ACE123 started this topic @ 23:10 on 03/05/2006
hi
I have an idea to start-up offering potential customers a good deal on any telecomms products/services, would cold calling with only two people (me and partner) be a good idea? would the people of shell livewire or business link approve of this?
RE: cold calling
repepper | 04/05/2006 09:07 AM
It might work but you'd need to make sure the effort was worth it rather than advertising.
I for one don't buy from cold calling and so you'd get about 5 seconds before I said "no thanks". You'd also suffer from being a small unknown brand - it can be different if BT is calling as you know and trust them, but "Fred Co" probably wouldn't get a look in for most people.
Finally, make sure you take into account all the relevant laws and codes of practise - Telephone Preference Service and all that kind of thing. The fines for cold calling a TPS registered person who then complains (and we do!) are pretty severe.
RE: cold calling
Bizal | 04/05/2006 10:28 AM
This is a very competitive market and without any credibility it could be v hard work. Telesales for this sort of product is at the harder end of the spectrum so I would do some test calls first to see if the business is viable.
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RE: cold calling
Comspec | 04/05/2006 06:14 PM
Ace
I have worked in a call-centre trying to improve my telephone sales skills. I suffered it for 8 months and then jacked it in as it was horrendous. Being told to **** *** 300 times a day can be a little hard on the ego.
I have found that 3 of the main 4 call-centres in our area have closed and the remaining have staff turnover at alarming rates.
Cold-calling people has now become so widespread that it is now a nuisance to most people at home or in the workplace.
I am a firm favourite of the old-fashioned getting an appointment prior to trying to sell anything to business. Obviously it takes a little more time to get the foot in the door, but if the product is good, then market it every way you can afford - people will want to know about it.
Best of luck anyway....
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RE: RE: cold calling
ACE123 | 04/05/2006 09:01 PM
hi
thnx alot people, great help! im just leaving university and going to try this, ive got alot of experience and learning about various types of marketing especially digital marketing and also around models used by theorists, im just a little reluctant...i dont know why! iv got gut feeling that its a very viable option!
thnx again people!
RE: cold calling
iceman9080 | 05/05/2006 02:56 AM
HI there
Just to put another spin on cold calling.
I have been cold calling either for myself or other companies since 1999. If you are prepared to put up with a lot of rejection and hard work, it is a fantastic way of gaining business.
I know many successful businesses who use it in the telecomms field. In fact I have a number of clients in telecommunications who I do very well for.
The rule of thumb is, it takes around 100 cold calls to make a decent appointment. If you can make 5 appointments per week, thats 20 per month, you should be able to convert 5 of those into business. If you are selling telephone systems with a profit of £1000+ then you can do very well.
Howver it usually takes 3 months to make your first sale, and it is a LOT of hard work. Many people who are negative about cold calling are not prepared to put the work in.
As for the TPS, I make about 22,000 calls per year. In the last 12 months I have had 3 people mention it to me.
So it's not all bad
Regards
Jonathan
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RE: RE: cold calling
markhutch | 05/05/2006 12:00 PM
Hi there,
Having been in IT/telecomms/e-business/technology sales for the last 15 years I would agree with the majority of people on this list in that it will be hard going. It's been flogged to death since market deregulislation and is very competitive to the level where there's little money left in it.
Sales in some respects can be easy, all you have to do is;
(i) people buy for two reasons (usually) either they want to resolve an issue/problem or they want to meet some kind of objective (i.e. increase sales) so if what your selling helps them to do either that's a good start.
(ii) fine something to sell that's likely to be of interest, relatively new, that they've not heard of before this is likely to be of greater interest and if possible something that's in an emerging market (i.e. not competitive and where there's plenty of growth for at lease 2 to 3 years).
(iii) find something that is of good value
From a sales persons perspective you should also look for;
(i) something that enables you to build up an ongoing revenue stream as opposed to just one off sales, this will both increase your earnings and make life easier for you as time goes on.
(ii) fine something that's in demand and something that people want.
And remember sales is a transferable skill once you have mastered it review what you are selling every 1 to 2 years if you market is over crowded, too competitive, prices are continually reducing.......fine something more lucrative to sell.
I work as a self employed sales agent and usually make over £100k per annum (in 2001 £143k, best year to date.
If you want to take a look at what I'm doing feel free to give me a call on 07739 710091.
Regards
Mark
