Bob Bly's Advice On Prospecting

by 82 replies
95
I was reading a book by Bob Bly (if you don't know who he is--as usual, just Google him) called Selling Your Services, written in 1991.

Now, you might think advice dispensed 20 years ago would not be valid today.

You'd be wrong.

There are a lot of threads on this forum about cold calling.

Here's what Bob Bly has to say about it:

"I never make cold telephone calls to a list of prospects, and for the most part, I advise you to do likewise.

"There are several reasons why cold telephone calling is so ineffective. First, it puts you in the weak, unseemly position of appearing to be "begging" for the work. At worst, it annoys the heck out of prospects, making them totally unreceptive to your message.

"The main reason I don't recommend cold telephone calling is because of a principle taught to me by marketing expert Pete Silver. Pete says that when marketing your services, it's better to get prospects to come to you, rather than you going to them. Cold telephone calling violates this principle."

Bly continues on cold calling in person:

"If you sell to businesses, making a cold call--showing up in the corporate lobby without an appointment and asking to see Suzy Smith or John Jones--is equally bad. It shouts loud and clear to the prospect that you are a person whose time is not valuable--who is not busy and successful.

"Also, cold calls are annoying. I never (bought anything) with them. The ones I respected always phoned for an appointment well in advance.

"Don't make cold calls--especially in person."
#offline marketing #advice #bly #bob #prospecting
  • wow...

    That is just miserable advice..... I honestly hope you are not swayed by it!!

    Right now, there are millions of companies that use cold calling to sell all thier services..

    Right now there are Thousands of offline consultants getting thier foot in the door and getting clients with cold calling...

    I am actually appalled by what you are quoting, and I sincerely hope you dont take that advice.

    I can 100% guarantee to you, that cold calling will get you clients faster than any other form of marketing!!

    I have had massive success with cold calling, and I absolutely swear by it.... in this business its absolutely the best technique for building your business fast, getting your foot in the door and getting meetings to get clients.

    I hope this gives you some perspective!

    Josh
    • [ 2 ] Thanks
    • [2] replies
    • Well, Bly does also say, "Despite what I've just told you, cold-call telemarketing campaigns are actively conducted by thousands of firms . . . if you do decide to make cold calls, have someone else in your office do it or hire someone to make the calls for you."

      So, it's all about positioning.

      Does what Bly has to say about the perception factor (that you must not be busy and successful if you have plenty of time to make random cold calls) carry any validity whatsoever in your view?
    • Reading is my passion. Browsing through your site gives me a lot of knowledge in so many ways. Thank you for the efforts you made in writing and sharing your points of view. Looking forward to learn some more from you. Keep it up.
  • Well, well. As a sales trainer, my first response is:

    If cold calling is such a terrible way of finding new clients, what would you suggest instead?

    Yes, cold calling is indeed annoying if done poorly: when the salesperson gets someone on the phone, starts talking and won't shut up. Features and benefits get barfed all over. No thanks.

    There is another, more effective way to prospect by phone...one that doesn't put you in any uncomfortable position, or make you as the caller feel inferior. And if some people don't want to take your call, Big Deal. They're not a prospect right now. They've qualified themselves out. Move on, pick up the phone and dial the next number.

    Done well, cold calling is very effective as a prospecting method.
    • [1] reply
    • this is pathetic.

      the 2nd thread I read today, where cold-calling is dismissed with no business justification, or sound judgement made.

      we can do better than that. were Warriors!

      Getting on the phone works.
      • [2] replies
  • @ Bradley .. Very well said.

    People are so quick to "Say That Won't Work" without actually trying it themselves.

    Try it , Tweak it .. Make it work

    Shawn
  • @ RRG - Thank you. After 25 years of this, you wouldn't believe some of the things I've witnessed and experienced. LOL

    @ Not So New - Agreed, they need to test. However, first, they need to learn how to do lead generation marketing for the OFFLINE business so when they create their pieces they're doing it from a point of knowledge. This knowledge is like the rudder of a sailboat. Without it, they just float where ever the wind and sea takes them. With it they control their destination.

