I'm a SISSIE and I need HELP!

10 years ago

Hey Brian, it's all about waking them up in the opening. I almost make it awkward when I call. I do my opening and then say oh and I am also on your website right now then I pause for like 2 seconds. Those 2 seconds get the people on the other line saying OKAY??????, but at least I have their attention. From there I sell myself, do NOT be pushy, these people don't know you and you probably will never see them face to face so be honest. I can't tell you how many people have said to me I can't believe I am giving you my credit card number so quickly because I was not pushy, I was nice and pleasant, and I did not cram anything down their throat.

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Brian Alaway

10 years ago

Thanks, mckennabrowny, I'm not the pushy kind (too passive if anything) plus that's why I like John's script, it's laid back. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks

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DaniMc

10 years ago

My biggest recommendation is CallFire.

Once I started using that, I really found my groove on the phone. It's cheap and works great. I don't like techno, but I set it to play techno for me between calls...and I can knock out a few hundred calls with no effort.

For me, dialing numbers was the hardest part. With CallFire, it just connects calls and you have no choice...the phone is ringing.

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Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.

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Brian Alaway 10 years ago

Thanks Dan. Are you referring to Cloud Call Center?
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- DaniMc 10 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Brian Alaway
  
  Thanks Dan. Are you referring to Cloud Call Center?
  
  Yep. It is a great product.
  
  Thanks
  
  Signature
  Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.
  
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Brian Alaway

10 years ago

Thanks. Checking it out.

Thanks

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digichik

10 years ago

Originally Posted by Brian Alaway

my main target is businesses with no website (higher margins).

How do you figure 'higher margins'? Not necessarily the case, a re-design/update is a brand new website. Your margins are what ever you want them to be. You set your prices.

Calling is not bad once you get going. For me, the most difficult part is to just get going, once I get started I enjoy it most of the time.

Here's wishing you much success.

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Brian Alaway

10 years ago

Right on about the getting started being the most difficult. I've made a few calls and found thinking about calling is much worse than actually calling. As for the higher margins, I've not tried charging $499 for a mobile site, so while I'm sure it's possible, I think it's a much harder sell than a full website for the same.

Thanks

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mckennabrowny

10 years ago

Brian, one more thing. We all want one call closes and they do happen, but if I crank out a solid calling day I will usually have 10 solid follow ups the next day and I usually get 1-2 of them.

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Brian Alaway

10 years ago

Yea, if I get a one call close I'll probably retire immediately lol. My expectations are really low since I'll be developing any sales/closing skills as I go. At this point not sure how to even attempt a one call close so just hoping not to get an immediate no thanks, not interested. I'm working on a good follow up email that I can also use (a variation of) for initial contact also. Any killer email scripts floating around, please share too.

Thanks

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DPM70

10 years ago

I'm convinced that cold calling is the fastest way to a pile of cash

You need to get out more.

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Brian Alaway 10 years ago

Originally Posted by DPM70

You need to get out more.

I plan to, starting Wednesday.
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DPM70

10 years ago

Hey, you sound serious so I wish you luck

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DPM70

10 years ago

What you offering for your fee? Website, mobile site, marketing, all?

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Brian Alaway

10 years ago

I'm going to follow John's formula, simple websites for $499. The sites I've sold were for more but locally there are more opportunities for the starter sites so I plan to focus on volume initially. Mobile sites are even easier but the most I've sold them for is $295. Of course I'm going to go with the flow and adjust up or down as opportunities present themselves.

Thanks
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PanteraIM 10 years ago

Hi,

Some good questions, here are some points:

No one can make you accountable for your actions apart from yourself. You need to develop that self-control into your own character by doing what you should be doing whether you like it or not.

All of this fear and 'I can't do it' is completely in your head.

If you want a way to self-manage yourself you should break up your calling time into blocks of 4 and have callback goal for how many leads you are going to generate.

2/2/2/2

Just focus on getting x amount of leads for THAT amount of time in your calling block and take a ten minute rest between every 2 hours of calling. I'd start at a goal of one lead an hour, but for the sake of averages make your goal 3 then 5, then 7..

