier days of selling, I lost a few prospects because I wasn't expecting them to say 'ok, so why should I buy your product?'. If you really can't come back with anything at that particular moment, you can just say something like 'well, I know you're busy and there are many reasons why so I'd rather set aside 10 minutes at a convenient time for you'. Once you've got your foot in the door you want to do some serious research in to their company, what they sell, who they sell to, who their competition is and what their competition is doing in the mobile/web space and how you can help them beat the competition in that area. Customers love the fact that you go the extra mile for them. However, this approach is quite time consuming but I find it's really important because you are aiming to sell them an expensive service so you have to do the work to get them. But it's worth it in the long run - I find anyway. Best of luck with it. I'd be interested to hear any other situations you've come across in the sales process. Mobile application development Mobile reporting and analytics

25th Jun 2012, 03:59 AM	#4
IWelcomesocialmedia Lead Generation Pro War Room Member Join Date: 2006 Location: United Kingdom. Posts: 329 Thanks: 44 Thanked 55 Times in 44 Posts	Re: Going in "Cold" or Appointment First? Share on: Cold calling to get an appointment is always best. That way you are showing the prospect that you respect his time and you are not like all the other cold callers who has no regards for your prospect's time. By cold calling as well you get the chance to ask a few vital questions that will set you up ready for when you meet with the prospect. Its all about being different and unique in your approach. Success is yours Claudine

25th Jun 2012, 09:40 AM	#5
Darrett Entrepreneur Join Date: 2011 Posts: 118 Thanks: 145 Thanked 10 Times in 8 Posts	Re: Going in "Cold" or Appointment First? Share on: Thank you all for the replies. I agree Claudine and just wanted to get some closure on it, thank you for the feedback.
	If you want to reach for your dreams, first you've got to roll up your sleeves

25th Jun 2012, 12:47 PM	#6
marketingrep4u HyperActive Warrior War Room Member Join Date: 2010 Posts: 226 Thanks: 16 Thanked 86 Times in 38 Posts	Re: Going in "Cold" or Appointment First? Share on: I agree with the others up top. Get the appointment first. Here's an idea that will also help you streamline the appointment and it's what I'm doing now: 1) IF you have a smartphone, contact your carrier and have it set up as a mobile hot spot. 2) Buy a 7 inch tablet with wi-fi capability. 3) Bookmark the site on your tablets browser that you built for them. 4) Bookmark your payment page (PayPal buy now page or whatever). 5) Power up your tablet before you walk in the door. 6) Open the bookmarked pages before you walk in the door. 7) Show off the site and all the bells and whistles. 8) Close the sale. 9) Get paid by visiting your payment page. 10) Finalize the install of the mobile site for the customer. Keep in mind, this plan is not without the need for the occasional detour or issue to resolve. It was just designed to streamline the meeting and help close the sale faster so I can move on to the next appointment. It also assumes that you pre-built a site for them, BEFORE going to the meeting. I don't attend meetings without a pre-built site ready to show. In fact, that's how I'm getting the appointments. My appointment setter is a young guy. He calls up and acts like a young kid that just started today and says something like "My boss told me to call you and set up a time for you to meet up. He mentioned that you didn't have a mobile ready website, so he built you one and wanted to show it to you. He's open Tuesday at 10:00am. Will that work for you?" Just 2 cents worth of wisdom that hopefully helps someone appreciative... Rich Rich

26th Jun 2012, 04:22 PM	#7
midasman09 Banned Join Date: 2009 Posts: 1,279 Thanks: 7 Thanked 1,525 Times in 531 Posts	Re: Going in "Cold" or Appointment First? Share on: I place Special Cards IN Hotel Rooms. I deal with restaurants, gift shops and local attractions. The "Pitch" I use is; "Hello (Restaurant Owner)....I'm working with the Comfort Inn over on 2nd Ave. They have 150 rooms. ALL their guests have cell phones. They are hungry and looking for places to eat. YOUR restaurant does NOT show up very well on their Phones. I'd like to show you what your website COULD look like. It's too hard to explain on the phone. Would you have a "quick minute" this afternoon or would tomorrow morning be better?" If my prospect asks a question like; "How Much?" I tell him again; "This is too hard to explain....ON THE PHONE! You have to SEE what I'm talking about! Would YOU like to have 50 to 100 MORE DINERS each month? I then keep plugging for a TIME! If I get too much friction, I thank him for his time and go to the next prospect. I get a good percentage of appts with this. One reason is because it's NOT just little ol' ME....it's ME...."WORKING WITH"....the Hotel! I always try to use "3rd Party Psychology"! It's VERY POWERFUL! Don Alm....Sales Guy

26th Jun 2012, 04:37 PM	#8
Rymico Active Warrior War Room Member Join Date: 2012 Location: Texas Posts: 82 Thanks: 2 Thanked 23 Times in 15 Posts	Re: Going in "Cold" or Appointment First? Share on: Guess I have just been selling with cold calls for too many years. My best luck has been just walking in the door and finding the decision makers. Then I have a number of techniques to close them. I have a sample account set up to show anything that needs a demo. And, when they try the sample, I capture their cell phone number. lol If I do not sell them on that appointment, I send them a remember me text to follow up. Show them how easy it was to get ahold of them and present my followup message. Rodney
	Contact me at sales@rymico.com

26th Jun 2012, 08:42 PM	#10
Darrett Entrepreneur Join Date: 2011 Posts: 118 Thanks: 145 Thanked 10 Times in 8 Posts	Re: Going in "Cold" or Appointment First? Share on: Thanks for the replies, Don that is an amazing idea! I agree man you need your own running blog. Rodney you don't think cold calling is a better approach? Just since I have a seller and I don't want them to be traveling around only to find out the decision maker is not even in.
	If you want to reach for your dreams, first you've got to roll up your sleeves

26th Jun 2012, 10:00 PM	#11
Rymico Active Warrior War Room Member Join Date: 2012 Location: Texas Posts: 82 Thanks: 2 Thanked 23 Times in 15 Posts	Re: Going in "Cold" or Appointment First? Share on: For me, walking in is more effective. But, I know many of the owners because of Chamber of Commerce and other social activities in town. And, I have been selling for 40 years. Sold a lot by walking in on cold calls.
	Contact me at sales@rymico.com

30th Jun 2012, 08:36 AM	#15
rolltide Senior Warrior Member Join Date: 2010 Posts: 1,409 Thanks: 805 Thanked 169 Times in 140 Posts	Re: Going in "Cold" or Appointment First? Share on: Good idea Don Alm. Walkins and appointments both work. It is hard to sell the site over the phone. You need to show them what a mobile is.
	Make $150 everytime someone backs up their computer! http://goo.gl/07M6K

2nd Jul 2012, 12:21 AM	#16
Niks24 HyperActive Warrior Join Date: 2012 Location: India Posts: 204 Thanks: 22 Thanked 6 Times in 5 Posts	Re: Going in "Cold" or Appointment First? Share on: cold calling and setting appointment first is the best way for the sales person as it saves your time and energy at most places.