Cold Calling?? If I have no B...s what next?

94 replies
I keep reading on the WF that the very BEST way to get clients is to cold call, cold call, oh and then, cold call.!!

Maybe it is also true from some of the threads I have read, that those of us that don't do this will be left behind and that I REALLY don't have the B...s to run with offline marketing.

As a female, anatomically, I am sure I don't !!!
But, as a female Warrior I like to think I have certain qualities that compensate for the lack of.. (well you know!)

We are great listeners, we are great negotiators, we are great influencers, we are great teachers, we can talk to you FOREVER until you see things our way. C'mon boy's you KNOW we can....

So I really do not want to cold call ok.
BUT I do want to try and contact as many business's as I can for mobile sites and sms.
I really like the idea of doing a video on a specific site using jing, and including image of site ect.
My dilema is, each video would take me about 30 mins from start to finish, so realistically only 6-8 emails a day!!

I am reading here that I should be getting out about 100 a day, this method seems like such a lot of work to only have about 1/100 opened.

Does anyone have any experience with this or might point me in the direction of something more time effective.

Many thanks
Karen.:p
#calling #cold
  • Profile picture of the author StrategicCheetah
    Originally Posted by karensworld View Post

    I keep reading on the WF that the very BEST way to get clients is to cold call, cold call, oh and then, cold call.!!

    Maybe it is also true from some of the threads I have read, that those of us that don't do this will be left behind and that I REALLY don't have the B...s to run with offline marketing.

    As a female, anatomically, I am sure I don't !!!
    But, as a female Warrior I like to think I have certain qualities that compensate for the lack of.. (well you know!)

    We are great listeners, we are great negotiators, we are great influencers, we are great teachers, we can talk to you FOREVER until you see things our way. C'mon boy's you KNOW we can....

    So I really do not want to cold call ok.
    BUT I do want to try and contact as many business's as I can for mobile sites and sms.
    I really like the idea of doing a video on a specific site using jing, and including image of site ect.
    My dilema is, each video would take me about 30 mins from start to finish, so realistically only 6-8 emails a day!!

    I am reading here that I should be getting out about 100 a day, this method seems like such a lot of work to only have about 1/100 opened.

    Does anyone have any experience with this or might point me in the direction of something more time effective.

    Many thanks
    Karen.:p
    Hi Karen,

    I feel your pain. Cold calling is really awesome, however you have to embrace the grunt work and handle the rejection. If you really cannot stomach that then my best suggestion (from what is working for me) is that you set yourself up on Linked In.

    When you have a complete and full profile on Linked In, Target niches you want to sell to and join groups with these in mind.

    When you are in groups, you can contact people and offer basic mobile sites for free.

    Once you start getting some interest you can either start charging for hosting of these mobile sites or else upsell the clients you get who will be delighted with what you have done for them. You could then sell on with SMS or whatever.

    Giving away something free on Linked In is something I have found to be a very quick way of making contacts and generating revenue.

    The same principles apply, message the correct number of people with your offer. A percentage of those people will take you up on that offer and a percentage of the people who take you up on it will pay you for hosting or other services.

    No cold calling required.
    Signature

    Precision beats power
    Timing beats speed

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    • Profile picture of the author karensworld
      Hi there posotive vibe,

      Thanks so much for your feedback.

      Was really interested in your report for using linked-in. How can I cet a copy of that?
      thanks. karen.
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    • Profile picture of the author jamtrading
      nice idea, in terms of making contact with groups, do you use a particular strategy here?
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    • Profile picture of the author DexterGallagher
      This is now saturated and PositiveVibe's ideal no longer works.

      Business owners on Linkedin are sick of being sold too via message! I know I purchased PositiveVibes WSO and it failed because of this.

      Dexter.


      Originally Posted by PositiveVibe View Post

      Hi Karen,

      I feel your pain. Cold calling is really awesome, however you have to embrace the grunt work and handle the rejection. If you really cannot stomach that then my best suggestion (from what is working for me) is that you set yourself up on Linked In.

      When you have a complete and full profile on Linked In, Target niches you want to sell to and join groups with these in mind.

      When you are in groups, you can contact people and offer basic mobile sites for free.

      Once you start getting some interest you can either start charging for hosting of these mobile sites or else upsell the clients you get who will be delighted with what you have done for them. You could then sell on with SMS or whatever.

      Giving away something free on Linked In is something I have found to be a very quick way of making contacts and generating revenue.

      The same principles apply, message the correct number of people with your offer. A percentage of those people will take you up on that offer and a percentage of the people who take you up on it will pay you for hosting or other services.

      No cold calling required.
      Signature

      We offer mobile optimized websites at http://mobilewebsitecreationltd.co.uk/

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  • Profile picture of the author StrategicCheetah
    Originally Posted by Ken_Caudill View Post

    You don't have to be some brass-balled, hard-sell motormouth to succeed in sales. In fact, most people with that philosophy fail miserably. Simply tell people what you do and ask if you can talk to them about it. If they have an interest, they'll say yes.

    If they don't, that's one more unqualified prospect off your list.

    You'll sell better if you listen to your prospect's needs and find a way to meet them.

    I think you'll do well.
    Could not agree more Ken. That is 100% my tact when I'm prospecting!

    Lol'd a bit with the brass-balled hard sell motormouth comment
    Signature

    Precision beats power
    Timing beats speed

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  • Profile picture of the author MichaelParsons
    Here's a thought... and something I've done with varying success.

    Make a "paper WSO", aka a flyer, and don't cold call, but cold "show up" and speak with the receptionist. Something like "I'm a new business in the area, and i was wondering if I could leave some information that the (DR, Counselor, Business Owner) could look at whenever its convenient."

    You might end up with congratulations and a few questions about your business, but don;t be overlong. You've just made a heck of an impression, and the person you spoke with can now "vouch" for you when s/he presents it to the business principle.

    Then when you call back, its not a cold call. You've actually met the person you;re speaking with, the receptionist/gatekeeper. You might even get a call about the information.

    Response rate may be very low, but getting the call off the flyer is not the main thrust, you're (ahem) taking the cold out of cold calling.
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  • Profile picture of the author bradmarcus1
    Hello Karensworld.

    Don't be afraid of the phone. There's fear but no danger. Put together a script and practice it. Then take action. I promise you, once you start calling people it gets easier and easier. You'll get comfortable and you'll learn to overcome objections. Embrace rejection, it will make you stronger! It's part of being an entrepreneur and a marketer.

    To Your Success,
    Brad Marcus
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  • Profile picture of the author nethead01
    I think only some ppl have it and some just dont have it
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  • Profile picture of the author iAmNameLess
    Originally Posted by karensworld View Post

    I am reading here that I should be getting out about 100 a day, this method seems like such a lot of work to only have about 1/100 opened.
    I have had warriors on here offer to send out emails because they were scared to cold call. So I would create them an email account so I can see the amount of emails going out, the responses, etc. I give 50% of the sale if they ever get one. So far, no one has generated a sale from a cold email. Out of 700 emails from the most recent guy, we got 2 people that responded, saying to not email them anymore.

    You have to think, if you cold called you would probably get someone in those 100 calls. If you email, you're possibly looking at 1,000 emails to get a sale. Not saying that is always true, but it is a realistic comparison.
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  • Profile picture of the author YellowGreenMedia
    Why are you guys pushing her in something she clearly doesn't wanna do, she doesn't wanna do cold calls so keep you're cold calling religion to yourself. jeeezz

    If you want to do it without cold calling, you can. Use personalized postcards, you say you do mobile websites? i do to and what i do is i create a simple demo site with their logo on it and in the colors of their website, i take a screenshot of it and ad that to my postcard and sent the postcard to them, after a day or two i call them if they received my postcard and i get a lot of good response that way (the call isn't cold anymore) if you don't wanna do the call sent them a email if they received the postcard... you still be getting some good responses.

    Dave
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    • Profile picture of the author MadLion
      Originally Posted by YellowGreenMedia View Post

      Why are you guys pushing her in something she clearly doesn't wanna do, she doesn't wanna do cold calls so keep you're cold calling religion to yourself. jeeezz

      If you want to do it without cold calling, you can. Use personalized postcards, you say you do mobile websites? i do to and what i do is i create a simple demo site with their logo on it and in the colors of their website, i take a screenshot of it and ad that to my postcard and sent the postcard to them, after a day or two i call them if they received my postcard and i get a lot of good response that way (the call isn't cold anymore) if you don't wanna do the call sent them a email if they received the postcard... you still be getting some good responses.

      Dave
      True that. I think the guys are trying to say there really is no way around cold calling unless you happen to be really good at generating a lot of leads.

      With that being said if you dont want to cold call hire or partner with one who will. Henry Ford didn't know a lot of stuff but he knew which employee knew. Get it.

      Many small business owners want to do it all. Why? You do not have to be a master salesman to run a successful web company. Just hire a master salesmen. But you have to pay his ass.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jason Kanigan
    <Sigh>

    It is Rejection if you view it that way.

    If you've watched my Free training videos, you will understand that a different perspective is necessary. Your purpose in calling is to qualify prospects In or Out. Nothing else. Detach yourself from the outcome and do the behaviors.

    It is not rejection if they are not there when you call (and half of the people you call will not be in).

    It is not rejection if they do not want to talk to you right now (and half of the people who answer the phone will not be ready to talk to anyone right now).

    It is not rejection if they are not interested in what you have to offer right now (call back in 3 - 6 months and maybe their situation will have changed). All they did was qualify Out. No need for what you offer. Big deal.

    Yes is good.

    No is good.

    Think It Overs are unacceptable. Those waste your time and energy.

    It is pointless to be afraid to pick up the phone and talk to other people. What are they going to do to you?? For the most part, other people are nice--and the higher you go in organizations, the nicer people are, because they went up through the Sales career and know exactly what you're going through. But if you're prejudging the next call (the last 20 people weren't interested, so the next one won't either--WRONG!!), you will fail.

    Read some of the other posts of people who are new to cold calling, learn what to say and how to say it, and persist. I've said it before but I'll say it again: Day One is not much fun, for anybody--even me when I'm starting prospecting for a new business. But stick with it and by Day Three it will be comfortable.

    To succeed, it's best to have an independent sales coach. Then you have someone with more experience to bounce your concerns off of. But the best advice is to just get over the worry about rejection--the worry is far worse than anything people will actually throw at you, and you can checkmate yourself easily with it--and do the calls. Calling is the fastest and most effective way of reaching prospects and qualifying them In or Out.

    You don't have to like making prospecting calls--you just have to make them.
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  • Profile picture of the author bit twiddler
    Hi Karen,
    You have seen in these posts where everyone can pull you in a different direction. First, and foremost, you plan to run a business. You first have to have the mindset that you are a business owner. 2nd, you have to design the way you plan to do business. 3rd, you have to plan how you will get business (this is the part you have asked about here in this thread). There is more, but let's examine the products you want to offer before we discuss how you get the clients.

    The products, as you have stated, are Mobile Sites and SMS Marketing. I can tell you as a matter of fact, the most powerful element in sales is the "Demonstration". This goes back thousands of years. Never doubt the power of a demonstration, never doubt the value you demonstrate. With both Mobile Sites and SMS you can do demonstrations for the business owners without ever making the first call. However, you still need to make a call or receive a call once the business owner has seen the demonstration.

    Now, before I tell you more about the "Demonstration", you do need to understand your reluctance to the phone. Your reluctance is likely a result of the perception you will have to deal with rejection, or you are not comfortable about how well you know your product, or you feel dealing with objections and conditions is difficult on the phone. In daily life, I guarantee you meet people that don't agree with you. Generally speaking, most of us just agree to disagree and move on. Just follow your normal way of communications to start and as you progress you will learn new ways to say things in a manner that are less disagreeable to others and more appealing to them. This is life, not just business.

    In every business, in every persons daily life, the phone is an ever present item of need for proficiency. I can guarantee that probably daily, most certainly weekly, you talk to someone you have never met before or spoken to on the phone. When you do, you probably do it well. You are probably great at it. Most everyone is. A friend of a friend calls and says "what up", or what ever. Because there is some common ground, maybe a friend or something, you have the ice cracked immediately. You never give a second thought (or any reluctance to the phone conversation). This is because you think you aren't selling anything. You think it's just another friendly call. Well, it is, and so are the prospecting calls! Here is the big secret to using the phone in business, "CHARM"! It really is as simple as that. Show them your charm, your kindness, your understanding. Why, because this is a "SOCIAL WORLD"! You cannot do business without a phone, an address, a website, a mobile web site, and a few other tools. The phone is an important element, don't allow others to fill your head with anything that makes you think the phone is mystical and requires "special training" to be able to use it. Any special training you may require is salesmanship, product demonstration, and negotiation. Now, this is the part where the hard core, high pressure, phone sellers are going to go all "Rambo" on me. They always do. They have in several other threads. But here is the news, it doesn't matter if you are on the phone, or in person, you need the correct demeanor, the correct presentation, and the correct closing techniques. The truth is, this does come very natural for most people if they let it and they couple it with the right guidance to improve.

    I am a Realtor. I am also the owner of a virtual tour company, an offline marketing firm, and several online affiliate programs. In every case, I spend a lot of time on the phone and always talk to folks as though I am standing right in front of them. Even if you get prospects through efforts other than making a call, you still end up making a call, in fact, you will be on the phone all day, every day with clients to work out details. When you eliminate the mindset that you have to be some kind of POWER SELLER on the phone, then the use of the phone has no power to scare you off of contacting a PROSPECT. Just have a normal conversation, period! The more you are on the phone with prospects, with clients, with aunt Ada, cousin Henry, the new boy friend, etc., the more comfortable you are and the more effective you are. It's all just conversation.

