objections i face when promoting tech to local businesses

It's much harder to do by phone than face to face, as demonstrating QR codes, moible vs desktop sites, etc. is hard to explain over the phone, but has a certain "wow" factor in person. The challenge is still there though. .

The QR codes are slowly catching on - but they are starting to appear on Promo materials here and there.... The generators are free as of now, but probably not for long....

im not looking at selling QR Codes..that is free anywyas and best not try to sell something which they might find out later they could get for free

what im trying to do is get an appointment to show them the QR code tech and then sell them on mobile websites.

I have to disagree with you Will - i dont think the are fad i think they will go mainstream, just as txt messaging has and smartphones become more popular...

mobile is going mainstream and QR codes help bridge the gap between offline and online marketing...

pairing them up with a mobile website is the logical direction to go for me....

if smartphone manufacturers start including QR readers as default on their phones that would be awesome...

when big name like starbucks, bestbuy, etc already using these type of codes other retailers will too...

in the realtor market i am seeing the quickest up take of QR codes...

to be involved in something like this at such an early stage in its growth here in the US is an exciting prospect and am looking forward to seeing how it progresses...

I am launching two businesses to address both QR codes and mobile web sites and so far the response and interest has been great!

In other news ... water is wet.

Look I don't care what the pikers tell you - cold calling is hard. Frankly I think it sucks.

But here's a little secret - everything you do is going to take some work and at the end of the day it's a numbers game.

Want some help?

Here's the only way I would "cold call" myself.

I'd call after the business closed (so if they close at 8pm don't call at 7pm) and leave them a message.

Hi, my name is XXXX, I'd like to talk with someone about a problem I've found with your website. If you could call me ...."

That is just off the top of my head. I'd have 2-3 messages I left for people and test to see which one pulls the best for you.

Give it a few weeks and then see which one lands you appointments. After you know that start using it and hopefully the work will come.

My other advice - stop cold calling and try something else that allows you a wider reach and not just constantly getting kicked in the teeth.

Tim

Will's opinion is shared by many bizz owners I've seen. For some reason, if someone is a "cell junkie" he sees the potential, otherwise he doesn't.

I couldn't care less for iPhones, Androids, text messaging and all that but a few weeks back. Hell I'm still not on Facebook/Twitter. I simply hate these "social media".

Yet I saw the potential with QR Codes right away (and yes with social media too). Few people will use them but you get their unbridled attention. And a mobile site is fairly cheap.

Everything is about R.O.I. If as a business you only get a dozen clients this year out of your QR Codes/Mobile Marketing, how much money would that bring your business compared to the cost of the mobile marketing? Usually the R.O.I. is so positive it's a no brainer.

Here's where you can use some trusted "authoritative" resources to back up your stance that mobile is going big. Round up some stats from a mobile marketing association, Google, big marketing firms, etc. to show how big mobile is getting. A lot of people express doubts about mobile here, but perhaps you don't know that this year smart phones will outpace laptop sales and by 2015 it is expected that more people will be viewing the Internet from a smart phone than from a computer. These are stats readily available online from credible sources that will help your clients see the benefits of mobile marketing.

As a side note, I actually just published an article about QR codes on my blog. A recent study found 58% of Facebook and Twitter users have scanned a QR code in the past year (in the general population about 30% have scanned, over 50% knew what a QR code was and how to scan it). Tech savvy folks and those in major metro areas are accustom to these technologies already, it will trickle down to middle America just like Facebook or YouTube or Twitter has.

I was one of the first people on Facebook back in 2004 (when it was limited to a select group of colleges), no one believed it was going to be big or anything beyond "kid stuff" up until very recently. But those of us on the cutting edge knew immediately Facebook would be a hit. I truly believe mobile tech is going the same way. We're still very much in the early adapter stage, by the time it reaches critical mass it's going to be much harder to really stand out in the field. Will some mobile technologies come and go? Sure. Overall though, I think the technology is here to stay and it's better to get clients wise to this fact now rather than later. You absolutely must be able to demonstrate the ROI though.