Golden rule of sales is to keep the funnel full

All sorts of unforeseen obstacles are going to manifest to challenge your self-belief: you can't control if they are interested or will buy from you, you can only follow a proven sales process and keep talking to more and more prospects to keep your head above water until you believe you are very good at what you do, then you will be unstoppable.

When you start calling:

When you do your follow up calls you need to come from a place of strength instead of the usual:

'Did you manage to look at my email?'

A much stronger way to frame the conversation is to say:

'Hi, Mr. Prospect. Brian Alaway here. I'm giving you a call back as promised. I sent you an email a few days ago regarding having your website built and there's a couple of things I'd like to add to my offer, I don't mind waiting while you go bring that email up..'

Don't let them f$%k you around. If they didn't get around to opening it before you called this is their opportunity now while they're on the phone with you.

If they are interested they will immediately ask what the extra bonus is, don't show your hand just yet. You never want to be on the receiving end of being asked a question in sales..

'Sure, I'll get to that in just a second.. but first what did you like about the offer that I sent you?'

Find out what in your pitch/offer that really appealed to them, agree, nod smile and then summarize everything that they get, 5 pages of content, Google optimized pages, analytics, support..

this is where you can include your directory listing valued at $xx per year, but if they pay their deposit now you are willing to include it as part of the package.

Then do a check close: 'Would that help you out?' Or 'Mr. Prospect, is this what you had in mind?'

Now go in for the kill: 'How would you like to make payment, Mr. Prospect?'

People generally don't appreciate things that are free, this is a way to build some urgency into your offer and gets them to make a decision today..

Good luck..
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- Claude Whitacre 10 years ago
  
  I haven't cold called on the phone for a while.
  
  But I've trained hundreds of salespeople. The single most important thing is that you sit down and dial. If you put in a solid (No breaks) 90 minutes or two hours (whatever time you set yourself), and you really put in that time?
  
  I'd say that first day was a success. 90% of calling is just to call. Learning the rest, as you keep calling, will come pretty easily. The hard part is to not quit.
  
  I can't tell you why ever successful cold caller is successful at it. But I can tell you why people aren't successful at it. They quit before their skills had time to develop.
  
  Don't quit.
  
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  Brian Alaway 10 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Claude Whitacre
  
  But I've trained hundreds of salespeople.
  
  That's why the advice in this forum is so valuable.
  
  Originally Posted by Claude Whitacre
  
  The single most important thing is that you sit down and dial.
  
  That's what I'm realizing. Thinking about calling is much harder than just calling.
  
  Originally Posted by Claude Whitacre
  
  The hard part is to not quit.
  
  Don't quit.
  
  That's going to be my mantra. Don't quit - one in the morning and one in the afternoon
  
  Thanks
  
  1 reply
  
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  Claude Whitacre 10 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Brian Alaway
  
  .
  That's going to be my mantra. Don't quit - one in the morning and one in the afternoon
  
  Brian; First, Thank you. But that's not what I meant. I meant don't quit calling even when you don't make sales.
  
  You will suck at this in the beginning. Everyone does. But the more you call, the easier it is to learn what to do correctly, and the more you won't mind calling.
  
  One of my favorite quotes was out of an old sales book.
  "With every repetition, the desire to do the thing increases".
  
  Like John Durham says, you will suck in the beginning...but if you don't quit...in a few months, you'll be great. In a year, you'll be a god.
  
  Ever watch a baby try to walk? their head is too big, their legs are too small, and they have never done it before.
  
  But how many of us learn to walk? All of us. Why? Because we didn't quit trying.
  
  And why the heck are you waiting until Wednesday? That's really the part that scares me. Believe me, people buy on Mondays too.
  
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Eddie Spangler

10 years ago

Im sure you appreciate all the good tips you are getting and will do well if you will just do it.

My only tip is that if you need some people on a mostly anonymous forum to keep you accountable then you dont really want it bad enough.