    Now, the "Demonstration". Building Mobile Site mock-ups is the best tool in your arsenal for Mobile Marketing, these are quick and easy to do. You can do about 5 (mock-ups) an hour once you know your product. Make a bunch of mock-up sites. For example, a Dental Site, a Chiropractic Site, a Restaurant Site, A Pizza Shop Site, and more. The more demo sites you have the better you look. Put these sites on sub domains of the main web site for your business. To properly penetrate a market, you need to use all of the prospecting methods, and mix them up. Spend some days out and about. Where ever you go, stop by businesses and drop your card off to the owner. Tell them, "I was in the neighborhood and while walking by I thought you had a great business that could benefit from Mobile Marketing". Keep it short! Tell them, "I have time now, but if you prefer, look at these demo sites when you have a moment" (have a brochure in your pocket or bag to give them with the mock-up sites listed). If they don't want to do anything at the moment, say, "I understand this isn't a good time for you, I am a little busy myself right now. How about you look at these later and I'll touch base with you tomorrow. I believe you could drive another 15% to 20% of traffic to your store, restaurant, services, etc. with a Mobile Site and Push Marketing. It's cheap, effective, and 1 in 7 Google searches are now on mobile phones.

    Also, get their business card whenever you can, in fact, when walking through a mall, or visit any business for any reason, always get their business card because you will get their email address that you can send a mock-up site to. Most will also have a cell number you can send a sample site to as well as a sample SMS to.

    Everything revolves around contact. Every type of contact, and it must be done with taste and professionalism if you want to get them and keep them. This is relationship building.

    Believe this Karen, you must organize your business as a business. You must present yourself as a fellow business owner, you must know your product inside and out, and you must be happy and comfortable with speaking to people you don't know. When it come to people you don't know, well, everyone you do know now you didn't know at some point and when you met them you found a way to build rapport (Noun: rapport (uncountable). A relationship of mutual trust and respect. "He always tried to maintain a rapport with his customers"). Wiki : rapport - Wiktionary

    Just be natural, don't power sell on the phone, treat everyone as though they are in a willing and friendly space. With this you will do great!

    Remember: Sell your company, sell your product, sell yourself, and you will never have to sell the price. Selling is not telling, selling is a natural part of most any business, and selling is demonstrating the features and benefits of doing business with you and your products.

    T J


    Originally Posted by karensworld View Post

    I keep reading on the WF that the very BEST way to get clients is to cold call, cold call, oh and then, cold call.!!

    Maybe it is also true from some of the threads I have read, that those of us that don't do this will be left behind and that I REALLY don't have the B...s to run with offline marketing.

    As a female, anatomically, I am sure I don't !!!
    But, as a female Warrior I like to think I have certain qualities that compensate for the lack of.. (well you know!)

    We are great listeners, we are great negotiators, we are great influencers, we are great teachers, we can talk to you FOREVER until you see things our way. C'mon boy's you KNOW we can....

    So I really do not want to cold call ok.
    BUT I do want to try and contact as many business's as I can for mobile sites and sms.
    I really like the idea of doing a video on a specific site using jing, and including image of site ect.
    My dilema is, each video would take me about 30 mins from start to finish, so realistically only 6-8 emails a day!!

    I am reading here that I should be getting out about 100 a day, this method seems like such a lot of work to only have about 1/100 opened.

    Does anyone have any experience with this or might point me in the direction of something more time effective.

    Many thanks
    Karen.:p
    Signature
    T J Tutor
    T J Tutor, LLC
    Syracuse, NY 13224
    USA
    315-569-7523
    tj@tjtutor.com
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    • Profile picture of the author JBroyer44
      Great post TJ!

      I am also a newbie cold caller here and I only had he chance to dial about 70 numbers this week, but hey I got an appointment to sell SMS! You know how much time I spent on the phones total to get that one appointment 3 hours.

      And most of that 3 hours was spent dragging my feet and taking my sweet a@& time to dial the next number. Because I was fumbling through my pitch and ever call just went bad, and my internet sux and skype was breaking up. So in all honesty I could have made 70 calls in 90mins, 90mins of work to book an appointment with an owner who seems VERY interested in what I have to offer.

      Who cares about the other 69 numbers I called who I either didn't get in touch with or didn't want what I was selling, as Jason said above and John D always said they were not my target, they qualified themselves as out right away, no time wasted.

      So now on Monday when I go back to the phones I know if I just spend 2 hours and make 80-100 calls, and don't drag my feet or get nervous , or worry abut intruding on their time, I will get in touch with another guy who will be just as interested in what I can do for their business.

      Karen, its just the best no most efficient way of finding your target market that's why everyone here is pushing cold calling so hard. That does not mean I don't think the personal post card idea is not a great tool, I plan on trying that! Everybody reacts differently to different approaches so we have to try them all, but calling is the shortest distance between you and the sale, and thats just fact.

      Now i just need a good solid week of calling next week to break through my newbie-ness and maybe I will have some successes to share with you.
      Signature

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      • Profile picture of the author karensworld
        Hi jbroyer,
        thanks for your post.
        Last night I did make 20 calls to local vets after hours. I just left a message, but it was a good excersise to get me on the phone. I don't know why it bothers me so much, I have done sales presentations to a room full of people!!
        Maybe I could hire a commission cold caller?
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        • Profile picture of the author JBroyer44
          Originally Posted by karensworld View Post

          Hi jbroyer,
          thanks for your post.
          Last night I did make 20 calls to local vets after hours. I just left a message, but it was a good excersise to get me on the phone. I don't know why it bothers me so much, I have done sales presentations to a room full of people!!
          Maybe I could hire a commission cold caller?
          That's great Karen, good way to get yourself comfortable verbalizing yoru quick pitch and getting comfortable on the phone.


          A commission cold caller may not be a bad idea. I want to know personally what phone script works on a predictable level before hiring someone though. Thats why I would take a month and make the calls yourself. But thats jsut a suggestion, if you set them up with an already proven script that you can find on the forums and let'em rip that could land you a few appointments I'm sure.
          Signature

          "The force is strong with this one"
          Facebook Ad Services: http://sellabletraffic.com

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        • Profile picture of the author iAmNameLess
          Originally Posted by karensworld View Post

          Hi jbroyer,
          thanks for your post.
          Last night I did make 20 calls to local vets after hours. I just left a message, but it was a good excersise to get me on the phone. I don't know why it bothers me so much, I have done sales presentations to a room full of people!!
          Maybe I could hire a commission cold caller?
          Calling after hours is a great way to get familiar with it. A company I used to work for a while back, does ONLY pet websites, vets, shops, rescues, etc. They pull in 6 million a year, all from cold calling.

          It bothers you because you aren't used it. I know the feeling, I think all of us who do cold calling, have been there! My first job was cold calling trying to sell magazine ad space and it sucked! I hated it sooo much, but have learned valuable lessons from that job.

          Karen, I would recommend reading some of John Durham's threads, and checking out his telemarketing forum. Look for his "great telemarketing report". I have also heard people mention he has some audio that has helped them. I never have checked it out, if someone post some links that would be great!
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    • Profile picture of the author karensworld
      Originally Posted by bit twiddler View Post

      Hi Karen,
      You have seen in these posts where everyone can pull you in a different direction. First, and foremost, you plan to run a business. You first have to have the mindset that you are a business owner. 2nd, you have to design the way you plan to do business. 3rd, you have to plan how you will get business (this is the part you have asked about here in this thread). There is more, but let's examine the products you want to offer before we discuss how you get the clients.

      The products, as you have stated, are Mobile Sites and SMS Marketing. I can tell you as a matter of fact, the most powerful element in sales is the "Demonstration". This goes back thousands of years. Never doubt the power of a demonstration, never doubt the value you demonstrate. With both Mobile Sites and SMS you can do demonstrations for the business owners without ever making the first call. However, you still need to make a call or receive a call once the business owner has seen the demonstration.

      Now, before I tell you more about the "Demonstration", you do need to understand your reluctance to the phone. Your reluctance is likely a result of the perception you will have to deal with rejection, or you are not comfortable about how well you know your product, or you feel dealing with objections and conditions is difficult on the phone. In daily life, I guarantee you meet people that don't agree with you. Generally speaking, most of us just agree to disagree and move on. Just follow your normal way of communications to start and as you progress you will learn new ways to say things in a manner that are less disagreeable to others and more appealing to them. This is life, not just business.

      In every business, in every persons daily life, the phone is an ever present item of need for proficiency. I can guarantee that probably daily, most certainly weekly, you talk to someone you have never met before or spoken to on the phone. When you do, you probably do it well. You are probably great at it. Most everyone is. A friend of a friend calls and says "what up", or what ever. Because there is some common ground, maybe a friend or something, you have the ice cracked immediately. You never give a second thought (or any reluctance to the phone conversation). This is because you think you aren't selling anything. You think it's just another friendly call. Well, it is, and so are the prospecting calls! Here is the big secret to using the phone in business, "CHARM"! It really is as simple as that. Show them your charm, your kindness, your understanding. Why, because this is a "SOCIAL WORLD"! You cannot do business without a phone, an address, a website, a mobile web site, and a few other tools. The phone is an important element, don't allow others to fill your head with anything that makes you think the phone is mystical and requires "special training" to be able to use it. Any special training you may require is salesmanship, product demonstration, and negotiation. Now, this is the part where the hard core, high pressure, phone sellers are going to go all "Rambo" on me. They always do. They have in several other threads. But here is the news, it doesn't matter if you are on the phone, or in person, you need the correct demeanor, the correct presentation, and the correct closing techniques. The truth is, this does come very natural for most people if they let it and they couple it with the right guidance to improve.

      I am a Realtor. I am also the owner of a virtual tour company, an offline marketing firm, and several online affiliate programs. In every case, I spend a lot of time on the phone and always talk to folks as though I am standing right in front of them. Even if you get prospects through efforts other than making a call, you still end up making a call, in fact, you will be on the phone all day, every day with clients to work out details. When you eliminate the mindset that you have to be some kind of POWER SELLER on the phone, then the use of the phone has no power to scare you off of contacting a PROSPECT. Just have a normal conversation, period! The more you are on the phone with prospects, with clients, with aunt Ada, cousin Henry, the new boy friend, etc., the more comfortable you are and the more effective you are. It's all just conversation.

      Now, the "Demonstration". Building Mobile Site mock-ups is the best tool in your arsenal for Mobile Marketing, these are quick and easy to do. You can do about 5 (mock-ups) an hour once you know your product. Make a bunch of mock-up sites. For example, a Dental Site, a Chiropractic Site, a Restaurant Site, A Pizza Shop Site, and more. The more demo sites you have the better you look. Put these sites on sub domains of the main web site for your business. To properly penetrate a market, you need to use all of the prospecting methods, and mix them up. Spend some days out and about. Where ever you go, stop by businesses and drop your card off to the owner. Tell them, "I was in the neighborhood and while walking by I thought you had a great business that could benefit from Mobile Marketing". Keep it short! Tell them, "I have time now, but if you prefer, look at these demo sites when you have a moment" (have a brochure in your pocket or bag to give them with the mock-up sites listed). If they don't want to do anything at the moment, say, "I understand this isn't a good time for you, I am a little busy myself right now. How about you look at these later and I'll touch base with you tomorrow. I believe you could drive another 15% to 20% of traffic to your store, restaurant, services, etc. with a Mobile Site and Push Marketing. It's cheap, effective, and 1 in 7 Google searches are now on mobile phones.

      Also, get their business card whenever you can, in fact, when walking through a mall, or visit any business for any reason, always get their business card because you will get their email address that you can send a mock-up site to. Most will also have a cell number you can send a sample site to as well as a sample SMS to.

      Everything revolves around contact. Every type of contact, and it must be done with taste and professionalism if you want to get them and keep them. This is relationship building.

      Believe this Karen, you must organize your business as a business. You must present yourself as a fellow business owner, you must know your product inside and out, and you must be happy and comfortable with speaking to people you don't know. When it come to people you don't know, well, everyone you do know now you didn't know at some point and when you met them you found a way to build rapport (Noun: rapport (uncountable). A relationship of mutual trust and respect. "He always tried to maintain a rapport with his customers"). Wiki : rapport - Wiktionary

      Just be natural, don't power sell on the phone, treat everyone as though they are in a willing and friendly space. With this you will do great!

      Remember: Sell your company, sell your product, sell yourself, and you will never have to sell the price. Selling is not telling, selling is a natural part of most any business, and selling is demonstrating the features and benefits of doing business with you and your products.

      T J
      WOW! thanks so much bit twiddler. (not sure if that's your name)
      A really great detailed response.
      I too am a realtor although my market has dissapeared which has promted me into this new direction.
      I have done real estate for the past 13 years and done VERY well. I have probably been spoilt in that I have never really prospected a client, but have a 9/10 closing ratio. Was a top producer for C21 in my local market and loved every minute of it.
      I am also a single parent with a 14 yr old wonderful son, and the thought of not being selfemployed and living on my terms is just something I can not consider, which is why it is SO important that I make my new business work, and fairly quickly.
      I am actually from England, and you are right about charm, my accent alone seems to open doors for me!!
      Are you providing you Realtor clients with mobile/sms ? ( if not maybe I could ! just an idea?)

      Thanks anyway for your great post.
      Karen.
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      • Profile picture of the author Tsnyder
        Originally Posted by karensworld View Post

        WOW! thanks so much bit twiddler. (not sure if that's your name)
        A really great detailed response.
        I too am a realtor although my market has dissapeared which has promted me into this new direction.
        I have done real estate for the past 13 years and done VERY well. I have probably been spoilt in that I have never really prospected a client, but have a 9/10 closing ratio. Was a top producer for C21 in my local market and loved every minute of it.
        I am also a single parent with a 14 yr old wonderful son, and the thought of not being selfemployed and living on my terms is just something I can not consider, which is why it is SO important that I make my new business work, and fairly quickly.
        I am actually from England, and you are right about charm, my accent alone seems to open doors for me!!
        Are you providing you Realtor clients with mobile/sms ? ( if not maybe I could ! just an idea?)

