I had some compelete twat ring me the other day, from abc seo company, he asked if i was in charge of the marketing / adwords? "yes" OK I need to ask you some questions to see if you qualify to go through to our accounts manager.

? What a f ing joke I says, you ring me up and then you hard ball me into jumping through your ring of fire to be allowed to speak to your darth vader, lol you taking the piss with me now son, and he stuffed even more by telling me that giiggle had given them my contact to call so we could improve the campaign, and lets say the chat did not last much past that point.

[DELETED]

Homicide, then we all benefit. Better, yet, sell him a rope, it will make his efforts quicker. HA!

gjabiz

So if the OP was to call you after you kill yourself, would it be still classed as a cold call, with you being dead n all.

Opportunity...!

Here's my offers on guns, ropes, cyanide pills, etc....

And the back end offer on coffins, funerals, life assurance...

And if you bequeath at least 1 million quid to the "Save the Animal" charity, we'll give you a free fully engraved tombstone*.

* Limited to 20 words.

If this was the case,there'd be a lot of very wealthy people on here... Where are they...?

Show me a billion dollar company that made it's billions by cold calling...

The Chamber Of Commerce.

I'm sure there are plenty of trade organizations that build their membership primarily through cold calling their industry. It's how my core industry trade association builds its membership.

If you own a business, think of all the cold calls you get. I get maybe 15 a day plus another 10-15 robo calls. Sure, a few are selling Viagra, but many are selling credit card processing, or wanting you to change utility providers. But my guess is, they are making money.

Newspapers cold call to sell subscriptions. And I can't tell you how many calls I've had from Omaha Steaks. I'm assuming these people are making a profit.

But remember folks; Claude's Law #35. Cold calling is not the only way to get new customers. But it's better than sitting on your ass, doing nothing.

If you really want to get from point A to point B, you can build a car, or you can start running. If you need to get there by tonight, and you have the stamina? Run.

But if you want to go much further than you can go by running, building a car will ultimately take you further than running.

Or......you can built a car after running time. and when your car is finally ready, you'll already be farther to point B....because you took the time to start by running.

Everyone get that? Running is cold calling, building a car is creating a marketing funnel and networking.

Guys; To be fair, there are lots and lots of companies that are making huge money (whatever that is) that have no cold calling at all. It's not an either/or thing.

Companies may cold call their customer list (or a JV customer list), but not truly cold call to the masses. Some call every business in an area, and do quite well. Some are more selective.

Dan Kennedy preaches funnel marketing, and variations of it. And for the most part, it's a great way to build a business. But 2/3rds of his event attendance is filled by calling his members. There are all kinds of levels of cold calling, and methods of direct marketing, and they can overlap a lot.

The main reason I like the idea of someone starting out cold calling, is that it builds strength. Some people can't take it. Maybe most people. I'm not talking about working in a call center..I mean building your own business, calling to add your own clients.

The greatest insurance salespeople built their business starting that way. The great stock brokers, the great real estate salespeople.......

There is power in knowing you can pick up the phone, starting with nothing, and have a sale by the end of that day. Do I do it now? No. But it isn't because I can't.

Most people aren't sales people. Prospecting is selling. It's distasteful and crippling to most. That's why they don't want to do it. I get that.

My Dad threw me in the lake, to teach me to swim. Really. I swam. Had he held my hand, and let me put my toe in the water, and then eventually let me get used to the water....I still would have eventually learned to swim. But the way my Father taught me? I could swim that day.

Personally, I agree with Animal that some sort of JV is by far the best way to get new customers. But for the people that don't have a mentor to show them those ropes, and for the guys that need a sale to pay their rent. Cold calling works.

To say it's not the best way, is fair.
To say it's not the most profitable way, is fair,
To say that it's agonizing to do...is also fair.
To say that you would rather kill yourself than do it...is still OK..
But to say that it doesn't get business, is nonsense.

Funny ol thread...

If ever there was a thread that proved this is the cold call forum, this would be it... So much emotion, hate, so little rational discussion...

As a last word, one of those examples that "prove" cold calling works has their financials posted. They made $4,000,000 revenue in 2014, that's less than 3 million pounds. They apparently need over 13,000 employees to generate this revenue.
My assitant and I generated more than 3 times that in profits - not revenue, profits - in 2014... just the two of us... Thereby proving beyond any reasonable doubt that my methods are far more efficient, far more effective and far more profitable than cold calling...

Cheerio Guys and Gals...

I'm sorry for not remembering...what services do you sell?

One thing sometimes gets lost in the "Is cold calling effective" debate. There are lots of things you can do to make sales that are far more effective than cold calling. Joint ventures (where you market to someone else's list) referrals from ecstatic buyers, creating a marketing funnel where leads come to you ready to buy (or have already bought).

All these things are more profitable and more fun (to me at least) that getting on the phone and calling strangers.

But what are you doing when you are waiting for the sales funnel to produce leads? What are you doing when you have called all your referrals?

May I make a suggestion? Cold calling finds people who happen to be ready to buy..when you called. I've made thousands and thousand of cold calls. And made thousands of high end sales from a cold call.

I've bought several times...because someone called me at the exact moment that I was thinking of buying what they sold.

I remember making a cold call (I think it was a car dealer. It was years ago), and he said something like "Why are you cold calling me?"

And I asked him if he had salespeople on his floor. Of course he did. I asked him what he had his salespeople do, after all the referrals were called and all the followups were made.

