Getting Clients Without Cold Calling?

16 replies
Hello Warriors,

I was wondering if anyone has been successful at getting clients fast without cold calling?

Thank you
#calling #clients #cold
  • Profile picture of the author vndnbrgj
    Are you nervous about talking to a business owner
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    Life Begins At The End Of Your Comfort Zone
    - Neale Donald Wilson -
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    • Profile picture of the author echelon
      I have called some businesses, but I ave not done it enough in my opinion. I don't know if it is about nervousness because I have called but it still something new to me.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jason Kanigan
    What market are you in, and what do you offer? Hard to give advice without knowing more about what you're doing.

    You could make some videos reviewing what your prospect has or doesn't have, and what you would bring to the table. Then email them the link to view or burn it onto a dvd and send it with a bag of popcorn. Make sure they can contact you after they've viewed it.

    You could hire a copywriter to write a direct mail letter for you.

    You could learn about SEO and set up a website to draw targeted traffic to you.

    You could walk in various businesses and talk to decision makers that way.

    You could offer a free seminar or webinar to whet your market's appetite for your expertise, then follow up with warm calls.

    You could watch my Free prospecting training videos and search for various cold calling posts that give lots of techniques here on the forum. That search feature is great if you use it. Prospecting is still the fastest way to get results. Cheap, too.
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    • Profile picture of the author jmevern
      Originally Posted by kaniganj View Post

      What market are you in, and what do you offer? Hard to give advice without knowing more about what you're doing.

      You could make some videos reviewing what your prospect has or doesn't have, and what you would bring to the table. Then email them the link to view or burn it onto a dvd and send it with a bag of popcorn. Make sure they can contact you after they've viewed it.
      Can your course help my offline business? I'm a videographer aiming at small businesses to create promotional videos.
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  • Profile picture of the author sbishop
    Check out this post! It lays out a step by step program to get new clients
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    • Profile picture of the author jmevern
      Thanks, Sbishop...I'll check it out.
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  • Profile picture of the author David Miller
    Originally Posted by echelon View Post

    Hello Warriors,

    I was wondering if anyone has been successful at getting clients fast without cold calling?

    Thank you
    The operative word in your question is FAST...and the answer is a simple NO....there is no faster or more cost effective way to gain a new client than through cold calling. Yes, there are tons of people (even on this forum) that will continue to try and dump their negativity on you about cold calling, but the fact remains that it works.

    I've gone done the road of looking for and trying to create other methods of reaching out to new clients. But the fact is that in the time it took to create and develop these things to my satisfaction I could have achieved a lot more by picking up the phone and doing the thing I feared.

    I give myself a little pep talk every time I pick up the phone. I'm a business owner and I'm calling another business owner, nothing more and nothing less. Odds are the business owner your calling went through the same feelings of fear of the phone as you may be, and he or she may still be going through it since building a business never stops.

    The fears surrounding cold calling is astounding, and I can't help but be astounded at my own fears concerning it, but those fears lessen every day with every call.

    There is more danger in a hundred other things we do throughout the day than there is placing a call to a business owner.
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    The big lesson in life, baby, is never be scared of anyone or anything.
    -- FRANK SINATRA, quoted in The Way You Wear Your Hat
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  • Profile picture of the author echelon
    Thank you very much for your responses. What I have been trying to sell have been different packages of done for you websites.

    Thanks a lot for all the options you have given me as well as more reasons to use cold calling.
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  • Profile picture of the author danielsteven
    Email, Email, Email.... thats how I get all my clients.
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    • Profile picture of the author ERPLeadsWriter
      Originally Posted by danielsteven View Post

      Email, Email, Email.... thats how I get all my clients.
      No offense but I don't think emails are free from stigmas any more than cold calling. In fact, back when I had a phone, I never received a telemarketing call. On the other hand, the spam filter for my inbox receives dozens of business emails and I have no idea what I did to end up getting them. I don't open them either. I find it rather odd that people hold up scams as 'proof' that 'using the telephone is bad and email is good' yet forget that viruses can get into computers via email.
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  • Profile picture of the author echelon
    Thank you very much for your replies.

    Danielsteven how many emails do you send to get clients? Do you go after potential clients that are spending on ppc already?
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  • Profile picture of the author Mr Squeeze
    hey guys,

    interesting topic you have going here, I have just started an offline campaign in which I plan on combining both email and phone.

