Made 80 Calls, Not 1 sale, What am i doing wrong ?

23 replies
Hello guys, i called about 80 businesses, most of them didnt answer, some had a receptionist, some said no, im not interested.


Here is the script im using, that i made.



Script 1

Hello, my name is Eli,




I need your help,

I am a web-designer, looking to get some feedback on my work, can i get your opinion on my work ?

client:How are you going to show me ?

Me: E-mail.

Client:I don't have an email, or click.


Most Used Script i use

Script 2

Hey, How are you.

I'm calling because i noticed you guys didnt have a website and i want to reach out to see if i can give you some help.

client:No, were not interested.


What am i saying that is triggering bad vibes ?
#calls #made #sale #wrong
  • Profile picture of the author Jason Kanigan
    Originally Posted by Clautusoar View Post

    Hello guys, i called about 80 businesses, most of them didnt answer, some had a receptionist, some said no, im not interested.


    Here is the script im using, that i made.



    Script 1

    Hello, my name is Eli,




    I need your help,

    I am a web-designer, looking to get some feedback on my work, can i get your opinion on my work ?

    client:How are you going to show me ?

    Me: E-mail.

    Client:I don't have an email, or click.


    Most Used Script i use

    Script 2

    Hey, How are you.

    I'm calling because i noticed you guys didnt have a website and i want to reach out to see if i can give you some help.

    client:No, were not interested.


    What am i saying that is triggering bad vibes ?
    Nothing.

    Unfortunately, your scripts are not engaging the prospect.

    Getting them on the phone is hard enough:

    http://www.warriorforum.com/offline-...beginners.html

    But when you have got them, assuming you're reaching the decision maker--which I'm not sure you are--you have to engage them.

    Most people start conversations off so badly there is no "rest of the call".

    Neither of these scripts is effective. Sorry.

    And even if you had an effective script, expecting a sale out of 80 dials is unrealistic. You might get lucky. But odds are you will only reach 1/4 of the decision makers, and find they are able to talk to you today. That's 20. Out of those 20, it's unlikely you'll have a conversion since you are new to selling.

    Use the Search feature here on the forum (with it, you might have found something like this), make more dials, and get more experience. At least you've made some dials; that's commendable.
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    • Profile picture of the author Clautusoar
      Engage ? you mean like have a conversation with them, before i shoot the pitch ?
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    • Profile picture of the author internetmarketer1
      Originally Posted by Jason Kanigan View Post

      Nothing.

      Unfortunately, your scripts are not engaging the prospect.

      Getting them on the phone is hard enough:

      http://www.warriorforum.com/offline-...beginners.html

      But when you have got them, assuming you're reaching the decision maker--which I'm not sure you are--you have to engage them.

      Most people start conversations off so badly there is no "rest of the call".

      Neither of these scripts is effective. Sorry.

      And even if you had an effective script, expecting a sale out of 80 dials is unrealistic. You might get lucky. But odds are you will only reach 1/4 of the decision makers, and find they are able to talk to you today. That's 20. Out of those 20, it's unlikely you'll have a conversion since you are new to selling.

      Use the Search feature here on the forum (with it, you might have found something like this), make more dials, and get more experience. At least you've made some dials; that's commendable.


      Agreed. Great that you actually took action. Does it matter you didn't get sales? Nope. Why? Because you did something 90% of people on here would never do; take action.

      It's easy to say you're going to cold call and talk to prospects, but the hard part is doing it and trying to see what is going to work. So what you did is definitely still commendable.

      I would say make some form of connection with them. Getting them engaged is easier said than done, but if you continue tweaking your sale script and make more changes during every few calls, you will find a script that will work for future calls.

      I still have scripts that don't work, that don't sell for the majority of clients, but when I approach a different or a specific type of business owner, it works. It's all about seeing what works and tweaking along the way,
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    • Profile picture of the author hewlett
      Originally Posted by Jason Kanigan View Post

      Nothing.

      Unfortunately, your scripts are not engaging the prospect.

      Getting them on the phone is hard enough:

      http://www.warriorforum.com/offline-...beginners.html

      .
      I think Jason has some good advice here, well worth listening to. I see an *easy* opportunity to improve your pitch -- if someone tells you the obvious lie that they don't have email, why not just say, "Shucks, I'll think of something. Let me call you back and I'll find a way to get a sample of my work in front of you." Since the prospect (or their secretary, most likely) was hoping to get you off the phone quickly, once they come around to the fact that they're going to have to look at your work eventually, this might eliminate some of the resistance. In essence, they might give up and simply decide to look at your work. You could call them back in 20 and say "Hey, gee, maybe I can fax you something..." At that point, they've spoken to you before so it's not truly a cold call.
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  • Profile picture of the author Juan Jose
    Hi,

    You're trying to hard-sell your services.

