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Sharing Ideas and Techniques

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  • williamwilliam subscriber Posts: 2
    Have you ever met someone in line at a store, or waiting for a bus etc and struck up a friendly conversation?  A smile, a comment about the weather etc.?  That is COLD calling.  You just have to turn that into Marketing.  Somehow steer the subject to "I am involved in selling XYZ or doing ABC.  Hand them a business card.  Practice a short synopsis of what you do, and limit it to just enough information to Pique their interest...  Let them make the first move on your card.  They make the call, not you.  You have just pre-qualified a very good prospect.Your example is an opportunity always overlooked.  Recently I read an article that mentioned that networking is discussing more with the person you are networking with and to keep the service/description of your own business to thirty words or less.
  • williamwilliam subscriber Posts: 2
    Will,It seems lilke someone has possibly told you to "Go out and sell!" nice idea...I have been told the same by family and friends over the years AND I HATE IT... BUT! there are ways to minimise the stress of it all.firstly though check out some other possibilities at Free business tips and post the same question there...1. Dont see it as selling - Chances are people will not buy from you, its more about building the relationship.2. Imagine it`s research - So  you drop in to find out who the RIGHT person is to contact. chat to people, most like to answer questions... "Hi I`m William, I want to find out who the person is that looks after x..., do you know who that is please?"3. Present well and have fun! - Dress so that people can respect you (not pick you as a sales person) whack on a cheery smile and say Hi! How are  you? Go out with the aim of having a good time, smile like you KNOW something! drop compliments at the chicks on the counter... Hey you look great today... message, have fun.4. Use the info - This is the big one, get the contact name of the right person, get the address and contact details right (get a business card) then start to build  your database of these contacts. 5. The fortune is in the follow up - Now start a process of contacting these people... E.G. send a postcard
    of info - a few days later send them a letter of introduction - ring 2
    days later to see if they got the letter, "Oh you did, great, just
    wondering if any of that is of value to you?" then start to chat - Aim
    to get face to face to chat some more and build the relationship
    (people buy from people they like! so be likeable!)6. It`s now a warm call - If you get invited to drop in and chat about what you have (from no 5) you then have the chance to show them what you have as they have trusted you, you built the relationship... the warm call is MUCH better and the ONLY reason for a cold call is to create a WARM call!7. Keep going! - Keep working on the cold and warm calls, know the difference. Know that results are all in the numbers... the more people you see, the more your database will grow, the more warm calls you can make, the more chances you can have to get face to face - Keep stats, know how many calls it takes to get one face to face meeting and then how many meetings to get a sale! It makes it so much easier when you know how close then next sale is.hope that helps, oh and to all those that say avoid cold calling, notivce how networking sessions are really just that, but formalised...
    Thanks and very good plan.  These points are invaluable.  The aggressiveness of sales reps I envy.  The approach of car sales reps is the type of sales position I attempt to avoid.  The vulture approach turns me stone cold.Thanks for all your input.  Outstanding material and I will check out the reference you commented on.
  • williamwilliam subscriber Posts: 2
    Initially, depending on your current active
    customer base, you may want to dedicate more time toward cold-calling,
    gradually making this a smaller percentage of your efforts. If you
    already have a "sustainable" customer base, you should
    consider making cold-calling the smallest part of your marketing
    efforts, say, when you are out visting another customer ("Hi, my name
    is William. I was next door visiting one of my customers. I wanted to stop by and introduce myself  . . . ").I`ve contacted a few of my customers and have compiled a small list of referrals from them.  So, I will pound the pavement shortly and introduce myself.  I did  this a week back and it went pretty well.Here`s what is difficult.  The business I stopped into already has a provider for computer / network repair.  After I drop a seed, how do I get them to come to my business versus one they already have a relationship with?  This is true for most business.  They already have a service provider and it takes trust in them and they are hard to let go just because I come walking in to introduce the services and myself.
  • williamwilliam subscriber Posts: 2
    William:You and I
    have spoken at length about this and I`ve offered my suggestions. The
    only other thing that I can add is
    this... remember to work smart, not
    hard. ROI is important, in this case the investment is your time. If cold
    calling isn`t producing the results that you are looking for, then don`t beat yourself up trying to fit a
    square peg into a round hole. As we`ve discussed, there is a laundry list of
    other strategic and creative alternatives that can easily produce the results
    that you`re after.Give me a call
    or send me an email and let me know what direction you have decided to go in. If
    you need any help, just let me know.Duke
    Thanks for the follow.  I have give some thought to this and will work on some things you`ve brought to my attention.  Thank you for your time and will keep in touch.  I may be on to something.  It will be implemented with shoe-strings initially.  I`m rather strapped for this fiscal year.Catch up with you soon, Duke.Regards
  • RailroadRailroad subscriber Posts: 0
    William,
    You are already doing what a successful "salesperson" (read: business owner, CEO, etc) needs to do to grow his/her business - asking questions.
