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| | The Minding Your Own Business Network is not currently active and cannot accept new posts | | tips required for building confidence with calling cold customers | Views: 1265 | | Mar 01, 2007 9:27 pm | | tips required for building confidence with calling cold customers | # |
micala wilkins | | Looking for some tips on how to bridge the confidence gap when connecting with cold leads. Particularly in areas where nothing is known about the customer. What advice would you give to someone who is not shy, but still building their confidence? All replies gratefully received. Private Reply to micala wilkins | | Mar 01, 2007 9:54 pm | | re: tips required for building confidence with calling cold customers | # | 
Lindy Asimus | | Hi Micala
I took a quick look at your Ryze page to get some idea of the kind of business you might be in but there is nothing there yet, so let me suggest you add something there as soon as you can.
On the cold calling, I've found that in speaking with anyone that you have never met yet, it is useful to start with an attitude of seeking to find out as much as you can about the way the world looks to them. They are not interested in you, they don't know you yet. They may not even be a candidate for what you have until you know a little about them. So use that opportunity to connect with them genuinely, and build the bridge. If they are people who can turn into customers for what you have to offer, then you will want to develop them for the long term, so take your time and take the pressure of you both.
All the best
Lindy
www.designbusinessengeering.comPrivate Reply to Lindy Asimus | | Mar 01, 2007 11:29 pm | | re: tips required for building confidence with calling cold customers | # | 
Fred Keller | | Hello Micala,
Yes - it is difficult to give specific advice to you as you have not given us any clue about your Enterprise.
May I recommend a commercial site ..... but it has a lot of great information that may be helpful in its 'teaser'.
Perhaps you will find it of great value.
Keep Smiling!
Fred
Oh: it's at http://never-cold-call-again.first411.com and I recommend it highly.
Good Luck! (Labour Under Correct Knowledge)
PS: cold calling can be a great time waster. :o)
PS:>>Follow Your>>: http://passion.first411.comPrivate Reply to Fred Keller | | Mar 01, 2007 11:57 pm | | re: re: tips required for building confidence with calling cold customers | # | 
Robert Harrington | | As I am starting a brand new real estate business, my problem mirrors your own...however as an old entrepreneur I have some strategies I will be using and I am happy to share.
First cold calling sucks badly.
The reason for the giant sucking effect cold calling has on a normal human psychic is because this negative enterprise starts off with an inherent selfishness needed to try to get someone to take an action that you perceive will benefit you more than the prospect.
For instance, just calling on a cold prospect benefits you more than them, and you know this from the bitter experiences of being telemarketed during your favorite T.V. show or “ding donged” in the morning when enjoying a sleep in.
So forget it.
Let’s “warm call.”
How do we do that? Easy. Instead of cold calling we “POSITION” with our unique sales position of course. We promote this “position” so people call us instead of us calling and bothering them.
As I am selling a service called Real Estate, rather than pestering all my friends and acquaintances who will only hate me for it, I am positioning myself so that they know of me and when their time; (Not my wasted cold call time); REPEAT: Their time is right… they will call me.
My USP is a FREE BIG PICTURE website with downloadable automatic 2D software and self uploading large pictures and video of your home.
My secondary USP is that I provide wide-screen pix, eBay and Utube video of your home and free listing on all popular sites.
I also offer flat fee for clients dealing over the net with flexible buying and selling options. No Real Estate agent will call…Unless you want one too.
Sort of like buying and selling stocks or using an ATM machine.
So when I talk with you, as I hope I am doing now, we are talking about your fulfilling your needs first and by using a needs satisfying platform I have built FOR YOU!
See how this works? When this person wants to list I expect there is a great chance they will remember and list with my company partially because of the superior benefits they have gained from knowing me and my company.
Sort of like this network works.
Also because they are benefiting from knowing me rather than vice versa, I don’t have to do those tacky follow up calls pretending I really care about the death of their pet snake.
STOP SELLING. People hate to be sold.
Help people BUY. People love to buy. You love to BUY!
Private Reply to Robert Harrington | | Mar 02, 2007 12:07 am | | re: re: tips required for building confidence with calling cold customers | # | 
Laura Wheeler | | I've not been able to do cold telephone calling. Too many unknowns. On the other hand, I do ok with in-person cold contacts. When I can look around someone's environment a bit, introduce myself, and find a way to connect with them, and then just let them know what I do in the process, I get results. But I worry more on the first contact about building a relationship than I do about promoting anything.
I made the rounds in a nearby town last summer. Just got a call a couple of days ago from someone I contacted then, and she was pre-sold. She called and said she wanted the service.
I have also found that if you can attend events like trade shows, or other events, then you'll have a chance to meet people, and learn to connect with strangers, in an environment that is easier to handle than cold calls. In a trade show environment, THEY come to YOU. With some practice at that, you get more confident in other approaches. Plus, trade shows are really an effective way of promoting your business, and getting your name out there - just make sure you send people home with something. A business card is the minimum, but if you can find something inexpensive that you can give them that they'll use, even better. I hand out business card sized coupons for a free booklet.
If you have expertise in a specific field, that is of general public interest, you can also find ways to teach classes or seminars. Some Chambers of Commerce have avenues through which you can do this, or you can see if your local college or university has a Community Outreach program.
Laura
Mom to Eight
President, Firelight Business Enterprises, Inc
DBA, Firelight Web Studio
Small Business Web Services - Come in from the cold and feel the difference!
http://www.firelightwebstudio.com/Private Reply to Laura Wheeler | | Mar 02, 2007 12:12 am | | re: re: re: tips required for building confidence with calling cold customers | # |
Lindy Asimus | | Hear! Hear!
