Began the cold calling adventure today

Hey...

I was just reading this, and have to say that cold calling is really not my specialty; however I have done it in the past and can tell you that one main thing you want to do is not really give the person on the other line a chance to say no to a question that causes the potential sale to end. I would try to use this in a different way...

You ask them if they are interested in a website...they have no idea who you are, but may have thought of getting a site at one point or another, so you need to figure out a better way in. This is something that may work a little better, as well as start some dialogue to build up for the "pitch" of your service.

Since you stated that you found businesses locally but did not have a website...that would be what I would try and go after. Something like...

"Hi, may I speak to the business owner?", if I got the owner then I would say, " My name is Josh Lucas, and I was trying to find some more information on your business but I could not find too much information online...???

Do you have a website now??? If so what is the address???

More than likely they will not since you already said you figured out if they have a site or not...that's when you offer them advice or info on the benefits of having a site, but still do this in a way that's not so intrusive to the business owner.

Maybe something like..."Hmmm, without having something online, I bet other people have tried to find you but also couldn't...have you ever thought about getting small site built for your business so people can find more information...etc."

If you already know that they do not have a site...then this would be a better way to start talking to them a bit more, and at least get your foot in the door more than just asking if they want a site and giving them the opportunity to say no right from the start.

Also, start small and upsell more features...no sense in trying to sell a small business a huge "gold plated" package over the phone....get them at least thinking about a site, even if its just something small and then as some more time goes on as well as building a relationship with them that is more than just a cold/sales call you can start to mention other options they can add, etc.

Just my $.02

Craig

I would dump the script and go with some bullet points instead. If you
rely on a script, your focus is so much on it, you can't be in the flow of
the conversation as good because you're trying too hard to rely on the
script.

Know your information solid to the point where you are comfortable with
it, then you can "wing it" or "talk on the fly" so to speak without the
distraction of the script. The bullet points will be a generality of what you
want to say and if you say something out of line, it's ok because you can
re-focus and continue where you want to be.

Another idea is to practice and rehearse your script until you are sick of
hearing yourself talk. But when you do this, pay attention to what you
are actually saying in the script. Don't just remember the words of the
script, but run the meaning through in your mind as you read it so it
sticks. Once you have knowledge of what you are saying, it's easy to go
off the script and come back to it if you want it to go that way.

I've spoken to thousands of people over the phone building certain
marketing businesses and have experienced $1,000 phone bills before flat-
rate was popular. I have the experience to know these two ideas have
worked for me and maybe they can work for you too.

I'm glad you took yourself out of your comfort zone and picked up the
phone. Action produces results... and Massive action produces massive
results! Nothing like killing procrastination but by taking that first step.

Go for it!

LastWarrior

Hey thank you guys so much for your replies. I don't know about the first reply, I will probably test that out tomorrow and see how that goes. Thanks eplio.

Last Warrior, I don't really have a script written down but I just thought of what I wanted to say, but I think I over thought to much so I couldn't really let the conversation flow freely, but I am going to take your advice on making a bullet list, thank you.

Another question, do you think charging $599 for design is too much or around the right amount? And I want to charge them $24.99 monthly for hosting but how do i set up a recurring payment, I have a paypal, so can I do it with that?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

>>Anyways, what I am doing is cold calling local businesses in my city, I look up businesses in my town on google maps and find the ones that don't have websites, and so I began that today. I called about 10 because something came up today that I had to take care of, and about half said that they were not interested because they couldn't afford a website and I got one guy though that was interested and I emailed him some previous work.<<

First, stop calling people who don't have websites.

I'm serious. I've found this to be a waste of time, too much convincing needed. Instead, focus on local companies who have yet to claim their Places page in Google. There are still many of them.

>>It went something like, "Hi, may I speak to the business owner?", if I got the owner then I would say, " My name is Josh Lucas, and I am a local web-designer from Weatherford and would like to know if you would be interested in a website for your business?" <<

Open the call with a benefit, an irresistible offer that positions you as a source of value.

Offer a free video on how to sell more of their products and services online. (make a video showing them Google Places) At the end of the video offer them a special deal on Places, Fan Page, etc. Local Social Profits Quick Start - $375.