        Thanks anyway for your great post.
        Karen.
        Hi Karen...

        Given your background you and I should have a chat... no pitch... just
        some info I'm confident you'll find interesting and helpful. PM me if you're
        interested.

        Terry Snyder
        Signature
        If you knew what I know you'd be doing what I do...
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  • Profile picture of the author YellowGreenMedia
    Again why are you people trying to convince Karen to do cold calling if she clearly doens't wanna do it, you guy are like those religious people that don't take no for a answer... not everybody is good on the phones no matter what you do... and cold calling is JUST ONE METHOD TO GET NEW CLIENTS... it's is not the next best thing after sliced bread...

    It works for you? great all the luck to you and your cold calling ventures, but please stop preaching about, there are many methods that are way better then cold calling will ever be... direct mail for instance has a better ROI then cold calling, it doesn't piss of your prospects and you don't have to sit there on the phone with a knot in your stomach.


    Karen, its just the best no most efficient way of finding your target market that's why everyone here is pushing cold calling so hard. That does not mean I don't think the personal post card idea is not a great tool, I plan on trying that! Everybody reacts differently to different approaches so we have to try them all, but calling is the shortest distance between you and the sale, and thats just fact.
    This is just not true, it isnt the most efficient way, sure maybe if you have a auto dailer, but calling 100/200 businesses a day (because that is what you need to get one sale on average ) is hard work, first you have to get a list with qualified leads, and then you have to manually call these businesses ... 50% of the business owners of decision makers aren't in so you have to mark them and call them back at a later time.

    I have done this myself and cold calling is a lot but it is definitely not efficient.... i sent out a 100 postcards per week for my mobile sites and i have a response rate of 15/25 percent, you try that with cold calling. good luck to you.
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    • Profile picture of the author JBroyer44
      Originally Posted by YellowGreenMedia View Post


      I have done this myself and cold calling is a lot but it is definitely not efficient.... i sent out a 100 postcards per week for my mobile sites and i have a response rate of 15/25 percent, you try that with cold calling. good luck to you.
      I'm not trying to force anyone to do anything I just started cold calling myself, and when you read above I say I am going to try the postcard method as well as I think it is a great idea.

      However, how log does it take to design the postcard, print the labels, stick the labels, and then the cost to mail them out?

      Yes calling 100 businesses sucks if you are nervous but hopefully I will get over that, if not and its not working I try something else. But it only should take 2 hours a day to make those calls.


      All the time I spend on the postcards I could ahve made 200 calls and booked 4 appointments
      Signature

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      • Profile picture of the author YellowGreenMedia
        Originally Posted by JBroyer44 View Post

        I'm not trying to force anyone to do anything I just started cold calling myself, and when you read above I say I am going to try the postcard method as well as I think it is a great idea.

        However, how log does it take to design the postcard, print the labels, stick the labels, and then the cost to mail them out?

        Yes calling 100 businesses sucks if you are nervous but hopefully I will get over that, if not and its not working I try something else. But it only should take 2 hours a day to make those calls.


        All the time I spend on the postcards I could ahve made 200 calls and booked 4 appointments
        It takes a lot more then 2 hours, first you need to get a list, you wanna have a fresh list of leads so you can or buy them from a broker (which is something i would never do because you don''t know how they qualify the leads) or you have to get 200 leads yourself... have you ever researched 200 leads... that is a day task. sure you can get 200 numbers from a yellowpage scraper but that doesn't qualify your leads, making them even harder to close?

        Ok lets say you just scrape the numbers and don't do any qualifying at all, lets assume that you're a really fast dailer and only 50% (100 numbers you call) answers the phone that means that you need to pitch a lead in 1,66 minute to stay in your 2 hours time-slot... no way you'll pull this off...

        Cold calling isn't that efficient all, not if you do it all by hand like most people here do.

        I am not saying cold calling doesn't work, cus it does work if your ready to do some serious dialing, but you shouldn't be pushing this to newbies man, they are not going to make a dime out of it except some lucky sales that they make... I have done my fair share of cold calling in the past and it never mounted to nothing but a view lucky sales and it took a lot of time prepping and dialing...
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        • Profile picture of the author iAmNameLess
          Originally Posted by YellowGreenMedia View Post

          Why are you guys pushing her in something she clearly doesn't wanna do, she doesn't wanna do cold calls so keep you're cold calling religion to yourself. jeeezz

          If you want to do it without cold calling, you can. Use personalized postcards, you say you do mobile websites? i do to and what i do is i create a simple demo site with their logo on it and in the colors of their website, i take a screenshot of it and ad that to my postcard and sent the postcard to them, after a day or two i call them if they received my postcard and i get a lot of good response that way (the call isn't cold anymore) if you don't wanna do the call sent them a email if they received the postcard... you still be getting some good responses.

          Dave
          Originally Posted by YellowGreenMedia View Post

          Keep preaching huh?
          Originally Posted by YellowGreenMedia View Post

          Again why are you people trying to convince Karen to do cold calling if she clearly doens't wanna do it, you guy are like those religious people that don't take no for a answer... not everybody is good on the phones no matter what you do... and cold calling is JUST ONE METHOD TO GET NEW CLIENTS... it's is not the next best thing after sliced bread...

          It works for you? great all the luck to you and your cold calling ventures, but please stop preaching about, there are many methods that are way better then cold calling will ever be... direct mail for instance has a better ROI then cold calling, it doesn't piss of your prospects and you don't have to sit there on the phone with a knot in your stomach.




          This is just not true, it isnt the most efficient way, sure maybe if you have a auto dailer, but calling 100/200 businesses a day (because that is what you need to get one sale on average ) is hard work, first you have to get a list with qualified leads, and then you have to manually call these businesses ... 50% of the business owners of decision makers aren't in so you have to mark them and call them back at a later time.

          I have done this myself and cold calling is a lot but it is definitely not efficient.... i sent out a 100 postcards per week for my mobile sites and i have a response rate of 15/25 percent, you try that with cold calling. good luck to you.
          Originally Posted by YellowGreenMedia View Post

          It takes a lot more then 2 hours, first you need to get a list, you wanna have a fresh list of leads so you can or buy them from a broker (which is something i would never do because you don''t know how they qualify the leads) or you have to get 200 leads yourself... have you ever researched 200 leads... that is a day task. sure you can get 200 numbers from a yellowpage scraper but that doesn't qualify your leads, making them even harder to close?

          Ok lets say you just scrape the numbers and don't do any qualifying at all, lets assume that you're a really fast dailer and only 50% (100 numbers you call) answers the phone that means that you need to pitch a lead in 1,66 minute to stay in your 2 hours time-slot... no way you'll pull this off...

          Cold calling isn't that efficient all, not if you do it all by hand like most people here do.

          I am not saying cold calling doesn't work, cus it does work if your ready to do some serious dialing, but you shouldn't be pushing this to newbies man, they are not going to make a dime out of it except some lucky sales that they make... I have done my fair share of cold calling in the past and it never mounted to nothing but a view lucky sales and it took a lot of time prepping and dialing...
          Dude, obviously you don't know what you're talking about. There are people on this forum that will go 2-3 months without getting a sale and then they'll make a post declaring that they're going to try cold calling, and surprise surprise, it works!!!

          Is it the only way? No... Is it the most efficient, YES!

          Why is it the most efficient? You can spend a week sending 1,000 emails, and not get a sale. You can spend a week posting 100 ads on craigslist, backpage, and other classifieds and not get a sale. You can direct mail but then you have print costs and postage costs. It isn't start up friendly or boot strap friendly. If you're in business, you better make damn sure you have a phone line... if you already have a phone line then you can cold call. It takes less time and the results are better.

          Here on Warrior Forum, we don't encourage people to stay inside their comfort zone. We encourage people to get results, and strive for excellence. Cold calling is a great way to scale up, and get sales when you desperately need them.

          If Karen spent 3 hours a day cold calling businesses, and was just honest without trying to sound like a professional sales person, then she will get results. If you tell people who you are and what you do, the person on the other line will either be interested or not interested.

          When I first started cold calling, people would suggest to go local. I didn't go local, I called people states away because I didn't want to harass people that I see in the grocery store. If I can make one call sales, to businesses states away, then anyone can.

          I had my girlfriend cold calling this week because sales were dropping and she had absolutely no experience. It took her a while because she wasn't calling, she would get a no, and then build up the courage to call someone else. Soon she was at the point hoping no one would answer. After a couple days, she realized that it isn't that bad, she was making calls after calls, and made a sale. Mind you, it was a one call sale... only $800 but hey, thats a good start. The point is, if you make the calls, and you play the numbers you will get results. She had no idea what she was doing, she doesn't know anything about websites, there were questions she had to put them on hold and get the answer to. That isn't the most professional, is it? BUT she still made the sale.

          Bottom line, cold calling isn't glamorous. It definitely isn't as sexy as the thought of scraping emails and blasting them out to 10,000 random businesses and getting sales that way. The truth is, cold calling works, and always will work. Those of us that know this, want to spread the truth and are adamant about it. We aren't being mean by suggesting to do something she isn't comfortable, we are trying to help give a boost for her to really get results.

          There is a difference between warrior forum, and some support group. At WF, we will tell you how it is, and want you to excel. Sometimes your current way of doing things, is not going to benefit you in the long run.

          How many businesses are successful because they stay in their comfort zone? Many businesses going under, especially locally, are the same ones I have called and they said they have been in business for 30 years and they don't need a website. Look at where they are now? In the red.

          Another client of mine, has an innovative product, but the market is dominated by some bigger businesses with the money to push anyone out. He realized he needs someone like me, and since then he has taken a pretty nice chunk of the market share, and NOW I'm helping him go global.

          People need your services Karen... You can't deny that. Posting ads, well people that are in need of it might find it, but there is a lot of competition. Emails, nothing is setting you apart from the hundreds of other people trying to drum up business. Cold calling WORKS. I have had people call me back 3 months after cold calling them, and since I reached out, they didn't look anywhere else! It gets them thinking about it, and it gets them thinking they SHOULD get online. They start researching, and realize they can't do this themselves!

          Cold calling can be scarey. It can be a very daunting task and something that you don't want to do. Hell, I don't want to do it. I do it because it works. If you need to drum up business on a shoe string budget, DEFINITELY start calling. You don't need the worlds greatest pitch, just be honest. Now, if you market yourself in a variety of ways then you're going to get even better results. Cold calling, with PPC, with postcards, email campaigns, classified ads, networking meetings.. you will have more business than you can handle.

          I don't want you to be scared of calling people, and I also don't want you to feel like you're being shoved in that direction. However, I encourage you to take the step in that direction because it's going to work for you, if you put it to work!

          There was a warrior on here saying that his local market was dead and he couldn't sell the services. The next day I just did this for my own ego, but I called businesses in his market, and landed a sale in the first 25 calls.

          There are so many threads on this forum, where people announce their first sale, and how WOW cold calling really works. Don't take this lightly... there are people that avoid doing it, but eventually they do because they're desperate. Don't wait until you're desperate, just do it and be amazed by your results!

          Happy hunting!
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          • Profile picture of the author P1
            Originally Posted by YellowGreenMedia View Post

            You can call a 1000 people and not get a sale, been there... done that... got the freaking Tshirt
            I'm sorry but you would have to be the worst salesmen in the world to make 1000 calls and not even land 1.

            Or possible the worlds worst leads.
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          • Profile picture of the author iAmNameLess
            Originally Posted by YellowGreenMedia View Post

            I love it when people patronize me and say i don't know what i am talking about...

            Because you don't

            No it isn't

            Yes it is.

            You can call a 1000 people and not get a sale, been there... done that... got the freaking Tshirt

            I seriously doubt it.


            What people like yo don't get true you thick cold calling religious skull is that cold calling is not for everyone, no matter what people do they will never get a sale, i don't really care i can cold call if i want to and get sales to, but like i sad before cold calling is inefficient and time consuming if i compare it with my other prospecting methods

            Lies lies and more lies.



            Really and those leads she calls, they fall out of the sky right... i love a good religion

            Those leads she called, came from the phone book.




            I never sad cold calling didn't work, i sad cold calling is inefficient and it is, sure if you're just going to slam open the yellowpages and you don't qualify your leads at all, sure maybe you could get lucky and make a sale of appointment... but how many calls do yo need to do... from my experience to get a appointment you need about 200 calls how is that efficient?

            You my friend are completely mislead and I feel sorry for your business and the lack of potential you have for believing cold calling is inefficient. From my experience, 200 calls leads to 2 sales if not more. I don't set appointments, I close over the phone.




            You can call it that, i call it misinforming people.

            What you are doing is misleading people.



            I have business for almost 12 years now, i never left my comfort zone and i have a nice filled bank account, a nice home for me and my family i have nice things and a big list of clients that i got true other methods then cold calling... so what you're saying isn't true..

            Good for you if that is true... Which is likely not. You never left your comfort zone but you said you did 1,000 calls? I simply don't believe you. If you were cold calling you could double your business, easy.

            You people belief that you only be successful when you suffer and you do things you hate... i say that you're the one who has no clue of what he is talking about. since i have been in business for myself i never did anything i didn't like to do, because i don't have to... that is the difference of being a boss or a employer of your own business...

            I hate doing taxes, but I still have to do them. I like making money, and do things I don't necessarily like in order to do it. Telemarketing is huge business. If it didn't work, and it wasn't efficient, corporations wouldn't be doing this. I can not take you seriously, after spreading such misinformation. I have been in business for myself, and I always am looking to expand. Cold calling IS the most efficient and I suppose if your business is some off the wall type niche, where no one else would dare get into then I see your point. For offline consulting and marketing, you would have to be an idiot to think cold calling doesn't work. It is proven, it is efficient, and it is the best way to scale up. I don't get complacent. If I do 20 grand this month, then I want to double it.


