Okay, so lest you feel like a total wuss for axing those client types that give you fits from the prospect list (whoever they may be for you), I must say that yesterday was probably my most productive day of cold calling ever.
And I think it was because I overhauled my list to eliminate all doctors' offices (which were starting to feel like my personal nemesis).
I actually took today off from cold calling because just about everyone I called and sent a link to yesterday wrote me back and it took forever to answer them all.
Quite a few were looking to set up face-to-face meetings. And one (who is an artist on the side) asked me if I'd be interested in reworking her bio (first paid gig if it pans out -- woot!).
One man wrote and asked not only for more info, but for tips on selling copywriting services to his clients.
So who did I call yesterday? Almost everyone was a graphic or web designer.
And weirdly enough, they were all in Cheyenne and Laramie. Those are little Wyoming towns about an hour up the road. I was sure they'd be a tough sell, but so far they've been very receptive. Maybe there are less copywriters trolling the phone lines up there.
So who's on your list that you dread calling today? I give you permission to delete them. Give them the ax and replace them with a different prospect you feel more confident about.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Monday, May 9, 2011
Prospect Lists for Wusses
A confession: I have not been taking my own advice.
I let several days go by last week without cold calling.
Part of it was looming deadlines, part of it was normal life drama, and part of it was, well, resentment because cold calling the past two weeks hasn't been going as smoothly as it was at first.
Unable to face another round of, "You do, um, WHAT?" I decided to prune my prospect list to focus on the types of businesses that have been most receptive to cold calling. These include:
* Marketing firms
* Graphic design firms
* Hospitals
* Universities
* Publications/Publishers
* Larger nonprofits
And I kept a few things that I just happen to like (e.g. microbreweries).
This made today's round of cold calls refreshingly smooth. It's just so much faster and less taxing when you're calling people who already know exactly what you're selling and can give you a yes or no on the spot.
And if you're an anxious cold caller, I would recommend starting out with these types of prospects.
So who did I cut? For the moment (until my sales skills are more honed and my skin is thicker), I've decided to give small businesses, medical practices and school districts a miss. I just haven't had much luck with them.
Anyone have any tips for selling projects to businesses in any of these categories? Might be a great opportunity for a guest post!
I let several days go by last week without cold calling.
Part of it was looming deadlines, part of it was normal life drama, and part of it was, well, resentment because cold calling the past two weeks hasn't been going as smoothly as it was at first.
Unable to face another round of, "You do, um, WHAT?" I decided to prune my prospect list to focus on the types of businesses that have been most receptive to cold calling. These include:
* Marketing firms
* Graphic design firms
* Hospitals
* Universities
* Publications/Publishers
* Larger nonprofits
And I kept a few things that I just happen to like (e.g. microbreweries).
This made today's round of cold calls refreshingly smooth. It's just so much faster and less taxing when you're calling people who already know exactly what you're selling and can give you a yes or no on the spot.
And if you're an anxious cold caller, I would recommend starting out with these types of prospects.
So who did I cut? For the moment (until my sales skills are more honed and my skin is thicker), I've decided to give small businesses, medical practices and school districts a miss. I just haven't had much luck with them.
Anyone have any tips for selling projects to businesses in any of these categories? Might be a great opportunity for a guest post!
Paging Experienced Cold Callers
If you are an experienced cold caller, would you be willing to make some guest posts here on overcoming fears or other topics of interest to us novices?
If interested, please contact me at sarah@ziplineagency.com.
If interested, please contact me at sarah@ziplineagency.com.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
SUPERSTARS OF PHONE MARKETING: Paul
I'm staring at giraffes at The Living Desert in California when suddenly my cell phone starts to blare.
Though I haven't added him to my contacts, I recognize his number. Yup, he's called that many times.
At first I almost ignore him, but I have fobbed Paul the cheerful insurance agent off so many times I feel like I at least owe him one more lame excuse. And so I answer.
"Hello," I say in my grumpiest, I'm-oh-so-busy voice.
"Hello," says Paul, sounding way too chipper for a Monday morning. "Just checking to see if you had a chance to have a look at those numbers I sent over."
I tell him I have not, and then add in a less-than-angelic tone that I'm on vacation and I'll talk to him when I get back in a week or so. I hang up as fast as possible and probably don't even say good-bye.
Now if that had been ME trying to get some grumpy girl's business, I probably would have given up right there. And written a ranting blog post about psycho prospects to boot.
But Paul is, well, way better at this phone-marketing thing than I am. Which is why he's now not only my insurance agent but my financial planner and I've bought all kinds of insurance from him that I didn't even know I needed.
It didn't happen overnight though. It didn't even happen in a month. The best way I can describe it: he wore me down.
And ya know, I'm glad he did.
Paul first contacted me after I filled out a reply card that arrived in my new-business welcome packet when I registered my LLC. It was from a firm offering "affordable health insurance," and at the time I was hoping some agent with magic powers could get me a policy that covered doctor visits and didn't have a through-the-roof deductible.
So it wasn't technically a cold call, but still.
Paul called next week and said he'd send over some numbers for me to look at. This he promptly did.
