26 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
26 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

HELP: How Do I Market Offline?

by The Oilman
22 replies
I am sorry for the generic question.

Pleaes do not flame me or hate me.

I am a seasoned marketer, I've had great success online.

But now I am wanting to market to businesses, via email or direct mail.. or even with calls.

I want to sell a recurring service (not SMS, seo, or any of the common offline niches).

I have analysis paralysis. There is SO much info on offline marketing. And of course I am looking for the quick solution.

But I just want something tried and tested. I am contemplating sending some direct mail but I have already tried thousands of cold emails and have had no success.

I'd also like to try lumpy mail or something such as 3D mail to really stand out.

What are the best courses on offline marketing?

One technique I kind of like is the Joe Polish "whiskers and cheese". I've not listened to the full audio program yet, but this is where you email to inquire about something to not immediately show yourself as a marketer..

Episode 055:The One Where Dan Sullivan Talks with Dean about Cheese and Whiskers « I Love Marketing

I dont know guys, I am sorry for this whiney email.. I just wish I knew of a technique that would step by step GUIDE me the right way so I will have the smallest risk and highest results possible..
#market #offline
  • Profile picture of the author Eddie Spangler
    You will probably get a good response with a lot of varied opinions.
    The only thing I will suggest is whatever you go with, ask yourself if this is going to excite you, because there are a TON of ways to make money, it is literally sitting there waiting for you to take it, but if the method doesnt excite you then you may be going from idea to idea without success.

    Good luck!!
    Signature
    Promise Big.
    Deliver Bigger.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5872444].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author David Miller
      I take it that you already have a product/service that you want to market. Like most people here you would rather not share the details for fear of the obvious.

      Ultimately, the response you are going to get is that you should cold call. Not easy but the fastest way to build a business if you cannot afford something like targeted direct mail. By affording I'm not just talking about money.

      For cold calling to be the most effective and the least frustrating:

      Target your market and develop a script. Then rather than waste your money on ridiculous WSO's, just read every post you can find by John Durham.
      Signature
      The big lesson in life, baby, is never be scared of anyone or anything.
      -- FRANK SINATRA, quoted in The Way You Wear Your Hat
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5872500].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author The Oilman
        Yeah sorry for the lame post .. I just dont know where to start. I am willing to buy any product or read any post. But unlike online marketing, I have no idea where to really start. We've sent out thousands of emails but have had many bounce back and have had ZERO results with it.

        I realize there are many ways to offline market, I was just looking for a clear technique to start with.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5872697].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author David Miller
          I guess I must be really stupid. I know that what I'm going to say is going to cause many others to say the same. But that's okay!

          This thread got me curious enough to spend (waste) 55 minutes of my life listening to this where's the cheese stuff. This is all I heard.

          1: Send an email pretending that you may be a customer.
          2: When they respond, continue the deception

          The rest was a hodge-podge of two guys telling each other what a great idea it is.

          So...what am I missing besides the 55 minutes of my life I'll never get back?
          Signature
          The big lesson in life, baby, is never be scared of anyone or anything.
          -- FRANK SINATRA, quoted in The Way You Wear Your Hat
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5873021].message }}
          • Profile picture of the author beeswarn
            Thanks for the alert and saving my time, David.
            {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5873185].message }}
          • Profile picture of the author racso316
            Ha, that's how I felt when I spent time watching the video about this http://www.warriorforum.com/offline-...d-you-get.html

            That sucks, I mean I follow Joe Polish teachings, which is mostly Dan Kennedy's teachings but he's cool and knows a lot about marketing. Too bad he's promoting deceiving prospects.

            Originally Posted by David Miller View Post

            I guess I must be really stupid. I know that what I'm going to say is going to cause many others to say the same. But that's okay!

            This thread got me curious enough to spend (waste) 55 minutes of my life listening to this where's the cheese stuff. This is all I heard.

            1: Send an email pretending that you may be a customer.
            2: When they respond, continue the deception

            The rest was a hodge-podge of two guys having telling each other what a great idea it is.

            So...what am I missing besides the 55 minutes of my life I'll never get back?
            {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5873326].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author TheWealthSquad
    What kind of product or service? Are you doing it locally? The answer really depends on what resources you have, what skills you have and how much you want to spend.

    Cold walking - Going into the local business to pitch your service is very effective but usually not as efficient due to the time constraints.