    @ MRomeo09 - For great memories of a past life, I'll take a Moosehead. Cheers!

    Bradley
  • What does he suggest as an alternative??

    Everything is essentially cold in some manner unless it's a referral, but you need happy clients to get referrals so beginners don't have the luxury of this.

    Obviously all of our expertise is marketing online - which is the act of getting your products/services in front of people - so why not use those methods..

    Well, I think the big problem with that is the fact that businesses don't necessarily know to search for our services.

    I know there is some search volume on google for SEO in my town but it's not nearly proportionate to the amount of businesses there are here.

    That means a large amount of business owners just don't know about it and therefore don't know they need it.

    As John Durnham says on here.. you're simply calling companies to present your services to them.. services they most likely don't know about.
    • [2] replies
    • Does what Bly has to say about the perception factor (that you must not be busy and successful if you have plenty of time to make random cold calls) carry any validity whatsoever in your view?

      ***********************************

      I don't mean to be harsh.
      Don't want new people just starting out (esp. on a tight budget) to think that Telemarketing dosn't work.

      Positioning: getting in front of the most business owners possible.
      getting on the phone does that.

      Perception : Unlike other marketing mediums or work in general, your own notions of what your doing, your attitude, your confidence, etc.., are very important.
      How you see it is crucial.

      If you think your interrupting someone, that is not good. don't make 1 call!

      as Wilder1047 says, "just calling to talk about something new that may help your business..." that is more effective.

      or these Perceptions : I want to help business save money, so I get on the phone. It's cost effective
      I can do direct mail, incur those costs, but then I have to pass it on to the business owner.
      I am a business owner, just like you sir, do you remember when you started out? I'm so passionate about what I can do, I picked up the phone.
      I saw your website, like what your doing, heard about you, etc... and wanted to reach out...

      The thing with TM, as opposed to other marketing mediums is the direct,and what I call the "personal confrontation with Rejection".

      we don't want to admit it, but when we fail at TM, maybe it was us? maybe we conclude it dosn't work so we save face with ourselves?

      I think it was henry ford who said :

      “Whether you think that you can, or that you can't, you are usually right.”

      don't get on the phone if your not right. And try not to draw a conclusion until you can see the #'s. it is a #'s game, esp. in the begining, esp. for newbies.
      • [1] reply
    • He suggests lead generation techniques that involve getting the prospects to come to you. Not sure why people don't see how this is more powerful than cold calling.

      People don't like to be sold, but they love to buy.
      • [1] reply
  • This book was one of my 'bibles' when I started my first business. He had another book titled, "Targeted Public Relations..." I used most of the techniques described in both books and was pleasantly surprised when they worked! So, I'm a huge Bob Bly fan. At one time, I had almost all his books in my library. Sadly, I lost or gave away most of his books.

    There are many marketing techniques. Cold calling, direct mailing, networking. The trick is to find the ones that fit your personality and circumstances. There is no right or wrong....just difference approaches.
  • One more thing: this idea that Bob Bly is some sort of hack who doesn't know what he's talking about is laughable.
    • [1] reply
    • My apologies if your offended.

      you had in quotes from him. I responded to that.

      I don't know him, and don't think he's a hack
      • [2] replies
  • Reading is my passion. Browsing through your site gives me a lot of knowledge in so many ways. Thank you for the efforts you made in writing and sharing your points of view. Looking forward to learn some more from you. Keep it up.
  • I read alot of Bob Bly's stuff years ago, and used much of what he taught with mail order.

    I'm not a big fan of cold calling, although I know it can work if done right, and it is cheap as hell. But there are guys like Dan Kennedy that would probably say the same thing Bob Bly does about it. They are direct response guys and would always suggest getting people to "raise their hand" and predispose themselves to what you have. The old 2 step marketing tactics.