I, however, was in the throes of starting my new business and had better things to do.
Every week, usually on a Monday, Paul would call and ask if I had looked at the numbers.
"Nope," I'd reply week after week. "Nope, nope, nope."
I swear, this went on for months. After a while, I almost started to feel guilty about it. But Paul's quotes stayed in my inbox untouched.
I can't remember what finally lit a fire under me. Maybe the stars aligned. Maybe my current health insurance company did something that annoyed me. Anyway, I finally picked up Paul's quote and had a gander.
Only to find it was written in jargon that might as well have been Mandarin.
For the first time ever, I called Paul and asked what in the name of all that was holy he had sent me.
"Oh, I have some free time tomorrow," he said. "How about if I stop by and we look at it together?"
Well, long story short, he stopped by, he was friendly and knowledgeable and he had solutions that made sense to all my problems. Many visits later, he's part of the dream team that makes my little business chug along.
And I now own all sorts of insurance that I never knew I needed or thought was too expensive, like dental and disability.
Well played, Paul. Well played.
Lessons I learned from being on the successfully-converted prospect end of phone marketing:
1. Keep showing up (by phone). After a few calls, Paul established himself in my mind as "THE Insurance Agent." Even though I'd never used his services yet, I started to think of him as mine.
2. These things take time. Paul didn't sell me in one call or even ten calls. But all that calling paid off in the end.
3. Be courageous about following up. Even though sometimes I got grumpy with Paul, I needed what he was selling and in time I realized it. I shudder to think what would have happened to me if I had come down with leukemia or fallen into the gears of combine pre-Paul.
Do you have a hero of cold calling? Want to guest blog about them here? Give me a shout.
Though I haven't added him to my contacts, I recognize his number. Yup, he's called that many times.
At first I almost ignore him, but I have fobbed Paul the cheerful insurance agent off so many times I feel like I at least owe him one more lame excuse. And so I answer.
"Hello," I say in my grumpiest, I'm-oh-so-busy voice.
"Hello," says Paul, sounding way too chipper for a Monday morning. "Just checking to see if you had a chance to have a look at those numbers I sent over."
I tell him I have not, and then add in a less-than-angelic tone that I'm on vacation and I'll talk to him when I get back in a week or so. I hang up as fast as possible and probably don't even say good-bye.
Now if that had been ME trying to get some grumpy girl's business, I probably would have given up right there. And written a ranting blog post about psycho prospects to boot.
But Paul is, well, way better at this phone-marketing thing than I am. Which is why he's now not only my insurance agent but my financial planner and I've bought all kinds of insurance from him that I didn't even know I needed.
It didn't happen overnight though. It didn't even happen in a month. The best way I can describe it: he wore me down.
And ya know, I'm glad he did.
Paul first contacted me after I filled out a reply card that arrived in my new-business welcome packet when I registered my LLC. It was from a firm offering "affordable health insurance," and at the time I was hoping some agent with magic powers could get me a policy that covered doctor visits and didn't have a through-the-roof deductible.
So it wasn't technically a cold call, but still.
Paul called next week and said he'd send over some numbers for me to look at. This he promptly did.
I, however, was in the throes of starting my new business and had better things to do.
Every week, usually on a Monday, Paul would call and ask if I had looked at the numbers.
"Nope," I'd reply week after week. "Nope, nope, nope."
I swear, this went on for months. After a while, I almost started to feel guilty about it. But Paul's quotes stayed in my inbox untouched.
I can't remember what finally lit a fire under me. Maybe the stars aligned. Maybe my current health insurance company did something that annoyed me. Anyway, I finally picked up Paul's quote and had a gander.
Only to find it was written in jargon that might as well have been Mandarin.
For the first time ever, I called Paul and asked what in the name of all that was holy he had sent me.
"Oh, I have some free time tomorrow," he said. "How about if I stop by and we look at it together?"
Well, long story short, he stopped by, he was friendly and knowledgeable and he had solutions that made sense to all my problems. Many visits later, he's part of the dream team that makes my little business chug along.
And I now own all sorts of insurance that I never knew I needed or thought was too expensive, like dental and disability.
Well played, Paul. Well played.
Lessons I learned from being on the successfully-converted prospect end of phone marketing:
1. Keep showing up (by phone). After a few calls, Paul established himself in my mind as "THE Insurance Agent." Even though I'd never used his services yet, I started to think of him as mine.
2. These things take time. Paul didn't sell me in one call or even ten calls. But all that calling paid off in the end.
3. Be courageous about following up. Even though sometimes I got grumpy with Paul, I needed what he was selling and in time I realized it. I shudder to think what would have happened to me if I had come down with leukemia or fallen into the gears of combine pre-Paul.
Do you have a hero of cold calling? Want to guest blog about them here? Give me a shout.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
TIPS: Before you make 1,000 cold calls, check your phone plan
Ugh. I'm a bit of an infrequent cell phone user, so to save money, I'm on a $25-a-month, pay-as-you-go plan by Virgin Mobile.
Which was fantastic until I started spending an hour or more each day on the phone.
Just checked my phone bill and it's over $100.
