[Cold Calling]Over 1000 dialed, 0 sales I Need help

11 years ago

Well, not to sound harsh, but your script sounds canned.

There are people here who would recommend that you start with that "is this a bad time" - I however, do not. I've been doing this for 8 years, and have NEVER said that. Here's the reason...it's most likely NOT a bad time or they wouldn't have answered the phone. Don't put it in their head or give them the option to have an out by introducing the idea that it's a "bad time." You need to go straight into getting them into talking to you, like you've known them and they are comfortable. If it's a bad time they would either 1) not have answered or 2) they will interrupt you and say "this is a bad time."

Ok, now, you introduce yourself, then with your script you're going straight into pricing. Which, if you are a seasoned pro, might work, sometimes...but since you aren't you're just throwing numbers at them and you haven't created a need, want or shown them WHY they should be shelling out this cash to you. Catch what I mean? Lead him with "tell me about your website, is it on page 1 of Google?" "What's a new customer worth to you, how much money do you average off of ONE new customer?" Then you can lead them into what you do, and how your $299 will get them 5 new clients that are going to bring them 1K of business each.

I PM'd you...I don't want to keep going if you're not feeling it

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maxrezn

11 years ago

Originally Posted by BreakingRetail

Hi offliners!

About a month ago I decided to start taking action and start cold calling. I've looked at some of the big offliner's advice and I put a lot of it into action (I at least hope I did) but I still having trouble landing clients. Since I am still starting up my business in order to fill up my portfolio I decided to sell my services at a promotional price until I get about 5-10 clients. The problem is no one seems to be interested in what I have to offer...

I am confused about what is going wrong so I wanted to clear something out and perhaps work on my script, thinking that it might be the problem. Here it is:

Some additional info:
Cold Calling targets are: Handymen, roofers, dry wall, plumbers, locksmiths & electricians.
Our VA is collecting the numbers from sites like Craigslist, Kijiji, Yellowpages & Manta, our VA also separates the lists into 2 categories "With Website" & "Without Website". So far we have only dialed the Without Website list.

What do you guys think we are doing wrong? is it the offer? the leads? the service? its been very frustrating going through over 1000 numbers and not landing a single client, although we did get some that were "interested"

PS - Here's a poster I together myself the other day, what do you guys think?
http://i.imgur.com/KdBDd.jpg

Much obliged
Michael.

Increase your prices and don't make them a selling feature. $100 website is perceived as a scam/cheap/low quality.
Make the calls more casual. "Hey I had a quick question but I'm not sure who to ask...I had a hard time finding your website online..do you even have one? Yea that's what I thought, listen..I'm a web designer here in Toronto...you wouldn't be interested in discussing how we can get set you set up with one for pretty cheap would you?"

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BreakingRetail

11 years ago

Originally Posted by Mwind076

Well, not to sound harsh, but your script sounds canned.

There are people here who would recommend that you start with that "is this a bad time" - I however, do not. I've been doing this for 8 years, and have NEVER said that. Here's the reason...it's most likely NOT a bad time or they wouldn't have answered the phone. Don't put it in their head or give them the option to have an out by introducing the idea that it's a "bad time." You need to go straight into getting them into talking to you, like you've known them and they are comfortable. If it's a bad time they would either 1) not have answered or 2) they will interrupt you and say "this is a bad time."

Ok, now, you introduce yourself, then with your script you're going straight into pricing. Which, if you are a seasoned pro, might work, sometimes...but since you aren't you're just throwing numbers at them and you haven't created a need, want or shown them WHY they should be shelling out this cash to you. Catch what I mean? Lead him with "tell me about your website, is it on page 1 of Google?" "What's a new customer worth to you, how much money do you average off of ONE new customer?" Then you can lead them into what you do, and how your $299 will get them 5 new clients that are going to bring them 1K of business each.

I PM'd you...I don't want to keep going if you're not feeling it

Originally Posted by maxrezn

Increase your prices and don't make them a selling feature. $100 website is perceived as a scam/cheap/low quality.
Make the calls more casual. "Hey I had a quick question but I'm not sure who to ask...I had a hard time finding your website online..do you even have one? Yea that's what I thought, listen..I'm a web designer here in Toronto...you wouldn't be interested in discussing how we can get set you set up with one for pretty cheap would you?"

@Mwind076
Thanks for the pointers mate, I am beginning to see what you mean and will adjust the script to not begin with "is this a bad time..." and try to measure the feedback and results.

@maxrezn
We'll adjust the pricing and try $297, in your opinion is that still too low?
I like your example and it really does seem to make sense if I AM the one calling, but I also hired a VA to assist with prospecting the the list so ill workout a similar script that the VA could follow as well.

One of the reasons we are selling these sites at a low price is to not only build portfolio but I thought it could give us a chance to also upsell other services.
Should I still bother trying to get into the door with web design services or should I try to sell something like SEO & web redesign services to businesses?

thanks again.

Thanks

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impro42

11 years ago

Take a stronger sales approach don't be timid. Assume the sale and close

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BreakingRetail

11 years ago

Originally Posted by impro42

Take a stronger sales approach don't be timid. Assume the sale and close

Thanks for your input, could you be a little more specific? When I make the calls I always try to sound like it is a no brainer to reject a $100 web design but that's because I believe it is a no brainer...