            Taadadaaa here comes Superman lol ... what has this got to do with the cold calling discussion, or do you wanna show of how great you are and why i should be in awh or something? well here is a pad on the back for you, how is that?

            It is relevant in my discussion to Karen, not to someone who clearly doesn't want growth. My point was to show her that people need her services.



            Here we go.... preaching again

            Great comment..

            There are better and more efficient ways to do prospecting, but i'll stay out of it and let superman here save you, good luck with the cold calling or direct mailing or emailing, just understand that cold calling isn't the holy grail people try to sell it for...

            Direct mailing = costs money
            emailing = inefficient, as many people won't open or even view it.
            Cold calling = free, personal, and fastest way to make sales

            Good luck with it.
            Greets

            Dave

            All in all... Karen, I recommend you give all of them a shot, then come back here and tell us what you had best results with. I have said this before, and I mean it, cold calling isn't the only way. A successful marketing campaign for your services will include numerous outlets. Not just emailing, not just cold calling, not just PPC, not just direct mailing... a great campaign will have different outlets. Cold calling however, you can go from 0 to 3-4K in one week.
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          • Profile picture of the author Michael Bucker
            Originally Posted by YellowGreenMedia View Post

            I love it when people patronize me and say i don't know what i am talking about...


            No it isn't



            You can call a 1000 people and not get a sale, been there... done that... got the freaking Tshirt



            What people like yo don't get true you thick cold calling religious skull is that cold calling is not for everyone, no matter what people do they will never get a sale, i don't really care i can cold call if i want to and get sales to, but like i sad before cold calling is inefficient and time consuming if i compare it with my other prospecting methods




            Really and those leads she calls, they fall out of the sky right... i love a good religion





            I never sad cold calling didn't work, i sad cold calling is inefficient and it is, sure if you're just going to slam open the yellowpages and you don't qualify your leads at all, sure maybe you could get lucky and make a sale of appointment... but how many calls do yo need to do... from my experience to get a appointment you need about 200 calls how is that efficient?




            You can call it that, i call it misinforming people.




            I have business for almost 12 years now, i never left my comfort zone and i have a nice filled bank account, a nice home for me and my family i have nice things and a big list of clients that i got true other methods then cold calling... so what you're saying isn't true..

            You people belief that you only be successful when you suffer and you do things you hate... i say that you're the one who has no clue of what he is talking about. since i have been in business for myself i never did anything i didn't like to do, because i don't have to... that is the difference of being a boss or a employer of your own business...



            Taadadaaa here comes Superman lol ... what has this got to do with the cold calling discussion, or do you wanna show of how great you are and why i should be in awh or something? well here is a pad on the back for you, how is that?




            Here we go.... preaching again


            There are better and more efficient ways to do prospecting, but i'll stay out of it and let superman here save you, good luck with the cold calling or direct mailing or emailing, just understand that cold calling isn't the holy grail people try to sell it for...

            Good luck with it.
            Greets

            Dave

            My friend you are completely correct and so is the others. Cold calling did not work for you and you found a method that did. Any one method be it cold calling, post cards, emails etc has those who have found the secrets to making them work properly while others still struggle. Everyone claims their experience is the most accurate.

            Truth is you are right and so are they. What Karen needs to do is look at your method of success and sees if it fits hers. Consider the idea that she may have looked at cold calling wrong, but if she disagrees I suggest she ignore the advice of others, continue to discourage those posts and encourage ones like yours.

            Another possible suggestion is use methods like yours which apparently work. Listen to the fact that cold calling does work but outsource it instead of doing it herself, and create a warm call for her, which in a way is what you have done.

            I do want to applaud your efforts in trying to keep everyone on the path she asked for instead of their own agendas.
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          • Profile picture of the author tryinhere
            Originally Posted by YellowGreenMedia View Post

            There are better and more efficient ways to do prospecting, but i'll stay out of it and let superman here save you, good luck with the cold calling or direct mailing or emailing, just understand that cold calling isn't the holy grail people try to sell it for...
            Good luck with it.
            Greets
            Dave
            It works for some people and it is preached here like it is the holy grail, and is not balanced and is drowned out here to a point that people do not wish to respond or make waves.

            Yes cold calling works for those who want to do it, but there is no money in making the calls themself, callers can be hired by the dime a dozen, so why people keep putting the focus or stress on making calls I am not sure.
            Signature
            | > Choosing to go off the grid for a while to focus on family, work and life in general. Have a great 2020 < |
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            • Profile picture of the author John Durham
              Originally Posted by tryinhere View Post


              Yes cold calling works for those who want to do it, but there is no money in making the calls themself, callers can be hired by the dime a dozen, so why people keep putting the focus or stress on making calls I am not sure.
              I can do five hours of calling and make $2700 so I dont know where you are coming from saying there is no money in doing it yourself...but ok.

              If you think good cold callers can be hired at a dime a dozen, it tells me that you havent ever tried hiring any. No offense, but I think 99% of the people who HAVE hired them would agree with me.
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              • Profile picture of the author longrobnc
                Originally Posted by John Durham View Post

                I can do five hours of calling and make $2700 so I dont know where you are coming from saying there is no money in doing it yourself...but ok.

                If you think good cold callers can be hired at a dime a dozen, it tells me that you havent ever tried hiring any. No offense, but I think 99% of the people who HAVE hired them would agree with me.
                Some people here might want to call BS, but I hired a fellow to do cold calling for me. I gave him a script to read from, and he was not confident that it worked. I made 3 calls in front of him.

                The very 1st call I made turned in to a contract with a national company. I emailed over the W9 and insurance certificate while we were on the line. The second call was a dud. The 3rd ended up being a winner also. Not at that moment, but they called me back with an order about a week later. Since, I've done business with the 2 winners a dozen times.From my experience, Hiring a great phone prospector is very hard to find and can be quite expensive.
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                • Profile picture of the author John Durham
                  Originally Posted by longrobnc View Post

                  Some people here might want to call BS, but I hired a fellow to do cold calling for me. I gav

                  e him a script to read from, and he was not confident that it worked. I made 3 calls in front of him.

                  The very 1st call I made turned in to a contract with a national company. I emailed over the W9 and insurance certificate while we were on the line. The second call was a dud. The 3rd ended up being a winner also. Not at that moment, but they called me back with an order about a week later. Since, I've done business with the 2 winners a dozen times.From my experience, Hiring a great phone prospector is very hard to find and can be quite expensive.
                  Whether they call BS or not is of no consequence to me. Even if I didnt use my own example...millions of people use cold calling every day to get the same kinds of results. So it isnt that abnormal.

                  Gotta love those days when you hit it on the first few calls!
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                  • Profile picture of the author longrobnc
                    Originally Posted by John Durham View Post

                    Whether they call BS or not is of no consequence to me. Even if I didnt use my own example...millions of people use cold calling every day to get the same kinds of results. So it isnt that abnormal.

                    Gotta love those days when you hit it on the first few calls!
                    I was referring to the guys here calling BS on my 2 out of 3 claim. I don't think you have many doubters in these parts
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                    • Profile picture of the author John Durham
                      Originally Posted by longrobnc View Post

                      I don't think you have many doubters in these parts
                      You might be surprised. lol
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              • Profile picture of the author tryinhere
                Originally Posted by John Durham View Post

                I can do five hours of calling and make $2700 so I don't know where you are coming from saying there is no money in doing it yourself...but OK.

                If you think good cold callers can be hired at a dime a dozen, it tells me that you haven't ever tried hiring any. No offense, but I think 99% of the people who HAVE hired them would agree with me.
                I am sure you could do that and do do that, but the reference to no money in making the calls is the low rates callers are paid in general.

                As for dime a dozen again out of context, there are supposedly 5 million callers in the states alone ? all working so this job can be outsourced, gaining a booking is one thing closing it is another, so when your saying you make $ in a few hours your selling on the phone and closing the deal not making appts and that is a little separate, and you would be a very rare case and very good at what you do hands down on that, not so your average yogi bear.

                The gist was why waste your time calling when there are good qualified people who can do this at a good price, ? 3 hours calling a day at hourly rates can be exchanged for 3 hours selling.

                Any way low stress, but I do often wonder this ?

                Why if cold calling is so effective but yet so little people want to do or have the courage to do it, has not anybody taken the time to set up a "warrior call" ( call center in warriors for hire and offer call packages ) given there are some real clued up people who could set that up and a strong need for such a popular / effective service / solve a common problem.
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                • Profile picture of the author Mwind076
                  Originally Posted by tryinhere View Post


                  Why if cold calling is so effective but yet so little people want to do or have the courage to do it, has not anybody taken the time to set up a "warrior call" ( call center in warriors for hire and offer call packages ) given there are some real clued up people who could set that up and a strong need for such a popular / effective service / solve a common problem.
                  You haven't met everyone here on WF apparently. Check my sig...

                  Cold calling works, or I wouldn't have made a living for the past 8 years.
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                  • Profile picture of the author tryinhere
                    Originally Posted by Mwind076 View Post

                    You haven't met everyone here on WF apparently. Check my sig...

                    Cold calling works, or I wouldn't have made a living for the past 8 years.
                    Yes noticed that afterwards, hope it all works well and people here can use your service.

                    For the record I do think it works, just I would like to see a bit more balance in options (there are those that do not use cold calling and do as well if not better) and ways that people who are looking to lessen the stress by not making calls to use the call option through services such as yours.

                    I have done calling in my time so not green by any means and what a tough gig and hats down to all of the people who can work those cubicals day in day out, they must be very skilled to do what they do.

                    For the record I was ok at it but compared to most pro's in this part of the game I would suck and I just could not get used to it / not my cup of tea and thats probably important to understand that not everyone is cut for the job.
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                • Profile picture of the author John Durham
                  Originally Posted by tryinhere View Post


                  Why if cold calling is so effective but yet so little people want to do or have the courage to do it, has not anybody taken the time to set up a "warrior call" ( call center in warriors for hire and offer call packages ) given there are some real clued up people who could set that up and a strong need for such a popular / effective service / solve a common problem.
                  You know I love warriors, so dont take this wrong, but they mostly arent like 20 year insurance veterans... In other words, their payment expectations are unrealistic and they dont understand that you have to develop a call prgram for a couple of weeks alot of times...so this makes for:

                  1: Pushy Clients

                  2: Clients who dont pay much or do very big orders because they only have one salesman.

                  3: Clients who are mostly sticking their toe in the water only and arent willing to grow a decent program steadily Not as committed as an insurtance agency who has been in business for twenty years.

                  Its not a good formula for a call center. Call centers operate most efficiently on bigger contracts. Other wise they are changing leads and scripts every five minutes and nobody really gets good at doing a particular program because there isnt enough of an order there to even get a couple days of good practice.

                  Imagine having 20 different clients all paying for little $300 orders and having to change scripts every 2 hours and leads...

                  Most call centers thrive on bigger national orders for unlimited leads... The little jobs dont make sense. Big jobs are less hassle on admin, programs, tms...alot of small jobs arent worth all the management headaches.

                  Thats why.

                  -JD
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        • Profile picture of the author internetPro
          Originally Posted by YellowGreenMedia View Post

          It takes a lot more then 2 hours, first you need to get a list, you wanna have a fresh list of leads so you can or buy them from a broker (which is something i would never do because you don''t know how they qualify the leads) or you have to get 200 leads yourself... have you ever researched 200 leads... that is a day task. sure you can get 200 numbers from a yellowpage scraper but that doesn't qualify your leads, making them even harder to close?

          Ok lets say you just scrape the numbers and don't do any qualifying at all, lets assume that you're a really fast dailer and only 50% (100 numbers you call) answers the phone that means that you need to pitch a lead in 1,66 minute to stay in your 2 hours time-slot... no way you'll pull this off...

          Cold calling isn't that efficient all, not if you do it all by hand like most people here do.

          I am not saying cold calling doesn't work, cus it does work if your ready to do some serious dialing, but you shouldn't be pushing this to newbies man, they are not going to make a dime out of it except some lucky sales that they make... I have done my fair share of cold calling in the past and it never mounted to nothing but a view lucky sales and it took a lot of time prepping and dialing...

          Every form of marketing works if done right. As for pushing the "newbie" come on we all need a push some one to get us going once in awhile or at least when we were starting out some one to push us out of the nest and go get it....

          Cold calling if done right is where it's at post cards if the copy writing is done right is where it is at.... And so on.

          It would be great if some one asks for advice they are given the correct advice and not say this way sux or that way sux it all sux if it is not done correctly.
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    • Profile picture of the author bit twiddler
      Hi YellowGreenMedia,
      My point was not that Karen must cold call, my point was that a good business model requires one to be efficient on the phone. When one has developed these skills to deal with vendors, clients, and staff on the phone, they will have a more proficient business. A good way for someone to reflect on how to communicate on the phone with a prospect is to simply communicate as you would naturally with someone who is not a prospect. That is FACT! You can't find a business worth a "hill of beans" that doesn't have some sort of verbal communications available, especially if you are working a local market.

      In addition, I offered the next best thing to Karen by explaining the "Drop By" method. This method is highly effective, I do this everywhere I go, and not just locally. This method is incredibly effective. I keep a diary of prospect contacts. I have averaged 6 business card contacts a day for this year. I have sold something to 1 in 26 this year from the business card method. As well, and in every case, I have had to speak with the client by phone at some point. This is the point I was making to Karen, one doesn't have to prospect by phone, but sooner or later you will be speaking to them by phone or in person and most likely both when they are local.

