| You two are the best. Now it's time for me to sit back and learn :) I've been marketing/networking for only a month :) I guess I'm like a puppy who wants to go out and play right? LOL ... keep goin, I'm all ears. Did I mention how great this all is? I just got a li'll bit o'wind back in my sails...
> Eric Sohn wrote:
> Steve -
>Actually, I was talking about true cold-calls - i.e. Selling to VITO calls, where you don't know they have specific needs, other than knowing that all companies can benefit from the service.
>That was when I thought I'd market to large companies. I had initial success in that market when, by chance, I met a SVP from Pitney Bowes, who agreed to refer me in to the Executive Development area. But, local networking makes it hard to meet those folks - few large company reps (other than sales) show up to Chamber of Commerce events.
>I tried an ExecuNet meeting once, on the premise that by helping the out-of-work execs with what I'm expert at (presentation skills), I'd be able to contact them after they landed. Don't remind me - it actually was a stupid strategy, as it diluted my perceived focus.
>FInally, I realized I'd rather "go small". I've since tried a lot of face-to-face marketing (trade shows, speaking, networking events), with little success. I found the educational gap to be the primary problem - unless someone has a proximate need, few are all that interested in spending more than 2 or 3 minutes understanding what I do.
>Believe it or not, Ryze has reinvigorated my marketing. The ability to demonstrate, through posting, what coaching is and that I do it competently, is unique to the message board mechanisms. And, to be fair, I think I'm more relaxed in this medium - I respond to people with expressed needs, which (other than "wanna buy from me") is not that common in face-to-face networking.
>And the results show it - One client found me through my posts, someone gave me a card at one of the mixers, and yet another person posted initial interest on my GB. That's more bites in less than 3 weeks here than over a year of doing it the "old-fashioned" way.
>Go ahead, Steve - let's have some questions.
>Coach Eric
>> Steve Levy wrote:
>> E-
>>
>>I'm making an assumption that you make calls when you hear or read of a real opportunity - for example, a brand new CIO at a local company that has had "cultural problems" the past few years.
>>
>>Anyone who is a CIO probably has spoken at conferences or has been quoted in a local or national business journal - perhaps even giving you fodder for identifying "issues." Take all you can find and formulate a list of possible areas of need that may be coachable.
>>
>>Here's where it becomes creative. With the list complete, it's time to create calling plan. Hint: The CIO's assistant probably knows about the CIO's personal and professional needs better than you.
>>
>>So Eric - I'll stop here and see how you're "hmmmm" turns into questions to ask.
>>
>>See you in a few hours.
>>
>>> Eric Sohn wrote:
>>> Folks -
>>>You've probably noticed that I ask a lot of questions. Normally, I'd ask them one at a time, but the inherent slowness of doing this online (not via iChat) makes that infeasible.
>>>The purpose of the questions, as you might have guessed, is to get people to question their assumptions and limits, and consider other possibilities currently walled-off to them by their own hand. Coaches try to ask questions that make you go "Hmmm..." :`)
>>>So, how about you ask me questions to help me with a problem?
>>>As I said, I hate cold-calling. I don't know how to approach calling someone I don't know on the phone, and being asked what this is all about. When I've done it, I've identified myself as a business coach and asked if we could get together to talk about coaching over coffee. All but once, I got "we're not interested" and "Click!"
>>>To me, it feels funny to say "I just want to get to know you" - actually, it feels phony, which I don't want to be.
>>>So, what questions would you ask me to figure out how to market with initial phone contact - or to decide to abandon it as a strategy (my current choice)?
>>>I am open to the possibility of changing my attitude and behaviors about this, so... ask away!
>>>Coach Eric
>>>Some of you are coaches... I'd prefer you lay low on this one, except to comment on other's questions - Thanks! Private Reply to Sue T. (new win) |