Now, if I had been smart, I could have saved at least 60 of those dollars by upgrading to a better pay-as-you-go plan, at least for the remaining month of my campaign.
Another thing I should have done was switch off the automatic top-up feature (which allowed me to keep calling after maxing out my Anytime Minutes -- without realizing the massive charges I was racking up).
I've fixed the problems and in the end, it's all tax deductible so I'm not too bummed. Just hoping someone may learn from my mistake -- and save their business a few bucks!
Which was fantastic until I started spending an hour or more each day on the phone.
Just checked my phone bill and it's over $100.
Now, if I had been smart, I could have saved at least 60 of those dollars by upgrading to a better pay-as-you-go plan, at least for the remaining month of my campaign.
Another thing I should have done was switch off the automatic top-up feature (which allowed me to keep calling after maxing out my Anytime Minutes -- without realizing the massive charges I was racking up).
I've fixed the problems and in the end, it's all tax deductible so I'm not too bummed. Just hoping someone may learn from my mistake -- and save their business a few bucks!
Monday, May 2, 2011
FIELD GUIDE: Medical, Dental and Chiropractic Practices
Nature of the beast: Family practices, eye doctors, chiropractors, dentists and other health professionals set up shop everywhere from cities to tiny hamlets. Most handle their own marketing and patient communications, unless they're affiliated with a health system.
Approachability Level: Fair. Unlike hospital administrators, doctors and other medical types vary greatly in their understanding of what a freelancer can do for them. This is client that may require some grooming and education.
What they need from freelancers: Web content, newsletters, patient communications, articles, ads, ghostwriting.
Ask for: The person who handles marketing. Sometimes it's the practice manager, sometimes it's a doctor.
Potential to Become a Regular: I haven't had much luck with private practices, though I've heard other freelancers have. Anyone care to chime in?
Caveats: Some practices are owned by large health systems which handle their marketing. You can usually tell from the practice website whether it's independent.
Calling practices will make you very good at dealing with receptionists and other folks who are protective of the boss's time.
I've been surprised how few doctors have voice mail. Be prepared to leave a brief message and ask for the decision maker's email so you can forward a link to your site.
Approachability Level: Fair. Unlike hospital administrators, doctors and other medical types vary greatly in their understanding of what a freelancer can do for them. This is client that may require some grooming and education.
What they need from freelancers: Web content, newsletters, patient communications, articles, ads, ghostwriting.
Ask for: The person who handles marketing. Sometimes it's the practice manager, sometimes it's a doctor.
Potential to Become a Regular: I haven't had much luck with private practices, though I've heard other freelancers have. Anyone care to chime in?
Caveats: Some practices are owned by large health systems which handle their marketing. You can usually tell from the practice website whether it's independent.
Calling practices will make you very good at dealing with receptionists and other folks who are protective of the boss's time.
I've been surprised how few doctors have voice mail. Be prepared to leave a brief message and ask for the decision maker's email so you can forward a link to your site.
Just hit call
Monday is always my worst day of cold calling. After a weekend off, I just can't bring myself hit the call button for the first time. If I'm not careful, I start checking Facebook, reading Twitter and catching up on FLX -- and suddenly it's 11 o'clock and all the prospects are at lunch.
This Monday was extra brutal because I took the day off from cold calling last Thursday and then wrote all day Friday, so I really lost my momentum.
A few tricks for getting yourself to hit the call button when you REALLY don't want to:
1. Have strict "cold calling" hours. At 9:00, you're calling until you reach your goal for the day. No whining. **cracks whip**
2. Reward yourself. Make an agreement with yourself that if you get through your cold calls by a reasonable hour, you can have a little treat (a shorter workday, a break with a favorite TV show, a cheeseburger. Seriously, whatever it takes).
3. Remember why you're doing this. I posted a list of the things that cold calling is going to bring me: the chance to travel, move to Denver, and get my own place. I force myself to look at it when I'm flagging.
4. Repeat: The first is the worst. Once that first call is done, the others will be easy. Do what you have to to break the ice.
5. Keep your momentum up by calling every day. Twenty-five calls should take 1 to 2 hours, which leaves plenty of time for other projects.
How do you motivate yourself to make that first call on a Monday morning?
This Monday was extra brutal because I took the day off from cold calling last Thursday and then wrote all day Friday, so I really lost my momentum.
A few tricks for getting yourself to hit the call button when you REALLY don't want to:
1. Have strict "cold calling" hours. At 9:00, you're calling until you reach your goal for the day. No whining. **cracks whip**
2. Reward yourself. Make an agreement with yourself that if you get through your cold calls by a reasonable hour, you can have a little treat (a shorter workday, a break with a favorite TV show, a cheeseburger. Seriously, whatever it takes).
3. Remember why you're doing this. I posted a list of the things that cold calling is going to bring me: the chance to travel, move to Denver, and get my own place. I force myself to look at it when I'm flagging.
4. Repeat: The first is the worst. Once that first call is done, the others will be easy. Do what you have to to break the ice.
5. Keep your momentum up by calling every day. Twenty-five calls should take 1 to 2 hours, which leaves plenty of time for other projects.
How do you motivate yourself to make that first call on a Monday morning?
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