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allseowork

11 years ago

Originally Posted by BreakingRetail

Thanks for your input, could you be a little more specific? When I make the calls I always try to sound like it is a no brainer to reject a $100 web design but that's because I believe it is a no brainer...

I run a team of 6 cold callers and I want to tell you, it takes a lot of trial and error.

The best way to cold call is to make sure, it doesn't sound like one.

KYC - Know your customer first, his name, his company and his products.

When you call, refer them with their names and tell them how there products can benefit with online presence, how much sales they can generate online, which competitors of them already have an online presence.

We promote different products, but the core remains the same.

Good Luck!

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BreakingRetail

11 years ago

Originally Posted by allseowork

I run a team of 6 cold callers and I want to tell you, it takes a lot of trial and error.

The best way to cold call is to make sure, it doesn't sound like one.

KYC - Know your customer first, his name, his company and his products.

When you call, refer them with their names and tell them how there products can benefit with online presence, how much sales they can generate online, which competitors of them already have an online presence.

We promote different products, but the core remains the same.

Good Luck!

Thanks allseowork! I sent you a PM

Thanks

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Vladcanada

11 years ago

Well your pitch is way off!!! I cold called for few companies in Toronto myself, and the right pitch is very important! Dont even spend 10 seconds pitching gatekeepers!

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DavePalermo

11 years ago

If I may give you a few pieces of advice.

#1. Sell them something simple like a video for their business (assuming they have a website already) and tell them you can get it ranked for them high up in a matter of days. (Which is easily done). Sell it for $99 or whatever....
Selling them a simple service first for a minimal fee will open the door to other services you have to offer.

#2 When you cold call, sound confident, sound pleasant and most importantly control the pace and flow of the conversation.

As soon as you loose that control the cold call is done and you are off to make another thousand calls with nothing to show for it.

Just remember successful people fail a thousand times before they become successful.

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Claude Whitacre

11 years ago

Originally Posted by DavePalermo

Just remember successful people fail a thousand times before they become successful.

Dave; You gave sound advice. And I agree that you can easily fail 1,000 before you are successful. But not by doing the same thing, that doesn't work, over and over again.

And I fear, that's what our friend here is doing.
I admire his tenacity though.

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BreakingRetail

11 years ago

Originally Posted by Claude Whitacre

Dave; You gave sound advice. And I agree that you can easily fail 1,000 before you are successful. But not by doing the same thing, that doesn't work, over and over again.

And I fear, that's what our friend here is doing.
I admire his tenacity though.

Thanks Claude,
I take this business very seriously and I know I have what it takes to succeed
however was under the impression that the standard is to at least dial 1000 times using the same script before judging whether it works or not. lol and clearly mine didn't work...
Thank you again for all the input =)

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Claude Whitacre

11 years ago

Originally Posted by BreakingRetail

Thanks Claude,
I take this business very seriously and I know I have what it takes to succeed
however was under the impression that the standard is to at least dial 1000 times using the same script before judging whether it works or not. lol and clearly mine didn't work...
Thank you again for all the input =)

The value in 1,000 attempts was that you know you can call, and that nothing bad happens. And it prepares your mind for accepting help, and knowing it's value.
I'm actually kind of impressed with your response.

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maricelu

11 years ago

From your script you should be getting 3 main reasons why you will get rejected:
1. "I am an old-styled business owner, I do not need internets for my business".
2. "Your price is damn cheap, it is most likely it is a scam".
3. "Again, I am an old-style business owner, what does a hosting means? a slider? WTF? At least tell me what is all about or show.

So, the way I would solve the problems would be to find sites wich need an urgent redesign, and to price my services accordingly, not for cents.

If you bring them the value, they will most likely consider the price lastly.

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Rearden

11 years ago

Throw up a live recording of your pitch so we can listen.

That will allow us to give you precise advice.

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Jason Kanigan

11 years ago

Man that script is bad, right after your opening. Sorry, but it is.

You go right into price. This is what you sound like: "Hi, I'm calling from a BIG DISCOUNT web design place; we are DESPERATE for your business, PLEASE BUY NOW!!!"

And who, you may ask, will move towards a noise like that??

People like to buy. They do not like to be sold.

Positioning yourself as the Dollar Store of web design is a lousy idea. Move in the other direction. You target high-end clients who recognize and value quality work. You are busy and it is a lucky thing if someone can work with you.

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Claude Whitacre 11 years ago

Your script is wrong. At first, I was going to ask "At what point did most people say "No thank you" or give an indication that they weren't interested?"

But after reading your script a little more closely, it doesn't matter. You're giving too many benefits that most can't understand completely. So they say "No". And your list of benefits (when spoken) is a big list screaming "Don't Buy From ME!". I'm guessing that's where you completely lose many people.

You give them no rationale for the price drop. You don't even know if they are listening to you during most of the pitch.

I can see what you did;

You took a sentence from Kanigan, mixed in a little Dunham, and sprinkled in a little Michaels. But you did that without understanding why any of this works.

My advice is to pay John Durham for a script or pay Jason Kanigan to consult.
You are wasting your time with your script. You don't understand what makes a script work. I'm not being mean here. Most people, even experienced salespeople, don't have this knowledge.