I got so caught up in my post about mobile in general that I forgot to add something very relevant to your post. One of the best things you can do is educate your customers before selling to them. If they know the value of QR codes and mobile marketing before you ever set foot in their office for a sales meeting, they're going to be far more likely to buy then if they're blind to this technology.

I had a last-minute appointment earlier this afternoon with a client I'm doing some marketing/consulting for...he called to tell me that he was going to get new business cards printed up, and wanted to know my thoughts on the layout. I told him I'd meet him in a half hour, then generated 4 QR codes for his business, printed them out on a regular sheet of paper, and left for the appointment.

First QR code was to his website.
Second QR code was his main business phone number.
Third QR was a few lines of text (his business slogan) plus phone number.
Fourth QR was to a competitor's video on Youtube.

He was blown away, got excited and called half of his staff into the office so they could see what he was so happy about. Everyone in his office under the age of forty already knew about QR codes, and mentioned that they used the scanner apps on their smartphones all the time. This gave him social proof that the QR codes were going to be a useful tool for his business. I showed him how to generate the codes himself, and now he has someone printing out codes that he can use for inventory.

Here's what I got out of the deal:

1. I just built a ton of trust with this client. Because I didn't charge him for the QR codes he knows I've got his best interests at heart. He's a lot more open to my suggestions now.
2. Because he was amazed that you could scan a QR and be taken straight to a video, I was able to convince him of the power of video testimonials. I walked out of his office with a list of his customers willing to be filmed giving a testimonial, and he's more than happy to pay me to get that done.
3. Every one of his customers is a business owner, and a potential client for me. I stood there while he was making the calls for video testimonials, and the guy just raved about my talents to everyone he talked to.

This is not a tech-savvy guy, but he knows a useful tool when he sees one and he is already taking action. Sure, I could have charged him for the QR codes, but he eventually would have discovered how easy it is to generate them, and I would have lost all of the trust that I've built so far, all for a few bucks.

Will

Mobile Marketing is here to stay. Here are some interesting facts to think about.
Only 30% of current mobile phone sales are smart phones. (That will certainly change as the price comes down.)
Mobile data traffic is up 5000% in the last 3 years.
Amazon.com mobile sales have surpassed 1 billion per year.
Ebay mobile sales surpassed 1.5 billion per year.
1 of 3 local searches are mobile searches.
Across all age ranges, the likelihood someone will buy averages 3 times higher with mobile shoppers over computer shoppers.
There is a 95% open rate on text messages. When is the last time you didn't open a text message?
There is now doubt that mobile shoppers prefer mobile sites. The use of QR codes or 2D bar codes is growing and will continue to grow. They are as much of a fad as computers and cellphones. Google is on the mobile band wagon, that's why they bought AdMob. The future of mobile marketing is about to explode and I for one, intend to be right there to capitalize on this opportunity.

Business owners don't like tech. That's the best mindset to have when you make these calls.

That is one of the reasons they would need your services. So don't talk tech when you initially speak to them.

You must remember that business people will pay money to get rid of a problem!! This is really important, and you must work out that their problems are usually:

> Not enough leads through their website.
> They are fed up their website is no-where on Google.
etc etc

When you start talking to them on this level and you have a business conversation, then you'll stand more chance of getting in there.

Hope that helps.

For selling tech to local businesses the first step is EDUCATE - then worry about the sale.

The easiest way to do this (especially if you are not getting directly to decision makers) is to give them something tangible that can be passed on

The way I do this is by meeting with the contact, doing the pitch, but making sure to give them a brochure, booklet or DVD with a video demonstration. Encourage contact and if I have any face to face meetings I always follow up 1-2 weeks later for small business, or 2-4 weeks for larger businesses.

Create yourself an offline marketing package to hand over - time consuming to start with, but you can keep using it over and over

If you are contacting by phone make sure you have a website they can go to for info, and follow up after the phone call by posting or emailing them a brochure