    Cold calling to set up appointments tends to be much more efficient and easier to outsource. Buying a targeted list will help with this.

    Direct mail works but can be tough to get the right call to action if you haven't done it before and it has a learning curve on doing it cost effectively. If you are blanketing an area the post office offers EDDM which can lower your cost pretty dramatically.

    Local Group - Find a local group and give a seminar in person. Look for BNI groups, etc if you are in a B2B type of product.

    So the more detail you can give the better we can answer you.

    Type of product and type of client
    Signature
    Get Your Business Noticed WSO Local Business Citations

    Scott Lovingood - Join me on Linkedin
    Creating Wealth with a small business

    Best Motivational Business Speech
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5873230].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author The Oilman
    David -- sorry about the MP3. I didn't really get to listen to much of it. I am sorry it was a waste of time. That is my problem -- I feel so blind to everything offline and every piece of information seems to take a massive amount of time to consume. Sorry about that.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5873334].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author TheWealthSquad
      Cheese and Whiskers is definitely a more advanced tactic that takes a lot of skill to pull off without pissing someone off.

      I would say for most people it is something they should avoid until they get their pitch down to a science.
      Signature
      Get Your Business Noticed WSO Local Business Citations

      Scott Lovingood - Join me on Linkedin
      Creating Wealth with a small business

      Best Motivational Business Speech
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5873358].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author beeswarn
        Originally Posted by TheWealthSquad View Post

        Cheese and Whiskers is definitely a more advanced tactic that takes a lot of skill to pull off without pissing someone off.
        Most deceptive sales approaches do take a lot of skill to execute.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5873395].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author David Miller
      Honestly, I don't want to appear like a know-it-all about this and I'm open to perhaps missing something.

      Maybe I'm not advanced enough. I was only taught how to pick up a phone and get the person on the other end to WANT to give me a credit card number.
      Signature
      The big lesson in life, baby, is never be scared of anyone or anything.
      -- FRANK SINATRA, quoted in The Way You Wear Your Hat
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5873360].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author TheWealthSquad
        David - It can get people to return your call. That part is very effective. It is all about how you position it in the initial contact and how you make the transition to selling them something.

        If you are good at building a quick rapport with people on the phone you can make it work (though you will still make some mad).

        Is it a method I would start someone with? Nope.

        Can it be effective? Yes

        Is it ethical? Depends on how you actually set up and phrase the initial contact. It is a great technique to use when you are actually a client of the person and want to do their marketing. As a cold call method I think it can be risky unless you know what you are doing. Not for a newbie.
        Signature
        Get Your Business Noticed WSO Local Business Citations

        Scott Lovingood - Join me on Linkedin
        Creating Wealth with a small business

        Best Motivational Business Speech
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5873426].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author beeswarn
    Oilman, I've been thinking this over. In this thread you seem extremely risk-averse and gullible for a seasoned marketer who claims great success. In another I find that you're asking where you can buy a list of e-mail addresses.

    Can you briefly restate exactly where you are in terms of your experience and omit any further embellishments?

    I'm scanning the threads looking for people who need help. I'll be glad to try to help you. But I don't want to come back here if you aren't going to be honest about what you need.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5873442].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author SEO Jerry
      Originally Posted by beeswarn View Post

      Oilman, I've been thinking this over. In this thread you seem extremely risk-averse and gullible for a seasoned marketer who claims great success. In another I find that you're asking where you can buy a list of e-mail addresses.

      Can you briefly restate exactly where you are in terms of your experience and omit any further embellishments?

      I'm scanning the threads looking for people who need help. I'll be glad to try to help you. But I don't want to come back here if you aren't going to be honest about what you need.
      I noticed that, too. A "seasoned" marketer will not be 'all a-flutter' when trying to develop a way to contact prospects.
      Signature

      Jerry Davis, Sr. Developer/Marketer
      Houston Website Optimization
      Dallas Wedding Photographer
      Houston Pool Repair

      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5873526].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author SEO Jerry
    I make phone calls to get business, and it works great. Then I actually have to follow through, which is enormously time consuming, followed by more phone calls to find new clients. Buts its kind of fun and always challenging. Are you comfortable using the phone to contact businesses?
    Signature

    Jerry Davis, Sr. Developer/Marketer
    Houston Website Optimization
    Dallas Wedding Photographer
    Houston Pool Repair

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5873502].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author beeswarn
    Well, his light still shows him online so I'll try to help.