    But you could still use cold calling to do that too. You could cold call and invite business owners to a free workshop on mobile marketing for instance. That would be somewhat of a 2 step process using cold calling. Nothing for sale, just come by and learn some things that will help your business. Then a percentage would probably raise their hand and ask you to help them. Same result, but cold calling was the initial contact.
  • I just signed up to a $500 a month service...

    How did the company initiate contact with me? A COLD CALL !!!!

    It works guys!
    • [ 2 ] Thanks
    • [2] replies
    • Of course, cold calling works. The conversions are lower, but there's no waiting for prospects to answer advertising, etc.

      But I think you have to honor your personality type. Some people are cut out for cold calling, some will never adapt, no matter how many times they try. Do what works for you - or hire a cold caller!
    • Hey Chris,

      help people out here if you have the time.

      when you were on the phone with this person, what were you thinking.

      A. will this help my business? / is this wasting my time? / what questions can I ask? / whats in it for me?...

      or

      B. this guy calls me on the phone. he must be desperate? he's just a telemarketer? etc..,

      C. don't want to put words in your mouth, so what happened that can help other Warriors on the phone?
  • Great input guys!

    I did some work for chet holmes. Like what he does and his approach.

    and if you target the "100", did the research, and know you can help, then that dosn't make me think it's cold, but a warm lead.
    perception and positioning.

    personality type is a good point.
    some people like being outdoors and meeting strangers.
    some people like being in a cubicle and speaking on the phone

    need to go with what you like otherwise it will burn you out long term I think.
    • [1] reply
    • Absolutely.

      Chet's system is not about cold calling.

      He sends a direct mail package with grabber and follows up with a phone call. He does this every month, forever. His prospects may not buy, or even set an appointment, right away, but they know who he is.

      He also offers to schedule an appointment where he delivers a valuable report that accomplishes a couple things:

      1. Demonstrates his expertise
      2. Differentiates himself from everyone else in the market, many of whom make random phone calls.

      As Chet says, eventually he's going to get an opportunity. Either as a secondary vendor, or when their primary vendor screws up and they start looking around.

      And when they start looking around, who do you think has the better chance?

      The guy churning out cold calls hoping to get lucky with timing to pick off some low-hanging fruit, or . . .

      the guy who has sent him something and called every month, the guy who established himself as an expert, someone who can add value, someone who stood out with his approach.
      • [1] reply
  • Right on. 2 thumbs up on this post.
  • Does cold calling work? Absolutely. It is a huge industry and creates a great ROI when done properly.

    For those that are calling this quote ridiculous, though, can you say that cold calling creates the best ROI?

    I'm sure it depends on a number of factors but the fact is that cold calling is easy to do; get yourself a list and start calling, has a low barrier to entry; if you've got a phone you can start; and typically has a very low conversion rate.

    I think (I haven't read the book but I've heard a lot of Bly audio) what Bly is trying to say is that there are better ways to get a ROI. Good conversion rates for cold calling may get you 1-5% right? Good conversions for referrals may get you 50% or more. Good conversions for an endorsed mailing may beat cold calling. Good conversions for a website may be 1-5% and you don't need the overhead from cold-callers.

    I'm not going to knock cold-calling because I know it works. But for those who are vehemently defending cold-calling it may be helpful to see if you can figure out a way to improve your ROI. I mean, would you rather be cold calling or working warm leads? I've cold called in my life and now in my business I work only warm leads and I can tell you what I prefer and what has better conversions.