On the other hand if you want to send me $200 a day I will personally call you on the
hour every hour between 9 and 6 to make sure you are really working , lol

Thanks
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Claude Whitacre

10 years ago

Originally Posted by Eddie Spangler

Im sure you appreciate all the good tips you are getting and will do well if you will just do it.

My only tip is that if you need some people on a mostly anonymous forum to keep you accountable then you dont really want it bad enough.

On the other hand if you want to send me $200 a day I will personally call you on the
hour every hour between 9 and 6 to make sure you are really working , lol

That's actually one of the most valuable services someone could offer. I'm not joking.

Added later: I've actually hired assistants for the sole purpose of making me work when I didn't want to. Sure, I was training them. Sure, they made money. Sure, I made money from their efforts. But I hired them because they forced me to work harder when I wanted to go see a movie instead.

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Brian Alaway

10 years ago

Originally Posted by Eddie Spangler

My only tip is that if you need some people on a mostly anonymous forum to keep you accountable then you dont really want it bad enough.

Have to disagree. That's one of the main reasons having a mentor is so valuable, they hold you accountable. Putting oneself on the the record publicly can be very motivating. Of course if you tank, it can be pretty humiliating too.

Originally Posted by Eddie Spangler

On the other hand if you want to send me $200 a day I will personally call you on the hour every hour between 9 and 6 to make sure you are really working , lol

lol, you'd just get a busy signal

Thanks
1 reply

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socialentry 10 years ago

yeah I agree that peer pressure works but you have to set your own path eventually. No one will care as much about your success as yourself.
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Brian Alaway

10 years ago

Thanks Claude, I understood, the mantra thing is just a goal. But now you have me thinking that perhaps micro goals "If you put in a solid (No breaks) 90 minutes or two hours" could be even more valuable. If a goal is too unrealistic it tends to become a fantasy goal. I'm already booked for Monday & Tuesday and I'm just hoping I can finish by Wednesday. Unfortunately, I'm still a one man band.

Thanks

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RedShifted

10 years ago

This may sound stupid and a lot of people probably won't do it, but go for a run before you start calling.

It will kill any nervous energy, perk you up, and make social activities a lot easier. All I know is when I use to give speeches in an auditorium full of 300 people, I would run 2-3 miles before doing it. Otherwise I'd get panic attacks. And it was amazing how effectively it actually worked.

A lot of people don't exercise. But endorphins are your bodies natural opiates. They will trigger a significant shift in your state of mind making it a lot easier to do stressful activities.

You wouldn't even have to do it all the time, maybe just the first few days of calling to help you break the ice. Thats what I would do personally. =]

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Brian Alaway 10 years ago

Originally Posted by RedShifted

This may sound stupid and a lot of people probably won't do it, but go for a run before you start calling.

Not only is it not stupid it's actually quite smart. I'm already running 3 times a week in the early morning so this will fit right in and in addition to working off nervous energy I also find that running allows for some meditative thinking time. Isn't it interesting how most of the battle has little to do with anything external but more with the battle within ourselves. Thanks Red.

Originally Posted by PanteraIM

All of this fear and 'I can't do it' is completely in your head.

yes indeed, Thanks PanteraIM
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Jon Martin

10 years ago

Originally Posted by RedShifted

This may sound stupid and a lot of people probably won't do it, but go for a run before you start calling.

It will kill any nervous energy, perk you up, and make social activities a lot easier. All I know is when I use to give speeches in an auditorium full of 300 people, I would run 2-3 miles before doing it. Otherwise I'd get panic attacks. And it was amazing how effectively it actually worked.

A lot of people don't exercise. But endorphins are your bodies natural opiates. They will trigger a significant shift in your state of mind making it a lot easier to do stressful activities.

You wouldn't even have to do it all the time, maybe just the first few days of calling to help you break the ice. Thats what I would do personally. =]

THIS!

Started doing elliptical and/or runs at the start of my day rather than the end and the result is beneficial in so many aspects, even aside from the business.