    Try a softer approach, give them value first.

    - Juan
    Signature
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  • Profile picture of the author ADukes81
    When I started I made 5k+ calls and made 2 sales. I hated every second of it, but it's how I got started. Listen to what Jason says, he knows phone sales.

    I, on the other-hand, do not

    So many give up WAY too soon. It takes time/work for anything to work.
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    • Profile picture of the author Clautusoar
      5k calls in a week or a month ?
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  • Profile picture of the author Entrecon
    Script 1 - You call a business and ask THEM to help you? Why would they care about some strangers work? Then, instead of engaging them right away and giving them a web address you suggest that you are going to e-mail them? Are you expecting them to hang on the phone while you send them an e-mail that they have to open and then view your website. Sorry, I have my own problems, I don't have time to help you.

    Script 2 - If a business doesn't have a website by now, it is probably because they don't believe there is any value in it, think it costs too much, takes too much time to manage, or any number of other reasons they believe are logical.

    In both cases I agree with Jason, you aren't engaging them.

    I HATE calling, so I am just giving random advice that may or may not work, but what about starting out the call with "Hi Mary, my name is Eli and I wanted to call you today because I noticed your competitor is stealing your customers." when they ask for clarification you follow up with "I noticed that every time one of your customers Googles XXX they are seeing your competitors website instead of yours and most likely calling them."

    Have stats on hand to show you know what you are talking about such as how many times XXX was searched in the last month. Depending on your pricing structure, you could potentially give them a price. i.e. For $XXX I can get a website up and running for you in the X number of days.
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    Visit My website http://kipferguson.com

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  • Profile picture of the author Entrecon
    Get their attention, not have a conversation with them.

    Most businesses are busy. Doing more with fewer people. They aren't just sitting around waiting for you to call them and talk about setting up a website.

    Plumbers are dealing with scheduling their staff and ordering parts not to mention completing bids and the 100 other things they have to do. They have 9 hours of work to complete in 8 hours. You are calling them asking them to help you (no benefit to them) or letting them know that they need a website which probably instantly makes them think "more work".

    How about "I can help you streamline your bid process" or "I can help you manage your scheduling" or "Help you get more leads while reducing your marketing costs"
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    Visit My website http://kipferguson.com

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    • Profile picture of the author internetmarketer1
      Originally Posted by Entrecon View Post

      Get their attention, not have a conversation with them.

      Most businesses are busy. Doing more with fewer people. They aren't just sitting around waiting for you to call them and talk about setting up a website.

      Plumbers are dealing with scheduling their staff and ordering parts not to mention completing bids and the 100 other things they have to do. They have 9 hours of work to complete in 8 hours. You are calling them asking them to help you (no benefit to them) or letting them know that they need a website which probably instantly makes them think "more work".

      How about "I can help you streamline your bid process" or "I can help you manage your scheduling" or "Help you get more leads while reducing your marketing costs"
      Again, by showing what you can do for them and letting them know,"upfront" about the things you could do for them, you'll succeed in the long run and and get them more engaged.
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  • Profile picture of the author jimbo13
    Originally Posted by Clautusoar View Post


    Hello, my name is Eli,

    I need your help,

    I am a web-designer, looking to get some feedback on my work, can i get your opinion on my work ?

    Hello, my name is Dan.

    I need your help.

    I have drawn a picture of a horse and am looking for some feedback. Can I get your opinion on my work?



    Hey, How are you.

    I'm calling because i noticed you guys didn't have a website and i want to reach out to see if i can give you some help.


    Hey, how are you?

    I'm calling because I noticed you guys don't have a picture of a horse in your lobby and I want to reach out to see if I can give you some help.

    See the problem?

    Dan
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  • Profile picture of the author tonyfburke
    Hey, I would remove the word 'help' from your scripts and in both cases, try to sound like they need you, not the other way around. I have found, with many hours wasted without results, that you may be better served by focusing on a few 'high value' clients you wish to get, and spend some time learning about them. If you can show them that they mean something to you more than a job, you will get further with your efforts. For the businesses you call who have receptionists, ask them for the name and email address of the person in charge of marketing. Then reach out to them and make it sound like you are the answer to the question they have not asked yet. By studying the companies you want to do the work for in advance, and by offering a service that you think they need, you should approach them with a solution, not another problem. Do bear in mind, most businesses who are still in business are way busier than they should be. Unless you engage with them in a way that either saves them money by employing you, or makes them more money by investing in a service that promotes them, you will not get very far with them at all. In most cases, you need to have a backup email ready to send when you are finished with the call, and if you leave each call with at least an email address of the person who makes decisions, at least your efforts are not all in vain. Good luck to you.
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  • Profile picture of the author ronrule
    Anyone in 2014 who doesn't have a website yet doesn't want one... you're the 10,000th person to call them offering to create one. That said, let me propose a different idea... one that might be a lot more profitable for you.