      I don't intend to debate, discourage, or otherwise claim that any single prospecting method is the "Magic Bullet". Everyone has idiosyncrasy's that they develop through life and when starting a new business these idiosyncrasy's often displace ones confidence to push forward with proven business building tactics, strategies, and methods. We need to address them in a comfortable and compelling fashion so that we can strengthen our business results. If you feel this is incorrect, then that's okay too. I only try to contribute my knowledge of what business practices have proven to be true. I am not preaching, as you feel I may have stated. I am a successful business person with over 40 years in the field. I like to contribute what works so that others can avoid the errors i had to resolve through my life's travels.

      Karen, start with whatever makes you comfortable, but remember that when you are speaking to a prospect, they will always know if you know your product, are confident in your product, and they will get a "gut feeling" about you and your business capabilities.

      Running a business means properly structuring it, properly presenting it, and properly implementing it. For me, the number one most important thing I remind myself every moment I can is "I am not attached to the outcome of an encounter with anyone"! Not prospects, not clients, not my staff, not my partner, not my family, not anyone. Learning to roll with things means taking the easiest path, it really means its easier to influence something in motion rather than something that is stationary. Just roll with whatever you are doing and learn to properly nudge things into the direction you desire. This is the start of something wonderful, don't give up, don't get discouraged, always have faith in yourself!

      T J

      Originally Posted by YellowGreenMedia View Post

      Again why are you people trying to convince Karen to do cold calling if she clearly doens't wanna do it, you guy are like those religious people that don't take no for a answer... not everybody is good on the phones no matter what you do... and cold calling is JUST ONE METHOD TO GET NEW CLIENTS... it's is not the next best thing after sliced bread...

      It works for you? great all the luck to you and your cold calling ventures, but please stop preaching about, there are many methods that are way better then cold calling will ever be... direct mail for instance has a better ROI then cold calling, it doesn't piss of your prospects and you don't have to sit there on the phone with a knot in your stomach.




      This is just not true, it isnt the most efficient way, sure maybe if you have a auto dailer, but calling 100/200 businesses a day (because that is what you need to get one sale on average ) is hard work, first you have to get a list with qualified leads, and then you have to manually call these businesses ... 50% of the business owners of decision makers aren't in so you have to mark them and call them back at a later time.

      I have done this myself and cold calling is a lot but it is definitely not efficient.... i sent out a 100 postcards per week for my mobile sites and i have a response rate of 15/25 percent, you try that with cold calling. good luck to you.
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    • Profile picture of the author karensworld
      Hi to you Dave,
      thanks for listening.
      Yes no matter how much I hear CC is the best way I probably will not do it. It is just not my "sweet spot" and just seems to not feel natural to me.
      Like some of your ideas and will start to work on these.
      Thanks.
      Karen.
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      • Originally Posted by karensworld View Post

        Hi to you Dave,
        thanks for listening.
        Yes no matter how much I hear CC is the best way I probably will not do it. It is just not my "sweet spot" and just seems to not feel natural to me.
        Like some of your ideas and will start to work on these.
        Thanks.
        Karen.
        Try some direct marketing then.
        Leaflets , sales letters , postcards , etc.
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    • Profile picture of the author karensworld
      Hi Marianne,
      thanks for your response.
      Could you share a little more on your email method.
      thanks.
      Karen.
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  • Profile picture of the author localvseo
    Networking with local leads groups, chamber of commerce, community groups etc is a great alternative to lead generation if calling is not your thing.
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  • Profile picture of the author vivi62
    Hi there are cold calling centres where you can hire someone to cold call for you,if you google it depending on where you live you may find a few contacts also you could hire someone on fiverr as a cold caller.
    Hope that helps
    vivi62
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    • Originally Posted by vivi62 View Post

      Hi there are cold calling centres where you can hire someone to cold call for you,if you google it depending on where you live you may find a few contacts also you could hire someone on fiverr as a cold caller.
      Hope that helps
      vivi62
      I cannot really imagine finding good person to make calls on fiverr.
      Well , but it cost a bit .
      Most of telemarketing companies will not talk to you if you are not willing to spend at least $500.
      I would rather use odesk...
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  • Profile picture of the author JBroyer44
    Dave,

    no need to get so damn angry, the point is, there are more threads of people getting their first sales here in these forums by way of the telephone then by any other method, and there is a reason for that.

    Also we have all said IT IS NOT THE ONLY WAY. We like your postcard method, I intend to use it, I post CL ads, and send emails.

    I don't even have a business card in my hand yet but have a meeting next week to discuss SMS with a client, because I picked up the phone and made 50 calls.
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    • Profile picture of the author YellowGreenMedia
      Originally Posted by JBroyer44 View Post

      Dave,

      no need to get so damn angry, the point is, there are more threads of people getting their first sales here in these forums by way of the telephone then by any other method, and there is a reason for that.

      Also we have all said IT IS NOT THE ONLY WAY. We like your postcard method, I intend to use it, I post CL ads, and send emails.

      I don't even have a business card in my hand yet but have a meeting next week to discuss SMS with a client, because I picked up the phone and made 50 calls.
      i don't understand why you think i am angry, i am not angry at all i am just disputing that cold calling is the way to go especially when the OP asked for something else then cold calling.
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  • Profile picture of the author YellowGreenMedia
    Because you don't
    No i didn't

    Yes it is.
    No it isn't (bit childish this)

    I seriously doubt it.
    I don't really care if you doubt it or not, it is the truth

    Those leads she called, came from the phone book.
    Spo you don't qualify your leads at all... great way of going about it (NOT!)

    Good for you if that is true... Which is likely not. You never left your comfort zone but you said you did 1,000 calls? I simply don't believe you. If you were cold calling you could double your business, easy.
    I also sad that cold calling for me isn't a problem, read it back it's really there

    I hate doing taxes, but I still have to do them. I like making money, and do things I don't necessarily like in order to do it. Telemarketing is huge business. If it didn't work, and it wasn't efficient, corporations wouldn't be doing this. I can not take you seriously, after spreading such misinformation. I have been in business for myself, and I always am looking to expand. Cold calling IS the most efficient and I suppose if your business is some off the wall type niche, where no one else would dare get into then I see your point. For offline consulting and marketing, you would have to be an idiot to think cold calling doesn't work. It is proven, it is efficient, and it is the best way to scale up. I don't get complacent. If I do 20 grand this month, then I want to double it.
    I hate doing taxes to that is why i pay a specialist to do it for me, these guys are much better at it then me and saves me time and most of all money because i don't understand **** about taxes.

    Sure there are big corporations and they gave big systems and trained people in place also what they have is something called qualified leads, you just don't wanna get what i am saying do you? I understand that happens a lot with religious people like you, you're not open for other methods, only your god is the true god right? how sad and shortsighted...

    let me try it one more time see if i get anywhere (i know i am up for failing but he i have some time to kill before El Classico begins) cold calling doesn't work for most newbies.. it's as simple as that just grabbing a phonebook and calling random businesses isn't going to bring the newbie any new business period... first you have to learn how qualify your leads before calling them, that is why it makes cold calling so inefficient and time consuming... then you have to get a good script and you have to learn to talk to people with trust in your voice... it isn't easy at all and people like you, religious nutjobs keep forgetting that... you tell people to go ahead and call call call... it's ridiculous, no wonder a lot a people don't make, thanks to people like you.


    It is relevant in my discussion to Karen, not to someone who clearly doesn't want growth. My point was to show her that people need her services.

    By showing her how *kuch* great you are?

    Great comment..
    Thank you

    Direct mailing = costs money
    Calling is free right?

    emailing = inefficient, as many people won't open or even view it.
    It can be inefficient but if you use email in a follow up to a directmail you can get upto 90% opening rates, especially if you have sent something special.. i belief it is called lumpymail with you guys

    Cold calling = free, personal, and fastest way to make sales
    Cold calling cost money, is time consuming and inefficient

    It so sad to see people like you who are so rusted in their way of thinking, i am always open for new ways tp prospect and make money, but people like you really make me sad...

    Ohw well one look at my bank account tells me i am right and you're wrong

    Now Real-Barca is on and i am going to enjoy that, sad people like you bring me down.

    have good one

    Dave
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    • Profile picture of the author iAmNameLess
      Originally Posted by YellowGreenMedia View Post

      Spo you don't qualify your leads at all... great way of going about it (NOT!)

      Looks like it works for me.



      I also sad that cold calling for me isn't a problem, read it back it's really there

      Mmmhmmmm


      I hate doing taxes to that is why i pay a specialist to do it for me, these guys are much better at it then me and saves me time and most of all money because i don't understand **** about taxes.

      True, but I'm referring to not enjoying the fact that I have to pay taxes, just because I don't like it doesn't mean I can just not do it.

      Sure there are big corporations and they gave big systems and trained people in place also what they have is something called qualified leads, you just don't wanna get what i am saying do you? I understand that happens a lot with religious people like you, you're not open for other methods, only your god is the true god right? how sad and shortsighted...

      Hmmm.. ATT goes house to house, door to door to anyone and everyone in a certain area. Magazine salesmen go door to door and don't cherry pick. They don't know if the house is going to be repossessed by a bank or not, they don't know the income levels of the people in them. Do you really think everyone these companies call, are qualified? Of course, my way of thinking is wrong... since yours is apparently right? How sad and shortsighted indeed.

      let me try it one more time see if i get anywhere (i know i am up for failing but he i have some time to kill before El Classico begins) cold calling doesn't work for most newbies.. it's as simple as that just grabbing a phonebook and calling random businesses isn't going to bring the newbie any new business period... first you have to learn how qualify your leads before calling them, that is why it makes cold calling so inefficient and time consuming... then you have to get a good script and you have to learn to talk to people with trust in your voice... it isn't easy at all and people like you, religious nutjobs keep forgetting that... you tell people to go ahead and call call call... it's ridiculous, no wonder a lot a people don't make, thanks to people like you.

      Since most of the population is religious, some sort of religion, I don't think you poking fun at people who are religious, is going to win any votes your way. Instead of making religious stabs at people use logic. I wouldn't advocate cold calling if it didn't work. The proof is in the pudding bud, spend some time going through threads of people who finally put it to use and have success. Even with a lousy script, and lousy experience, people can make sales in cold calling. Just by playing the numbers, you will make sales.



      Calling is free right?

      If a business already has a business line, then yes? It is already something you're paying for and usually land lines aren't paying per minute to make calls...


      It can be inefficient but if you use email in a follow up to a directmail you get 90% openingrates

      If that is the case, cool. But lets discuss the amount of time it takes, you need to have it designed, you need it printed, and sent off. Then you need to follow up by email to these businesses. So, 2 weeks, 3 weeks, a month? To get a sale? No thank you. I'd rather spend 3 hours on the phone and get a sale or two.


      Cold calling cost money, is time consuming and inefficient

      Just because you suck at it and stuck in YOUR ways doesn't mean you should mislead other people in your fantasy.

      It so sad to see people like you who are so rusted in their way of thinking, i am always open for new ways tp prospect and make money, but people like you really make me sad...

      Really? Then why are you so against cold calling? A little hypocritical don't you think?

      Ohw well one look at my bank account tells me i am right and you're wrong

      I'm pretty sure my bank accounts, prove I'm right.. LOL.

      Now Real-Barca is on and i am going to enjoy that, sad people like you bring me down.

      Sad people like you have no sense of growth, and what needs to be done to get instant sales.

      have good one
      You too
      Like I said before... never said cold calling was the only way lol.. a good marketing plan will combine different avenues so everything you do compliments each other.
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    • Profile picture of the author darune123
      Most of my clients are real estate agents, and many have a similar fear of cold calling.

      It is easy to see that cold calling can work, but is not the only method. However it is a quick and inexpensive method that can quick build customer rapport and create sales.

      As an consultant, I help my clients systematize their work flow, and part of this process is finding ways to strengthen their weakness in their business. For those clients that want to include cold calling as part of their lead generation process, but don't want to call themselves, I recommend they hire someone to call.

      Some of my clients have hired licensed agent to the calling for them, and splitting the commission, others hire contractors for x number of hours a week, and a few have outsourced to call centers.

      I have one client that talks to a cold lead, everything is handled by licensed agents calling, and another client has a team of 5 callers.

      But I also have a few clients that rely on nothing but direct mail (postcards). She is a top agent in her firm, and only speaks to people who call her. Her scripts allow her to have a high conversion rate.

      As someone said on this thread, "there are a lot of ways to skin this cat", it is true.

      There has been some great advice on handling cold calls or ways not to do cold calls, no matter which way you choose, it comes down to persistence and consistency.
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  • Profile picture of the author Tam Chancellor
    Wow, this thread has taken a dangerous turn....

    There is no best way to get clients. There are plenty of ways to get clients. If you try to force yourself to use a method that doesn't fit well with you, you'll only procrastinate and avoid marketing your business.

    I hate straight cold calling. Sucks. I did a couple of telemarketing jobs and I still have nightmares. I was pretty good at it, but I don't force myself to do it because there are other options.

    --I do direct mail. I send out a customized package/presentation to businesses that are already advertising. I tweaked a wso that I purchased. Works really well.

    --I do networking events. I'm really an introvert so I volunteer to help. This gets my name out there and I'm in a position to really get to know the members.

    --Workshops/seminars. As a Toastmaster, this works well for me.

    --Just tell everyone what I do.

    I have been really dragging my feet about my online presence. I really like PositiveVibe's LinkedIn thread.
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  • Profile picture of the author YellowGreenMedia
    Looks like it works for me.
    Well because something works doesn't make it efficient

    True, but I'm referring to not enjoying the fact that I have to pay taxes, just because I don't like it doesn't mean I can just not do it.
    Of course everyone has to paty taxes and that is not what i was talking about, i have to obey the law like everyone else, but i don't have to do my taxes, i don't have to keep books... let me specify it for you cus you seem to have a hard time understanding it, i don't have to do things business-wise that i don't like to do... i outsource it or i just don't do it... things like paying taxes isn't one of them because that would be breaking the law... is it clear for you now.

