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garry
Posts: 858
From: Northern Territory Outback Australia
Status: offline
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RE: Cold Calling - 1/9/2003 9:00:29
Yes Barry it does !
This week I embarked on the same with results ratios that were dismal.
Had a few appointments with people still thinking.
Had to honestly answer a few Q' s like " What will a website do for my business" . For a small back of the woods business, even though it may of meant a knockback.
Had knockbacks even before the sales pitch......and these were accommodation places & we live in a tourism orientated region?
Some business' s said they were too busy and didnt want more business??
Most success was with the people who already have sites and need them revamped...........they know the benefits already.
Actually........does anyone have a sales pitch & some Q&A' s on selling sites??
Cheers from the Outback
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garry
Posts: 858
From: Northern Territory Outback Australia
Status: offline
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RE: Cold Calling - 1/9/2003 9:30:28
A line I use is
" A website is not the be all & end all of your business, but it should be an integral part of your business advertising plan"
I usually sense that they do not even have a plan.
I relay some of the success of several of my sites (especially selling boats & motors from the Outback to overseas in East Timor)(Why, because no-one had a website that could be found up in the Capitial on the coast)
That usually gets their mind ticking over with potential for their own business.
But we all know potential for a business before we walk in the door.
My worst trait is being too honest.....and sometimes I just cant see a large enough reason for some business to have a site just yet.....and I tell them or use line #1
(Considering there are only about 20 business sites in our town as people are a bit too slow on the forward thinking).
I have actually got a new client up in the City 350 km away, could be the break I need.....hmmm another cheap site again.
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barry
Posts: 742
Joined: 6/26/2002
From: Baltimore, MD
Status: offline
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RE: Cold Calling - 1/9/2003 10:15:25
Way back when I was a top ENRON sales dude , I found that my best approach is one of education with a good mix of elitist snobbery.
the steps I follow are:
1) Surgical Targeting - Who really needs a website? I only strategically go after business in industries that are proven to benefit from a web presence. Currently I am having success with:
a) independent retail stores. They have the inventory, client base and slow times of the day to fill orders, and a existing marketing idea. http://www.bearontheweb.com/ctt/index.htm
b) Non profit organizations, they need to raise money and keep their client base involved (note: one client was spending thousands on snail mail, I did the site with mailing list feature, now they send out email monthly and reduced postage, printing, mailing cost bye 90%) www.urbanleadershipinstitute.com
2) get to the right person! Waste of time to talk to anybody else. Best tactic I use is call before hand and ask for the AR person. 100% of the time it is either the owner or someone connected to signing a check.
Sprinkle a little snobbery. Don' t be to happy. I always let them know that I may not want to do any work for them, but I am an expert in the e-commerce/web industry who would like to discuss/explore,educate them on how they may be able to benefit from a web presence or refining. (Refer back to #1, I already know that they can and they would be stupid not to at least find out what their competitors are doing)
3) Make a list of your best clients and target similar types
Don' t come across like a sales person, but an expert that may find some " spare time" to help them out . Hehe
I am always happy to see how many people will drop their guard when they understand that you are not trying to sell them anything, but would like to educate them first so that they can make a good buying decision.(one of my best lines)
The very worst thing that can happen is you spend time with them, they check out your work, and tell you no. Who do you think they will contact when they/others finally do need web work done? Who will they refer?
Barry
< Message edited by barry -- 1/9/2003 10:47:58 AM >
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Nancy
Posts: 3626
Joined: 11/9/1999
From: Nebraska
Status: offline
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RE: Cold Calling - 1/9/2003 16:12:15
quote:
ORIGINAL: barry
... I found that my best approach is one of education ...
I totally agree with the education approach. I think in today' s world of bothersome telemarketing, SPAM, etc. cold calling is extremely difficult to get past first base.
So here are a couple of suggestions I think you might find will work. At least I have found them to be successful in finding new business.
Many service organizations are always looking for speakers for their weekly luncheon meetings, such as Lions Club, Rotary, Kiwanis, etc. Seek out the local contact person and talk with them about doing a presentation on what' s going on in the world of " business on the web" . Many of the people attending those meetings will be small business owners.
Your presention of course is not to sell yourself, but to educate them to the possibilities. The mailing list Barry suggested is an excellent example of this. Use a variety of sites as your examples of how a web site has enhanced a business. Possibly a site for a pharmacy and how they post weekly tips/info about prescription use, or a car dealership that keeps its current inventory up to date.
Portray yourself as an expert, someone willing to answer their questions and help them out, NOT as a designer looking for work, and you' ll soon have your phone ringing with new clients. You will already have established a degree of trust, and they will be more at ease since they are now contacting you on their terms.
Other options are to do a short workshop, possibly through a local Chamber of Commerce, or teach a beginner course on building a web site through your local community education program. Word of mouth advertising is very powerful.
Hope some of these ideas help a little.
Nancy
_____________________________
Easy Estimates -- is a simple to use tool to quickly build a Web site page enabling visitors to quickly and easily create an estimate of the cost of services that you provide.
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