Great Service No Clients

smartsites

Hi,I have a great service which I won`t mention here because I don`t know if it`s allowed. Anyways it`s a web based service and it`s local and I have a telemarketing company ready to call but we are trying to figure out the right approach to either get sales or appointments for our service. Has anyone used telemarketing successfully?

SolidGrnd

Can I ask why you chose to use telemarketing as opposed to another sales approach?

SolidGrnd

Also...these forums are about getting support and help...the more information you provide...the better we can help. Don`t ever hesitate to tell us about what you do...that is what SuN is all about. There might be someone in the community who has tried something similar to what you do and knows of a very effective way to market it!

smartsites

Well we chose telemarketing because we are a small company and we don`t have the man power to hire sales reps although we have done that ourselves but just not enough people to do that. We happen to get a nice partnership with a telemarketing company so we would like to utilize them. We have developed a technology that helps businesses connect with their local community. You can check out onmycity.com onmycity.biz and builtsmarter.com Our platform offers man web based solutions for communications for businesses and organizations.

smartsites

We have been calling around 800 people the last 2 days and having a hard time getting anyone to listen. It seems no one wants to hear about technology...

SolidGrnd

Well...I think the hard part...at least from a consumer`s stand point is that telemarketing is such an evil these days. More often direct mail or other forms of advertising and marketing tend to be a better solution because so many people have turned themselves off to the idea of telemarketers. The mindset is something like "If I really need it I will go looking for it.", or "I am too busy to listen to some unsolicited sales pitch from an over eager telemarketer who isn`t listening to me anyway!"
I have found myself hanging up without a good-bye because of that last reason especially...and that is not something I typically do...I generally at least try to stay polite.
You don`t necessarily need a sales force to make marketing efforts that work for you...it is merely using your time and money wisely. I am sure there are some marketing gurus in this community who can help with that...I will see if I can track some of them down and bring them to this thread (if they haven`t found it already). It is a good idea to utilize the resource you have with the relationship you have with the telemarketing company...but I think you need to put yourself out there in a different way as well. Maybe you are relying too heavily on the outcome of one marketing attempt? My experience in sales has taught me that with cold calling...it takes anywhere approximately100 calls to make even one sale...and that information is way off now (I went through sales training about 5-10 years ago). 

SolidGrnd

Have you thought about a direct mailing approach...someone else was talking about that on another thread not too long ago!?

SolidGrnd

You know...thinking about it further...being that you are a web-based business...you might consider joining in on the conversations throughout the forums here that discuss driving more business to your site. There are lots of ways to drive business to your site without using telemarketing or even formal direct mailings. Here are a few active threads for this information.
How can I drive more business to my website
Whats the best way to tell the most people about a new website ?
WOMM - Word of Mouth Marketing

smartsites

Well I posted my urls in the post above but let me try and clarify a little at least on what we have been trying to call about. We have been trying different approaches to see what will work. First we have developed onmycity.biz which is a local online business card directory (the first of it`s kind) Now this is not your standard directory it`s a unique service that allows you to give your business card more local exposure as well as being tied to a business profile that allows you to blog, post video, photos, files etc. It`s also connected to onmycity.com which is our consumer network where individuals and organizations come to interact with their audiences and eachother. The other service we have created is SmartSites which is our technology that allows you to have a branded blog that is integrated in the community and gives you abilities you don`t currently get with a basic website. So what we are really offering is the ability to increase your local exposure both locally and in the search engines. Other uses of our service are group branded blogs that can be used for customer feedback and internal staff communications. I hope that gives you some more information.Thanks for the replies so far.Craig

Pokerman

I visited OnMyCity.com and I can appreciate all the effort that you`ve expended in creating the website. I surfed around for a while and found very little content (YET)
It took me a while to figure out what your site was really all about..  Then i saw the ad...
"Get a free website for family, friends, schools and non-profit organizations"
I did eventually stumble across a website of a member through the Members link.  I`m at a real loss as to how you will compete with myspace or craigslist.
You might want to forgo the telemarketing and spend your marketing dollars  on some google adwords like "Free Websites"

smartsites

Thanks for your honest opinion. Yes we are struggling a bit with the message. Basically we have built a local myspace but really what we are doing is organizations like schools, churches etc are building their own myspace like sites on our network and then that traffic funnells to the city sites. Then we promote the local businesses on their free sites. Did you check out builtsmarter.com? I`m trying to make it a little more clearer here. 

