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

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Hey,

So i've recently shifted gears and instead of setting up appointments and selling face to face I've been trying to close web design deals over the phone. There are a couple reasons for this:

1. I've ran out of quality leads around me
2. I dont waste 4-5 hours of driving/meeting/selling and can focus on calling

This week i've made 456 cold calls and got 4 people interested in buying a site (yay!) I told them I would make a "mock" site and send it to them and set a time for the next day so we can talk about the next steps.

NO SALES!

I've gotten people who just simply wont answer my calls anymore and one guy continues to lie to me when he says he has yet to read the email (Spypig reveals you live on a throne of lies my friend)

Should I try to sell on the first call? So far showing them a mock website just isn't working.

By the way my target market are pet groomers who make over $150,000 a year so I KNOW they have the money.

Any ideas?
#offline marketing #close #design #gotta #phoneanyone #web
  • 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.
    • [ 3 ] Thanks
    • [1] reply
    • Thanks for the advice in retrospect calling them the next day can be pushy, I'm so used to face-to-face selling.

      Yeah the mock site I thought was what was killing me, but everyone on here was saying how amazing doing a mock site made sales so I gave it a try. What I started feeling was that I was giving them a way out of the sales conversation and then I would never hear from them again.

      Do you generally make a sale on the initial call? Or does it take more than one call to finally close?
      • [2] replies
  • 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.
    • [ 14 ] Thanks
  • This is an email from yesterday.

    "Hi Chris,
    • [1] reply
    • Yeah, it doesn't always happen instantly...

      This morning I woke up to this email:
      " Nathan

      The check was overnighted last night and attached is the contract.

      Thanks
      "

      Sale took 3 days.
  • 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.
    • [ 3 ] Thanks
    • [2] replies
    • No offense taken at all John.

      You mention about "my copy writing stuff".

      Can we agree the copy writing, I comment on,
      is about sales in print or on the internet?

      And that a sales script, pitch out of the mouth
      is about making a sale too.

      Therefore we are on the same page.

      And when an ad gets over 90% less sales than another,
      then there is a an opportunity to see how that top ad
      worked better?

      At least have an open mind as to there may be something there?

      When the original poster gets those numbers that are interested in finding out more,
      and my numbers are over 90% better, then why dismiss what I bring to the table?

      Had a Warrior dismissed 2 copywriters, that aren't professionals, and went with professionals that have a longer track record of successes for their clients,
      he wouldn't of paid out $10,000 and $2,000 to these newbies.

      Why did he pay them and not those 2 hardened professionals?

      Because he tested all their sales videos and the newbies video scripts
      brought in the most sales.

      Back to the telemarketing.

      I have made a number of posts giving the results of the script I used to
      consistently land national and local chains of stores and medical centres.

      As I said the key word is consistently, not a fluke or got lucky.

      I'm able to get 1 out of 10 I call as clients.

      Something to think about my friend.

      Best,
      Ewen
      • [1] reply
    • Thanks for the advice, 100 calls an hour is intense lol. I'm clearly not performing like I should. How do you find leads so fast? I use Manta and just go through pet groomers who make over a certain amount of money. I then google their business name to make sure they dont already have a website and if they do see if it is in need of an update. I place all this information on an excel sheet and call one by one. I can usually get 100 leads with an hour or so of research.

      Is there a better way to doing this? I'm sure outsourcing would be a better option.

      By the by, I'm looking at auto-dialers that work with Voip. Am I wasting time with this or do you have any recommendations?
  • 456 calls, or 456 actual conversations? big difference between the 2
    • [ 1 ] Thanks
    • [1] reply
    • Indeed. It , again, is the equivalent of an average new callers first day on the job out in the offline world... having developed 4 leads it wasnt a bad first day, but the expectations are off, and the next day the big improvement should be "asking for the close".

      It can take a week or a day.... its a curriculum that you get through at your own pace..

      In any event,

      Even millionaire call center owners know that if a TM doesnt put in 36 hours per week at 100 dials per hour, he isnt going to hit his quota.

      Why should we believe any different?

      Expectations management and closing is the clear issue here. It doesnt get any clearer.

      Actually there ISNT an issue, its all par for the course and about on track honestly.

      So I will ask a question here, and I wont answer it. I will let YOU.

      "If it takes as much work as a fulltime job for the first year, then why do I even want to do it At all?

      Why is it any better than just having a JOB ? Why is it even worth it if it takes that much work"?

      Now get out your pen and paper....you will find the answer.
      • [ 1 ] Thanks
      • [2] replies
  • 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.
    • [1] reply
    • For the national chains, I'm selling debit card and cash till receipt paper rolls.

      I paid $62,00 for the business and have bought in some of these clients
      and some were already clients.

      Best,
      Ewen
  • 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.
  • Banned
    [DELETED]
  • 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.
    • [ 3 ] Thanks
  • 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.
    • [1] reply
    • I completely agree with that.

      Now your just making numbers up.

      NO, setting an appointment IS NOT the "SALE"


      Wrong wrong wrong.


      Yes, that is 100% correct. no one can dispute that.

      That is not the only way to get to a sale. A LOT of people would disagree with you.

      but that is semantics, there is always more then one way to sell. The way your describing, is one way, for sure.

      [/QUOTE]

      That IS REALLY GOOD advice there


      Awesome .... Welcome to the offline forum, good to have you here.

      please, don't post ambiguous numbers that aren't true.

      its quite clear you have some experience. Good, this forum needs it.

      as far as being the "BEST at it ....

      where ever you worked at, you may have been a big fish, in a small pond
      but here in the WF, your just a fish, a small fish, in a very very big pond,

      if you say "your the best", that's a challenge .... to a lot of people, not everyone will look at it in the vein you meant it.

      and if i am completely off base, and you really think you are the best ...
      well, that's because you haven't met me. ( or some of the other warriors who
      lurk / post here )

      agian, welcome to the forum
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