    Just my two cents.
  • This has been a very interesting discussion to follow. Lots of back and forth and a slight bit of bickering, but when it came down to it there was middle ground. Yup, cold calling has its place. I hate doing it. the two step is the absolute minimum I think, more times than not it turns into 12 step program.. lots of contact starting with that cold call, but building a relationship until they either bite on your offering or you part ways (maybe to call again later)

    I prefer sending some sort of mailing out with some general information on myself and my company. I try to find the decision maker through online search, snail mail them directly and then follow up with a phone call. It's not so cold that way (although some of them never saw my letter, so it ends up being cold - have to be prepared for either condition, if they even take your call)

    just my two cents and again, thanks for the interesting chat
    • [1] reply
    • I know this approach of sending out a mailing and following up with a phone call is popular but here is something you may wish to consider.

      A few years ago when I managed a sales division with a telemarketing department we were sending out very complete information packages to businesses, cost was a few dollars per package sent. The businesses were then contacted with the purpose of setting an appointment for a salesperson.

      One week a list of several hundred businesses was given to the telemarketers. The list was SUPPOSED to have been sent the packages. The packages had been sent to another list, one not called that week. So the list we were working on had not received any advance information.

      The results, which were religiously tracked, showed NO DIFFERENCE in the number of appointments set that week per number of contacts compared to the lists contacted when the packages HAD been sent.

      After a bit more testing, we determined that the packages were simply a mental crutch that had no actual bearing on the number or quality of appointments set.

      Your mileage may vary but we went on to sell millions of dollars worth of products and services without the expense of mailing out the information packages ahead of time.

      Not trying to argue with you, just giving my experience.

      DTaylor
      • [ 1 ] Thanks
      • [1] reply
  • First I just want to say that every post I read from Bradley is worth every bit of my time. Even when skimming a thread I will stop and read his posts. He is one of the best on here and I believe he helps us all be a little better by offering his wisdom and words.

    Second I think some people are taking the OP and the quote wrong. Even if you do cold calling we all know it converts pretty bad. But if you can get a good telemarketer doing it and have them do it for you than you can have a lot of value. Also even for those starting you have to look professional. And you should always know your time is valuable. And so should the businesses you talk to. And that is why using an appointment setter or using a system like the offline dad thing works better. You're not looking for business as much as you are setting up meetings that have a purpose. The people you want to talk to are often busy and feel over wealmed. And in our world most people value working harder vs smarter so if they think you are not busy and fishing for work they will not value what you try to offer them.

    As I have said before even if you don't have it at least fake it. If you are new at least look like you are busy and new. You started the business because you had work lined up and want to add more clinets vs. "I'm out of work due to the economy and hope you pay me for this work I can do."
  • The "bickering" in this discussion is, it seems to me, over misunderstanding the topic. They're not saying cold calling is ineffective in getting results - they're saying it's not effective in positioning the marketer as an authority when you consider the "go to" guy in any given industry doesn't spend their days personally calling a cold list.
    • [2] replies
    • Good stuff.

      like anything, miscommunication can happen.

      As well as opposing arguments, which maybe makes us all better because it forces us to question what were doing in a constructive way.

      Like the feedback from RRG about how to reply in short sections.

      the 2 step (posturing) - for those on a budget. hire a TM to just to get the ball going(the consultant will call you, here is a free report for you to read beforehand, etc..,), set phone appt. the consultant calls back.

      all in 1 week, so you can get some sales and pay yourself and the TM
      • [1] reply
    • Very well said, Mister Me. That's one of the key points.

      Another key point is that busy people really don't like to receive phone calls which interrupt their day.
      • [1] reply
  • I agree that cold calling is a waste of time - you need to sell to people who WANT to buy what you're selling - you also need to make them come to you.

    Placing ads online, in newspaper etc to generate leads is far more effective than cold calling
    • [1] reply
    • can you share the Response Rates and ROI on newspaper ads?

      or your ideas?

      When I do look at print media, I don't see alot of ads for Internet Marketing products and services.

      thanks
  • cold calling requires balls and most people don't want to get out of their comfort zone, pick up the phone and get selling... specially to hear No Thanks whole day..

    So if someone else tells you that you should not be doing, then of course you would get carried away as your subconscious would be loving it.