    The lowest-risk, highest-reward method to prospect to businesses is with telephone prospecting.

    It isn't as easy as sending unsolicited e-mail, but its returns are significantly higher than zero.

    Someone with your low-risk tolerance should not consider U.S. mail. You are unlikely to get past the high cost of producing a high-quality mailer or the cost of postage, and you will not be satisfied with the low conversion rate.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5873813].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author David Miller
      @TheWealthSquad - I'm going to ask something and on the surface it may seem sarcastic, perhaps snarky. I mention this because you may be aware from some of my posts how I feel about marketing "sytems" that can be perceived as deceptive.

      My reasons for being so negative about "systems" that hide the real agenda are many. Primarily however, it's because of the nature in which they are presented in this forum.

      That is, as something superior to what many say are "typical salesman" approaches.

      But, I am asking sincerely about this. I've read your posts and clearly you understand sales and the sales process. Perhaps there's something I'm missing about this. I think an "advanced" sales person would be able to effectively get the attention of a prospect without any type of deception.

      As I read what you say it appears that your use of the term "advanced" means that someone can take a reply to a deceptive introduction and then turn it to their advantage.

      So here's where my confusion is. If someone is able to effectively get the attention of a prospect without any deception, what is the advantage of using any prospecting method that would hide the agenda?
      Signature
      The big lesson in life, baby, is never be scared of anyone or anything.
      -- FRANK SINATRA, quoted in The Way You Wear Your Hat
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5875317].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author The Oilman
        A few of you guys are kind of rude.
        I didn't mean to brag about being a "seasoned" marketer.

        I am very experienced in SEO and PPC marketing. But its much different than cold contacting and introducing a new idea by email, voice, or direct mail. Its a totally different kind of selling.

        This forum is often loaded with negativity.

        On that same note, I apologize for my dumb thread. I was just looking for a starting point. Because it truly is a much different world than where I've had success online.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5876519].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author TheWealthSquad
        Originally Posted by David Miller View Post

        @TheWealthSquad - I'm going to ask something and on the surface it may seem sarcastic, perhaps snarky. I mention this because you may be aware from some of my posts how I feel about marketing "sytems" that can be perceived as deceptive.

        My reasons for being so negative about "systems" that hide the real agenda are many. Primarily however, it's because of the nature in which they are presented in this forum.

        That is, as something superior to what many say are "typical salesman" approaches.

        But, I am asking sincerely about this. I've read your posts and clearly you understand sales and the sales process. Perhaps there's something I'm missing about this. I think an "advanced" sales person would be able to effectively get the attention of a prospect without any type of deception.

        As I read what you say it appears that your use of the term "advanced" means that someone can take a reply to a deceptive introduction and then turn it to their advantage.

        So here's where my confusion is. If someone is able to effectively get the attention of a prospect without any deception, what is the advantage of using any prospecting method that would hide the agenda?
        @David - Nothing sarcastic seen in your question. Advanced was a poor choice of words to use on my part. I am not a fan of nor do I use deceptive techniques like this. I have used the Cheese and Whiskers concept when I was using a service and then turned it into a sales pitch for my services.

        An advanced sales person would not need to use this technique to be successful. It does take an advanced salesperson to be able to make the switch from the deceptive intro to a working relationship.

        Again I haven't actually listened to the mp3 but saw it being discussed on another forum. I haven't been on the WF for a while (one of my offline businesses is a tax preparation company and we doubled in size over the past year so been a little busy) so haven't read any of your posts David other than what I have seen in a few posts here. I have found you to be intelligent and very much real world. Don't worry about offending me as I have very thick skin
        Signature
        Get Your Business Noticed WSO Local Business Citations

        Scott Lovingood - Join me on Linkedin
        Creating Wealth with a small business

        Best Motivational Business Speech
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5876993].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author remega
    Direct mail marketing. I make well over 7 figures with this in my real estate investment business.
    Signature
    Need Biz or Project Funding? Just Click Here For Private Money!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5876750].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author goldog
    In the original Offline Gold thread that (I believe) began the rush to "Offline" Andrew Cavanagh promoted face to face meetings. Just get out and talk to business owners. Let them know how you can use the techniques you've perfected online to benefit their brick and mortar business.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5877437].message }}

Trending Topics