    Hmmm.. ATT goes house to house, door to door to anyone and everyone in a certain area. Magazine salesmen go door to door and don't cherry pick. They don't know if the house is going to be repossessed by a bank or not, they don't know the income levels of the people in them. Do you really think everyone these companies call, are qualified? Of course, my way of thinking is wrong... since yours is apparently right? How sad and shortsighted indeed.
    Door to door salesman, seriously? do you guys still life in the 1970... i haven't seen a door to door salesman since i was 5 (about 35 years ago) lol you grasping at straws to try to win this argument.

    Since most of the population is religious, some sort of religion, I don't think you poking fun at people who are religious, is going to win any votes your way. Instead of making religious stabs at people use logic. I wouldn't advocate cold calling if it didn't work. The proof is in the pudding bud, spend some time going through threads of people who finally put it to use and have success. Even with a lousy script, and lousy experience, people can make sales in cold calling. Just by playing the numbers, you will make sales.
    First let me be clear on one thing i am not your bud, ok? Secondly i am aware of the long toe's of religious people and frankly i really don't care... i am not here arguing to get the most people behind me, that is maybe the difference between me and you, i just defend my position and you're making a contest out of it, you seem to feel the need of people backing you up... i don't, i belief and stand behind everything i have sad about cold calling, rather people like it or not.

    And sure there are people having success with cold calling, again, i am not denying that cold call works, i am stating that there are way better methods then cold calling, with a higher success rate and more fun to do... it's as simple as pie, but this concept is still to hard for you to grasp, isn't it?

    If a business already has a business line, then yes? It is already something you're paying for and usually land lines aren't paying per minute to make calls...
    So it isn't free like you stated so bluntly? hmmmmm

    If that is the case, cool. But lets discuss the amount of time it takes, you need to have it designed, you need it printed, and sent off. Then you need to follow up by email to these businesses. So, 2 weeks, 3 weeks, a month? To get a sale? No thank you. I'd rather spend 3 hours on the phone and get a sale or two.
    You really have no clue do you? The method i use is very simple and it only involves one postcard and a email or a phone call afterwards... i can easily reach about 70 businesses in a week with personalized postcards and i sell about 15/25 mobile sites and about 10 other types of services, like SEO, SMS Googleplaces and such. you never get those rates with cold calling... my whole investment is about €100- a week

    You know why i have a good response, because i qualify my leads, i make sure that the businesses i sent postcards to really want what i have to sell, i am not just randomly sending postcards to businesses, and you know what a lot of business owners appreciate you going the extra mile for them... makes them feel special and builds immediate trust.. that is something you can't do with cold calling...

    Just because you suck at it and stuck in YOUR ways doesn't mean you should mislead other people in your fantasy.
    Call it what you want, i know i am right and you just can stand it do you, you just can't stand that there are better ways then your way to do prospecting, isn't this what this whole back and forth is all about.. you hearing from people that your way is the best... that is why you get it on a personal level from the get go of our discussion... that's cool...


    Really? Then why are you so against cold calling? A little hypocritical don't you think?
    Again you twist my words hoping you get to win the argument or something, i never sad i have anything against cold calling, again i sad and keep saying that there are better ways to prospect and that cold calling is not for everyone.... nothing is changed on that position... read the postings back i have sad it a view times now COLD CALLING WORKS (happy now?) but there are better ways to prospect especially for people who don't het anywhere with cold calling... do you get it now?

    Sad people like you have no sense of growth, and what needs to be done to get instant sales.
    And that is where you're wrong, but you're so full of yourself and cold calling then you just don't wanna see the other options, you keep preaching that your way and only your way leads salvation.... Good luck with that.

    I am going to end this discussion with you, we are running around in circles and i see no point in further debating this with you....

    I'll give you the last word so you can twist and take out of context some of my statements to make you look good, how is that?

    I am done.

    Dave
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    • Profile picture of the author iAmNameLess
      Originally Posted by YellowGreenMedia View Post

      Well because something works doesn't make it efficient

      But it is efficient, and there is more proof in the efficiency of cold calling, than your method.

      Of course everyone has to paty taxes and that is not what i was talking about, i have to obey the law like everyone else, but i don't have to do my taxes, i don't have to keep books... let me specify it for you cus you seem to have a hard time understanding it, i don't have to do things business-wise that i don't like to do... i outsource it or i just don't do it... things like paying taxes isn't one of them because that would be breaking the law... is it clear for you now.

      I like that because you are stuck using circular reasoning, that you have to use insults to make your point. Kudos to you. You obviously didn't understand what I was saying.


      Door to door salesman, seriously? do you guys still life in the 1970... i haven't seen a door to door salesman since i was 5 (about 35 years ago) lol you grasping at straws to try to win this argument.

      Ummm... Okay, ROFL! Now I see why you say cold calling isn't efficient. You aren't in the US, for starters. Apparently you guys don't have door to door sales there, because it is STILL very common in the states. This just really showed your ignorance here.


      First let me be clear on one thing i am not your bud, ok? Secondly i am aware of the long toe's of religious people and frankly i really don't care... i am not here arguing to get the most people behind me, that is maybe the difference between me and you, i just defend my position and you're making a contest out of it, you seem to feel the need of people backing you up... i don't, i belief and stand behind everything i have sad about cold calling, rather people like it or not.

      I got against what I believe is wrong and I couldn't care less if people are behind me or not. I'm just against people spreading ignorance and lies. You don't stand behind everything you said, this whole thread you have been going back and forth on what you say.

      And sure there are people having success with cold calling, again, i am not denying that cold call works, i am stating that there are way better methods then cold calling, with a higher success rate and more fun to do... it's as simple as pie, but this concept is still to hard for you to grasp, isn't it?

      I'm glad you're just pulling for more insults. You must be a great person to do business with. :rolleyes: I don't believe you're right... the amount of time it takes for your strategy, I would already have more sales in a week than you get in a month!

      So it isn't free like you stated so bluntly? hmmmmm

      It is utilizing something you already have.


      You really have no clue do you? The method i use is very simple and it only involves one postcard and a email or a phone call afterwards... i can easily reach about 70 businesses in a week with personalized postcards and i sell about 15/25 mobile sites and about 10 other types of services, like SEO, SMS Googleplaces and such. you never get those rates with cold calling... my whole investment is about €100- a week

      I can reach 70 businesses in an hour easily.

      You know why i have a good response, because i qualify my leads, i make sure that the businesses i sent postcards to really want what i have to sell, i am not just randomly sending postcards to businesses, and you know what a lot of business owners appreciate you going the extra mile for them... makes them feel special and builds immediate trust.. that is something you can't do with cold calling...

      You CAN qualify leads before cold calling. You just don't like doing it and you're so adamant against it. I don't really care about making them feel special, they are either interested or not. I'm not here to make people feel all warm and fuzzy inside, only if they use my services.


      Call it what you want, i know i am right and you just can stand it do you, you just can't stand that there are better ways then your way to do prospecting, isn't this what this whole back and forth is all about.. you hearing from people that your way is the best... that is why you get it on a personal level from the get go of our discussion... that's cool...

      LOL, but you AREN'T right. You're spreading misinformation and you're prejudice against cold calling.


      Again you twist my words hoping you get to win the argument or something, i never sad i have anything against cold calling, again i sad and keep saying that there are better ways to prospect and that cold calling is not for everyone.... nothing is changed on that position... read the postings back i have sad it a view times now COLD CALLING WORKS (happy now?) but there are better ways to prospect especially for people who don't het anywhere with cold calling... do you get it now?

      I didn't realize there was a contest going on here about winning and argument. I just want people to be successful. The real deal is, there are people who get into this out of desperation and don't have $100 to spend to try your way. Just because you have an issue with calling, and because you can't handle it, doesn't mean to advocate other means just for comfort. You should read the book, the 50th law, I think the first chapter would be relevant to all of you who are too scared to cold call. People that don't get anywhere with cold calling, aren't putting in the numbers. Plain and simple. What you DON'T seem to understand, I have done it your way, I have used almost every possible technique to generate more and more sales, and the sure fire way for me to get a sale, even on a sunday, is to pick up the phone and dial away.



      And that is where you're wrong, but you're so full of yourself and cold calling then you just don't wanna see the other options, you keep preaching that your way and only your way leads salvation.... Good luck with that.

      Like I said, I have done it all. I didn't EVER say no other options work, you just read what you want. I have done direct mailing, emailing, PPC, paid advertisements, walked in to businesses, networking meetings, trade shows.. and what is the most efficient... cold calling.

      I am going to end this discussion with you, we are running around in circles and i see no point in further debating this with you....

      You have said this before. Cool!

      I'll give you the last word so you can twist and take out of context some of my statements to make you look good, how is that?

      Like you have done throughout this post?

      I am done.

      Finished.

      How about we give the members of the forum something... Why don't we have a challenge? Set up paypal accounts, screen shot the monthly activity. You do things your way, I do things my way. Tomorrow is the 12th, how about we start then... Lets keep it going for 1 week, and see who does the most business? Talk is cheap... Lets allow the money to talk instead.

      What do you say?
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      • Profile picture of the author Aussieguy
        Well, this is a great thread IMO, I've learned a couple things.

        Question to those experienced with cold calling.....
        reason to use a hired caller is obvious (assuming you can afford it).....but what are some reasons why you shouldn't - if there are any reasons that is? (the picture here by the way is the newbie / start up who might be considering hiring someone else as a way to avoid the cold calling, and possibly the benefit of saving time, as they may already be working a job anyway).

        The main reason against that I can think of: no one else is going to be as passionate / enthusiastic about what you're offering as you are. Plus, you can answer all questions on the phone - the hired person cannot.

        What do you think?

        Secondly, on a different tangent: what about hiring out the cold calling if it is solely for setting up in-house appointments?
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        • Profile picture of the author terip
          Originally Posted by Aussieguy View Post

          Well, this is a great thread IMO, I've learned a couple things.

          Question to those experienced with cold calling.....
          reason to use a hired caller is obvious (assuming you can afford it).....but what are some reasons why you shouldn't - if there are any reasons that is? (the picture here by the way is the newbie / start up who might be considering hiring someone else as a way to avoid the cold calling, and possibly the benefit of saving time, as they may already be working a job anyway).

          The main reason against that I can think of: no one else is going to be as passionate / enthusiastic about what you're offering as you are. Plus, you can answer all questions on the phone - the hired person cannot.

          What do you think?

          Secondly, on a different tangent: what about hiring out the cold calling if it is solely for setting up in-house appointments?
          For your first question, there are a lot of cold callers that do not make the cut, this is the truth. It's like you're trying to hire an employee for a specific spot in your company but he/she does not have the right skills for said spot. The hard part is that they can talk big at the initial interview but when it comes to the actual workload they could not deliver their quotas. Be aware of these people.

          For your second question, do you mean outsourcing for appointment setting? For me it can be a good idea since they already have the knowledge and experience to do it. Again, just make sure to get either the right cold caller or the right call center to outsource to.
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  • Profile picture of the author SarahRose
    Well, I'll just sum up how I feel about CC:

    I grow cold when I think about cold-calling. It freaks me out, really. I am always worried that I'll sound like a bumbling idiot and spoil my own chances. Each call is an experience itself.
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  • Profile picture of the author SarahRose
    I'm actually quite done with cold calling. I personally feel that it's a waste of time for the prospects and for me as well:

    -prospects can't trust whatever we say on the phone as they can't see us face to face.
    - we could have called them at the wrong time. So when they are annoyed, even if you say the best things, they ain't gonna listen to you.

    So, well, I'm gonna try emailing next.
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    • Profile picture of the author iAmNameLess
      Originally Posted by SarahRose View Post

      I'm actually quite done with cold calling. I personally feel that it's a waste of time for the prospects and for me as well:

      -prospects can't trust whatever we say on the phone as they can't see us face to face.
      - we could have called them at the wrong time. So when they are annoyed, even if you say the best things, they ain't gonna listen to you.
      If I believed that, I would be out of business.

      The real issue is you dismissed cold calling. I think there is enough proof that it works.

      One of my friends just started to do some cold calling for me, since he was laid off. Not very good at sales. Told him I would give him 30% of sales and $300 for every 1,000 people who told him no. So far he is at 800 no's, but 5 sales.
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      • Profile picture of the author sebski22
        Originally Posted by iAmNameLess View Post

        If I believed that, I would be out of business.

        The real issue is you dismissed cold calling. I think there is enough proof that it works.

        One of my friends just started to do some cold calling for me, since he was laid off. Not very good at sales. Told him I would give him 30% of sales and $300 for every 1,000 people who told him no. So far he is at 800 no's, but 5 sales.
        This is an amazing Idea!! Great foresight iAmNameLess. Do you have an easy way to monitor call volumes if your callers are not based on site?

        Seb
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        • Profile picture of the author Mwind076
          Originally Posted by sebski22 View Post

          This is an amazing Idea!! Great foresight iAmNameLess. Do you have an easy way to monitor call volumes if your callers are not based on site?

          Seb
          This has been discussed on other threads http://www.warriorforum.com/offline-...ml#post7178684

          ...but if you hire the right person/people that aren't on site, and YOU know what you're doing, you don't need to monitor them. You will either get results or you won't. Which is why you should hire professionals, or you should be trained on how to train them. If you don't know what to look for, or have not done the calling yourself (and been successful), why would you feel you can monitor someone and know what YOU'RE doing?
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  • Profile picture of the author mattlaclear
    The key to making cold calling work is to do it in a way that it doesn't feel cold to either yourself or your prospect.

