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Just closed my first account

by GTC1187
17 replies
Hey guys,

I just closed my first offline account through cold calling. I had been setting appointments for in person meetings.

8 calls in today and I closed the last for monthly SEO.

I did what Jason Kanigan suggested and picked a vertical and stuck with it, and I'm using PanteraIM's appointment setting script modified to make the call a one call close.

I'm opening with Pantera's script to get past the gatekeeper, then asking questions about their marketing efforts, then I go from there explaining benefits of my services.

I'm so excited!
#account #closed
  • Profile picture of the author PROmotions LLC
    Congrats man! Cold calling is such a b!tc$! Glad you are in the process of mastering it.
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    • Profile picture of the author ukcarl
      Nice one, congratulations, now get out and find client number 2
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      • Profile picture of the author qu4rk
        Originally Posted by ukcarl View Post

        Nice one, congratulations, now get out and find client number 2
        I agree. Use the excitement of closing this deal to look for more. Prospects will pick up on your confidence & will be easier to close!
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  • Profile picture of the author Voasi
    That's fantastic! Keep up the good work!

    For the sake of everyone else wanting to know:

    - What price did you close him at?
    - What service (you said SEO... anything more specific) did you close him on?
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  • Profile picture of the author GTC1187
    I got him at $300 per month.
    I know it's a little low, I generally try to charge a minimum of $400 or $500 for local SEO, but I'm glad to have the client and it will help build my confidence to to one call closes of $800 per month in the future.
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    • Profile picture of the author PROmotions LLC
      Originally Posted by GTC1187 View Post

      I got him at $300 per month.
      I know it's a little low, I generally try to charge a minimum of $400 or $500 for local SEO, but I'm glad to have the client and it will help build my confidence to to one call closes of $800 per month in the future.
      No way that's awesome! That's not low for 1 client, even your first client that's sweet!
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    • Profile picture of the author iAmNameLess
      Originally Posted by GTC1187 View Post

      I got him at $300 per month.
      I know it's a little low, I generally try to charge a minimum of $400 or $500 for local SEO, but I'm glad to have the client and it will help build my confidence to to one call closes of $800 per month in the future.
      Don't think of it as $300/mo, think of it as $3,600/year.
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      • Profile picture of the author Michael Nguyen
        Originally Posted by iAmNameLess View Post

        Don't think of it as $300/mo, think of it as $3,600/year.
        I would like to expand on this.

        In Nov 12, I signed an SEO client for £300 and he's been with me eversince.

        We have more or less just signed off an online solution for £xxxx and my SEO fees will increase once that site is complete.

        It's all about the upsell and extra services once they trust you.

        As my accountant says, get them in cheap...

        Over the last year, I've lost clients because I quoted too high (still a newbie at sales) but if I got them in "cheap" who knows what might have happened..
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        • Profile picture of the author Voasi
          Originally Posted by Michael Nguyen View Post

          I would like to expand on this.

          In Nov 12, I signed an SEO client for £300 and he's been with me eversince.

          We have more or less just signed off an online solution for £xxxx and my SEO fees will increase once that site is complete.

          It's all about the upsell and extra services once they trust you.

          As my accountant says, get them in cheap...

          Over the last year, I've lost clients because I quoted too high (still a newbie at sales) but if I got them in "cheap" who knows what might have happened..
          I think it just depends. I've had plenty of clients there were smaller clients and they were a complete nightmare. Not all of them, but again, my experience has taught me that they're not worth the time because they want the World for pennies, so they're value position is all screwed up.

          You have to do just as much work selling to a large client as you do to a small one, so I prefer to "go big".
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          • Profile picture of the author digichik
            Congratulation on your first sale!!! Keep building on it.

            The advice of Voasi is spot on. Remember it is as easy to ask for $300 as it is to ask for $3000+. Be careful not to sell yourself short. Now that you have broken the ice, ask for what you want. The biggest surprise is -- you will get it if you ask.

            Originally Posted by Voasi View Post

            I think it just depends. I've had plenty of clients there were smaller clients and they were a complete nightmare. Not all of them, but again, my experience has taught me that they're not worth the time because they want the World for pennies, so they're value position is all screwed up.

            You have to do just as much work selling to a large client as you do to a small one, so I prefer to "go big".
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          • Profile picture of the author AndrewCavanagh
            Originally Posted by Voasi View Post

            I've had plenty of clients there were smaller clients and they were a complete nightmare. Not all of them, but again, my experience has taught me that they're not worth the time because they want the World for pennies, so they're value position is all screwed up.

            You have to do just as much work selling to a large client as you do to a small one, so I prefer to "go big".

            I have to agree.

            Generally speaking you have the least problems with clients who
            pay you a substantial sum upfront.

            If you're going to charge less upfront (which can make some sense
            if you're charging ongoing fees month after month) you really want
            to go to a LOT of trouble to let your client know you're not charging
            them the setup fee you normally would and how much it's really worth.

            And you want to invest more time in explaining to a client what they
            can expect from you and especially what you expect from them.

            You need to explain to them when they can contact you and under
            what circumstances and the limits on what you'll be doing for that
            special fee.

            Ironically to create a problem free client when you're charging less is actually
            MORE work than just charging a substantial upfront fee.

            It may be worth it for you if your business model makes sense.

            An example might be selling a simple ongoing service you already know you
            can outsource easily.

            One thing you might want to keep in mind though, is that many of
            your best clients have a whole lot less price resistance than you think
            and they might pay you many times what you're charging now for
            more sophisticated services that deliver.

            Sometimes our own incomes and beliefs about money can stand in the
            way of charging what we're really worth.

            Kindest regards,
            Andrew Cavanagh
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    • Profile picture of the author Aaron Doud
      Originally Posted by GTC1187 View Post

      I got him at $300 per month.
      I know it's a little low, I generally try to charge a minimum of $400 or $500 for local SEO, but I'm glad to have the client and it will help build my confidence to to one call closes of $800 per month in the future.
      As long as you don't work the account like an $800 account why worry? You are getting $300 a month and $3600 a year from this one client. 27 more just like him and you have $100k of revenue.

      Depending on how much time it takes to do the work you could do that in a month (one sale per day). That is the way you need to think about.
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      Aaron Doud - Sales & Success
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  • Profile picture of the author GTC1187
    Thanks NameLess,

    All of your posts on here have been truly inspirational!
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  • Profile picture of the author Eternal
    Good job! Now master it and make some money. This is something I have always been bad at.
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  • Profile picture of the author Tom Miles
    Welcome to the world of outside sales. Keep calling. Never stop calling. Just remember, "The hardest door to open is your car door!"
    Tom Miles
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  • Profile picture of the author bsummers
    Good for you. Congratulations! No go and close client #2
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    Need help in LEADS for your business? Ask me on how to generate qualified and targeted leads from appointment setting and lead generation campaigns through calling, social media and email marketing.
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  • Profile picture of the author The IM Factory
    Congratulations! Keep working hard and 2, 3, 4, 5 etc etc will come
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    - White Label SEO, Google + Local Optimization, Video SEO, Web Design Service
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