    Don't sell them a website; sell them lead generation.

    Using this strategy, you're asking them if they can handle more business - business that you're going to send them. In this scenario, instead of selling them a website your model would be to create a site at no cost to them, rank it, and use it to generate leads for their business. Basically getting people to take action (filling out a form) and then you would get a referral fee for the ones that actually become customers. This website would not have the company's name on it - you would maintain control of the website and only send the company the leads.

    Psychologically, what you're doing is expressing confidence in your ability to use the web to generate leads for their business, so it comes down to the rate. Throw a number out there... 15%, 25%, whatever, and also add "Or you could pay $X and own the site outright and you don't have to pay any commissions". They'll make a decision, and either way you win. Either they're paying you for the site and you finally got to make your pitch, or you have a website that you control and can continuously get paid on the leads it generates - and in THAT scenario you hold all the cards. If they ever stiff you, the site isn't branded to their business so at any point you could find any other company in the same space and work out a deal to start sending the leads to them instead.
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    Ron Rule
    http://ronrule.com

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    • Profile picture of the author internetmarketer1
      Originally Posted by ronrule View Post

      Anyone in 2014 who doesn't have a website yet doesn't want one... you're the 10,000th person to call them offering to create one. That said, let me propose a different idea... one that might be a lot more profitable for you.

      Don't sell them a website; sell them lead generation.

      Using this strategy, you're asking them if they can handle more business - business that you're going to send them. In this scenario, instead of selling them a website your model would be to create a site at no cost to them, rank it, and use it to generate leads for their business. Basically getting people to take action (filling out a form) and then you would get a referral fee for the ones that actually become customers. This website would not have the company's name on it - you would maintain control of the website and only send the company the leads.

      Psychologically, what you're doing is expressing confidence in your ability to use the web to generate leads for their business, so it comes down to the rate. Throw a number out there... 15%, 25%, whatever, and also add "Or you could pay and own the site outright and you don't have to pay any commissions". They'll make a decision, and either way you win. Either they're paying you for the site and you finally got to make your pitch, or you have a website that you control and can continuously get paid on the leads it generates - and in THAT scenario you hold all the cards. If they ever stiff you, the site isn't branded to their business so at any point you could find any other company in the same space and work out a deal to start sending the leads to them instead.
      Agreed. Certain businesses are oftentimes bombarded by thousands of people just to sell them a cheaply made website, and they are usually trying to just go about their business.

      If you go to the business offering them "more clients' as a opposed to an 'online presence' it can turn out differently, trust me.

      Yes, generating lead generation for them is the way to have them sign up offering them something they'll "understand".
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  • Profile picture of the author Jonwebb
    some days you will go without, making a sale. Brush off the dirt and get back on the horse.

    sales isn't easy....
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    • Profile picture of the author Johnny Mathis
      First off Good Job for churning out 80+ phone calls that's what I call Beast Mode
      You should explain how you accomplished that many phone calls, that is a hard task for most.

      If you sort or categorize your list by industry it makes it easier every next call because you can relate to that industry and bring up current events to be more engaging.

      "Wow Mr. Customer with the new regulations in your industry my web team has been very successful with assisting other firms going through this same issue and I feel confident we can help update your website to highlight your compliance as well.
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  • Profile picture of the author jamesfreddyc
    Originally Posted by Clautusoar View Post

    What am i saying that is triggering bad vibes ?
    That you are a web designer.

    Who the hell cares? Wix is a great web designer that is free. A web designer means nothing to a receptionist you are pitching or a <whatever small business> owner that has picked up the phone.

    Define what problem you solve. Define the type of business that has this problem. Call the businesses in that niche, connect with a decision maker and BREIFLY mention that problem you have defined and see if they have a connection to it. Do not mention your solution (they may not even have the problem. That's what you need to determine on the cold call). If they do, you MIGHT get an appointment out of it.

    Getting the appointment is probably a good goal to have on a cold call. Not a sale. Your expectations are all screwed up -- fill up your calendar with appointments, callbacks, demos of your work and have some real conversations with THESE people, not just someone that picked up the phone on your initial call and have an unrealistic expectation that they should buy from you.
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  • Profile picture of the author Matthew North
    If you are new to selling, 80 dials has no statistical significance. If you came back here after 2,000 dials and still had the same problems, that's something else.

    When I was selling websites, I sold 72 people for $499 to $999 plus $47 per month for hosting before I realised that I was chasing the small fish and changed my business strategy.

    Anyway, the approach I used was this.