What he said.
Lindy
PS. On the real estate, you're quite right. Let me tell you that as a visitor to real estate sites in recent times, in the course of studying a particular market for a future purchase, there is nothing guaranteed to get my back up than a business who offers information only with 'strings attached'. Make it easy to contact you if I want to, but do not step over that mark unless specifically invited. I suspect I am not alone. For the rare site that offers useful tools without the strings and without the push factor, you can be sure you'll be hearing from me when I am ready to see you.
Oh, and when I am - contact me or forget about working in real estate. You've lost me forever if you don't respond to my email. ;-)Private Reply to Lindy Asimus | | Mar 02, 2007 12:24 am | | re: re: re: re: tips required for building confidence with calling cold customers | # | 
Carrie Gebbie, MS www.ResidualIncomeCoach.com | | yes, what he said :) :)
OR, of course, you could drive people to your website, THEN call them that way they're not cold either :)
They AT least already know your name!
AND, just remember...they're waiting for your phone call!!!
For a great system and capture page check out http://www.ExcitedNow.com !! It works quite well!
Peace & Blessings!
Carrie
Dreaming about residual income?!
http://www.ResidualIncomeCoach.com
Make it Happen! Private Reply to Carrie Gebbie, MS www.ResidualIncomeCoach.com | | Mar 02, 2007 2:46 am | | re: re: re: re: re: tips required for building confidence with calling cold customers | # | 
Larina Kase | | I agree with all that's been said, and I VERY rarely use cold calling. There are just too many more effective marketing and sales strategies out there, and it isn't difficult to warm your calls.
I'd recommend reading the New York Times Bestselling book Never Cold Call Again by Frank Rumbauskas Jr. Here's a link to see it on Amazon.com: http://tinyurl.com/38pqqg
Or his new book out this spring Selling Sucks.
Warmly,
Larina
-----------------------
Larina Kase, PsyD, MBA
President, Performance & Success Coaching, LLC
Discover the psychology of peak performance and marketing
http://www.themindsetofsuccess.com
Private Reply to Larina Kase | | Mar 05, 2007 7:05 am | | re: tips required for building confidence with calling cold customers | # |
Praveen Athani | | hi micala,
Yes, we face problems when making cold calls. but i came across one good online training site, where you will get videos and articles on various sales related topics. i suggest you to please go through www.allbusiness.com. its worth visiting that site
Regards,
Praveen
www.zerocode.com
Private Reply to Praveen Athani | | Mar 05, 2007 1:55 pm | | re: tips required for building confidence with calling cold customers | # |
Fred Keller | | Hi Micala,
Many suggest creating your own website that will bring warm , possibly presold, traffic to your door.
Many have stunning websites and do top-notch sites for others.
This is great advice! It's absolutely true. ....but...
there is a 'small' challenge:
How do prospective clients find Your site in the first place....among all 56-million active sites out there?
Heck - big companies spend thousands building fantastic sites....but get no traffic. (Ugh!)
What if you could get your site into the Top 10% ranking?
You can!
Check: http://drive-traffic-to-your-site.first411.com
And not to forget anyone who builds websites for clients, you can create this value added enhancement for existing clients' sites as well as future ones. Wouldn't that get you some word-of-mouth advertising in a hurry?
check: http://webmaster-directory.first411.com
Keep Smiling!
Fred
PS: Find out where Your site ranks with this complimentary test found at:
http://drive-traffic-to-your-site.first411.com
hint: you'll need to scroll down the page. :o)
Pay Less for Gas/Diesel: http://fuel.first411.comPrivate Reply to Fred Keller | | Mar 05, 2007 3:33 pm | | re: tips required for building confidence with calling cold customers | # | 
Chris Janssen | | Great points brought up so far. The reality is that "cold calling" is quickly becoming a method of the past in almost all businesses. The idea is to use technologies to help you find a "warm prospect" instead of taking the time to sift through that process using cold calling. Aside from the "negative" feelings that go with cold calling, the numbers are what they are. The reality is it will take you a huge amount of "cold calls" to reach someone that is looking for your product. I don't think anyone has mentioned it yet, but one way to connect with potential customers is through newsletter content. You then become an expert on that area to them, and when they are in a position to buy the product you have available, they will of course think of getting in touch with you. Technology can't replace human contact and relationships in business. We've seen that. The idea you can put a webiste out there and make money just doesn't pan out. People are still people and want to make a connection with another person. Also the liklihood of someone just happening on your website and purchasing something is very rare. HOWEVER, there are plenty of technology tools out there such as websites, auto-dialers, email, auto-responders, etc, that can help automate part of the sifting through cold contacts to warm contacts. The idea is to create an information funnel. Put as many people in that funnel as you can. Provide them with information they need to make an informed decision on their own. What will come out the bottom of your funnel? People that are really interested in what you have to offer. That is who you spend your time on.
Take care,
Chris
"Cherish your memories, look forward to the future, but LIVE today"
MLM for Serious Network Marketers Network - http://seriousmlm-network.ryze.com/
http://www.janssenecom.comPrivate Reply to Chris Janssen | | Mar 05, 2007 3:35 pm | | re: re: re: re: re: re: tips required for building confidence with calling cold customers | # |
Chris Janssen | | Larina-
Great resource in that book. Frank also has a website and newseltter that comes out from http://www.nevercoldcall.com that is a useful resource.
Take care,
Chris
"Cherish your memories, look forward to the future, but LIVE today"
MLM for Serious Network Marketers Network - http://seriousmlm-network.ryze.com/
http://www.janssenecom.comPrivate Reply to Chris Janssen | | |
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