Test at least 3 other offers:

Free video showing how to make Groupon work;
Free video showing 5 ways to make your local business website sell, etc.

Hope this helps!

I have found that most scripts are usually a work in progress.

Even when something is working good, you can hit a period of time when it isn't clicking so well. ...I find many beginners actually do get better results starting off in person, rather than by phone.

Your body language and appearance, and the fact that you are THERE all combine to get you an audience, even if it's brief. You usually get an extra bit of time, just because it's not immediately obvious whether you're a customer or not.

When I don't mail, my favorite approach is to mention that "....I've driven by here a lot and didn't even notice you were here"...they'll usually respond and then I ask them, "are you online somewhere?..." and see where that takes me.

It's actually pretty natural, and doesn't pigeon hole me right away as a salesman. ...of course a lot of it is how it's delivered, too. So, in a way it's a 'script' without being a SCRIPT :-)
_____
Bruce

Thank you guys for all the advice, you guys here have really motivated me to start my offline business. I am actually trying to earn $2000 by June 1st because with that I am going to trade in my current vehicle and put a good down payment on a new Camaro convertible so wish me luck

Goodluck out there! Its a numbers game! Try going off the beaten path and go places your competitors wouldnt! Such as into high rise office buildings or small towns!

Congrats on getting out of your comfort zone!

I see that some of you are telling me not to offer web design but I feel like in my small town that it would work pretty well. I don't know anything about google places or SEO so I don't see how I can really offer something like that. Again, thanks for all the advice

1. How many businesses do you visit? (Pizza places, restaurants, bars, retail stores, etc.) See if any of them need a website or a website upgrade. If they already have a website and they're happy with it, talk to them how important an auto responder is and help them set one of those up.

2. You say that you are 19. How many of your friends have parents that are business owners? Talk to them about getting a website and/or an auto responder.

3. How many of your friends' parents are in some kind of Direct Sales (Mary Kay, Tupperware, Silpada, Jordan Essentials) business or a network marketing (Quixtar, Melaleuca, etc.) business? While many of those reps/distributors/consultants do have a replicated corporate website, they also need a personal blog or website so that they can have control over their individual business. ( I can elaborate on that if you would like.)

4. How many of your friends or their parents are thinking about starting up a business or they have a hobby that they would like to have a blog or website about?

These are just a few ideas that I can give you to get started. If you work your warm market, you have a much higher closure rate.

I think you might want to scrap the whole cold calling thing. Instead, use low-budget direct mail techniques (such as postcard) to gather their contact information, and then follow up on them with your services or a $300 box.

Cold calling is indeed free, but you're limited by the amount of time in a day to promote your services. Using direct mail, you can contact hundreds of business in only a fraction of a second.

Another thing to consider is that not every business owner in your city is in need of your services at this point in time. To get a list of available business owners in your city who are looking for information to start a website, rent a mailing list, and narrow in as closely as possible to your ideal prospect. This way, you'll get a high quality list... but it will cost you more than a general list.

No matter what you decide to do, consider stopping cold calling altogether. I personally think you could make more of an impact if you focused your efforts on online marketing to generate a free lead. Just my 2 pence.

I feel your pain, I hated cold calling when I first started. come to think of it I still hate it now but I've developed a skill for it. And, let me tell you. The power is in questions!

" My name is Josh Lucas, and I am a local web-designer from Weatherford and would like to know if you would be interested in a website for your business?"

^^^^Horrible, the fact that you got one person to respond positively is amazing to me. And, it was probably one of those people that just struggle to say "no." Remember one key rule about conversing with people in general, "people respond in kind." Meaning if you ask them "would you be interested in a website?" they'll say "no." Its a straight forward question so they gave you a straight forward answer. When telemarketers call u at home randomly and ask "would you like a subscription to dumbass magazine?" you have no problem saying "no, thanks." The good news is its easily fixable. Change your opening statement to a question designed to evoke a positive emotion. examples:

"Not to take too much time but I was calling to find out if I were to get your business in front of 1000 more people a month could you handle the extra business?"<<----Thats balls out though, if your a little more timid.

