Door-to-door Business Sales - Advice Needed

If I had any sort of video talent... here's what I would do:

1. I would suggest creating a website that is a hub for local business reviews / spotlights / news, etc. You can even personalize and call it something like www.YourNameinCity.com.

2. Create a Facebook page / Google Plus Page, Twitter account and YouTube channel, Foursquare account.

3. Make your site a fun blog... add a few posts about restaurants you've been to, businesses you frequent... take pictures and live videos of you and your friends at the business having fun.

Put all of that online and start to fill out the site a bit.

Make sure you share everything you do on those other channels you created.

4. As you're out and about in the city, create a short video with your video. Make it a personal tip regarding that business and upload it to your YouTube Channel. YouTube allows mobile uploads.

Next, check in with Foursquare and share the link there as a Foursquare Tip. Anyone else using Foursquare will surely check out your video and it will start to get views. At the end of the video and in the title encourage others to leave info about the business. Keep an eye on the comments.

Spend time on each of your social accounts and ... socialize!!! visit business youtube channels, G+ pages, Facebook pages, Twitter, etc. Like them... comment on them... do everything as your business. Link everything together so any curious business owner will see you everywhere.

Next...

Turn it into $$$

Once you've built the site up a bit and have several videos out there... go to businesses you frequent. Bring a smart phone or iPad and ask to speak with the manager / owner about your blog and how you'd like to do a spotlight video on their business. You can do a fun interview, or ask to take pictures of the store and write a story about them... if the owner is uncomfortable doing video right away, you can just type out the interview. If you can't write, you can always hire someone here on WF to write for you.

There are all sorts of ways you can then upsell them on something...

1. More professionally done videos
2. YouTube channel - offer to share it on your blog and embed some videos on their site... no site?
3. Custom website - if you can't do this, refer them to a reputable warrior for a cut in profits or outsource if you want to handle the customer service (that would be best).
4. Facebook page setup - just open a basic page, link it to your own and share with your friends / family. Get them to ask their customers to like the page... there is tons of info on promoting FB for business.
5. SEO for website, Google Plus Local, Video...

There is no end to what you can do for them.

In my opinion, going in for the sale will not work nearly as well as what I've suggested... I know, because I've done both LOL

1. Work hard.
2. Make a lot of visits.
3. Be aggressive

I learned that when I failed to do any of the three things above I had unsatisfactory results.

Prospecting ails all sales issues.

Hey midasman, I have good news: You're winning your argument.

The bad news is that you're arguing with yourself. No one told him not to make in-person visits. Quite the opposite.

No one told him not respond to your advice and stroke your ego, either. Maybe he's just out working now and will do it later.

Thanks for the replies all. Just to be clear, as far as what I'm selling, I have that covered. I have a truly unique product offering and many years experience in film/tv/video production.

This is going to be hard work for me, I know it. I know the rejection will get to me some days, but I'm also ready for that and prepared to persevere.

I am getting hung up on small details though, overthinking things, worried that I'm not going to say the exact right thing and will lose opportunities that way. I gotta stop that.

I did get some advice that I shouldn't leave anything behind if I can't get that initial 5 minute meeting, that it would just be thrown out.

I'd love to hear all the ways I can optimize this. How do I get the receptionist to get me to the person I want to see?

I do have a 30 second commercial, but if I never get past the receptionist, then what? Next business and try another day?

What about a phone call the night before, leave a message saying I'm going to drop something by, and when I talk to the receptionist, let her know that I told John Doe that I was going to drop something off for him? Then leave my brochure and sales letter?

I feel like even if I don't get the meeting that getting my sales letter into their hands is a big win.

But I have no experience with how this works in the real world. Ugh.

Anyone set me straight?

Thanks all, for your help.

Not necessarily "small" businesses. I am targeting companies over $1mil/yr in sales. They may be small regarding of # of employees, but I have a great product and it's not cheap.

I am not expecting or even trying to sell the product on the first visit. I just want to start making contact.

I need to get out there. Today. And I'm psyching myself out.

I agree! sales letter only work if people sign up for them.

In SALES there is no reason to ever NOT be straightforward, honest and helpful.