SolidGrnd

Oh good...some more input! Thank you Craig and Pokerman. I was thinking about this thread lastnight as I was pulling together my own direct mailing. I just really couldn`t come up with anything better than direct mailings and just beating the pavement with proposal in hand. The whole idea of being an entreprenuer, at least in the beginning, is that you are every position in your company (unless you have a partner or two)...so taking that step and making yourself the sales person extraordinare is really the wisest thing you can do to get your business recognized. If you don`t have the passion to get out there and sell sell sell...then it seems unlikely the ocmmunity will find passion in your product...or even find your product at all. I mean no disrespect at all...I think you have a great idea...I just think you need to jump into it...show people why you are passionate about it...give them a face to believe in and they will believe in the product (as long as you are clear as to why it is a benefit to them).
Here is what I have been doing with my non-profit:
1) Website presence...I have registered with multiple search engines, talked it up on forums and blogs and other sites, made contacts with other site owners and have linkbacks on their sites, etc.
2) Direct Mailings...I have done direct mailings for informational purposes as well as fundraising. Simply put together a tri-fold brochure and sent them out to different communities and market groups.
3) Made Contact...I have teamed up with people within industries that would be influenced by the services I provide and they are now doing marketing for me. Doctors` offices have pamphlets available for their patients, hospitals do the same, magazine services have advertisments in them, etc.
These are some key elements that make marketing not only easier and effective...but inexpensive! I certainly don`t have the money to hire anyone...and I can`t spend tons of cash on marketing efforts just yet...so I put my money where I can and where it gets into the most hands. Telemarketing...in one ear, out the other...if you even can get them to listen!
You have a great service...and you are passionate enough to start the site...now SELL SELL SELL!!!

daleyfla99

Oh, good grief.  You have no clients because you have not told them WHY they should use your service.  Nobody gives a hoot about your technology.  What are you going to do for me today and how much does it cost?  PERIOD.
I am a business owner and that is all I really give a hoot about.  Welcome to the real world.  Now go sell your BENEFITS.  I will happily write you a check to advertise on your site when you can quantify for me how it helps me get business TODAY.  
Selling 101, sell the sizzle, not the steak.

JMAXMarketing

Hire my company and I will get you appointments to sell your services. We are Telephone Communication Experts and we set appointments for business owners and get you qualified prospects. We can get all of the appointments that you can handle. What is your advertising budget? We are way less expensive then advertising on high traffic web sites. We provide the personal touch to Telephone Communications.
I look forward to hearing from you!
Gail

starpointe

daleyfla99,Thanks for saying that.  I was planning on saying what you said, but you beat me to the punch.  Smartsites, you`re right...nobody cares about technology.  If I called you up and told you all about a new type of rocket fuel that gets 1000 mi/gallon, and that you should buy some for your business...you`d probably say, "Cool" and then hang up.  What is the benefit you offer?  Give numbers like, "our site is viewed by 10,000 people a day in the Brooklyn area who are looking for a place to eat" or something like that.  Also, I recommend beginning your communications with a quick question that pulls at your prospect`s concerns.  Something like, "How much would 60 new customers contribute to your revenue tomorrow?" and then proceed to tell them that you`ll do just that for them.Lastly, clean up your sites.  There`s no focus to them.  Pick up a copy of Don`t Make Me Think by Steve Krug.  You can read it in an evening and it will work wonders for helping you to understand how to better organize your site.  Hope that helped.  Keep us posted on your progress.  RyanP.S.  The image you have on your site buildsmarter.com (http://builtsmarterweb.onmycity.com/pub ... 896ecaa57c aead.jpg) is a great simple description of what your whole company is all about.  Pull that image to the top of the page and get rid of all the other fluff.  The phrase "Bright ideas everyday" means nothing.  It could be the slogan of a lightbulb company or a local library.  Come up with something that better describes your services like, "Your local lead generation network" or on the customer side, "Local savings" or something. 
starpointe2007-1-10 1:4:49

smartsites

Thanks for your advice. What we have decided to do for now is to offer our service to niche groups like realtors for example. Please take a look at realtor.onmycity.com and let me know what you think. It`s more focused and less confusing.