    When in front of potential customers(decision makers), don`t be afraid to ask questions. You may consider asking a question such as, "could you tell me what you like about your current vendor (if you know the name of the vendor use it to personalize your question)?" One of the key reasons for questions is that it shows that you have a personal interest in their business.
    Regarding converting prospects (from another vendor) unfortunately, their are no magic solutions (except for lower prices - not a good alternative) other than repetition. To quote the infinite wisdom of a prof in college, "remember, learning is a layering effect. The more we see it, the more likely we are to remember it." So the same goes for prospective customers. The more they see us, the more likely they are to remember us when there is a need.
    As a successful business owner (remember, you already are successful - you`ve done what most people only talk or dream about doing!), your time is important. As pretty much everyone has advised here, you do not want to spend a great deal of time on "cold prospects" but do stay in touch with them when in the area. In addition to questions, you may want to consider "asking" for their business on follow-up visits (cold-calls & appointments!). You`re not being too "pushy" when you tell prospects, "In the future, if you see a need for additional services, I would like to have the opportunity to show you our services" or, "have your business" or along those lines.
    For example, recently I suggested that a small network services company cold-call a major law firm (all IT services were outsourced to an independent contractor, like your company). The network services company simply said to the Admin Manager of the firm, "if you ever have a need down the road, we`d like to have the opportunity to prove our service to `XXX Law Firm` " A little later the Firm`s manager (a partner in the firm) gave the small company a test run and shortly thereafter wasted no time contracting with the new service provider. By the way, this was a cold call by the small services company.
    William, sorry again for the short "essay" but rest assured, the more people see you, the more likely you are of getting their business. Other than "warm" referrals (where someone actually refers your name to a potential customer) sometimes the only way to establish credibility with potential customers is to constantly remind them with your presence. Mix this  with some of the other suggestions made on this site, such as follow-up marketing pieces (as simple as a letter thanking the prospect for their time during your visit with them [even on a cold call!] and, again, "we would appreciate having the opportunity of `showing` you our services"  or "having you as a customer.").
    Everybody on this site is routing for you because it seems many of us sense that you already have the basics of a strong foundation for success in place.
    Remember, "Take heed: you do not find what you do not seek" (English Proverb).
  • ICEPALSICEPALS subscriber Posts: 0
    WE AT ICE PALS HAD THE SAME PROBLEMS COLD CALLING SOMEONE TO TRY AND GET THEM TO UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF THE PRODUCT. AFTER A WHILE WE JUST TOLD THEM TO GO TO THE WEBSITE  www.icepals.com  FOR THE SAFETY OF THERE CHILDREN AND FOUND IT VERY SUCESSFUL  WE WOULD ALSO PRINT LITTLE CARDS FOR THE KIDS WITH THE WORLD CLASS PENGUIN ON IT AND LET MOMMY AND DADDY KNOW THAT IT WAS A GREAT SITE FOR THEM AND THE KIDS TO GO TO TO HAVE SOME FUN.AS THE SITE COULD TALK BETTER THEN I COULD. SOON THE PEOPLE WERE GETTING THE MESSAGE THAT WE WERE TRYING TO HELP THEM SAVE THERE MOST PRECISIOUS ASSET THERE CHILD. SO SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO KEEP YOUR BUTT MOVING AND YOUR FEET FLYING ON YOUR IDEA SO IT WILL HAVE A CHANCE TO SELL CHECK US OUT ON ICEPALS.COM  ICEPALS2007-5-15 13:55:29
  • mike7727mike7727 subscriber Posts: 1
    Not sure what type of business you have. Cold calling is a great way.  Any sales job is a numbers game the more people you get in front of the better your odds of gaining business.  Also you learn and get better.  I believe the best thing to do when cold calling is ask the right questions and become an effective listener.  All people like to talk about what they want.  Listen to what they tell you and go from there.  If you do not like sales and have a service type business.  Try yellow page advertising.  It is the best sales rep there is it works 365 days per year, no vacation or sick days, Good luck
    Mike
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