The gold is out there. You just need to buy the right map.
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Mwind076

11 years ago

I'd go a little further and say that you probably need some type of training before getting back on the phones...I know someone who can do that

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iain1066 11 years ago

Concentrate on having a conversation rather than selling, ask questions that identify hot buttons and close based on what the prospect tells you.

What attracted you to your business? How have things changed since you got into it?

Have you ever thought about getting a website? What made you decide not to?

What has changed in your business because of the internet?

Where do you see your business in 5 years?

What do you think are the biggest challenges facing a business owner online? Complexity? Cost? That it doesn't work?

If you could wave a magic wand and have one online wish granted, what would it be? A feature packed website that ranks on Google? A Facebook page with dozens of followers? A bunch of positive reviews about your business?

If you ask the right questions a business owner will tell you exactly what you need to do to earn their business.

There is an old recording by J Douglas Edwards called 'Questions are the answer' that really drives this home.
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- Sue Bruce 11 years ago
  
  "So far we have only dialed the Without Website list."
  
  Quite a few warriors have said that it's much easier to sell to prospects who already have a website
  
  The poster's very professional. 80% off sounds like a going out of business sale so i'd definately take everyone's advice on increasing your price.
  
  Since you've already made a thousand calls you're ready to hide the script, be yourself and talk naturally to your prospects.
  
  Sue
  
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  1 reply
  
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  BreakingRetail 11 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Vladcanada
  
  ...
  
  Originally Posted by DavePalermo
  
  ...
  
  Originally Posted by maricelu
  
  ...
  
  Originally Posted by Rearden
  
  ...
  
  Originally Posted by Jason Kanigan
  
  ...
  
  Originally Posted by Claude Whitacre
  
  ...
  
  Originally Posted by Mwind076
  
  ...
  
  Originally Posted by Aaron Doud
  
  ...
  
  Originally Posted by iain1066
  
  ...
  
  Originally Posted by ProAffiliate01
  
  ...
  
  Originally Posted by Sue Bruce
  
  ...
  
  I apologize for the late reply but thanks everyone
  I really appreciate all the feedback from you all. As most of you pointed out the script is really miles away from being anywhere "good". There is a lot of advice in here and I will be taking it all into consideration, making the nesseccary adjustments in order to plan the next course of action.
  
  Again I appreciate all the feedback I will be hitting and YES I wouldn't mind paying John Durham to have a professional script done for me, as well as some consulting from Jason Kanigan. I am really in this for the long run and I need to succeed... however I am a low on cash and cannot afford them yet. I am hoping the new changes will be able to make it happen =)
  
  Though I could use some help with pricing my services, my plan was to use templates bought from WF for clients.
  They are quite simple to setup and most of the information will be provided by the clients.
  Here are the templates I am planning on using:
  
  pediatrician
  computer repair
  towing
  painters
  taxi
  kitchen remodeling
  dentist
  veterinarian
  locksmith
  chiropractor
  landscaping
  
  There are a couple more but you guys get the idea...
  I purchased them here on WF.
  
  Do you guys think these are good enough to price at $497 or perhaps higher? and is $50 too low for a monthly retainer for hosting+8 hrs of updates per year?
  
  Thanks
  
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Aaron Doud

11 years ago

Honest answer is lose the script. You likely could sell better without that script. Once you get a feel for what works and doesn't build an outline(or script) of your main points that work.

Second lose the discount. We don't want to waste our time on low priced options. Every single time I have bought the low priced option it has wasted my time. And for most business owners and managers their time is worth more than what a normal web company would charge them.

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ProAffiliate01

11 years ago

The idea of carrying on a conversation is a great idea. People want to know you care about them-more than just to make a sale. If you can convince them what you have is of value that is a better way to make a profit.

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Sarevok

11 years ago

I have experience in direct sales and calling; to be honest, I would change your script.

My script was always "reverse psychology" and it worked well.

For example:

"We're only interested in people who want *******, if this isn't you, please don't lead us along".

Reverse psychology is a huge secret of direct marketing success.

Design a script around that idea, and you'll see at least some results.

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Vladcanada

11 years ago

tips

1. dont waste time pitching to gate keepers. (but dont be rude to them as they can be wives or relatives of owner etc happened to me)
2. When calling ask for person in charge of marketing/ask if he's the owner/if not available politely say "thank you" and then tell them i'll call back in couple of hours, and fish out the name of a person who's in charge by saying "who should i refer to" or "who should I talk to when i'll call back" Many are not allowed to give out the names, but mostly it works 85%
3. If asked whats the nature of your call puzzle gate keepers with answers like "business development" Try not getting in detail with gatekeepers as some are trained not to let through phone marketers and will cut you off by saying "just send us an email"
4. Try to find the name of the owner and when calling ask to speak to him. That's the only shot you have to sell.

That worked for me, when I worked for couple of seo/web design companies made thousands of calls. Averaged 2-3 appointments a day

Then i also had 2 different experiences of Pushing vs non pushing appointments. And i can tell you that both way worked. And its a game of numbers.

Be polite but firm in your action.

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BreakingRetail

11 years ago

Originally Posted by Sarevok

I have experience in direct sales and calling; to be honest, I would change your script.