There's a heavy-hitting life insurance vet that almost strictly sells by door-knocking cold on businesses.

The advice he bestows his agents is to "knock on 30 doors MINIMUM each day" and that when you do that, you "won't be anything BUT rich."

My health insurance agent door-knocked me cold about 3-4 years ago; perfect timing as my wife was going off her insurance and we needed coverage.

He's probably made 3000 to 4000 in commission combined.

I think everyone who walks into businesses are hoping to hit it off with the owner and either get an appointment or sale each time. However not realizing that several doors will need to be knocked or walked through (for businesses) in order to find someone interested in an offer or presentation. I think the problem with offliners is that they are great at online marketing and comfortable at their computers. However leaving the house to hit up local businesses might be a tough task... but when you park your car in front of the business, opening the door to get out of the car may be the hardest thing for some offline gurus may have to do.

I used to do local seo, but not anymore more. I don't have time to figure out google. Figuring out google makes me tired. I sell life insurance in Texas now to both residential neighborhoods and recently local businesses. It's easier, plus after the sale I do not have to build links. As far as local businesses goes... I'm preparing my pitch, got a couple of ideas to try out (test). We'll see how it goes. Most importantly, this is all about being an effective communicator and salesperson. Find a problem and offer a wonderful solution.

Great thread.

For all the negatives that cold calling and cold knocking gets, that fact is there's almost nobody doing it anymore.

Everyone's convinced direct mail, email, or some type of tangental marketing method is the way to do it.

And those fields are crowded with competition.

My challenge to anyone frustrated with their results and looking to get the ball rolling on bringing in new business is:

-Set a goal to introduce yourself to 150 new businesses a week for two weeks, defined as meeting the decision-maker, telling him what you do, and attempting to set an appointment, or:
-Set a goal to call on 1000 businesses within two weeks, defined as simply dialing the number.

As Claude pointed out, focus on sorting, not selling -- so understand you're not hustling and out to aggravate people. See who's interested in hearing more. Whatever it is you're selling, you'll eventually run across someone who says, "Hey, I AM interested. Tell me more."

(Sorry if this has already been said, didn't read all the responses)

If you're going to be doing door to door sales (or any type of sales in fact), try not to "shove" your service down their throat.

Instead of going into "here's what i've got".... Try and get them to admit they need it.

Once you get the owner:

"Hey Tom, I was just looking at your (website, advertisement, marketing piece whatever) and realised how you could be getting a heap more customers with it. Is getting more customers something that would interest you?"

Then just ask them questions about their business, actively listen to them, and repeat it back to them.

me - "So what your saying is (repeat back) is that right?"

Them - "Yeh exactly"

me - "We'll i've got something that would......" and then introduce your product and start to sell.

Cheers,

s62731

I would only leave the sales letter behind. Mail the flyer to them. This gives you a second opportunity to contact the business owner, and you never know why he didn't want to see you in the first place. You should also create a postcard mailer to send out as a follow up after one week after you have mailed out the mailer if you still have not received a reply.

It may also help to cold call the businesses first and book an appointment with the Decision Maker. This is more professional in the eyes of many business owners and marketing Decision Makers. I was an Inside Sales V.P. for a b-to-b multimedia marketing company (we made videos and DVDs and other business marketing and communications media) and I was the guy who made all those calls. I can tell you that it really works. Your message is not urgent enough in the immediate moment to get a lot of people to agree to a "knock-in" meeting during their busy business day.

It's more professional-seeming if you have someone else book these Intro appointments for you, if you can afford that. Have them call for four hours per day, five days per week. Pay them a decent base salary by the hour, and give them some kind of bonus incentive if you successfully hold a meeting. (No bonus for a canceled meeting or a no-show.)

I hope this helps you.

Read this:

48 Hours with the King of Cold Calls, Market Research and Strategy Article | Inc.com

Yes, it's from awhile back, but you know the fundamentals don't change.

Increase your social visibility then start thinking about others.
I think sending the people only one page flyer is cool. Becasue most of them don't turn the page and read the other side. So why waste money by sending them 2/3 pages brochures?