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Dezzamondo

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I was going to put this on the Inside as it’s quite personal, but then decided to share things with the rest of the community instead. Perhaps someone else here could do with a boost when SHTF.

In October 2015 I had the happiest day of my life.

I got fired from a job I no longer cared for!

WOOHOO!
Within 20 mins of being axed, I was home working FULL TIME on my own ventures. Three months later, the biggest project I’ve ever undertaken to date went live, catering to the private wealth sector. It’s something I’ve been working alongside a seasoned publisher to deliver for the best part of 9months. Finally seeing it operational and ready to take subscriptions was a HUGE boost to my self-esteem and incredibly satisfying. Have a look for yourself:

https://TheWealthJournal.net

Whilst its picking up speed, I’ve moved my sights onto my own solo venture to pay the bills. In particular, I’m providing website development and copywriting services for SMEs and startups. It’s been a while since I’ve been active on TFLF so hopefully this lil’ journey will help show some of the newbies and wannabees that anything is possible with the right mindset.

I had a browse for a few hours a day or so ago and struck GOLD when I came across @SinisterLex’s article about copywriting. If you haven't yet read it, do so. NOW. His approach to mindset from the start is critical and I’ll summarise it for you:

TL;DR: If your head isn’t focused on what you are trying to achieve, then you’ve already lost.

Here and Now
Right now, I have less than zero in the bank.

Boohoo.

Plus, even more debt.

Rent is due in 3 weeks.

The bank wants money from me by the end of the month.

I HAVE NO INCOME.

Boo F***ing hoo.


But I do have this: http://Augmensis.com

AND I have a certain set of skills (Building websites & copywriting).

I have an internet connection and access to a computer.

I have a phone.

I have a pen and paper.

I am in business.


Right now my priorities are:

1) Establish a brochure presence for business – Acts as testament to my abilities & establishes authority

2) Identify prospects who:
a. Have an old/outdated/non-responsive website
b. Have an old/outdated/non-pleasing design
c. Already have their own basic copy
d. Are Local SMEs
e. Are in business
f. Have a phone number THAT I CAN CALL

3) Contact prospects and:
a. Get a sale & invoice immediately – No money, no project.
b. Or arrange another date
c. Or get feedback
d. GET SOMETHING​

4) Deliver project(s) to client from priority 3)

5) Get testimonial from client & reinforce priority 1)

6) Rinse & repeat.

“You need money to make money” I call BS. You just don’t want it badly enough to put in the work.

Stop dreaming kiddo.

Pull your finger out and make something happen.

Anything.

Action.

Action!

ACTION!!

I’m sure there will be some interesting experiences to share with you along the way, so I’ll do my best to add them here. In the meantime, feel free to ask specific questions and I’ll do my best to answer them.

Enjoy!
Dez
 
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Dezzamondo

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Choo Choo!
Right now, priority 1 is complete, “Establish a brochure presence for business”.

If you’re going to be in the business of selling websites and copywriting services, you had better have a f***ing WEBSITE and some damn good copy to boot!

Positives:
- Built within a couple of days from scratch as a challenge to myself, using Digital Ocean (DO) for a linux box and Node.js
- DO comes with $10 free credit (2 months FREE!)
- Have control over server resources
- Spent $4 on a snazzy piece of code for the price comparison sections
- Used existing credits with Deposit Photos for stock photos
- Total cost so far: $4

Negatives:
- New tech was a learning curve
- Could have saved a lot of time using a simpler service
- Browser compatibility testing sucks​

If I was to do it again what would I do differently:
- Leave the ego at the door, stick with common tech
- Use wordpress combined with DO for speed of delivery and control over resources​

Next Steps:
Priority 2) Identify prospects
You're going to like this one...​
 

7.62x51

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Holy crap dude, I'm in the exact same boat as you. I recently was let go of a dead end job earlier this month and right now I'm writing this from a Starbucks where I'm waiting to meet my first client for web development work. You're right on about taking action man, that's the key, so long as you're doing SOMETHING, you're making progress. When you don't have a job, you can go ALL IN and commit at a level that you just can't do when you're working for someone else.
 

Dezzamondo

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Observe. Rewind. Repeat

OK, here’s how Priority 2 went down and it’s waaaaaay more useful than trawling through google, or spamming craigslist…

Identifying Prospects
How on earth did people find local businesses and services before the internet came around? Did they shout out the window?

Errrm… No.

They used the damn PHONE BOOK!