Also, I like to play some really good music (usually loudly haha) before I get started with a session to get pumped up. Singing along also helped me to warm up my voice on those early mornings, haha.

Best of luck, Brian! Keep us posted on the progress.

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DPM70

10 years ago

Hey Brian, you sissy. Tell me this isn't an April Fool and get calling

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Brian Alaway

10 years ago

lol, well you never know, I could have impeccable timing

Thanks

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Brian Alaway

10 years ago

Thanks Jon,
Hey, you might be on to something - the singing cold caller! No way they could ignore you!

With my voice there would definitely be no return engagement!

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PaulintheSticks

10 years ago

I'm finding out that cold calling just takes discipline. And unfortunately discipline is not something that comes very quick for most people. It has to be built up slowly over time. I've got a lot of discipline nowadays but what worked for me was baby steps.

So if it were me, I'd start off with something really easy like 5 calls EVERY SINGLE DAY without missing. Do that until it becomes automatic like brushing my teeth. Once it becomes automatic its easy to just add calls because you're already doing it.

I have to agree with Eddie one point though. You really have to want it in order to get there. I don't think any amount of accountability is going to do it if there isn't enough desire.

My $.02

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AussieT

10 years ago

Lokking forward to hearing about your progress/success.

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Adebayo

10 years ago

This is inspiring as I'm in a far worse position than most people but I'm going on a limb and taking what little sales experience I have, last months pay check and am gonna hit the phones hard this week on wards. Good luck man, I'll be checking back!

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Brian Alaway

10 years ago

Long day and another one tomorrow but glad you posted Adebayo. We can share our experiences and sharpen our swords together. Check back. Thanks.

Thanks
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Claude Whitacre 10 years ago

Originally Posted by Brian Alaway

Long day and another one tomorrow but but glad you posted Adebayo. We can share our experiences and sharpen our swords together. Check back. Thanks.

Brian; Don't you dare let us down. I'll be looking for your calling results Thursday.
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PanteraIM

10 years ago

All of procrastination and general human laziness can be attributed to the fear of failure.

You have a choice as to how much fear you experience by the degree that you avoid doing the things you find uncomfortable or new.

Once you get going the fear vanishes instantly, like stepping thru a haze of smoke. I find it helpful to remind myself that these experiences cannot hurt you, that your soul is immortal and you are the only person who has influence over your own success and failure.

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rundmc56

10 years ago

Originally Posted by PanteraIM

All of procrastination and general human laziness can be attributed to the fear of failure.

You have a choice as to how much fear you experience by the degree that you avoid doing the things you find uncomfortable or new.

Once you get going the fear vanishes instantly, like stepping thru a haze of smoke. I find it helpful to remind myself that these experiences cannot hurt you, that your soul is immortal and you are the only person who has influence over your own success and failure.

PanteraIM, you could start a book with this post. I read it more than once. The human mind loves to exaggerate fear but it's in the "doing" that we learn that the fear wasn't real. Awesome post!

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Eddie Spangler

10 years ago

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kenmichaels

10 years ago

Originally Posted by Brian Alaway

Ok warriors, "Sellin Ain't for Sissies" (thanks Ken)

So your that ONE guy who reads my tag

Nice to meet you.

What part of florida are you in?

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Selling Ain't for Sissies!

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Brian Alaway 10 years ago

Originally Posted by kenmichaels

So your that ONE guy who reads my tag Nice to meet you.

What part of florida are you in?