    So working on a delivery mechanism that accomplished that would be your first order of business. Once you figure that out everything else will be down hill.
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    • Profile picture of the author rushindo
      Originally Posted by mattlaclear View Post

      The key to making cold calling work is to do it in a way that it doesn't feel cold to either yourself or your prospect.

      So working on a delivery mechanism that accomplished that would be your first order of business. Once you figure that out everything else will be down hill.
      So true. The key is having an opening and purpose for calling that makes YOU feel comfortable. If you feel comfortable, cold calling is no longer a problem.

      Brandon
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  • Profile picture of the author Jason Kanigan
    Interesting idea, paying them for the Nos. I like it. Motivated either way.

    Yes is good

    No is good

    Think it overs are unacceptable.

    The biggest problem people have with cold calling come from:

    1) the phrase "cold calling"; it's awful...start calling it "prospecting"

    2) they get emotionally involved and feel a No is a personal rejection (it's not. All it means is they don't want what you have to offer right now. 6 months from now...?)

    3) they don't do it well. Like any skill, you need guidance and to commit to a style that works for you in order to develop. You are NOT going to be good at cold calling overnight--just like you wouldn't be good at karate, cooking, tennis or anything else overnight.

    No skill and incorrect expectations, stemming from lack of training systemic to Sales work, is the cause of poor performance with prospecting.
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  • Profile picture of the author terip
    The 'comfort zone' can take a while to achieve, but once you get it, everything (including winning your prospects) will be a lot easier to achieve.

    Always remember that practice makes perfect
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    • Profile picture of the author Sue Bruce
      Karen,

      I'm prejudiced because cold calling works for me. My advice is to give it a good try Tell yourself, you'll make a certain number of calls, there's so many excellent scripts and help in this subforum.

      If I was starting over, I would hold myself accountable in a thread. I'd tell myself I'll do a weeks worth of calling, improve every day, ask for advice here onthe forum every night, share my phone calls, good and bad THEN if I was still totally uncomfortable and knew for sure it's not "in" me THEN try other methods.

      I say this only because I didn't have any B...S when I started either. But you know what the guys say, "Grow a set"

      Sue
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael Clough
    WOW! Getting a little "heated" here Good stuff, though....

    Karen - I have no affiliation with this person on the Forum, but here's what many Warriors are also doing now:

    http://www.warriorforum.com/warrior-...-business.html
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  • Profile picture of the author russkampmann
    BUT I do want to try and contact as many business's as I can for mobile sites and sms.
    I really like the idea of doing a video on a specific site using jing, and including image of site ect.
    My dilema is, each video would take me about 30 mins from start to finish, so realistically only 6-8 emails a day!!

    I am reading here that I should be getting out about 100 a day, this method seems like such a lot of work to only have about 1/100 opened.


    Why not send out a generic video sampling your work, with an offer to do a video on their specific site? They will at least review it the initial video. If only 1 out of 100 responds, then your workload is reduced, but more importantly you have an interested prospect.
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    • Profile picture of the author arrival7
      Hey, I might need to try this whole cold calling strategy. Any teachers out there. I am willing to pay and learn.
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  • Profile picture of the author Aaron Doud
    I think Jason and Nameless have summed up a lot of things I would say. But let me offer the prospective from the other side. I handle internet marketing for an RV Dealership and thus I am among those that "offliners" pitch.

    First there are two ways to get customers.
    1. They come to you (common in retail, auto sales, and yes even realitors). To get them to come to you your marketing is focused on branding. You need them to think of you or your company when they need _____ product or service.

    2. You prospect for clients. This can be any of the "colds" from cold emails to cold calling.

    Unless you have a massive budget, high margins, or a product/service that will appeal to the masses it will be hard to brand effectively to get business. While it may be possible for an offliner to brand and get people to randomly call them I do not think it is likely with the budgets that people have here for marketing. And even those with bigger budgets would be likely to tell you that branding in this line of work is not worth the ROI.

    So that leaves prospecting. So let me tell you how I feel about the most common forms of prospecting and how I, as a prospective client, react to each. I suspect my reactions will be common to many others.

    1. Cold email: This is by far the easiest and cheapest method of prospecting. I believe most will agree with me that it has very low responce rates. The reason is myself and most others either delete it right away or skim it and delete it. Every once in a while a cold email will stand out and get my attention. And if you can get a great converting email it could work out for you. But it will be a numbers game. Nameless said 1 in 1,000 and while I am sure a good email could convert better I don't doubt many experience worse conversion rates.

    Pros: Cheap & Easy
    Cons: Likely the lowest conversion method. Prospects have been trained to ignore.

    Cold Calling: This is a favorite on this forum and for good reason. Like email this is cheap and easy. But it is also a numbers game. Nameless said 1 in 100 could be closed and I think that is realistic. It is better than email but takes longer vs. a simple cold email mass spammed. Personally I hate getting cold calls because the average cold caller is horrid. But if you know what you are doing this method is more likely to get results vs. cold email.

    Pros: Cheap & Easy
    Cons: Prospects still have a negative view of. And many cold callers can't handle rejection so don't get the calls in to play the numbers game.

    Direct Mail: This is a classic. And is at times used for branding but in our case we will focus on the prospecting version. So who uses this? Well for me the companies I get the most direct mail from at work are Google, Facebook, and Training Companies. Google and Facebook are two of the biggest people in the "Offline" marketing space. They get millions of small businesses to buy ads and this is honestly how they get a lot of them. I have tried various services of theirs because of these direct mail pieces. And I have attended trainings because of direct mail pieces we have receieved.

    But how do I view it? I guess first and foremost I view companies that direct mail as big players because that is who normally does it. The costs are two high for the new and small players to play the game so I have build in trust that the company knows what they are doing.

    Can you use direct mail to get business? Of course you can and I would recommend it as part of your overall prospecting. I think a great direct mail piece followed by a warm (slightly chilly?) call is a great way to get into a conversation with a potential client.

    Pros: Prospects view you as a bigger name because you are spending real money. Can be super targeted. And of course you can learn to test it if you do it in large enough numbers.

    Cons: Cost is the biggest issue. Also to do direct mail right it needs to be part of a campaign. Either mixed in with calls or just multiple mail pieces(normally a branding method).

    Cold Walking: This is a method that has follow out of style but that is what makes it so powerful. You know who cold walks us? Bill boards, radio stations, TV stations, newspapers, and of course the phone books. What do all those groups have in common? They all live and die by their advertisers. So when a company values each and every client they put their best face forward, literally.

    This method takes more time than cold calling but not as much as you might think. You can walk a street with businesses and hit 5 plus an hour if they are saying no. But if they are open to what you are selling you can present right there or schedule a time to come back (if you or the prospect are busy).

    I always personally suggest this method because it does a few things. First it shows you are a local business professional (personally wouldn't pitch as the business owner myself but up to you). Second I can tell you right now that in nearly all cases they have never been cold walked by someone selling SMS or websites. This makes you stand out in the crowd. Third since the companies that normally cold walk are prefessionals with higher prices they will naturally be open to you providing a premimum price point. You can be the expert and charge expert prices. I always suggest having a small/cheaper package that you can use to close the price conscious but just because you have packages starting at $299 doesn't mean they will buy the $299 package because they will listen to the expert (you) who will explain how their needs would be best met by _______ at a cost of $$$$.

    Pros: Puts you ina group of professionals they are used to buying from at premium prices. You will stand out from your competitors. You will be able to read all their communication (body, voice, etc) and thus better know when to cut your loses vs. pressing further into the conversation. And for you personally this is the selling you are used to. The only difference is they came to you in real estate.

    Cons: This takes the most time per prospect. You should get a higher closing ratio to offset this but if you don't this method will lead to failure. This is why this board always suggests cold calling first. For many offliners this is the scarest method so like cold calling it is outside their confort zone.

    In closing every method will work and the best laid plans will likely include 2 to 4 of these cold methods used together.

    Example/ Sample from Google:
    Direct Mail piece with sticker about how we are a "Favorite Place"
    Direct Mail piece including a coupon for $100 credit to try a new local version of Adwords.
    Cold call to make sure I recieved the coupon. (in my case this lead to a 20 min phone call)
    Follow up email with more information.
    Follow up call (in my case told them I would think about it more)
    Follow up email (he told me he would send ths)
    Follow up call (he told me he would call back on a certain day and he did)
    On that last call I agreed to try it out and he set up the $100 credit.

    Now we didn't think the ROI was good enough so we didn't continue past the $100 but think how many companies would get a good ROI. Do you think if they were getting good leads they would keep going and likely get a real adwords local budget going? You can bet they would.

    So as you move forward figure out who you will be marketing to. How you should be prospecting and have a solid plan of attack like google did. And if you are marketing locally I really feel cold walking should be part of your plan. And if you are not marketing locally cold calling should be (at least as a follow up to a direct mail or email). You need to speak with people to close them and you can only be semi-passive for so long. Maybe your email caught my attention but not enough for me to call you. When you call me or show up at my office it shows you are serious.

    So if you are serious you owe it to yourself and your business to cold call or cold walk. Stand out as a professional.
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    • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
      Guys, Guys, Guys....

      I don't get the arguing.
      Some people hate cold calling, and will never learn how to do it.
      A few on here are experts at it, teach it, and make it almost painless. Jason Kanigan has a training that makes the cold calling process truly painless.

      And the OP has shown that she's willing to give it a try, at least in a limited way. So she should watch the videos Kanigan put out (In the now legendary 2000th post of his), and see how painless it can be.

      In my decades of prospecting, I have knocked on doors, cold called on the phone, sent postcards, got referrals, spoke from the front of a room, sent sales letters, and used SEO to get leads to my websites. I have no prejudice, I'm not selling a system, and only care about results. And these results you guys may find interesting.

      The single most profitable way I've found to get clients is through speaking to groups. But that requires a reputation, information product, separate prospecting to book the gigs, and understanding of the entire speaking business process, and more. Not for the vast majority.

      The single most profitable way to prospect (market) locally is with referrals from Clients. Nothing else comes close. The sales are nearly automatic, and I think for Karensworld, this would be worth a ton of skill building in this area.

      But......to build that herd of customers that will give you referrals?
      Nothing beats cold calling on the phone. Nothing comes close. I wish it did, because I don't enjoy the idea of picking up the phone. But nothing makes me more money (other than calling referrals or speaking) than an hour of cold calling.

      I've sent postcards that get results, but I found that this was just a way for me to avoid calling people. If the postcard was for them to call me, the calls were few and far between (but still profitable).

      And I soon realized that my sending postcards (or sales letters), to soften the prospect up for a phone call, was just a way to put off calling. The sales didn't come easier, Just later.

      I don't know how some of the guys here cold call, but I know how I do it, and how Kanigan does it. His way is as painless as calling a movie theater and asking what time the movie starts. Seriously.

      Yellowgreenmedia: I'm with you, I don't enjoy the idea of cold calling either. But nothing is faster in the beginning to build a clientele. You have a method, and it works for you.

      But, in the beginning of building your business, it's the way to do it.

      It's as if someone wanted advice on how to hit a home run in baseball. But someone said "I sure want to hit a home run, but that whole "swinging at the ball thing" turns me off."

      Maybe hire a pitch hitter. Figuring out how to get on base, and count on the next batter. Maybe trying to get hit by the ball. (OK, I admit...baseball isn't my thing)
      I suppose there are other ways of getting a home run, but learning how to swing that bat so that it's as effortless as walking....is the way to do it.

      If, in your experience, cold calling was grueling and unproductive, you were doing it wrong. Believe me, I did it incorrectly for years. I'm a slow study.

      Cold calling isn't a religion. There are other ways. Most of the "Cold calling gurus" here have used them all. But for a person building an offline business selling to small businesses? Nothing better.

      Anyway, I gave it a shot.

      Added later: Karensworld said: "We are great listeners, we are great negotiators, we are great influencers, we are great teachers, we can talk to you FOREVER until you see things our way. C'mon boy's you KNOW we can.".

      Karen; If you learn Kanigan's method, your skills are a perfect match. Really.
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  • Profile picture of the author John Durham
    Karen, if I really want to play the guitar, but I dont want callouses on my fingers... then I better go for the flute or something instead. Cold calling IS the quickest way to a result.

    This post isnt to tell you that you have no balls...and cant make it without them. However, I think that unless you can suffer a long learning curve, and have money to invest and time to not make money for awhile... Then cold calling IS the best way to get the quickest results.

    You may just have to find a different way to wrap your mind around it like "the Truth", and forget the stigma that people attach to the idea. The truth is that its not "selling", or at least , doesnt HAVE to be... Selling is more for inbound calls and appointments at its best.

    Like some others have said here, and I will agree with Jason, think of it as "prospecting", not "selling".

    I have been saying that since the first telemarketing report.

    I dont sell on the phone personally, its too much work. I just say hi to people and "prospect". Im not trying to create interest, Im trying to "find" interest.

    If you arent interested, no problem "You werent my market", no reason to get upset about that.

    If you have a few hundred dollars to invest you can really hire any teenager to come to your house everyday and sit on your phone and "prospect" for you.

    it doesnt work as well hiring remotely...because there isnt as much accountability and it may take you weeks to find the right person. But if you just hire someone to come to your house for two hours per day and sit on the phone, and pay them an hourly to do "prospecting", then you will get some appointments every week.

    You dont have to do it yourself.

    In any event... Its not selling, there is no pressure, you dont have to be a motor mouth as Ken Caudill stated, you just need to be nice to people, tell them you have an offer and say you just called to find out if they would be interested. No pressure either way, move on to the next number, and everyday you will run across people who ARE interested.

    On another note... in any given endeavor, we have to play by successes rules , not our own, and if cold calling is the way its done, then thats the way you need to do it...Maybe just look at it differently, or hire someone to do it for you.