My script was always "reverse psychology" and it worked well.

For example:

"We're only interested in people who want *******, if this isn't you, please don't lead us along".

Reverse psychology is a huge secret of direct marketing success.

Design a script around that idea, and you'll see at least some results.

Very interesting, I will definitely keep that in mind. I used to use some reverse psychology back in the days when I sold PC hardware for a living. Thanks for sharing.

Originally Posted by Claude Whitacre

The value in 1,000 attempts was that you know you can call, and that nothing bad happens. And it prepares your mind for accepting help, and knowing it's value.
I'm actually kind of impressed with your response.

Hey Claude, thanks for clarifying that for me. I am a first time business owner and I never took anything business related in highschool/college, however I always had an entrepreneurial spirit and motivation to do whatever it is I want to do.

Originally Posted by Vladcanada

tips

1. dont waste time pitching to gate keepers. (but dont be rude to them as they can be wives or relatives of owner etc happened to me)
2. When calling ask for person in charge of marketing/ask if he's the owner/if not available politely say "thank you" and then tell them i'll call back in couple of hours, and fish out the name of a person who's in charge by saying "who should i refer to" or "who should I talk to when i'll call back" Many are not allowed to give out the names, but mostly it works 85%
3. If asked whats the nature of your call puzzle gate keepers with answers like "business development" Try not getting in detail with gatekeepers as some are trained not to let through phone marketers and will cut you off by saying "just send us an email"
4. Try to find the name of the owner and when calling ask to speak to him. That's the only shot you have to sell.

That worked for me, when I worked for couple of seo/web design companies made thousands of calls. Averaged 2-3 appointments a day

Then i also had 2 different experiences of Pushing vs non pushing appointments. And i can tell you that both way worked. And its a game of numbers.

Be polite but firm in your action.

Thanks for the pointers, you and many others here are right, pitching the gatekeeper is a waste of time, I can see why more clearly now. Thank you

Thanks
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webvidman

11 years ago

Breaking retail, i agree with the others about your script. Also way too much info when you start your conversation. You sell when you get the appt. see if you can get in touch with the decision maker first. With out that intro, you wont sell anything. When you do reach a decision maker, do ask him if now is a good time to talk. Doing so shows courtesy and the auto response will be, no, now is ok. Think about it this way, if your shopping and an associate comes up and asks if you need help. Yourfirst reply typically is NO, im fine. It is an auto response we have. Because we dont want to be sold. Now, when you do contact the decision maker, make a "big fat claim" like we can improve your website traffic 100% with our professional designers. Then tell him how that is possible. Then give him two benefits. And finish with "my purpose today is to just get you answers to a couple of questions, may i ask them now?" He will say yes. Then ask questions that will have him refocus on his needs and how your offer will solve them. Your last question should besomething like this. Would you invest 15 minutes of your time to learn how we can improve your online presence. You have to be confident, knowledgable, and very important, courtious. Dont sound like every other salesman that comes through the door. It does work!

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payoman

11 years ago

Before we go any further, I am SUPER surprised no one has mentioned this but...

1000 dials and NOT A SINGLE SALE for $100?

I mean...I didn't think that was even possible.

I know there ARE alot of bad things in the script and the offer does sound like a scam, but wow...I imagine your followup must either be non-existent or ...yeah that must be it.

Did you follow up every single 'interested' by phone? If so, I can't see why you couldn't even get 1 sale in 1000, that's 0.1%.

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iAmNameLess

11 years ago

Originally Posted by payoman

Before we go any further, I am SUPER surprised no one has mentioned this but...

1000 dials and NOT A SINGLE SALE for $100?

I mean...I didn't think that was even possible.

I know there ARE alot of bad things in the script and the offer does sound like a scam, but wow...I imagine your followup must either be non-existent or ...yeah that must be it.

Did you follow up every single 'interested' by phone? If so, I can't see why you couldn't even get 1 sale in 1000, that's 0.1%.

Agreed. Forget about followup, I just don't know how anyone can dial 1,000 calls and not close. 1,000 calls, how many decision makers were talked to? 100 or less? How long did it take for the 1,000 calls? Lets assume you don't one call close, you should still get someone interested enough to pay you within 2 days of first contact.

I don't understand, even with that awful script, you still should have made a sale.

Props for sticking with it, but I think there is something even deeper than the script, you aren't telling us.

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Sue Bruce

11 years ago

"Do you guys think these are good enough to price at $497 or perhaps higher? and is $50 too low for a monthly retainer for hosting+8 hrs of updates per year? "

The templates are terrific. Great banners and graphics. Call to action and all above the fold. They're definately worth $497.

Add the cost of the hosting to you plus the profit you want to make on it plus 8 hrs x minimum of $60 per hr for updates and divide the total by 12.

Sue

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BreakingRetail

11 years ago

Originally Posted by payoman

Before we go any further, I am SUPER surprised no one has mentioned this but...

1000 dials and NOT A SINGLE SALE for $100?

I mean...I didn't think that was even possible.

I know there ARE alot of bad things in the script and the offer does sound like a scam, but wow...I imagine your followup must either be non-existent or ...yeah that must be it.

Did you follow up every single 'interested' by phone? If so, I can't see why you couldn't even get 1 sale in 1000, that's 0.1%.

