Timing, is it everything?

7 replies
Years ago, many businesses didn't have websites, they still got new clients though.

Over time they were approached in numerous ways to suggest they need and have a website, many people would have done this, phone, email, letter, networking etc etc.

At some point the business owner said yes. Were they tired of being badgered, were there enough competitors also with a website that now meant it was more a necessity to keep up with the Joneses , did the person who sold them just approach them in the 'right' way .
Or was it just the right time ?

We then go through the same with social media services, mobile sites and services, they'll nearly all say yes at some point, will it be to people they meet at networking event after event, will it be the decent phone call approach, the stand out direct mail piece, will it be they've heard the same sort of message so many times that its finally sunk in, will it be theyre losing business as a result of not having it so its time to say yes.

So many variables , some are busy when you phone or go passed , yet they still say yes to more clients, some aren't that busy yet still say no, if you phone them when theyre rammed with clients, are they more likely to say no than if you phone them when theyre looking at an empty booking diary .

I dont think theres a finite answer and Im not seeking one but can be an interested thread if we want it to be
#timing
  • Profile picture of the author mjbmedia
    See 99% of businesses are going to have a website, yet they say no to 99.9% of people who offer to supply one for them.

    The same for mobile optimised sites, whether stand alone or not, businesses will say no, but at some point they will say yes and have one.

    Is every business in the same spot in the buying process (from early adopter to laggard) for every service?

    eg if a business A took 6 times longer to get a website than business B, does it stand to reason they'll be similarly behind them regarding a mobile version, or a social media campaign etc etc
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  • Profile picture of the author ARobert
    I guess it boils down to the target group of the business. If you are selling something to old people (yes, I know it's changing), then you might not be inclined to be the first one to have a website ready. If it's about hip clothing for teenagers, then you would like to be the first ones opening a website, a social media account etc.
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  • Profile picture of the author Peter Lessard
    Part of your job as a salesmen is to create the illusion of timing.

    Example: Any decent car salesman will say "How did you hear about our biggest sale of the year" when someone walks on the lot but there is no sale lol

    Same as all these clothing stores having signs saying "Going out of business sale" but you go back 18 months later and they still have the same signs up.
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    • Profile picture of the author savidge4
      Originally Posted by plessard View Post

      Same as all these clothing stores having signs saying "Going out of business sale" but you go back 18 months later and they still have the same signs up.
      In the states there is a actually a law against this. but you will find signs that read "Going out for business"

      Here is the thing with timing. There is Your time, and there is the Prospects time. Two time lines travelling through space. One line has a product or service to sell, and the other at some point is going to buy that product or service. If you the seller are not reaching out to the buyer line to see where in the buying process they are, you may as well be playing Russian roulette.

      I personally hardly ever sell on first reach. Of course there are exceptions... but again for me its like 1 in 150. Last year ( 2013 ) I reached out to 600 ish prospects. I closed right at 400 of them between last year and this year so far. I simply reach out now and then. every few weeks, once a month, just walk in and say hi, and further cement the services that I provide.

      When the time comes when a client has the aha moment and says "I need a website" I don't have to be Johnny come lately and show up once that has happened, I have history already, I have a relationship. You can be the hare and race through prospects looking for the right crossing of lines. Or, you can be the tortoise and go it slow and steady and be there waiting when the lines intersect.

      Confucius say "Patience is Rewarded with Patience"
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      • Profile picture of the author socialentry
        I disagree that it is russian roulette, because a tested phone script have fairly predictable results. If it was pure statistics, you would have much more variance from week to week and everyone would be equal which is not the case.

        Every campaign is different. Timing is one thing but skills make a very dramatic difference. If there is no need, then sometimes it's your job to create one. Every qualified prospect have pain points, if you hit one during qualification, they will listen.
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        • Profile picture of the author savidge4
          Originally Posted by socialentry View Post

          I disagree that it is russian roulette, because a tested phone script have fairly predictable results. If it was pure statistics, you would have much more variance from week to week and everyone would be equal which is not the case.

          Every campaign is different. Timing is one thing but skills make a very dramatic difference. If there is no need, then sometimes it's your job to create one. Every qualified prospect have pain points, if you hit one during qualification, they will listen.
          I understand what you are saying. And you are right there is no denying the predictable results. but there is a huge difference between 1%+/- and 60%+. The over all difference as you said is hitting a pain point. Doing phone sales as you said "If you hit one during qualification" with a multi reach technique its not a matter of "If" but a matter of how many.

          Your average cold caller type is contacting more in one week than I do in an entire year. If that said cold caller type is going full blow for 8 hours a day for 5 days they are spending more time in the sales process than I do in a month.

          Remember I build websites, so if I dedicate all my time in sales, I cant get work completed. And within my industry and specifically small one man operations that becomes a vicious circle. I have grown past the one man operation, but once you develop methods that take less time, and over time produce better results... You don't even think of going back. ( well I don't )

          A large part of my success is the fact I do not tailor my work towards a specific niche. I will work with a shoe store as well as a butcher, if the prospect is selling something, I will approach them. I actually tend to stay away from the service industries, for a great number of reasons. The PRIMARY reason is due to the complexity of the sale and the control of the outcome.

          I believe it to be F A R easier to sell my services to a retailor. Its very simple to point out the benefits. ( a virtual 2nd store front ) Its very easy to prove that the system you have put in place is actually working. ( is the website making sales or not ) I am not relying on the clients ability to close anything.

          But this is my system, and it works for me, I am not about to say that it is going to work for every one, but it works for me.
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  • Profile picture of the author anymore
    It all comes down to your skill level. I have been active as a direct marketer and trainer for over 20 years.

    Timing is important, however there are a lot of factors in play.

    If you have gave it all you got with no results, it may not be the best time for the service or for your area.

    Only an experience marketer that has met you can answer that question.

    For some it takes years of training to be successful at telemarketing

    Telemarketing and direct sales is not for everyone
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