webvideo4u started this topic @ 10:40 on 02/10/2004
Alot of the sales books I read happily suggest sending off unsolicited letters and/or phone calls to try and drum up business.
Has anyone here tried this and if so how did it work for you?
My initial reaction is that I'm not keen on receiving these things so would other people? But, if this is the case why do so many books suggest it.
Thanks for any responses.
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Adi - WebVideo4U.co.uk - Web Video Made Easy
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RE: cold calling
pattie | 02/10/2004 07:07 PM
Hi there...I've done the unsolicited letters thing, really didn't work for me.
I decided to give cold calling a go about six weeks ago as things were a bit stagnant and I was getting concerned about not having acquired any new clients. I'd read in some sales book that it's a good way to get new business quickly if you are in a bit of a rut. So I set myself a target of 25 calls a week, and whilst I hated it at first and would do absolutely anything to get out of it (my desk had never been so tidy!), it has actually got a lot better for me. Like anything a bit of practice and preparation makes a big difference, and over the last month I've found quite a few people who are interested in my services who I've sent info packs out to, I've got 2 new clients and 3 meetings fixed with other potentials next week. So after the initial slog, it has paid off for me.
The good thing about it is that you know right away if you're completely wasting your time approaching a particular potential client, with unsolicited letters you don't know that, you send them off and wait for something to happen. Cold calling is a lot more proactive I guess. What does everybody else think? I'd be interested to hear other opinions.
In response to your last question, are people keen on getting cold calls. I think there's a difference between being called by, one of the energy companies for example, pushing you to change suppliers and somebody calling from a small business, not being pushy but really just saying "look this is the service I offer, is that the sort of thing you might be interested in?".
Interestingly, I used to work for a company that did similiar stuff to webvideo4u (had a look at your site) and they used to spend a lot of time cold calling with a fair amount of success.
Phew..bit of a long post...hope I haven't sent everyone to sleep!
Pattie Mason
www.onehourpa.com
RE: RE: cold calling
inkelly16 | 02/10/2004 11:45 PM
Hi Adi,
I have been looking at the same thing in the last two months. It is supposed to be a very good way to drum up some new business, however there are certain laws which you need to adhere to.
There is a new thing called the "telephone preference service" and "fax preference service". The idea is that companies can sign the register and you may NOT call them, they have effectively opted out of getting unsolicited calls and faxes. There is a hefty fine if you get caught phoning or faxing companies who have joined this register.
Do a search on google and you'll find loads about it. As far as I understand its free to check the numbers on the register before you phone, so if like Patti, you are only phoning a dozen or two per week, spend the hour checking first.
One of the more qualified people here may be able to correct me on this and give you more info.
BTW can you by any chance edit and create a small video sequence? I have a video file, I'd like to add to my site, but it needs work and my skills in this area are lacking. Please get in touch if you can help.
Hope this helps.
Ian
www.englishdelights.com
Traditional English Candy Exports
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RE: RE: cold calling
webvideo4u | 03/10/2004 09:00 AM
Hi Pattie,
Thanks for the great reply. A few more questions for you (hope you don't mind :-) )
With your cold calling, did you simply go through the yellow pages and find companies that were of interest to you or did you buy a list of potential contacts?
Also were you actually selling your products over the phone or were you trying to arrange to meet with the company and then try and sell your products to them in person?
Many thanks for your time.
Oh, just a quick PS, who were the company you used to work for?
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Adi - WebVideo4U.co.uk - Web Video Made Easy
Web">href="http://www.webvideo4u.co.uk/products/web_conferencing.html">Web Conferencing | Live Streaming Video | Video Email | much more..
Work with businesses? Maybe you could benefit from our affiliate scheme.
RE: RE: cold calling
pattie | 03/10/2004 09:27 PM
I bought a list of contacts originally, from Marketing File. However, I bought that for doing a mail out as opposed to cold calling. The type of service I offer is targetted at very small companies, startups and individual entrepreneurs, so I bought a list that reflected this. However, to be honest a lot of the contacts weren't that great, as many of them were people running "hobby" businesses from home, which isn't really my market.
So I then started to put together my own database of people to call by getting information about likely companies from wherever I could. My focus is fairly local, so I used the Thomson Local directory, I also get stuff from the business pages of the local paper, and I do lots of internet searching for local companies. Also, whenever I pass serviced offices that have a list of the tenants on the door I write them all down and then go home and see what I can find out about them. Once I've checked out their website and decided they look like a possibility, I give them a call.
I don't sell to anybody on the phone, I simply explain to them what I do and depending on the level of interest they express, I either send out an information pack, and then follow that up a few days later with another call. Or if they are really interested then I try and set up a meeting with them straightaway so I can go and see them and take it from there.
I'd definitely recommend giving it a go, I've learnt quite a lot from it and it has certainly made me much more competent in describing my services to people. You also find out some interesting stuff from people. So you can use it as an opportunity to do a bit of market research as well.
With regards to the TPS thing Ian mentioned above, there is a site called www.numbercheck.co.uk where you can check numbers against those registered on the TPS.
Good luck if you give the cold calling a try!
Pattie Mason
www.onehourpa.com
