Cold call hussle

Myler

the horror.
Apr 25, 2009
531
6
0
G16
Question. I have a service I want to offer to brick and mortar business in my area, video promotion. I'm good with camera and editing, but I don't feel confident enough putting myself into "wedding" scene, seems like too much pressure for me.

But I believe every decent shop should promote themselves with a short video at least. It will rank them better to put their name on YouTube and it will present the shops to these disgruntled customers of today with a little bit of honesty and personal touch.

The problem is I don't have that many connects so I need to make them for myself.

Your thoughts on approach - cold call, email, or maybe even barge into the shop and present my ideas to the boss...

Any idea welcome :D
 


BNI and Chambers of Commerce are great for stuff like this. Also, keep an eye on local consumer shows. You can walk the floor of one of those in an afternoon and leave with 20 good leads for work. Protip: push to set an appointment ON THE SPOT. You will get lots of "wowza sounds great give me a call on Tuesday." You call Tuesday and you can't get them on the phone / suddenly they're not so interested / etc.
 
In person goes a long way for this kind of thing, but people are busy, so make sure you can leave something behind that will convert into a phonecall, freebies are good for this.
 
If you decide to mail companies be sure that your package stands out from the rest. Some of these brick and mortar businesses are being swamped with mail from people offering services, so they will most times just throw out anything that looks like it's not important. Play with their curiosity, and ensure they open your package- otherwise you are wasting your time and money.
 
In person goes a long way for this kind of thing, but people are busy, so make sure you can leave something behind that will convert into a phonecall, freebies are good for this.

I thought about going for the eye to eye approach, but few things stopping me

- I don't have anything sharp to wear
- I don't have a watch
- I need to guess the time of day they're not busy, otherwise I'm risking the "oh really? thanks I'll give you a call" which is a kind way of saying "bye kid"

On the other hand, calling them up (I already have a bookmark folder called "Hit List" full of candidates lol) and trying to set up meetings would be great - but I'm sure the business owner doesn't answer the company phone all the time.

I should note that the businesses I'm aiming for are service business, from restaurants to vacation rental homes/apts
 
BTW, when a buddy of mine was starting out on video production he built his portfolio shooting videos for About.com - might want to look into that. IIRC he said the pay was pretty lousy but it may be better than nothing. On the other hand freebies for referrals would likely get you a better return.
 
Stop making excuses and just fucking do it.

I WILL do it - i'm just looking for the decent way, not want to come off amateur or scammish to people.

We all damn well know people generally don't know shit and are so fucking gullible, anyone slick enough can swindle them in whatever direction he wants - if he has the skill. I'm offering decent service without shenanigans and I'm trying to lock it down before some con artist does.

I already did 2 freebie gigs, I can show it to customers as reference...
 
I WILL do it - i'm just looking for the decent way, not want to come off amateur or scammish to people.

We all damn well know people generally don't know shit and are so fucking gullible, anyone slick enough can swindle them in whatever direction he wants - if he has the skill. I'm offering decent service without shenanigans and I'm trying to lock it down before some con artist does.

I already did 2 freebie gigs, I can show it to customers as reference...

You just said you don't want to meet face to face because you don't have a watch. Really!? Sounds like a wantrepreneur to me.
 
In person can be a problem because many businesses have "no solicitation" rules and if you don't know who to talk to you're not going to get far. Your best approach is cold calling to at least find out WHO the decision maker is and when you can reach them. Also, use common sense when calling (ie don't call a fucking restaurant from 11am-2pm, etc).

Get the name of the person you talk to and put that shit with date/time called and any comments into a spreadsheet to manage your follow-ups. You're almost never going to get the right person on the first call, but if your notes are tight you can use a little bit of social engineering to reach the right person on the follow-up.

A lot of businesses use the people that answer the phones as a filter, so it's a lot easier to say "Hey Cheryl, this is Waldo - we spoke last week! Is John available?", then "Hi my name is Waldo and I would like to sell you this amazing service". Then you can follow that up with "Yeah I should have known he'd be busy now - Hey Cheryl when do YOU think is a good time to reach him?" Filters love that shit because it makes them feel more valuable.
 
You just said you don't want to meet face to face because you don't have a watch. Really!? Sounds like a wantrepreneur to me.

I personally don't care about those things, but in face-2-face world, people notice that shit, we know people are materialistic as fuck, just because I'm not and don't care about those things doesn't mean others are like me.

I'll go the phone route...get 100 names on the list, if I close to meet with 20 of them and make business with 6 it'll be a good thing.
 
I personally don't care about those things, but in face-2-face world, people notice that shit, we know people are materialistic as fuck, just because I'm not and don't care about those things doesn't mean others are like me.

I'll go the phone route...get 100 names on the list, if I close to meet with 20 of them and make business with 6 it'll be a good thing.

Get some clothes.

Some pants without rivets, and shirt with buttons, and some shoes.

