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Phone vs In Person Selling

by PaulintheSticks
10 replies
So I'm confident I found my niche. And I found out over the past 2 days that business owners are very responsive when your opening line is "I'm an ex (same biz as them) owner and was successful growing my business by X and now I help other (same biz) owners to do the same."

25 dials, 2 hands raised and 2 meetings pending scheduling. The problem is I'm an hour and a half from the city and there just aren't enough health food stores in my local market which either means very expensive face-to-face meetings or selling over the phone.

Alternatively, I could target a niche that I have no experience in but that really doesn't make sense esp seeing the response I'm getting in the health food store niche. At least not yet.

So I'm guessing y'all would recommend closing over the phone without a face to face meeting verses driving an hour and a half each way to a meeting? Maybe if its a big deal and I'm maybe 50-50 confident I can close them, would it be worth the trip.

Hopefully I can get some of them on skype for video meetings which should help.

Any thoughts are greatly appreciated.
#person #phone #selling
  • Profile picture of the author CreekChub
    Originally Posted by PaulintheSticks View Post

    So I'm confident I found my niche. And I found out over the past 2 days that business owners are very responsive when your opening line is "I'm an ex (same biz as them) owner and was successful growing my business by X and now I help other (same biz) owners to do the same."

    25 dials, 2 hands raised and 2 meetings pending scheduling. The problem is I'm an hour and a half from the city and there just aren't enough health food stores in my local market which either means very expensive face-to-face meetings or selling over the phone.

    Alternatively, I could target a niche that I have no experience in but that really doesn't make sense esp seeing the response I'm getting in the health food store niche. At least not yet.

    So I'm guessing y'all would recommend closing over the phone without a face to face meeting verses driving an hour and a half each way to a meeting? Maybe if its a big deal and I'm maybe 50-50 confident I can close them, would it be worth the trip.

    Hopefully I can get some of them on skype for video meetings which should help.

    Any thoughts are greatly appreciated.
    I'm no guru but I'll give you what I know. First, forget about Skype. People in the real world don't use it. Period. WF guys do, Outsourcers from Indonesia do. My wife uses it when talking with her family from Madagascar. That's about it. If you're dealing with American businessmen, it's boots on the ground or the phone for selling. Email can get you in the door and is great for updates and staying in touch.

    To your question though - it all depends (great answer, right?). Can you sell face to face? Are you comfortable, or do you get nervous? Can you manage that meeting by asking pertinent questions? Do you run on and on or can you lead the potential client (who has already been vetted for interest and budget) into doing most of the talking, while you fill in the blanks and keep the conversation moving? We don't know the answer to those questions. If your answers are positive, sure its worth it. You'll get plenty of response on this one with much more insight than I can offer. It all comes down to you though.

    Personally, if I have a solid lead who understands what I have to offer and can afford to pay for it, I'll drive an hour and a half to buy them lunch in a heartbeat. We're all different though.
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  • Profile picture of the author kpsasikumar
    [DELETED]
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    • Profile picture of the author PaulintheSticks
      Originally Posted by CreekChub View Post

      Can you manage that meeting by asking pertinent questions? Do you run on and on or can you lead the potential client (who has already been vetted for interest and budget) into doing most of the talking, while you fill in the blanks and keep the conversation moving?
      I'm not sure how your skills would change whether on the phone or in person but I can understand that some people's body language might hurt them or be nervous or not present themselves very well in terms of appearance. I don't really have those issues though.

      Its pretty obvious though that in general a face to face meeting is going to be more effective. Yea, I know, test it out but why reinvent the wheel.

      Personally, if I have a solid lead who understands what I have to offer and can afford to pay for it, I'll drive an hour and a half to buy them lunch in a heartbeat. We're all different though.
      As always, for me its all numbers. How much do I have to invest to get a client by phone vs in person? At this point I have no clue what those numbers might be. If I lived in the city, I wouldn't hesitate to do in person meetings but a long drive + gas money definitely makes me question which approach will bring the best roi.

      Originally Posted by kpsasikumar View Post

      "'I'm an ex..." is a brilliant approach
      Its like instant rapport. Being a business owner can be pretty lonely sometimes even when you have staff because they just don't "get it." But when you're an "ex" their immediate reaction is "here's someone who gets it". Trading war stories is always fun too.