"What would it mean to you if everyone who searched for (their business niche) found you everywhere they looked with tons of glowing reviews praising your business?"

Those are called "closed questions," you force them to answer the way you them too. It makes closing them easier because any rebuttal they give makes them feel stupid because no business would be opposed to that. It narrows your rebuttals down to " I can't afford your help," and "I think your a scam"<---which takes on many forms(i.e. I already have someone doing SEO, send me some information). Or they'll take the coward route and hand up but I guarantee those opening will get you further into conversion and less hang ups.

And, the added bonus of a strong opening like that is you can close with simple "what if" closes. example:

They say, "I can't afford your help?"

You Say, "I understand that, but let me ask you how much is one new customer worth to you?"

They say, "ha well like $500 bucks"

You say, "ok, so what if we started you today for 300 bucks and I guarantee you 2 new customers in 30 days, how easy! would it be to start today?"

Or

They say, "I get calls from guys like you all day trying to scam me on this stuff, I'm not interested!"

You say, "I can understand your frustration, so let me ask you how fair! would you say I am if I agreed to start today for 5 bucks and nothing more until I brought you 1 new client?

They say, "well, that's pretty fair but why charge me 5 bucks that sound scammy to me? I'm still not interested."

You say, "I see where your coming from, the 5 dollars is a show of goodwill, I lets me know your square dealing with me as I'm being square dealing with you. So, since you still seem a little uncomfortable what if I brought that goodwill down to 1 dollar today until I brought you at least 1 client, how simple would it be to say yes?

^^^Works like a charm every time. See, your goal on a cold call is to get their attention. If you can keep them on the phone with you for at least 2 minutes you've accomplished a successful cold call. The sales will come if you can consistently gain people's interest an keep them on the phone.


Good luck, and happy offline consulting to you!

Good work Josh, keep taking action - rewards follow. My advice would be as follows;

• Change your intro to state "Hi my name is Josh Lucas Im a local web-designer...Am I speaking to the business owner?" - In face to face communication, people make judgements about others in 7 seconds or so. Its the same on the telephone, sound cheerful and confident "May I speak to the business owner?" althoug subtle is a little passive. Business owers are straight talking, fairly dominant people. Politely match them!
• Agree with a previous warrior, use your script as a guide only - you will find that you best interactions with business owners are those that develop organically!
• Dont try and sell them on the phone, instead showcase your knowledge by giving them a little insider info (Keyword search numbers) and aim to inspire them to meet with you. This is where you build rapport and selling becomes a doddle!

Get your first client and do your best to draw as many referrals from him as possible. Offer a cash incentive etc.

Good luck!

@Caper224 You really know your stuff. I might use some of your script and some of the way you handle the objections and i shall make an "script" and maybe i will eventually close someone on the phone.Thanks for sharing

hi

you already have lots of comments here, and long ones, so i will be breif. I have worked in marketing and unfortunately in telemarketing ... and this is how I would go with it.

If you don't have the owners name, you are very likely to get blocked by gate keepers. Find it out first. and people don't buy websites they buy solutions so you need to talk lead generation, sales funnels or anything else that a particular industry is going to understand. when they talk costs you need a script for overcoming objections, which will most likely be that it is comparable to placing yellow pages ads and people can find them 24 seven.

Scripts are vital for when you are starting out and until you get confidence to go it on your own.

good luck. all you really need to do is get past the gate keepers to have a chance.

Good for you! I shudder at the thought of cold-calling. Many people have better luck in person. As far as price, I would say throw in hosting for free the first year - $24.99 is a lot unless it is a dedicated server, which most new sites will not need. Since I do not know your design and web skills I can't speak much to the $599 - seems like a lot?!? what does that include?

Lastly, with cold calling only coming from someone on the other end, start off by telling them you are local and would love a chance to meet with them to talk about their business site and local exposure online. If I know someone lives in the same town, I am probably more likely going to pause and listen.

Well guys, I have actually hired someone to do the cold calling for me and I have a couple of appointments already so I am pretty excited. I am still finishing up on my website and setting up the payment methods, but like someone said above, $599 is a lot, and that's why I want to offer a good amount to the businesses. So what would be some things that I could include in that design price, besides custom logo and banner creation?