Thankfully, directories like the Yellow Pages (Yell) also have an online presence, so there’s no need to go and dust off that 700-page tome that you once considered trying to rip in half! (
)

So, I went to an online directory (Yell.com) and searched for companies that matched the following criteria:
a. Have an old/outdated/non-responsive website
b. Have an old/outdated/non-pleasing design
c. Already have their own basic copy
d. Are Local SMEs
e. Are in business
f. Have a phone number THAT I CAN CALL​

Within a couple of hours, I had the contact names and numbers of 20 businesses.

Out of those, 18 needed site updates and 2 were fresh starts.

There were dollar signs in my eyes. But here’s where things got tricky. Getting prospects is one thing, but converting them into leads is a whole new ball game…

So, onto Priority 3) Contacting prospects and getting something from them:

Before any calls, I wrote down a simple linear guide for myself to use during the call. I wanted to remove any opportunity for me to miss anything out, as well as give myself a rough guideline of things to do, given any event that comes up. It was pretty much:

Hi, is that [NAME]? -> How are you today? -> Found you in Yellow pages -> I’d like to help you get more customers. Interested?

So imagine that, with a bit more padding, and you’ve pretty much got how my calls started out.

5 calls in and…

No Dice.

Shit.

OK, so what was going wrong?

It was me.

I had no tonality in my voice. I stuttered when I had to think on my feet. Conversations weren’t flowing naturally. It felt like I was trying to sell something and it came across as such.

OK, so what can I do to fix it?

I watched Wolf of Wall Street last week (love that film) and remembered he used a script to amplify sales from cold calls.

Great! I’ll use a script!

So I did some research into phone scripts and drafted my own. For the new websites, it looked EXACTLY like this:

[IF VOICEMAIL]
Hi [NAME], it’s Derek from [COMPANY_NAME], in [CITY] and I’d like to help you bring in more customers. When you have 60 seconds, could you give me a ring back on [NUMBER] and we’ll see what I can do for you. The number again is: [NUMBER] and my name is Derek. Have a great day. Bye!



[GETS THROUGH - NO SITE]

[BE UPBEAT]
Hi is that [NAME]?

[YUS]

[Add a hyper-inflection – A micro agreement]
Hi [NAME], its Derek from [COMPANY_NAME], in [CITY], how are you today?


[YUS]

[SQUINT]
I’m glad to hear that! Now, if you recall… you currently have a listing in yell.com, but no website? Does that ring a bell?


[YUS]

[Drop your voice to imply scarcity – Use bottled enthusiasm]
[Imply the reasonable man – Adjust tonality – Stress reason]
Ok, great!
[DOWN TONE]
Well, the Reason for the call today is that I’m on a mission to help local businesses gain more customers and improve their online presence. If you have 60 seconds, I’d like to share some ideas with you.

Have you got a minute?

[NOR]
Ok no problem. Would there be a better time for me to call?

[NOR]
OK, sorry for disturbing you. I’ll remove you from our calling list. Have a great day.
Bye

[YUS]
Great! Have a great day and I’ll call you then, [NAME].
Bye

[YUS]

Great! Well, first off, is there a reason you don’t currently have a website?

[Schpiel]

Ah, I see. If you were able to pull in just one more customer each month, what would that be worth to you? [Pause/They Stutter] Quite a lot I would think.

[YUS]

Imagine what several more customers each month would mean for you. An extra few thousand pounds perhaps?

[HMM…YUS]

Well my company, [COMPANY_NAME], specialises in building business websites that pull in customers for OUR clients, by delivering more value to YOUR customers.

With a website built by us, you will have a tailor made online presence showcasing your [BUSINESS_TYPE] business.

We can link in with your existing social media and give potential customers peace of mind over the quality of your business before they buy from you. And at the end of the day, I want to help make YOU more money.

Does a new website sound like something you would be interested in?

[NOR]
OK. Would there be anything else for your business I could help you with?

[NOR]
OK, no problem. I’ll remove you from our calling lists then. Have a great day [NAME].
Bye.

[YUS]
[Find pain points and see if you can help]​

[YUS]
Great! Well, if you like, I can get three draft designs over to you tonight, and let you mull over them for the evening.

I can give you a call tomorrow to see what you think, and we can take it from there.

Does that sound good to you?

[YUS]

Great! In that case can I just confirm this is the best number to call you on [NUMBER]

- And do you have an email address I can send the designs over to?
- [OR] And can I confirm the best email to send the designs over to is [EMAIL_ADDRESS]?

Great! And before I go, when would be the best time to call you back, [NAME]?