    -JD
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    • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
      John: I just want you to know that the reason I talked about Kanigan's approach instead of yours...is that his is a little more "Chatty", and I thought it might be a better match.

      I still love you more. :rolleyes:
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      • Profile picture of the author John Durham
        Originally Posted by Claude Whitacre View Post

        John: I just want you to know that the reason I talked about Kanigan's approach instead of yours...is that his is a little more "Chatty", and I thought it might be a better match.

        I still love you more. :rolleyes:
        Lol. I didnt give it a thought Claude to be honest. I have covered all of this a million times, we just say it in different ways, and most of it has already been said, but may not have been viewed by the person reading the post, so alot of it bears repeating over and over. There is no competition.

        I'm proud to say say that Im the one who started this whole Warrior telemarketing revolution, and carved the path for anyone else talking about it these days...and thats not really disputable...Actually at the time I hoped there would be a day when more warriors were teaching it, and that the content would attract them....

        But yeah, I have covered all of these things a million times, anyone who has been around awhile knows that. Im not worried about competing with anyone...

        Not to be arrogant, but Im the original who carved the path for everyone else in this arena at the WF, and Im the only one of them that has really trained thousands of telemarketers in a live setting. Besides Ken Michaels.
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        • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
          Originally Posted by John Durham View Post

          Lol. I didnt give it a thought Claude to be honest. I have covered all of this a million times, we just say it in different ways, and most of it has already been said, but may not have been viewed by the person reading the post, so alot of it bears repeating over and over. There is no competition.

          I'm proud to say say that Im the one who started this whole Warrior telemarketing revolution, and carved the path for anyone else talking about it these days...and thats not really disputable...Actually at the time I hoped there would be a day when more warriors were teaching it, and that the content would attract people like Jason.... More importantly though- It helps people succeed.
          I know, but I thought it should be mentioned. Did you see Cloud Atlas? I think you'd really enjoy it. Beautifully complex and esoteric. It's not for everyone, but I think you'd really enjoy it.
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    • Profile picture of the author MadLion
      Originally Posted by John Durham View Post

      Karen, if I really want to play the guitar, but I dont want callouses on my fingers... then I better go for the flute or something instead. Cold calling IS the quickest way to a result. This post isnt to tell you that you have no balls...and cant make it without them.

      However, I think that unless you can suffer a long learning curve, and have money to invest and time to not make money for awhile... Then cold calling IS the best way to get the quickest results.

      You may just have to find a different way to wrap your mind around it like "the Truth", and forget the stigma that people attach to the idea. The truth is that its not "selling", or at least , doesnt HAVE to be... Selling is more for inbound calls and appointments at its best.

      Like some others have said here, and I will agree with Jason, think of it as "prospecting", not "selling".

      I have been saying that since the first telemarketing report.

      I dont sell on the phone personally, its too much work. I just say hi to people and "prospect". Im not trying to create interest, Im trying to "find" interest.

      If you arent interested, no problem "You werent my market", no reason to get upset about that.

      If you have a few hundred dollars to invest you can really hire any teenager to come to your house everyday and sit on your phone and "prospect" for you.

      it doesnt work as well hiring remotely...because there isnt as much accountability and it may take you weeks to find the right person. But if you just hire someone to come to your house for two hours per day and sit on the phone, and pay them an hourly to do "prospecting", then you will get some appointments every week.

      You dont have to do it yourself.

      In any event... Its not selling, there is no pressure, you dont have to be a motor mouth as Ken Caudill stated, you just need to be nice to people, tell them you have an offer and say you just called to find out if they would be interested. No pressure either way, move on to the next number, and everyday you will run across people who ARE interested.

      On another note... in any given endeavor, we have to play by successes rules , not our own, and if cold calling is the way its done, then thats the way you need to do it...Maybe just look at it differently, or hire someone to do it for you.

      -JD
      John, I dont know who you are, but I like you! "Professionally of course"
      I love hardcore sales people who face things squarely.
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  • Profile picture of the author Huskerdarren
    @Karen - You don't have to cold call. Dan Kennedy is fairly well respected around here and he detests cold calling. He is a very good copywriter and direct mail expert however. There are many other ways to reach your audience.
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    • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
      Originally Posted by Huskerdarren View Post

      @Karen - You don't have to cold call. Dan Kennedy is fairly well respected around here and he detests cold calling. He is a very good copywriter and direct mail expert however. There are many other ways to reach your audience.
      You are right. And I'm a long time Kennedy student. I won't get into all the reasons he teaches direct mail....

      But over two thirds of his bootcamp audiences are sold into attending, by a phone room calling leads. Seriously. That's their big way to fill huge banquet rooms. A phone room (and affiliate marketing) are the two methods Kennedy-Glazer used to grow the business by ten fold in ten years. (or more, I didn't take the time to look up exact figures)

      Direct mail works wonders. But to make it work, the learning curve is huge. Far more than cold calling.
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  • Profile picture of the author MadLion
    Originally Posted by karensworld View Post

    I keep reading on the WF that the very BEST way to get clients is to cold call, cold call, oh and then, cold call.!!

    Maybe it is also true from some of the threads I have read, that those of us that don't do this will be left behind and that I REALLY don't have the B...s to run with offline marketing.

    As a female, anatomically, I am sure I don't !!!
    But, as a female Warrior I like to think I have certain qualities that compensate for the lack of.. (well you know!)

    We are great listeners, we are great negotiators, we are great influencers, we are great teachers, we can talk to you FOREVER until you see things our way. C'mon boy's you KNOW we can....

    So I really do not want to cold call ok.
    BUT I do want to try and contact as many business's as I can for mobile sites and sms.
    I really like the idea of doing a video on a specific site using jing, and including image of site ect.
    My dilema is, each video would take me about 30 mins from start to finish, so realistically only 6-8 emails a day!!

    I am reading here that I should be getting out about 100 a day, this method seems like such a lot of work to only have about 1/100 opened.

    Does anyone have any experience with this or might point me in the direction of something more time effective.

    Many thanks
    Karen.:p
    Karen,

    Let me start off by saying that I do not like to cold call, or talk to business owners at all, but cold calling is the fastest and most direct way to get in front of as many businesses as I can. Sales is always going to be a numbers game that the odds get better with skill.

    There are 2 ways to get in front of customers.
    1. Generate Leads
    2. Cold Call.

    The thing about generating leads is that in the end you have to call them. SO why not just skip all the in between and do that minus the (ads, web form, email campaign)

    But if you prefer to talk only to warm qualifies leads then you can:
    1. Do craigslist and other classified ads
    2. PPC
    3. Blogs, Articles, Press Release, Video
    4. SEO
    5. Will Rs Local Lead Page -(email)
    6. Email
    7. By lists of businesses and spam their ass
    8. Hold a get together female style (wine, cheese, soap) at your house and invite female business owners. Do a presentation. Collect their information. Girls are great at these.

    I prefer to generate leads myself but If I cant generate enough to have enough people to talk to in order to make sales then cold calling it is.

    Also a lot of time and thought has to go into the above list to make it effective. I would rather just be making sales.
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  • Profile picture of the author John Durham
    Originally Posted by MadLion View Post

    John, I dont know who you are, but I like you!
    Same back atcha Lion! Love the username too!
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  • Profile picture of the author IMAnthony
    Karen:
    Try newspaper ads, Facebook ppc ads targeted for certains owners, joint to Linkedin groups and search for business owners who need help, contact those already are spending money in re-designing their website, (I landed a $2,000 deal doing this).

    In short the best way to get clients is contacting by MAIL those who are needing your services or making them to call YOU throughout ads.

    Cold calling job is for some people AKA talemarketers only, or salesmen, car sellers, home sellers, etc. For internet marketing the worst technique is to interrupt the someone's work to try to sell them something or making an appointment. Try to get them look for you to to help them instead of getting so many "I'm not interested".

    -Anthony
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  • Profile picture of the author ambrking
    If cold calling does not work for you, there are other way to get those leads. Try email marketing, social media, snail mail. The first thing you need to know is where your target market mostly go. Then see what marketing channel can be used to reach them.
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  • Profile picture of the author jon99c
    There is way too much traffic out there to ever consider cold calling. Don't embarass your self and ever make a cold call again
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    John David
    Just making money cuttin corners

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    • Profile picture of the author Mwind076
      Originally Posted by jon99c View Post

      There is way too much traffic out there to ever consider cold calling. Don't embarass your self and ever make a cold call again
      Way to contribute to the conversation...if you haven't been successful at it, or haven't ever tried, you owe it to yourself to learn something and then comment!
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    • Profile picture of the author longrobnc
      Originally Posted by jon99c View Post

      There is way too much traffic out there to ever consider cold calling. Don't embarass your self and ever make a cold call again
      I make cold calls all the time. I don't find it embarrassing. Every business has ebbs and flows in their lead production. I have a staff that needs me to produce, so that they can pay their bills and eat. Should I just wait around, or should I make things happen?
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  • Profile picture of the author Rearden
    John, that's why telemarketed leads have such a horrible reputation across a variety of industries where "Mom and Pop" shops buy 20 leads a week versus the mega-agencies that buy 2000 a week...
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    • Profile picture of the author John Durham
      Originally Posted by Rearden View Post

      John, that's why telemarketed leads have such a horrible reputation across a variety of industries where "Mom and Pop" shops buy 20 leads a week versus the mega-agencies that buy 2000 a week...
      The Mega Programs have efficiently running multi million dollar per year telemarketing revenues too, because of that fact. They develop the programs with the call centers until it runs like a machine. They also fund the call center owners ability to run a sizable enough operation to fulfill such orders.

      Look at me Reardon, I am a top telemarketing teacher, if not THE top on the worlds greatest marketing forum with over a half million members and millions of onlookers.

      I can virtually do anything I want with my position, and I have made deals, done consulting for small warrior call centers , written pitches....all kinds of stuff...

      Do you think that if I thought here was huge potential in a Warrior call center that I wouldnt be doing it? Lol:p
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      • Profile picture of the author Mwind076
        Originally Posted by John Durham View Post

        I can virtually do anything I want with my position, and I have made deals, done consulting for small warrior call centers , written pitches....all kinds of stuff...

        Do you think that if I thought here was huge potential in a Warrior call center that I wouldnt be doing it? Lol:p
        AMEN...as always right on. With offering what we offer (written out clearly like ____ for $$$$), we STILL get the toe stickers (we don't work with them normally), but we get them, always asking for a sample or test or free calls/info. Look, I get it, you don't want to commit when you don't know someone...but if you aren't invested, how do you expect me to be? Put on your big guy/girl panties, hire someone that knows what they are doing and sit back and watch it happen. Or, do it your way and get a minimal amount of appts in your "trial" week and then move on to try the next guy. You'll either run out of money, or come back. I wish you'd just stick it out and watch your business grow!

        Even with the clearly laid out plans, people even on WF don't get that you can't "try" anything out and expect great or AMAZING results. That's why no one does this on a large scale here, because even the warriors don't want to "get it." When someone is ready to commit to a 6-12 month contract, take up ALL of our calling time and let me shine, then I'll open a "call room."

        We've moved on to taking the people that want to commit and get it without us having to say "we really recommend no less than 20 hours and a 1 month campaign." When they call and say "I need 35 hours a week, and I have a targeted niche list of 4000, just get me the appointments." It's on!
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        • Profile picture of the author longrobnc
          Originally Posted by Mwind076 View Post

          AMEN...as always right on. With offering what we offer (written out clearly like ____ for $$$$), we STILL get the toe stickers (we don't work with them normally), but we get them, always asking for a sample or test or free calls/info. Look, I get it, you don't want to commit when you don't know someone...but if you aren't invested, how do you expect me to be? Put on your big guy/girl panties, hire someone that knows what they are doing and sit back and watch it happen. Or, do it your way and get a minimal amount of appts in your "trial" week and then move on to try the next guy. You'll either run out of money, or come back. I wish you'd just stick it out and watch your business grow!

          Even with the clearly laid out plans, people even on WF don't get that you can't "try" anything out and expect great or AMAZING results. That's why no one does this on a large scale here, because even the warriors don't want to "get it." When someone is ready to commit to a 6-12 month contract, take up ALL of our calling time and let me shine, then I'll open a "call room."

          We've moved on to taking the people that want to commit and get it without us having to say "we really recommend no less than 20 hours and a 1 month campaign." When they call and say "I need 35 hours a week, and I have a targeted niche list of 4000, just get me the appointments." It's on!
          I have a great niche service that I'm working on a package for. When I put the finishing touches on it I want to run it by you and see what you think about it.

          I've never really cold called for a specific product. We often cold call and offer most of our services for free the 1st time around. We pick up a lot of customers this way, but I'd be afraid that a highly skilled telemarketer could book more than we could handle. We do a good job of up selling the freebie on site and with retention, so it eventually pays off.

          I've never outsourced before, but I am very interested. It has worked very well for me in the past. Please shoot me a PM when you get a chance.
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          • Profile picture of the author Mwind076
            Originally Posted by longrobnc View Post

            I have a great niche service that I'm working on a package for. When I put the finishing touches on it I want to run it by you and see what you think about it.

            I've never really cold called for a specific product. We often cold call and offer most of our services for free the 1st time around. We pick up a lot of customers this way, but I'd be afraid that a highly skilled telemarketer could book more than we could handle. We do a good job of up selling the freebie on site and with retention, so it eventually pays off.

            I've never outsourced before, but I am very interested. It has worked very well for me in the past. Please shoot me a PM when you get a chance.
            Done, I'd be happy to speak with you, and I'm sure you'll get used to all the new business with a skilled caller!
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  • Profile picture of the author John Durham
    Lol. She said "Toe Stickers"....rotflmao
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