    Basically I am going to be offering better looking websites to hotel owners.

    I have a standard home page template which takes me about 5 minutes to personalise with some of their details.

    I will then upload this mock up sample home page the net and send the hotel manager an email.

    The email will have a brief intro, a link to the personalised sample home page and a way for them to contact me.

    What I will do then is call the hotel and say something like:

    "Hi I'm Stephen Courtney, I've just sent an email to manager@whatever. com, could you please take a look at it and get back to me.

    Thanks, goodbye.

    I know this may be a little bit of a long approach, but hey that's the way i'm starting out.

    Eventually I will start cold calling, I'm just practising my script at the minute and don't want to rush in get flamed and lose my confidence.

    Like I said though I have only started this, like maybe 3 hours ago, so far I have created 6 home pages and am ready to call tomorrow.

    I have sent one text out tonight to a hotel who has a mobile number listed on their existing site.

    they have since replied saying they will check the email once they get to a computer.

    Anyway I hope this helps some of you out, I will keep you all posted.

    Stephen
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    • Profile picture of the author imagene
      Originally Posted by Stephen Courtney View Post

      hey guys,

      interesting topic you have going here, I have just started an offline campaign in which I plan on combining both email and phone.

      Basically I am going to be offering better looking websites to hotel owners.

      I have a standard home page template which takes me about 5 minutes to personalise with some of their details.

      I will then upload this mock up sample home page the net and send the hotel manager an email.

      The email will have a brief intro, a link to the personalised sample home page and a way for them to contact me.

      What I will do then is call the hotel and say something like:

      "Hi I'm Stephen Courtney, I've just sent an email to manager@whatever. com, could you please take a look at it and get back to me.

      Thanks, goodbye.

      I know this may be a little bit of a long approach, but hey that's the way i'm starting out.

      Eventually I will start cold calling, I'm just practising my script at the minute and don't want to rush in get flamed and lose my confidence.

      Like I said though I have only started this, like maybe 3 hours ago, so far I have created 6 home pages and am ready to call tomorrow.

      I have sent one text out tonight to a hotel who has a mobile number listed on their existing site.

      they have since replied saying they will check the email once they get to a computer.

      Anyway I hope this helps some of you out, I will keep you all posted.

      Stephen
      That's great Stephen, IMHO and experience a really effective approach.

      You're not spamming anyone or sending out a general message...you're letting your prospects know you've taken the time out to look at their business and given them an overview of how you, as a service provider, can help improve their business.

      Also, sending an email first with a "mock up" home page turns your prospect from a cold call to a "warm lead" - people are more receptive to you when you follow your email up with a call a couple of days later (if you need to. A lot of the time if you've done it correctly, you will get a call first )

      This is exactly the approach I use, and yep time is money and it takes time to implement this strategy, but in my experience conversions are a lot higher this way.
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      • Profile picture of the author ERPLeadsWriter
        Originally Posted by imagene View Post

        That's great Stephen, IMHO and experience a really effective approach.

        You're not spamming anyone or sending out a general message...you're letting your prospects know you've taken the time out to look at their business and given them an overview of how you, as a service provider, can help improve their business.

        Also, sending an email first with a "mock up" home page turns your prospect from a cold call to a "warm lead" - people are more receptive to you when you follow your email up with a call a couple of days later (if you need to. A lot of the time if you've done it correctly, you will get a call first )

        This is exactly the approach I use, and yep time is money and it takes time to implement this strategy, but in my experience conversions are a lot higher this way.
        How new is this method? I mean the company I work for actually uses both in a similar way. If you ask me, both cold calling and email marketing have surprisingly similar stigmas attached to them. (For one thing, spam comes off just as randomly as a cold call.) This would probably explain why such methods aren't very successful on their own. However, this thread isn't the first time I've seen people suggest combining the two so I'm really curious if this is a new trend.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mr Squeeze
    Hi Imagene,

    Thanks for chiming in, its music to my ears that you are infact using this same method.

    May I ask, are you also selling web design and also what are your percentages I.e What are your call backs to email ratios.

    Also do you send the email and then wait a few days or like I plan on doing, send the email and immediately after call the business and ask them to take a look.

    Regards,

    Stephen
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