    Cold calling can be one of the fastest way to get business, but i think it requires some judgement depending on niche, area, services etc.

    When i was cold calling for my first job 6 years ago, my prospects were usually getting 8 -9 calls a day from competitors, but we were still making 1-2 sales a day per agent out of over 150 calls.... numbers game...

    But yet again, it can still work if given the decision maker is not already fed up...

    it's a long debate...
  • Cold calling is a numbers game.

    But in the long run I like better odds so a lot of the time classic cold calling to me is a waste of time. But like I said if you needs leads and have someone with skills on the phone it works.
  • Great tips here from other Warriors. All I have to say (from a copywriter's perspective) is that in my experience, cold calling works if you keep at it. The worst thing that will happen is you'll piss off a few people whom you wouldn't want to do business with any way and you'll get lots of great insight into what business owners need now.
  • Excellent post, Webladder! Right on the money.

    Everyone, take notes on this post. He's right on the money! You do NOT sell products from a cold call. You sell the appointment.

    Well said!

    Bradley
    • [1] reply
    • Absolutely. This is the best way to cold-call.

      I took on a highly-competitive cost-cutting product several years ago. Since businesses have been looking for ways to cut expenses, I did this as a lead generator for a back-end financial solution.

      I had telemarketers book three to four business owner appointments a day. All they did was try to slam an appointment.

      Even owners, who never would have talked to me, felt obligated because an appointment was made. I closed more sales than all the competitors who just tried drop-ins and direct sales. This created more opportunities to upsell my real profit generator.
  • Cold calling works. I used to be an executive recruiter and I made a lot of money by picking up that phone. Yes, eventually I could make warm calls because I had a network and referrals. But I landed my first account and placed my first candidate for $16,000- just two weeks after starting.

    And- last week my husband got a call from a recruiter... a cold call. She found his info on LinkedIn. He fit the bill for the job and she called him. Cold.

    He wasn't and isn;t looking for a new job but it sure was nice to get the call and learn about a new opportunity. Now guess what, next time he won't be a cold call, and if my husband does find he needs or wants a new job he can call her- connection established. She might even call him for referrals, and vice versa.

    Get your ego (fear of rejection) out of the way and make the call if it makes sense.

    There are times when it makes sense to email or direct mail or create campaigns to "attract" leads. But in many cases by the time you figure out which one is right someone else has made the call and closed the deal.

    Go for it! Life's too short not to go for it!
    • [1] reply
    • if the call is cold while your on the phone from the appx. 30 seconds - On, then you can't sell anything.

      if the person has warmed up to you, then:

      you sell yourself.

      whether as an appt., a product, or a service.
  • Good catch RRG regarding the script. I wasn't critiquing the script as much as the point he was making about going for the appointment.

    Bradley
  • This is a no win discussion, but who has the bigger proof on the board?
    if the diehards here have more proof than BOB Bly follow their advice.
    I don't think you would find many that can live up to his proof.
    • [1] reply
    • If you really believe the typical poster on this forum knows more about sales and marketing than Bob Bly, OK.

      But you're flat-out wrong.
  • Just want to add that if you need to bring food to the table and pay bills and can't afford other marketing means, cold calling is the only thing is this world that's gonna get you up and running as quickly as possible given the circumstances. And actually making those calls and putting in work makes you feel a whole lot better than sitting there deciding and analysing whether is works and if it will work for you.

    Bottom line is, if you work it works. And the more you work at it, the better cold-calling works for you.
  • Think you should read the post again.

  • Don't forget there are some heavy hitters in this forum, I'm not actually saying who has the biggest runs on the board, I know who I would choose and it would not be this forum......
Join the discussion

Next Topics on Trending Feed

  • 95

    Bob Bly's Advice On Prospecting

    I was reading a book by Bob Bly (if you don't know who he is--as usual, just Google him) called Selling Your Services, written in 1991. Now, you might think advice dispensed 20 years ago would not be valid today.