Originally Posted by iAmNameLess

Agreed. Forget about followup, I just don't know how anyone can dial 1,000 calls and not close. 1,000 calls, how many decision makers were talked to? 100 or less? How long did it take for the 1,000 calls? Lets assume you don't one call close, you should still get someone interested enough to pay you within 2 days of first contact.

I don't understand, even with that awful script, you still should have made a sale.

Props for sticking with it, but I think there is something even deeper than the script, you aren't telling us.

Originally Posted by John Durham

You are giving price before you give them any value or anything to be interested in.... Thats just for starters. Price means nothing to them until you build value and establish interest in your offer.

I dont know what else there is to the story...the devil is always in the details.

Hi guys thanks for coming in and helping me.
I wanted to address something, a few of you mentioned that the offer sounded too much like a scam... and after further research I now see why you guys were saying that, I appreciate all your critique and I do agree that hearing and accepting the bad will eventually yield to something good. I genuinely started the business wanting to help those who were doing business offline but had no online presence, I priced my services at a price I know would not break their pocket with this offer; I guess it was my wrong doing, thank you for pointing it out to me once again.

I would also like to bring up the fact that a few of you thought I wasn't following up with the 'interested' prospects by showing you a copy of a follow up email that is sent to those interested prospects.
Here it is http://i.imgur.com/q6Y4R.png . I also dialed the prospects back using the email as the basis. The follow up did not have any script or anything I dialed back to follow up and ask whether they had time to take a look at the email, and in the event they hadn't had the chance to look at it I gave them an overview of what was presented in the email, in verbal form but yes most of them only said "we'll get back to you" "we need some more time to think this over". You guys are totally right about it sounding, feeling & looking like a scam.

I now understand the the follow up email was another reason for them to think that my offer was a scam, you could critique it all you want as well. But as I mentioned before I know I have what it takes to make it happen, knowing I made mistakes only leads me to try harder to improve and hopefully not make the same mistake twice. There are some really great people here on WF that really want to help others, but my intention in posting these here is to get some insights on how I could improve and learn from those who have gone down the same path and perhaps learn from their mistakes, I don't mind others who rather sit back and laugh at me tripp over the same holes they might have tripped over in the past.

Perhaps I should have dropped this in the 'introduction' thread but since I am already typing I might as well do it here.
I'm not asking or looking for any sympathy I am only trying to give you an insight of the type of situation I am in and a little background story.

I was born in a country who's capital city is Jerusalem, yes Israel. My parents worked in Israel under an expired tourist visa raising 2 children, yes it was illegal for them to be there, but not my brother and I since we were born in the country, they worked for some very wealthy families cleaning homes for a living. Being very different from others I grasped the concept of individualism at a very young age, not to mention I was constantly surrounded by Jews while I myself was a Christians (everyone knew I wasn't Jewish ). My family and I survived through Saddam Husein's frequent bombing I was about 4 years old when that happened. Attending school as the only "Asian" child wasn't very difficult to me as none of my my classmates ever treated me any differently although some senior students used to pick on me and throw me into trash cans. Upon turning 13 we left Israel and immigrated to Canada and are now Canadian citizens

My parents divorced when I turned 19, and ever since I now live in with my girlfriend of 4 years(yes I am 23 about to turn 24

). Although I encountered many hurdles in the past I would've even dare to think of replacing even a single minute of it because it has made me the proud person I am today. There is more to my background but I am sure many of you have also gone through rough times but I want to thank you for letting me share a little background with you fine folks.
I would also like to add that I have nothing against any other religions and I love people of all ethnicity, living in a world where I was an outsider did have it's perks

With that said, I am ready to move on and adjust what needs to be adjusted in order for me to move to the next level

-Michael

Thanks
2 replies

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payoman

11 years ago

Originally Posted by BreakingRetail

I was born in a country who's capital city is Jerusalem, yes Israel. My parents worked in Israel under an expired tourist visa raising 2 children, yes it was illegal for them to be there, but not my brother and I since we were born in the country, they worked for some very wealthy families cleaning homes for a living. Being very different from others I grasped the concept of individualism at a very young age, not to mention I was constantly surrounded by Jews while I myself was a Christians (everyone knew I wasn't Jewish ). My family and I survived through Saddam Husein's frequent bombing I was about 4 years old when that happened. Attending school as the only "Asian" child wasn't very difficult to me as none of my my classmates ever treated me any differently although some senior students used to pick on me and throw me into trash cans. Upon turning 13 we left Israel and immigrated to Canada and are now Canadian citizens

My parents divorced when I turned 19, and ever since I now live in with my girlfriend of 4 years(yes I am 23 about to turn 24

). Although I encountered many hurdles in the past I would've even dare to think of replacing even a single minute of it because it has made me the proud person I am today. There is more to my background but I am sure many of you have also gone through rough times but I want to thank you for letting me share a little background with you fine folks.
I would also like to add that I have nothing against any other religions and I love people of all ethnicity, living in a world where I was an outsider did have it's perks

With that said, I am ready to move on and adjust what needs to be adjusted in order for me to move to the next level

-Michael

Funny, as soon as I read 'I grew up in Israel' I thought 'here comes the sob story' LOL...Sorry but that just seems a little off topic. Anyway, back to the issue...

