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cold visits - something to leave with the potential customer

by Rendition
6 replies
Hey warriors,

We are getting ready to do a bunch of cold visits, and we're looking to leave the potential customers with something besides just our business card. Unfortunately we are working with a small overhead, so giving things away like mugs, keychains, etc isn't really what we are hoping to do just yet.

For now we were thinking of leaving them with a sheet that overviews what they get from us, with a nice logo at the top. Something we can just print out easily on either regular computer paper or thicker paper (opinions on paper quality?)

I'm just looking for ideas on how we should go about making this sheet, and if people have done something similar what sort of techniques they have used for the thing you leave them with. We feel it is important to leave the business with something besides just our business card for visual reference, and I figure some people here might have good ideas before I waste my time printing it.

Thanks!
#cold #customer #leave #potential #visits
  • Profile picture of the author Aaron Doud
    Here are the points I want to make and for you to think about.

    1. Anything you give should tie back to what you sell.

    2. A flyer, no matter how nice, is not a gift. If they didn't seem interested when you talked they will just toss it. When you leave a prospect will only normally get less interested.

    3. A good gift works to keep you on their mind because they will use it. Pens, Calendars, and etc work for this.

    4. Think back to gifts you got an used.... what were they? And can any of those relate to your business.

    Let me give an example.

    Let's say copy machine sales and leasing. They bring in a gift of a trash can basketball hoop to the Office Manager. This will likely get used and when they go to buy or lease their next machine it will help that business be on the top of their minds.

    Insurance agents do this a lot with calendars. As insurance is something you think about based on the date (ie time to renew).

    It doesn't have to be expensive but a cheap gift that gets tossed might as well have not been given.
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    Aaron Doud - Sales & Success
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    • Profile picture of the author BrandenNaka
      Originally Posted by Aaron Doud View Post

      Here are the points I want to make and for you to think about.

      1. Anything you give should tie back to what you sell.

      2. A flyer, no matter how nice, is not a gift. If they didn't seem interested when you talked they will just toss it. When you leave a prospect will only normally get less interested.

      3. A good gift works to keep you on their mind because they will use it. Pens, Calendars, and etc work for this.

      4. Think back to gifts you got an used.... what were they? And can any of those relate to your business.
      Aaron does a great job here outlining what the item you leave should entail. Back when I started, I used to leave fliers and/or a little booklet that gave great information (step by step) on how they can set-up their own google+ account the right way. The fliers usually got tossed and I never heard back. The booklet on the other hand peaked some interest and I was able to convert some of those into clients. It was a good method for the tight budget.

      I went from that to now leaving what I call a 'Welcome' kit. It's a cool folder (with our logo screen printed on it) that has some cool information on paper as well as our coolest addition; a custom USB drive. Pop that sucker into your computer and it boots up a website that gives them more info and we're also able to collect lead info on it (Name, email, phone, etc.). It's a neat experience...and most people love it. If they don't...well, they just got a free USB drive with our logo on it.
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  • Profile picture of the author Rendition
    Well I suppose at this point because of the overhead we are working with, we are looking for something to leave with potentially interested prospects rather than every single business we visit. Hence the flyer idea. After we generate a few more sales we will likely do something like pens or mugs but for now we are looking for free/very minimally priced solution. Just something that we can leave with them besides just a business card. Isn't something better than nothing if its pretty much free for us to produce? I'm new to this so this is a serious question. Thanks for the reply.
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  • Profile picture of the author helisell
    Are you going to leave the item after you've had a go at selling them or before?

    Will you be leaving the 'gift' at the first sign of rejection or when?

    Is the 'gift' idea a subconscious signal to you and whoever else is out calling, that you are likely to fail most of the time?

    How about leaving them with a signed copy of the order they just signed.

    I'm being a little ironic I know but be careful that you don't start relying on the 'gift' as it will have a knock on effect on everything else you are wanting to achieve at the cold visits.

    At the first sign of them saying 'is there something you can leave me with' you'll likely whip out the gift and cave in. Many of the people you visit will say this just to get rid of you....and by having the 'gift' you'll be helping them to do just that.
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    Making Calls To Sell Something? What are you actually saying?
    Is there any room for improvement? Want to find out?

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  • Profile picture of the author bizgrower
    Spend a few hundred on a relevant self-published book through createspace or kunaki.
    Or, kindle and let them have free access to your book. (I know you said limited budget,
    but bang for the buck and establishing your expert position.) Maybe better for networking/speaking engagements...
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    "If you think you're the smartest person in the room, then you're probably in the wrong room."

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  • Profile picture of the author PanteraIM
    I would suggest you start an email marketing list to nurture these leads which may turn into sales later on. It doesn't cost anything to set up an auto responder and to buy brand able PLR articles to drip feed them content.

    After the meeting/sales call with a prospect which does not buy right away you can sell them the value of signing up to your list.

    You'd like to share some information on how they can grow their business online, it's an internet marketing course valued at $47 for the year, I really don't want you to miss out on this, so today I'm going to offer it to you for FREE.

    What's the best email address to get you signed up?

    If you share them good content on a regular basis you can often recycle the lead into a different product or offer them deals to trigger their urgency to buy.

    You can use your list as a tool to get referrals and forwards to their existing client base with sharing on twitter, fb etc.

    The possibilities are endless with email marketing
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    you cant hold no groove if you ain't got no pocket.

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