He hesitated and asked again, why I cold called. And I said "Because I'm ambitious".

I remember him swearing and said something about "Damn it...I wish you worked for me. Come on in". Honestly, it's been too long ago, I don't remember if he bought. I barely remember being there.

And if you just won't call new people, call your old customers. In my retail store, the single most profitable use of an hour...is calling my old customers saying that I was thinking of them and that I had something they may be interested in. These people will answer the phone when I call, like me, and will at least be nice when they say No. But an hour on the phone always generates sales. Always.

And (for reasons beyond me) some people think calling their customer list (or their company's customer list) is cold calling. Not to me.

To me, calling customers that have already bought from you or your company...is like mining for gold..in a vein of gold. It just doesn't get any better.

Then it's not a cold call.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_calling
So why would it be the best method for a rank beginner...?

Another difference is that I tend to incorporate questions like this in my day to day interactions. As a result I rarely have to take specific actions to market my services. It's all integrated into my day, whether I'm on business or not. This, in turn, leads to "accidental clients".

We could quote experiences all day. My parents would have been rubbish at referrals.

By contrast, my neighbours are mostly retired executive types. They're always using their network to help their sons and daughters and grandchildren all the time. I personally think this is the norm. Parents will generally go out of their way to help their offspring.

I had a mate from school. We spent a lot of time together creating mischief as teenagers do. He became a computer hardware engineer, I became a software engineer. If I had've wanted a new job or a new client I am 100% certain he would've helped and vice versa. That's what mates do... In fact, even though we haven't spoken in over 20 years, I'm confident if I went back there he'd be willing to help me find clients.

Locally, I don't know many people in my town. I've spent most of the years I've lived here travelling elsewhere. However a neighbour who moved here a few years after us, knows everyone. We're not great friends, we don't really socialise unless it's by accident that we happen to attend the same event. Despite this, he knows what I do and I've had unsolicited referrals from him. If I needed to meet with someone in the town, I am pretty confident he'd be happy to introduce me.
Have you ever asked...?
The difference should be obvious...

Walk up to a stranger and ask directions. Most people will be helpful.
Walk up to the same stranger and try and sell them something. You'll get a totally different reaction.

First part is asking someone for help, from which you get a referral.
The second part is you approach a stranger, not as a total stranger, but as the result of a referral. Referrals of any kind, hugely increase your chances of success.

I spent the major portion of my life travelling the world. I'd regularly find myself in a strange town, in a strange country, wanting to earn some travelling money. I'd find work as described. There is not one case where I was ever unsuccessful. And it did not involve hundreds of telephone calls. Usually involved speaking to maybe half a dozen people at most...

You missed the bit where I said
And it's not just one person.
You've previously stated you failed when you started out.

And Nathan (IAmNameLess) states in his WSO, that a beginner can expect to make 1000 calls to get one client. And he gives a script to use... Is Nathan wrong too?

How many beginners would give up before 500 calls? or 1000?

The example I gave earlier, the guy was ready to throw himself under a train after 50 calls...

By contrast the way I describe would typically require maybe two dozen emails to get a client or three. These are emails to people who know you and are willing to help - if not, you need to change your circle of friends.

"This is my phone. There are many like it, but this one is mine"

this is my reply, there aren't many like it, it's mine, But luckily other voices on this sub-forum are better than my own.



I focus on a few good conversations a day.

cold calls 2 warm prospects with a solid business conversation between 2 business people

500 calls and nothing? the problem is us and whats in our heads. IMO

I'm a Businessman(women) communicating to a contemporary.

I'm in love with my phone!

how could I not.

pre - internet:

calling complete strangers,anywhere, and in 1-3 weeks have them send me money, while I'm sitting on my butt, in a nice warm office/home, with good coffee and great food...

with Internet :

sitting on my butt doing all of above, AND
doing email, video, webinars, etc..And
the addition of watching sports online, interfacing with the whole world in real time, reading about any topic of interest, engaging in blogs, forums, and thinktanks.

cold calling effects me alot!

did I mention I don't sell Crap, so I get the added Value of helping other business people.

Change your marketing venue if you can or Change your mind on what the phone Is, Does, and it's good Effects.

Source of Inspiration : Victor Frankl - If you Can't change your surroundings, then you must change how you see it.

1 of the greatest "salespeople" to have ever lived - under Nazi occupation

I bought.

[DELETED]

I can tell you haven't been around much.

For a while, I refused to believe that you were as ignorant as you appeared to be, in so many posts.

However, you have proved me wrong.

From the "great" Jay Abraham himself: 21 Power Principles to Maximize Your Business Success

Principle Number Nine;

Rule Number Seven: "Don't start the deal until a "contract of agreement" is fully discussed and signed.
Don't start to reveal too much. Don't make your assets available. Don't make your operation open to the
other party until you have an irrevocable, binding, and fully stated agreement. Take my word for it, you
will regret it if you don't."

You are fond of quoting Jay, but I've never seen this particular quote from you.

I wonder why?

Ron

P.S. In the U.S. right now, we have a big problem with federal judges "interpreting" the law, rather than
following it. And, these are "Landmark" court decisions. If you don't think it happens in the lower courts,
spend some time in the local law library.

I have been in court on more than one occasion, and had the judge specifically ask, "who drafted this agreement?"

If it doesn't matter, why would he ask?