So your followup proposal was essentially a big sales page with a big 'BUY NOW-SCAM-A-LICIOUS' button in it? THAT is the problem.

To me, that would be the same as sitting down and talking with a consultant about my personal business situation (your initial phone call) and asking them to send me through their proposed solution (your followup email) and receiving a printed advertisement where I simply expected a written proposal.

I especially want to note the impersonal nature of the email. It just seems so much like a 'shove a pamphlet in your face, WANNA BUY?', and if I received it, I would feel more like a number than a respected client.

Here is an example of my followup email to prospects (all plain text) :

Subject Line : Hi Darren, spoke to you on the phone today, RE : Website

Hi Darren,

Thanks for the chat on the phone today, here's some information about our web design services and what we can offer you for (insert business name).

My business is called xxxxxxxxxx, we focus on websites and online marketing for small businesses around Australia.

Just to give you an idea of some of the work we have done, here are some examples :
examplesite.com
examplesite.com
examplesite.com
examplesite.com

We have a standard website package that covers all the bases, here is what's included in our standard website package:

- Up to 7 webpages (Home, Services, Gallery, About, Suppliers, FAQ and Contact pages for example).
- Contact form for visitors that generates an email directly to your email account.
- Our sites are built on the CMS platform 'Wordpress', which allows us to make small changes and put up new photo's for you at no extra cost.
- Written website content sourced and completed for you by our professional copywriter, unless you wish to do it yourself.
- Easily updated design allows you to send us new photo's or content for us to post for you quickly and easily.
- Hosting, support and maintenance of your website, completely handled by us.

Our standard website package price is $xxxx+$xxx annually for web hosting, new photo submission and technical support.

We try to make the process as simple as possible, and usually have your site done within 2-3 weeks upon receiving payment and photo's/related files.

Thanks Darren, please call me on xxxxxxxxxxx or email me at xxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxx if you had any questions, otherwise I will give you a follow-up call soon/nextweek/tommorow etc.

Note it's all a plain text email (as they would expect) and it clearly outlines what they are getting, with example websites to back it up.

Then it's simply call them back and ask them if they had any questions/concerns and close over the phone. I would never attempt to close via email, as you can see, no one is just going to click a 'buy now' button in some random email. Could you imagine the average, scam-concious, untrusting, tech-unsavvy business owner EVER doing that?

Anyway, that was a long post, hope it helped.

[ 4 ] Thanks

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Claude Whitacre

11 years ago

Originally Posted by BreakingRetail

Hi guys thanks for coming in and helping me.
I wanted to address something, a few of you mentioned that the offer sounded too much like a scam... and after further research I now see why you guys were saying that, I appreciate all your critique and I do agree that hearing and accepting the bad will eventually yield to something good. I genuinely started the business wanting to help those who were doing business offline but had no online presence, I priced my services at a price I know would not break their pocket with this offer; I guess it was my wrong doing, thank you for pointing it out to me once again.

I would also like to bring up the fact that a few of you thought I wasn't following up with the 'interested' prospects by showing you a copy of a follow up email that is sent to those interested prospects.
Here it is http://i.imgur.com/q6Y4R.png . I also dialed the prospects back using the email as the basis. The follow up did not have any script or anything I dialed back to follow up and ask whether they had time to take a look at the email, and in the event they hadn't had the chance to look at it I gave them an overview of what was presented in the email, in verbal form but yes most of them only said "we'll get back to you" "we need some more time to think this over". You guys are totally right about it sounding, feeling & looking like a scam.

I now understand the the follow up email was another reason for them to think that my offer was a scam, you could critique it all you want as well. But as I mentioned before I know I have what it takes to make it happen, knowing I made mistakes only leads me to try harder to improve and hopefully not make the same mistake twice. There are some really great people here on WF that really want to help others, but my intention in posting these here is to get some insights on how I could improve and learn from those who have gone down the same path and perhaps learn from their mistakes, I don't mind others who rather sit back and laugh at me tripp over the same holes they might have tripped over in the past.

Perhaps I should have dropped this in the 'introduction' thread but since I am already typing I might as well do it here.
I'm not asking or looking for any sympathy I am only trying to give you an insight of the type of situation I am in and a little background story.

I was born in a country who's capital city is Jerusalem, yes Israel. My parents worked in Israel under an expired tourist visa raising 2 children, yes it was illegal for them to be there, but not my brother and I since we were born in the country, they worked for some very wealthy families cleaning homes for a living. Being very different from others I grasped the concept of individualism at a very young age, not to mention I was constantly surrounded by Jews while I myself was a Christians (everyone knew I wasn't Jewish ). My family and I survived through Saddam Husein's frequent bombing I was about 4 years old when that happened. Attending school as the only "Asian" child wasn't very difficult to me as none of my my classmates ever treated me any differently although some senior students used to pick on me and throw me into trash cans. Upon turning 13 we left Israel and immigrated to Canada and are now Canadian citizens

My parents divorced when I turned 19, and ever since I now live in with my girlfriend of 4 years(yes I am 23 about to turn 24

). Although I encountered many hurdles in the past I would've even dare to think of replacing even a single minute of it because it has made me the proud person I am today. There is more to my background but I am sure many of you have also gone through rough times but I want to thank you for letting me share a little background with you fine folks.
I would also like to add that I have nothing against any other religions and I love people of all ethnicity, living in a world where I was an outsider did have it's perks

With that said, I am ready to move on and adjust what needs to be adjusted in order for me to move to the next level

-Michael

You impress me. Is it possible for you to post a recording of your pitch in your own voice.? That may help us help you. I've read the posts here. Everyone posting is on your side, wanting to help.

