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Cold Calling for a friend's company

by PofX
2 replies
Hey Warriors,


Glad to see you guys still killing it after all these years.




I try not to bother you guys with this stuff as most of it can be searched, but I'm kind of at a loss on this one.


I have about 3 years of sales experience in multiple industries. Some of it B2C, some B2B selling to C-Level Executives.


I want to go out on my own, but I want to do it the right way. I have a friend that runs an internet marketing company that does SEO, Web Design, and conversion rate optimization.


My friend recently asked if I would like to sell for him as an independent agent. I have no idea how to structure the pricing or payment fulfillment for my services to him.


First is the issue of fulfillment:


He wants me to sell the services first, then when the customers pay him, he would route my percentage to me... that doesn't sit right with me. I want to have more control of when/if I get paid. (been burned before. Money has a way of showing you who your real friends are.)


I thought about generating leads, then selling the leads to him.


Or possibly taking the payment from the customer, then sending it to him minus my commission once the service is rendered.


Do you guys have a recommendation as to which method would be better or maybe you have a recommendation for a better way to do it? My biggest concern is getting paid, and not ripping anybody off.


The next issue is pricing:

He currently wants to charge his retail price, and allow me to mark up however much I think I can get. This sounds laughable at best to me, because he is basically getting free lead gen and I take on the challenge of selling an overpriced service.


It doesn't seem very professional, but I'm new to online marketing so I thought I'd ask you guys. Does this kind of pricing make sense to you/is it normal? If not, what do you recommend?


Thanks in advance for your time Warriors!
#calling #cold #company #friend #lead gen
  • Profile picture of the author John Durham
    Originally Posted by PofX View Post


    He currently wants to charge his retail price, and allow me to mark up however much I think I can get. This sounds laughable at best to me, because he is basically getting free lead gen and I take on the challenge of selling an overpriced service.


    It doesn't seem very professional, but I'm new to online marketing so I thought I'd ask you guys. Does this kind of pricing make sense to you/is it normal? If not, what do you recommend?


    Thanks in advance for your time Warriors!
    Depending on what he charges and how valuable his service is it might be an excellent set up. You might be able to mark up considerably. Brokering almost anything works if the price is right. You get to make money (perhaps even back end future money) for simply making sales , and he gets the hassle of having a client to deal with.

    He can make websites all day long, but he cant make sales. Security is that you will ALWAYS be in demand if you can do this. Nice thread topic.

    Personally, if I were closing the sales, I would charge 50%,or a 100% markup. The designer has nothing to lose and everything to gain. You are the one taking on the risk with your faithful effort, bringing him a customer he would not have otherwise had.

    It doesnt make sense for him to burn you, you can provide him a valuable service that he cant live without. What you bring to the table,you can repeat for yourself, but if HE wants another customer, he has to have YOU.
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    • Profile picture of the author PofX
      Originally Posted by John Durham View Post

      Depending on what he charges and how valuable his service is it might be an excellent set up. You might be able to mark up considerably. Brokering almost anything works if the price is right. You get to make money (perhaps even back end future money) for simply making sales , and he gets the hassle of having a client to deal with.

      He can make websites all day long, but he cant make sales. Security is that you will ALWAYS be in demand if you can do this. Nice thread topic.

      Personally, if I were closing the sales, I would charge 50%,or a 100% markup. The designer has nothing to lose and everything to gain. You are the one taking on the risk with your faithful effort, bringing him a customer he would not have otherwise had.

      It doesnt make sense for him to burn you, you can provide him a valuable service that he cant live without. What you bring to the table,you can repeat for yourself, but if HE wants another customer, he has to have YOU.

      Awesome, I really appreciate this advice.


      I wasn't sure how to go about it without cutting into his rev too much, so your advice definitely gives me some direction. Both of those options eliminate the fulfilment issue as well, a big plus.


      I'll give him a call with these tips in mind. Thank you!
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