    Go thru the paid listings in the Yellow pages, the listings where people are paying $499+ per month to be listed in their premium section. Look for businesses that do not have a website listed. These businesses are already paying $6k+ per year to be listed in a mostly useless directory and already see the value in advertising. They don't need convincing about the value of online marketing because they are doing it already, which is one of the toughest objections you'll face in selling web design.

    When you call the business and the Gatekeeper asks 'What is this regarding?' You could say: 'It's regarding your yellow pages listing.'

    Then when you are on the phone with the owner, introduce yourself and ask why their website is not listed and if they have one If they don't, ask if they'd like more qualified leads coming to their business. say that you noticed they have the most expensive yellow pages package and ask how that is performing for them. Ask them why they bought the package and what they like about it.

    From there the conversation can go in any multiple directions, but because you are calling people who are paying money for advertising already and are only selling to people once you know they need what you offer,you have a much higher chance of running into people who are thinking about getting their website designed or redesigned.
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  • Profile picture of the author KloudStrife
    Originally Posted by Clautusoar View Post

    Hello guys, i called about 80 businesses, most of them didnt answer, some had a receptionist, some said no, im not interested.


    Here is the script im using, that i made.



    Script 1

    Hello, my name is Eli,




    I need your help,

    I am a web-designer, looking to get some feedback on my work, can i get your opinion on my work ?

    client:How are you going to show me ?

    Me: E-mail.

    Client:I don't have an email, or click.


    Most Used Script i use

    Script 2

    Hey, How are you.

    I'm calling because i noticed you guys didnt have a website and i want to reach out to see if i can give you some help.

    client:No, were not interested.


    What am i saying that is triggering bad vibes ?
    Hey Im a web designer as well that deals with the same problem. what you need to do is 3 things

    1st
    Stop contacting business`s and start searching for web design needs in your local ads like creiges list

    2nd
    Build you online reputation up on social media, make sure everyone knows your the GO TO guy when it comes to web design

    3rd Build a strong online portfolio and stream traffic towards it, leave a physical mail at your local business that shows your work

    It`s a bit of a hustle but it actually possible to get local work

    Its much easier and less time wasting to just use a freelancer website to search for talent

    Cheers
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  • Profile picture of the author Harry B
    Congratulations on taking immense action - keep pushing.
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    Follow Along: My Social Media Funnel
    Your feedback is appreciated!

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  • Profile picture of the author lilc800
    Try to not sell them anything.... But make them interested.

    I have experience cold calling but I can tell you what they hate.. People trying to get them to buy something even if they DO need it. Imagine if someone called your phone right and said what you said to these businesses .. I doubt you would keep talking to them.

    Also why only try to sell a website to people without one? Websites aren't for every business... offer to help them with offline promotion.

    Recently a went to a man.. And Started talking about how I could promote his business he was very interested and I had his full attention, Then that is when I told him my price to have the work done and he paid me on the spot... No waiting.

    Grab their attention however you can, Don't bring up prices or anything until you have their FULL attention.
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  • Profile picture of the author wondercoder
    According to me you should first get the proper business numbers related to your product and then call . I think this marketing technique is being difficult now. But you should try and you will get the success
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    • Profile picture of the author sparty83
      If you are expecting any correlation between the number of 1st calls and sales, you will continue to be disappointed
      (btw,I hope you really don't start a conversation with "Hey" as in your script two...) You need a sales pipeline of suspects, prospects, leads, pending proposals, THEN closes
      I forget the exact stats, but it's something like most sales are made on the 5th call and most sellers give up after three. You need to make sure you have the right person to talk to. Always aim high. "Could you tell me who's in charge of how your website leads, would that be the owner?"
      You want a business relationship, not just a transaction. Just because they have a phone is not much of a qualifier
      I would focus on the process of how you work with them and ideas you have. Set up a future phone appointment or ask for permission to proceed then and there to begin asking questions that will help the customer become engaged and will help you figure out if you actually have a good prospect. A good prospect has money to spend and you will be able to have a proposal in front of
      What common problems do you solve? What is the benefit of working with you?
      Find out businesses top 5 problems or pet peeves with their sites and be able to solve 3 or 4.
      Begin to position yourself for more then just an initial website design
      Any version of " Are you open to looking at an idea that will..." usually helps weed out bad prospects
      Also forget about targeting businesses without a website. Your time is valuable you don't need to lower yourself to convince someone who doesn't have a site what the value is. You need to convince businesses of the value of YOUR sites and process
      There is a big need for the 2nd or 3rd generation website, many sites are still not mobile optimized ect etc
      You have a lot going for you in that it seems like you are willing to put in the work. That already puts you ahead of a lot of competitors. There is no substitute for one on one human contact. Go out and swing a few doors while you're at it. Don't get lazy and be fooled into thinking all you need is social buzz and website clicks/traffic. Keep up the effort, focus that effort and you WILL see payoffs!
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