Thanks
1 reply

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BreakingRetail

11 years ago

Originally Posted by jamtrading

i think you may need to be a little more relaxed in your call, make sure you dont put pressure on yourself to make the sale, possibly try soft selling initially maybe with a follow up call, at the very least make sure to get an email address as you can add them to your list

Hey jamtrading!
thanks taking the time to read through, perhaps you are right I was putting pressure on myself; I acknowledge that sometimes I do tend to set the bar too high ever for myself. Initially I was calling with the mindset of closing trying to close the deal with 1 phone call because who wouldn't want a proper website for $100? though I wasn't aware of the other side of the coin.
Nonetheless thanks for your input I will be putting everything iv learned in this thread into practice starting Monday and hopefully be able to start bringing in the sales

Originally Posted by payoman

Funny, as soon as I read 'I grew up in Israel' I thought 'here comes the sob story' LOL...Sorry but that just seems a little off topic. Anyway, back to the issue...

So your followup proposal was essentially a big sales page with a big 'BUY NOW-SCAM-A-LICIOUS' button in it? THAT is the problem.

To me, that would be the same as sitting down and talking with a consultant about my personal business situation (your initial phone call) and asking them to send me through their proposed solution (your followup email) and receiving a printed advertisement where I simply expected a written proposal.

I especially want to note the impersonal nature of the email. It just seems so much like a 'shove a pamphlet in your face, WANNA BUY?', and if I received it, I would feel more like a number than a respected client.

Here is an example of my followup email to prospects (all plain text) :

Subject Line : Hi Darren, spoke to you on the phone today, RE : Website

Hi Darren,

Thanks for the chat on the phone today, here's some information about our web design services and what we can offer you for (insert business name).

My business is called xxxxxxxxxx, we focus on websites and online marketing for small businesses around Australia.

Just to give you an idea of some of the work we have done, here are some examples :
examplesite.com
examplesite.com
examplesite.com
examplesite.com

We have a standard website package that covers all the bases, here is what's included in our standard website package:

- Up to 7 webpages (Home, Services, Gallery, About, Suppliers, FAQ and Contact pages for example).
- Contact form for visitors that generates an email directly to your email account.
- Our sites are built on the CMS platform 'Wordpress', which allows us to make small changes and put up new photo's for you at no extra cost.
- Written website content sourced and completed for you by our professional copywriter, unless you wish to do it yourself.
- Easily updated design allows you to send us new photo's or content for us to post for you quickly and easily.
- Hosting, support and maintenance of your website, completely handled by us.

Our standard website package price is + annually for web hosting, new photo submission and technical support.

We try to make the process as simple as possible, and usually have your site done within 2-3 weeks upon receiving payment and photo's/related files.

Thanks Darren, please call me on xxxxxxxxxxx or email me at xxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxx if you had any questions, otherwise I will give you a follow-up call soon/nextweek/tommorow etc.

Note it's all a plain text email (as they would expect) and it clearly outlines what they are getting, with example websites to back it up.

Then it's simply call them back and ask them if they had any questions/concerns and close over the phone. I would never attempt to close via email, as you can see, no one is just going to click a 'buy now' button in some random email. Could you imagine the average, scam-concious, untrusting, tech-unsavvy business owner EVER doing that?

Anyway, that was a long post, hope it helped.

Wow! I can clearly see the difference in the approach, thanks for giving me a real example it is tremendously helpful to me.
Haha oh well I guess it got to me when some of you assumed I wasn't following up with the interested prospects. Thanks again for the very generous reply!

Originally Posted by Claude Whitacre

You impress me. Is it possible for you to post a recording of your pitch in your own voice.? That may help us help you. I've read the posts here. Everyone posting is on your side, wanting to help.

Hey again Claude,
Thanks again for reading through and trying to help, I will definitely record a few phone calls when I start making them again (Monday). I have a lot of major changes to implement, starting with the first call script

followed by the email and some adjustments to pricing and such.

Thanks everyone for helping me realize the simple yet foolish mistakes I've made

. I am quite excited to start calling again on Monday with the new knowledge iv acquired here!

Michael

Thanks

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npk

11 years ago

get john durham's free telemarketing book. it's all you need.

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I can help with getting you leads and/or sales scripts.
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John Durham

11 years ago

You are giving price before you give them any value or anything to be interested in.... Thats just for starters. Price means nothing to them until you build value and establish interest in your offer.

I dont know what else there is to the story...the devil is always in the details.

[ 1 ] Thanks

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jamtrading

11 years ago

i think you may need to be a little more relaxed in your call, make sure you dont put pressure on yourself to make the sale, possibly try soft selling initially maybe with a follow up call, at the very least make sure to get an email address as you can add them to your list

Thanks

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Huskerdarren

11 years ago

Breaking Retail, how are your calls going? Any successes to report?