Hello Ken "Selling Ain't for Sissies" Michaels, my pleasure. Great tag line. I'm in Tampa area.
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Brian Alaway

10 years ago

UPDATE: Wish I could tell all that I made a lot of calls today but instead I spent the morning with one client and the afternoon with another. So my first round of calling will start tomorrow. Of course if every day were filled with meeting clients I wouldn't be complaining anyway. However, the afternoon consult may be interesting to some as I didn't get paid directly but instead it was a service for service trade. I have a huge vet bill due to aging pets so to help pay it down I'm trading consulting services. Today's consult was for PPC conversion optimization. Unfortunately like so many small businesses my client has a contract with Super Pages Media for his local PPC campaigns. Enough said. But he has another huge problem too. He has one location with 2 physical addresses and Google brilliantly decided to merge both locations into one Places search result. For anyone who's had to deal with a screwed up Places listing, which includes myself, you know what a nightmare that is .... needless to say there will be substantial effort required to fix both his PPC campaigns and his Places listing. The point to be taken though is that if you have substantial dealings with local businesses for your own needs, you may find they are more receptive to trading services than paying you directly. If given the choice I would always take the cash so I can determine how it's spent. But if it's trade or nothing well ... it never hurts to ask "Mr. Business owner would you be interested in having an expert audit your online campaigns and provide you with a detailed plan to optimize those campaigns guaranteed to reduce your costs and increase your sales? Oh and you don't have to come out pocket with any cash whatsoever. Would that interest you?" I'm not a copywriter by any stretch so use your own wording but if you don't ask, your guaranteed to get a no.

Calls begin in the morning!

PS
Never make promises you can't keep.

Thanks
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rundmc56 10 years ago

How did the calling go?
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Eddie Spangler

10 years ago

Lots of people on here gave you advice but Im the only one who is giving you what you want.
"I NEED TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE. Come Wednesday, I'm counting on you to do just that. If I start wimping out, call me out!"

I want to see you kick ass so if this is what you think it will take, Im there for you.
Warrior to Warrior

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rundmc56 10 years ago

Today's your big day Brian. Don't let your forum supporters down. I think you'll get exactly what you asked for. Big time accountability is here.
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Advanpro

10 years ago

Originally Posted by Brian Alaway

Ok warriors, "Sellin Ain't for Sissies" (thanks Ken) and I suck at selling so I'm a Sissie. And I'm posting this for my own benefit but hopefully others will benefit too. I've never done any serious telemarketing. I have no problem talking to business owners but almost all of my contact over the last several years has been face to face. Like some others, I've had a psychological block against it and still do. But after reading the posts by some of the pros here, I'm convinced that cold calling is the fastest way to a pile of cash and since that's what I need, that's what I'm going to do. Initially, I may end up failing miserably as my closing skills suck, but you can't get those from a book or reading about them online. So starting Wednesday of this week (I'm already committed to a gig M&T), it's game on. I'll post my goal Tuesday night, as I'm still kicking that around. I want to be realistic given my non-existent selling/closing skills but going too small ain't gonna cut it either. I need a BIG pile. So here's where you can help warriors - I NEED TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE. Come Wednesday, I'm counting on you to do just that. If I start wimping out, call me out!

I have plenty of tech skills/resources but I'm still putting my "cold calling toolbox" together.
I have John's generous gift - The Great Offline Telemarketing Report - which I'm reading and re-reading over this weekend. I also just bought Ken's Mobile Renegade and am getting familiar with it. I plan on relying on it for my main lead source even though my main target is businesses with no website (higher margins). I'm pretty good at winging it in any conversation but I'd rather be following a "proven" script so as of now I plan on going with John's script with Jason's opening since for most calls I won't have the owners name. I have a directory freebie for opening so I also plan on leading with that and hopefully that won't muddy the waters? Got a great script? Give it up and help us sissies out! And if any of you pros work out of your home I would welcome any tips for organizing/systematizing as the thought of getting 100 calls done in a day is daunting to this newbie.

Thanks.
Brian "one in the morning and one in the afternoon or I'll die a sissie" Alaway

PS
I almost cancelled my landline! Sure glad I didn't .. smartphones suck as phones!
What do you home dialers use for calling .. landline, smartphone, headset?

Just do it Just do it
Just do it Just do it Just do it Just do it
Just do it Just do it Just do it Just do it

Or find something you wil

Thanks
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rundmc56 10 years ago

Thanks.
Brian "one in the morning and one in the afternoon or I'll die a sissie" Alaway

Did Brian die a sissie?
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I'm a SISSIE and I need HELP!

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