[Schpiel]

OK, Great! I’ll send the designs over tonight and I’ll give you a call at [TIME] tomorrow [/OR DAY]!
Thank you very much, [NAME].
Have a great day and I’ll see you tomorrow!


[CYA]
Bye



Woohoo! I have a million-dollar script! What could possibly stop me?!

Well, a lot it would seem.

Shit.


Takeaways:
- Reading from a script sounds like reading from a script.
- Deviations from the script can throw you. (i.e. prospect asks questions you haven’t prepared for)
- If it sounds like you’re selling, people will assume you’re selling something.​

Urgh.

The result? 5 more calls.

No Dice.


Take Three: A Different Approach

10 more prospects to go, and I’m going to try something different.

I get a lot of unsolicited emails from people (mostly in India) wanting to build my websites, etc. But they annoy me because they clearly haven’t done any research into my business, nor my needs. Presumably, I can’t be the only one they do this to either.

How can I use this to my advantage?

Go the extra mile and come up with a potential design for the client, BEFORE approaching them.

Now the process looks like this:
a) Build & publish basic theme with client details, showing them what they could have.
b) Email link to the design with some sales blurb.
c) Follow up with a call the next morning and close the deal.
d) Rinse, repeat.​

It worked back in December with another client, but isn’t particularly fast. It just takes more effort than most people are willing to put in.

Time for me to work harder.

Let's make this happen...
 

GrayCode

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Observe. Rewind. Repeat

OK, here’s how Priority 2 went down and it’s waaaaaay more useful than trawling through google, or spamming craigslist…

Identifying Prospects
How on earth did people find local businesses and services before the internet came around? Did they shout out the window?

Errrm… No.

They used the damn PHONE BOOK!

Thankfully, directories like the Yellow Pages (Yell) also have an online presence, so there’s no need to go and dust off that 700-page tome that you once considered trying to rip in half! (
)

So, I went to an online directory (Yell.com) and searched for companies that matched the following criteria:
a. Have an old/outdated/non-responsive website
b. Have an old/outdated/non-pleasing design
c. Already have their own basic copy
d. Are Local SMEs
e. Are in business
f. Have a phone number THAT I CAN CALL​

Within a couple of hours, I had the contact names and numbers of 20 businesses.

Out of those, 18 needed site updates and 2 were fresh starts.

There were dollar signs in my eyes. But here’s where things got tricky. Getting prospects is one thing, but converting them into leads is a whole new ball game…

So, onto Priority 3) Contacting prospects and getting something from them:

Before any calls, I wrote down a simple linear guide for myself to use during the call. I wanted to remove any opportunity for me to miss anything out, as well as give myself a rough guideline of things to do, given any event that comes up. It was pretty much:

Hi, is that [NAME]? -> How are you today? -> Found you in Yellow pages -> I’d like to help you get more customers. Interested?

So imagine that, with a bit more padding, and you’ve pretty much got how my calls started out.

5 calls in and…

No Dice.

Shit.

OK, so what was going wrong?

It was me.

I had no tonality in my voice. I stuttered when I had to think on my feet. Conversations weren’t flowing naturally. It felt like I was trying to sell something and it came across as such.

OK, so what can I do to fix it?

I watched Wolf of Wall Street last week (love that film) and remembered he used a script to amplify sales from cold calls.

Great! I’ll use a script!

So I did some research into phone scripts and drafted my own. For the new websites, it looked EXACTLY like this:

[IF VOICEMAIL]
Hi [NAME], it’s Derek from [COMPANY_NAME], in [CITY] and I’d like to help you bring in more customers. When you have 60 seconds, could you give me a ring back on [NUMBER] and we’ll see what I can do for you. The number again is: [NUMBER] and my name is Derek. Have a great day. Bye!



[GETS THROUGH - NO SITE]

[BE UPBEAT]
Hi is that [NAME]?

[YUS]

[Add a hyper-inflection – A micro agreement]
Hi [NAME], its Derek from [COMPANY_NAME], in [CITY], how are you today?


[YUS]

[SQUINT]
I’m glad to hear that! Now, if you recall… you currently have a listing in yell.com, but no website? Does that ring a bell?


[YUS]

[Drop your voice to imply scarcity – Use bottled enthusiasm]
[Imply the reasonable man – Adjust tonality – Stress reason]
Ok, great!
[DOWN TONE]
Well, the Reason for the call today is that I’m on a mission to help local businesses gain more customers and improve their online presence. If you have 60 seconds, I’d like to share some ideas with you.

Have you got a minute?

[NOR]
Ok no problem. Would there be a better time for me to call?