You don't need a watch, you just need to avoid looking like you are best friends with your customer's kids.
 
- I don't have anything sharp to wear
- I don't have a watch
- I need to guess the time of day they're not busy, otherwise I'm risking the "oh really? thanks I'll give you a call" which is a kind way of saying "bye kid"
You don't need a watch or sharp clothes. Things have changed a lot in the last 30 years, most people dress like slobs.

As long as you're not wearing anything filthy or offensive, you'll probably be ok.

You don't need to guess. You call and take a chance. There is no way for you to know what they are doing when, and when they can be interrupted.

Best times to contact people IMO are right after lunch. They aren't in the middle of anything, and they don't feel the same pressure as first thing in the morning.
 
If there is one guy on this board I'd take advice on how to dress good, it would be ITE. And he is right, there is no better way to market yourself than making an appearance in person and asking to speak to the big boss man himself.
 
You don't need a watch or sharp clothes. Things have changed a lot in the last 30 years, most people dress like slobs.

As long as you're not wearing anything filthy or offensive, you'll probably be ok.

You don't need to guess. You call and take a chance. There is no way for you to know what they are doing when, and when they can be interrupted.

Best times to contact people IMO are right after lunch. They aren't in the middle of anything, and they don't feel the same pressure as first thing in the morning.

I agree with this general idea, but I still think that when you are asking people for money, it helps if you look like already have some.

I know the startup VC world likes to see at least 1 slob in a sweatshirt at the table so that they feel like they are dealing with the next internet wiz kid, but I think local businesses aren't really there.
 
Try it all and see what works best for you. But if you just hit the phones, make 100 calls a day, you'll quickly find out about your service... If there's a market/interest, price points, objections and resistance. Just survey the land an test out different packages, benefits, etc. You have no idea what kind of shit will come up until you get the experience of talking with loads of people.

If you can scale this up, just hire a closer and pay him commissions. A good sales guy will get you more work than you can handle.
 
I personally don't care about those things, but in face-2-face world, people notice that shit, we know people are materialistic as fuck, just because I'm not and don't care about those things doesn't mean others are like me.

I'll go the phone route...get 100 names on the list, if I close to meet with 20 of them and make business with 6 it'll be a good thing.

Bullshit. They notice your insecurity.

I don't wear a watch or have fancy clothes. I never have, and I've never had any problems in 15 years of face to face selling.

Personally, I think flash clothes / watch are a drawback - people see you, think "this guy's here to take money off me", and the defences go up. Much better to fly under the radar.

Anyhow, stop making excuses. Go and see some people.
 
I've done a lot of cold calling, and cold approaching in my career, maybe I can help.

*Couple quick tips for cold calling and sales (just my opinions)
1. Stand up, and keep good body language when on the phone (chin up etc..) It keeps your energy level up and will come across on the phone.

2. Make an effort to come across as another local business owner vs. some annoying salesperson or telemarketer. When I used to call local businesses I would open up with something along the lines of "hey, my name's ___ and I own a local marketing company here in Philadelphia. I actually came across your business info and website, and was wondering if you've ever thought about using the web as a way to actually drive business?"
This is a really simple example, but it worked for me better than many other typical openers. It asks a simple question that always almost prompts a yes and allows you to move to the next stage of the pitch.

3. You don't need an entire script, but you need to at least have some bullet points and a flow written down. Remember you're making a pitch (even if that pitch is just to get a face to face to meeting.)

4. Tone, and cadence of you're voice matter. I used to listen to Tony Robbins, not for the self help, but because the way he speaks is persuasive. We also used to use something called the empathy tone, which is simply the tone of voice you speak in when being empathetic. It's very effective because if people think you care, or are genuinely trying to help, they will be more willing to listen.

5. Don't dress like a slob or a douche bag. I am still effectively a sales person, and wear a suit everyday. The important thing, I think, is to dress very well, but also be understated. What I mean is you want to project yourself as someone with a lot of success, but not as someone who is slimy, or a wannabe (often the same thing). Get clothes that fit well, aren't super cheap, but stay away from anything "flashy". DO NOT wear off the rack suits, dress shirts that don't fit etc.. Probably not that important if your just selling to people who do weddings, but in the professional world, nothing stinks of amateur more than someone who doesn't know how bad they look in that cheap or poorly fitted suit.

6. Be Confident. Nobody likes a pussy, but more importantly, no one trusts one. You've gotta believe in what you're selling and saying or no one else will.

7. Assume the sale. Ties is with be confident. Just keep things in the frame of "of course they want to business.. I am offering them a way to help their business". When you're at the end of your presentation, you can ask a couple test close questions, and then assume the deal. ex: (you're finishing your call to get the face to face meeting) "OK, does that sound like something that would make sense for your business?" "Great! well what I typically do from here is meet face to face so I really show you what we can do for your business. What's a good time for you this week?"

If you actually read all of this, I hope it helps.
 
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