      That's one reason I like WF so much. We're all in the same boat to a large extent.
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  • Profile picture of the author misterme
    Originally Posted by PaulintheSticks View Post

    So I'm confident I found my niche. And I found out over the past 2 days that business owners are very responsive when your opening line is "I'm an ex (same biz as them) owner and was successful growing my business by X and now I help other (same biz) owners to do the same."
    Cool. I guess you're thrilled I came up with it:

    http://www.warriorforum.com/offline-...ml#post7844479

    http://www.warriorforum.com/offline-...ml#post7846410

    You're welcome.
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  • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
    Originally Posted by PaulintheSticks View Post

    . The problem is I'm an hour and a half from the city and there just aren't enough health food stores in my local market which either means very expensive face-to-face meetings or selling over the phone.
    So, are you wanting to see several health food stores in a nearby city? If you are, you can schedule several appointments for one day. I know you have thought of that, I just like to think I'm helping.

    Are these health food store owners going to know that you are workig with their competitors? Or is that not an issue?
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    “Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise; seek what they sought.” - Matsuo Basho
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    • Profile picture of the author PaulintheSticks
      Originally Posted by misterme View Post

      When I said niche, I was referring to the industry. Actually, no one ever said, "hey why don't you become a consultant in the industry your business was in". And I did thank you in the previous post that you linked as you helped me realize that I need to use my business experience in my USP, but thanks again.

      Originally Posted by Claude Whitacre View Post

      So, are you wanting to see several health food stores in a nearby city? If you are, you can schedule several appointments for one day. I know you have thought of that, I just like to think I'm helping.
      Yea but already my experience is telling me that those opportunities probably won't be that common.

      Are these health food store owners going to know that you are workig with their competitors? Or is that not an issue?
      Health food stores are very local businesses. As long as I'm not working with other stores in a 10 mile radius, its probably not going to be an issue. Plus I'm an hour and a half from both Chicago and Indianapolis so I'm not too concerned. And actually even though my main focus will be on health food stores, I'm going to target the wellness industry which includes businesses such as spas and chiropractors, so the market is plenty big.
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  • Profile picture of the author Daniel LaRusso
    If you were a successful business owner in that niche, why aren't you doing it anymore?
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    It is unwise to trust all you read on the internet.
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  • Profile picture of the author PaulintheSticks
    Lots of good reasons. 1. Retail got old. 2. I had two competitors open up nearby which over saturated the market (Apparently they didn't do any market research or had really deep pockets.) 3. I decided to move to the sticks. 4. I wanted more freedom. 5. I found a buyer.
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  • Profile picture of the author PanteraIM
    Originally Posted by PaulintheSticks View Post

    So I'm confident I found my niche. And I found out over the past 2 days that business owners are very responsive when your opening line is "I'm an ex (same biz as them) owner and was successful growing my business by X and now I help other (same biz) owners to do the same."

    25 dials, 2 hands raised and 2 meetings pending scheduling. The problem is I'm an hour and a half from the city and there just aren't enough health food stores in my local market which either means very expensive face-to-face meetings or selling over the phone.

    Alternatively, I could target a niche that I have no experience in but that really doesn't make sense esp seeing the response I'm getting in the health food store niche. At least not yet.

    So I'm guessing y'all would recommend closing over the phone without a face to face meeting verses driving an hour and a half each way to a meeting? Maybe if its a big deal and I'm maybe 50-50 confident I can close them, would it be worth the trip.

    Hopefully I can get some of them on skype for video meetings which should help.

    Any thoughts are greatly appreciated.
    People aren't too concerned what your experience is, as long as it ultimately benefits them.

    Your health store idea is good, but it's not practical if you live in the wops.

    If you don't want to do one call closing you can make telephone appointments to call them back. Make the appointment the same way, send them an email, send them an Outlook request.

    We have had success in sending prospects a quick 5 point sheet in Survey Monkey to complete before the callback is completed.

    This immediately qualifies their budget, interest, what problems they are facing and where they want their business to be.

    If you want more interactivity and use Skype we've found this is successful as well.
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    you cant hold no groove if you ain't got no pocket.

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    • Profile picture of the author PaulintheSticks
      Originally Posted by PanteraIM View Post

      People aren't too concerned what your experience is, as long as it ultimately benefits them.
      I was referring to my sales experience. It seems that closing a $1-2K/mo deal is going to be tough without an in person meeting but I could be wrong.

      Your health store idea is good, but it's not practical if you live in the wops.
      I'm not sure what you mean by that. I assume you mean in person meetings are not practical.

      If you don't want to do one call closing you can make telephone appointments to call them back. Make the appointment the same way, send them an email, send them an Outlook request.
      I'm selling $1000-$2000/mo. consulting packages so I don't think one cold call closes are very practical.

      We have had success in sending prospects a quick 5 point sheet in Survey Monkey to complete before the callback is completed.
      That's a good idea. I do all qualifying on the initial call though.
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  • Profile picture of the author goldenmoon
    I have found face to face to work well AND I always follow up with a video email. They just love it. If you don't know where to go for that, try www.eyejot.com Good luck.
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