[NOR]
OK, sorry for disturbing you. I’ll remove you from our calling list. Have a great day.
Bye

[YUS]
Great! Have a great day and I’ll call you then, [NAME].
Bye

[YUS]

Great! Well, first off, is there a reason you don’t currently have a website?

[Schpiel]

Ah, I see. If you were able to pull in just one more customer each month, what would that be worth to you? [Pause/They Stutter] Quite a lot I would think.

[YUS]

Imagine what several more customers each month would mean for you. An extra few thousand pounds perhaps?

[HMM…YUS]

Well my company, [COMPANY_NAME], specialises in building business websites that pull in customers for OUR clients, by delivering more value to YOUR customers.

With a website built by us, you will have a tailor made online presence showcasing your [BUSINESS_TYPE] business.

We can link in with your existing social media and give potential customers peace of mind over the quality of your business before they buy from you. And at the end of the day, I want to help make YOU more money.

Does a new website sound like something you would be interested in?

[NOR]
OK. Would there be anything else for your business I could help you with?

[NOR]
OK, no problem. I’ll remove you from our calling lists then. Have a great day [NAME].
Bye.

[YUS]
[Find pain points and see if you can help]​

[YUS]
Great! Well, if you like, I can get three draft designs over to you tonight, and let you mull over them for the evening.

I can give you a call tomorrow to see what you think, and we can take it from there.

Does that sound good to you?

[YUS]

Great! In that case can I just confirm this is the best number to call you on [NUMBER]

- And do you have an email address I can send the designs over to?
- [OR] And can I confirm the best email to send the designs over to is [EMAIL_ADDRESS]?

Great! And before I go, when would be the best time to call you back, [NAME]?

[Schpiel]

OK, Great! I’ll send the designs over tonight and I’ll give you a call at [TIME] tomorrow [/OR DAY]!
Thank you very much, [NAME].
Have a great day and I’ll see you tomorrow!


[CYA]
Bye



Woohoo! I have a million-dollar script! What could possibly stop me?!

Well, a lot it would seem.

Shit.


Takeaways:
- Reading from a script sounds like reading from a script.
- Deviations from the script can throw you. (i.e. prospect asks questions you haven’t prepared for)
- If it sounds like you’re selling, people will assume you’re selling something.​

Urgh.

The result? 5 more calls.

No Dice.


Take Three: A Different Approach

10 more prospects to go, and I’m going to try something different.

I get a lot of unsolicited emails from people (mostly in India) wanting to build my websites, etc. But they annoy me because they clearly haven’t done any research into my business, nor my needs. Presumably, I can’t be the only one they do this to either.

How can I use this to my advantage?

Go the extra mile and come up with a potential design for the client, BEFORE approaching them.

Now the process looks like this:
a) Build & publish basic theme with client details, showing them what they could have.
b) Email link to the design with some sales blurb.
c) Follow up with a call the next morning and close the deal.
d) Rinse, repeat.​

It worked back in December with another client, but isn’t particularly fast. It just takes more effort than most people are willing to put in.

Time for me to work harder.

Let's make this happen...
I am following this thread. can't wait to see results. Please come back and post them lol!
 

mrarcher

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MakeItHappen

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Awesome thread. Goes right onto my watch list.

BTW 5 phone calls are WAY TO FEW to start changing your approach/strategy/script.
Cold calling is a numbers game even if you are handsome on the phone and have the best script in the world.

Takeaways:
- Reading from a script sounds like reading from a script.
- Deviations from the script can throw you. (i.e. prospect asks questions you haven’t prepared for)
- If it sounds like you’re selling, people will assume you’re selling something.​

Urgh.

The result? 5 more calls.

No Dice.

Well if you would use the script and make 200+ calls I bet it won't sound like reading from a script anymore. You just need to practice the script by making a lot of phone calls.

Also write down all the questions after every phone call that caught you off guard and find good answers to all the questions. If specific questions are getting asked over and over again than adjust the script so that the questions are answered before they can ask you.

Keep up the good work. :hurray:
 
Last edited:

Dezzamondo

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When you hit rock bottom

OK, bear with me on this one, it’ll get better, I promise!

So, for the last couple of weeks, I’ve clocked up just under 100 phone calls (91 to be exact), built 10 pre-sales websites for prospects who were emailed cold, and then followed up with a call the next day. The total revenue returned:

Zero.