Thanks
1 reply

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krtheriault 11 years ago

I'm offering a Sales Mastermind Group where I go over sales methods and how to land offline clients. This is a private group, and we will have weekly live interactive webinars so everyone can learn and grow.
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Steve Jobs
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PrestonSr

11 years ago

lol, i make a better conversations by writing a short introductory email

Key is to make it short, a make short intro abt your product.
If the customer is interested then you can continue with you offer

Saves on time

Thanks
1 reply

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midasman09 Banned 11 years ago

Holy Camoly! 1,000 phone calls!

After the THIRD "Not Interested" I would have stopped and tried a different approach.

Here's a few suggestions;

1) NEVER SPILL YOUR CANDY IN THE LOBBY! You are "Hawking your wares" to....(get the following word and remember it)...."SUSPECTS"! People who have expressed NO INTEREST in what you are trying to sell! Then, you're spelling out PRICES!....to NON-INTERESTED people!

2) You MUST Separate the "Suspects from the Prospects"! Get their INTEREST...FIRST! Then, get them more INTERESTED in what you're selling! It's the old, AIDC method. ATTENTION, INTEREST, DESIRE, CLOSE!

Here's how I recently sold restaurants in a Tourist Town on having ME provide them with "Mobile Websites";

Step 1 (Assume they're interested in getting more Tourist/Traveler diners)

Hello....Mr Suspect....my name is Don Alm and I have a way for Travelers staying at local hotels to find your restaurant. These people don't carry food with them. They're hungry and looking for A place to eat. If you'll give me your email address I'll send you more info.

Step 2 (Send email that has a link to your Sales website)

Hello....Mr "Partly interested Suspect"

I'm sorry, I don't have the time to continue now. "Selling" is like a FUNNEL! Get them into the Funnel and keep drawing them down to the "Pot-O-Gold"!

It's also what I call, The GREEN-Frog System!

If you toss a Green Frog into a pot of boiling water, it will JUMP OUT IMMEDIATELY! (Same as when you give your whole presentation in ONE Phone Call)

However....if you toss a Green Frog into a pot of cold water and turn up the heat....by the time the temp gets to boiling....the Frog will be too drained to Jump!

Don Alm....been eating "Cooked Green Frogs" for many years!
- [ 4 ] Thanks
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Underground

11 years ago

You're selling cheap crap for a start. I've been there. It's what happens when you get your business education from this place, where many people will sell anything they think makes or will make money, instead of becoming a knowledgeable all-round astute marketer on knowing the basics and fundamentals, all jumping around from one thing to the next because the read a headline about some guy cashing in with qr codes etc and want in until the next thing comes along a few days later.

I have now on my harddrive over $100,000 of the best marketing and sales material from the best marketers in the world. As I know what it's like being where you are, having the desire to provide value to others, the tenacity to persist, the balls and drive to take action but lacking nous and knowledge and good education, if you got in touch, I'd give you a list and you could have what you wanted.

I haven't got the book Smart Calling by Art Sobczak in electronic form, but please buy that book. Read it a few times and get the message of the book.

You are cold calling. In the book he defines it as a salesperson calling someone they don't know and who does not know him, and - having little or no information on the prospect - robotically dials number after number, giving the same pitch to everyone who answers.

F that. There's a far better way. And the book really gives a sophisticated alternative. I'd recommend trying to get your hands on asap.

[ 1 ] Thanks
1 reply

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ambrking 11 years ago

I agree with these guys, your script does sound canned. Make it more conversational but at the same time professional. Delivery is important, do not sound too scripted. Use it to guide you but do not follow it word by word otherwise you will sound robotic.
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bizgrower

11 years ago

Hello,
I think you need to study the online presence of your prospects first.

And, go after the prospects who have spent some money for an online presence - they realize the importance of marketing and are likely to have a budget. One man shows like handymen and locksmith's are likely to be busy enough via word of mouth..., so go after a little bigger businesses.

Then ,what you can do is offer the service they need -a door opener. Maybe their website is at least okay, but they have NOT claimed their Google places listing and you can do that for them for a starter. OR, maybe they need their website to operate
properly for mobile devices...

I once had an employee who could not give free pizzas away for our delivery service.
"Um. My manager told me to call about how, um, we are introducing our delivery service...." He got hung up on in thirty seconds or less. I had 100% success rate: Hi. Do you want a free pizza for lunch today? Pepperoni or cheese? It's our way of introducing our delivery service...

Your approach seems to much like my past employee's. I think you need to come across more like owner or manager to fellow owner or manager. "Hi. This is ......... with Toronto
Web and I have studied your internet marketing and would like to talk about how we can bring you more business...

Network at Chamber of Commerce meetings, non-profits, MeetUP groups. Just meet people that way and let them get to know you...
Dan

[ 1 ] Thanks

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KingOfContentMarketing

11 years ago

Any update on your progress?

Thanks

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Jeremy Bratcher

11 years ago

Also, think about what you are offering. Why are you selling a website to business owners? Why do they need a website? The "answer" to that question is what you should base your cold calling pitch around.

Thanks

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[Cold Calling]Over 1000 dialed, 0 sales I Need help

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