Theres gotta be a better way to close web design over the phone....anyone?

Do you think that maybe offering to send them a "mock site" is what's hurting you? If it isn't what they have in mind, then you're shooting yourself in the foot because they aren't committed. Sell on the phone, close the deal without offering a mockup.

They won't answer your calls anymore? I think you may be acting too pushy and it's scaring them away. If these are calls from this week, then just chill out, do your job, at least they became potentials instead of just leads.. sometimes people don't commit immediately, and it takes some additional work.

Yes, drop the mock ups, they are not needed.

No offense to any body , but a lot of people in here using the " mock up" approach,
are using them as a crutch, most times because they aren't really comfortable
with sales yet. They don't even realize mock ups give everybody an "out".

It gives the seller an out, because he has to take time to make it ( i.e not on the phone selling )

It gives the buyer and out ... actually it gives the buyer many outs. Including being able to say
"o this guy doesn't understand my vision" ill find some one else.


If you are talking to them, on the phone, and you are asking them questions about
what they want on the site..

and they are answering and being specific,

example: "i think want a blue back ground" then they are pretty much sold.

A real simple technique to find out is, to say something like this

Bob, put money aside for a minute, close your eyes, and picture your fantasy site
Now bob think big, remember money is no object, so picture your perfect design.

Can you see it ? great , describe it to me ( and you need to be taking notes @ this point )

after he is done, tell him he has great taste, and casually ask him what he thinks the crazy number would be to do everything he wants....

one of 2 things will happen, hes gonna say some thing stupid low....
and you KNOW hes wants it, and is trying to GAME YOU and get a discount.

or more likely hes going to say some high price... (don't be surprised when you hear
people quote 10-20-50k and more)..

Once he drops a number ( any number ) he is sold... its a done deal. all you have to do is close it.

he sold himself.

Now you say, Bob, if i can GIVE you that perfect site we were just talking about,
with all those bells and whistles, for HALF of ( what he quoted ... even if he says 20k )
would you be ready to get started today....

don't say another word.

whoever speaks first loses.

when he speaks, your next words are GREAT, go get a pen a piece paper and your credit card
and i will hold while you get that.

again don't speak.

This is an email from yesterday.

"Hi Chris,Thank you very much for your quote. I apologize for not getting back with you sooner, I was in ------- on business and things were really crazy busy last week. I would like to move forward with the website - I have to fill out the info, and do some research on some sites I like, but don't want to delay getting it going. So I will get that together by the end of the week and get you the deposit."

The whole point is tha the work starts soon as they put that deposit down. It's been a week since I sent the invoice but I respect their time just like how they respect my time and my work.

Btw, I also have people fill in the questionnaire. I noticed that most of the people who fill out my questionnaire move forward. But if they dont have the time to even fill the questionnaire, I don't bother.

I made the mistake of doing mock ups when I first started too... DON'T WASTE TIME DOING MOCK UPS. that's just my two cents

Sounds like in one weeks time you made as many calls as a fulltime web development company telemarketer makes in one day, and that on your first day you missed opportunities to close because you chose to turn them into call backs, instead of closing on the spot....but yet on your first day you also generated 4 leads...

Not a bad first day.... but be real "it was the equivalent of ONE days work for a normal phone salesman".

Phone salesmen do 100 dials per hour.

So you didnt fail, but your expectations are off...

Too early to think about changing your strategy, the one you have works, but dial wise you have barely made it through a full day....

If you were in my call center I would say "Good first day", and I would know that you have about 10 more 8 hour days to go before it would be coming to you like the back of your hand and you were producing 2 sales per day like the other guys in the room.

Does this post make sense?

You have achieved in a weeks time, one full day of calling- and in that full day you developed 4 leads, its your first full day.... not bad, just no closes ; my take would be "Good job, now I want to see two closes tomorrow".

NOW, BELIEVE IT OR NOT- on the other side of that wall which you have yet to work through (good start) - about 1500 more dials from here, it will start coming natural and you will be hard pressed not to complete two sales per day before one oclock - "IF" you are applying the work ethic of a minimum wage telemarketer.

Hope this helps.

Good job, the only thing off here is "expectations management"... you are on par with a first full day's calling, certainly not intimately familiar enough with your telemarketing process yet to go saying the business plan needs top be changed.

This one hasnt even BEGUN to be mastered yet... and its proven a million times. So you are on a good path.

Lol

Those unqualified 18 year old telemarketers have more in them than they get credit for...It takes us big entreprenuers a month of hardcore disciplin and reading 20 reports...just to get up to their speed. lol

In any event, the advice I gave above is the best you will get for the next ten years on your op. Ignore everything else. This one is what the issue is....Also, close em while they are on the phone or at least try.

First rule of telemarketing ; "You only get the close if you ask for it or take".

If you set yourself up for call backs and got them, then you succeeded that day- Now set yourself up for a close.

You want the best advice on this forum?

You just got it.

No offense Ewen but this post shows that there is a mismatch between you and some one who should be giving telemarketing advice or trying to counsel on it.

With all due respect, its in his momentum, and closing tactic. All you have to say to a pet groomer is "Do you have a website. I build them". No special pet groomer talk....

Its about the Principles at work on this one. The basic laws are not being followed.

To call it "burning through that many numbers...." shows that your thinking on telemarketing isnt even in the ball park, but I love your copy writing stuff.

456 calls, or 456 actual conversations? big difference between the 2

Ewen,

what were you selling the national chains? The OP is selling websites. Were you selling the same thing?
Just curious to know, my friend.

100 dials an hour? Please enlighten me as to how in the world that is done? I use Callfire on the basic setting and get through 60 calls an hour factoring in the leads that I spend some time talking to. I've experimented with the ramped up settings but the frequency of being connected too late is a bit too high for my liking.

At Zen,

100 a day is excellent for appointment setting, but for phone closing, until you get some momentum, call backs coming in, and have really got your pitch and senses tight... it will take alot more.

Thats the ONLY thing I see missing.

Shoot for 70 calls per hour, that will work....but it may still take a day or two or three to learn how to sense when to ask for that credit card and close it, and not have anxiety in your voice when asking for the money....

By the time you get through a pitch you have alot invested so even the most experienced people have trouble not sounding anxious at the close on the first few sales...

Again, phone closing is a very IN DEMAND skill, it may take a few days to develop...but I promise it WILL come if you keep doing it.

Give out a free report in exchange they give you their name and email. Boom, now you can follow up with them and figure out their biggest challenge and need.

I understand with gas prices who really wants to drive all over town.

However, you have a 67% higher chance in closing an appointment. Mainly because setting the appointment is the "SALE" But its not putting them in a "buy or die" situation. Plus meeting peoplei n person they are more able to get comfortable and trust/or not trust you. Over the phone you have only one attribute YOUR VOICE. One thing i found with solid cold call technique is this.

FEATURE/BENEFIT every time you mention a Feature. Follow it with what is the benefit. Cold Calling is an art. You have to paint the picture your selling. What sells ART? relating to it, seeing value.

VALUE OVER PRICE EQUALS A SALE!

Pick a common ground and show how you can solve the issue or burden.

Stay confident and know you are the best at what you do. you talked to 456 people. That's a lot of practice. The guy your cold calling hasn't been practicing.

Sorry to ramble on but "Sales" is what I do and I am the BEST at it.