And you think YOUR sales technique sucks! One thing I’ve learned over the past is that if you think you’ve hit your lowest point, there’s always plenty more to go…

Cue, the Shitstorm

Rejections have been disheartening at first, but you end up brushing it off. It’s no big deal, people just aren’t ready for your awesome product/service yet. However, the lack of sales means there’s nothing in the coffers to pay the bills.

It’s morbidly funny how banks will charge people, who have no money, for having no money. I ended up missing credit card payments in January. Long story short, I got slapped for not having money and fined for the privilege. Then kicked in the nuts when eBay took away £100 in fees for a macbook I sold in DECEMBER, followed by Amazon rebilling my Prime account without any warning or invoicing. Solved the Amazon problem and took the eBay thing on the chin. I’m still overdrawn.

Anyone in a similar position has two options:

1) Cry, blaming society and the universe for your misfortune. Absolve yourself of responsibility, declare bankruptcy and sign on to some welfare. After all, you deserve it… don’t you?

2) Get a job. Any job. It doesn’t matter, you have nothing anyway.​

I Chose Option 3) Suck it up. Pull your head out of your a$$. Find an opportunity. And execute LIKE A BOSS.

So here's what I did.

First up: Control your money
Banks don’t give a shit about you, regardless of what their marketing and PR says. If you owe them money, they will break you until you’re paid up… plus interest. I sold a mountain of old games and DVDs to bring my account into the black before being stung by the eBay fees, taking it back down. Now I need to get rid of the old consoles to bring it back in line again. Rapidly running out of things to sell.

Ended up borrowing money from my brother to help with rent and debt payments. When I’m up and stable, he’s first in line for a share of the good times for caring in the bad times. It was hard to ask for help as I’ve always been totally independent. If you’re desperate, suck up your pride and do what’s difficult.


Second: Find opportunity (NEED)
After 91 calls and over 400 sites visited, I started to notice patterns. Other than turning me down, people were receptive to following a link (to see their website preview) or allowing me to contact them again in 12 months. They were essentially open to taking a SMALL ACTION on their part where there was no possibility of a negative repercussion.

What if I could offer them a service out the back of the conversation? A last “Hail Mary!” before biting the bullet and terminating another prospect. I wonder…

Something I noticed on a lot of sites being prospected was the complete lack of basic proof reading for copy. Then I started to really notice it on blogs... and news articles… hell, almost everywhere I looked there were spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, poor presentation and a general disregard for content.

Has the world really become this lazy?!

Turns out, yes. It has.

NEED: A means to ironing out mistakes with copy before and AFTER publishing (being deliberately vague here)

Third: Evaluate the barrier to ENTRY for the opportunity (see what I’m doing here?)
I’m not afraid to put this out here. It may well go to the inside eventually, but for now it’s open to the world. I will execute this better than a wannabe. I’m more driven than any potential dreamers. I will crush any competition. Anyway…

This morning I woke up at 04:30 for no apparent reason. As I lay there, it dawned on me that I was on to something. So I lay there thinking, going through scenario after scenario of what could be done and how I could go about it.

Technically, it’s pretty straight forward to engineer. The toughest part will be billing, spam and the infrastructure side of things. The barrier becomes higher when I have an infinitely SCALABLE design to replicate and accelerate for rapid growth. If anyone wants to compete then they’re going to have to shell out a metric F***ton to do so.

For the technically minded that want to rip me off, go ahead. Nerds (like me) suck at sales. But I have the advantage in that I’ve got the focus to make this work and more sales calls under my belt than you’ll make in your lifetime. Sure they’ve not converted, but I’m a hell of a lot further ahead than you are. Find your own niche, keyboard warrior. Barrier Two.

Fourth: Plan. EXECUTE. Refine. Repeat.

IN MY CONTROL: I will own the code and have total control over the infrastructure required via a cloud service. Sure the provider could go down, but that’s unlikely. As a redundancy, I could use two or more providers as a failover, but that can be looked at in greater detail once the market is paying. I also have control over outbound prospecting, cold sales and dealing with any inbound requests.

OUT OF MY CONTROL: There are currently no laws, internationally or locally, that can prevent this service from happening. It’s unlikely to ever change, but I still have no control over it. I also have no control over the competition. There’s no competition as far as I can see yet, but that will inevitably change. However, I CAN control how I react and set the business against the competition.

SCALABILITY: God bless geo-redundant cloud infrastructure! Potential market to provide a service for is limited by the number of blogs, news sites and business websites… SO PLENTY OF ROOM TO EXPAND! Realistically it’ll be aimed at those sites that generate a steady income and have a regular readership. Still plenty of opportunities to grow.

TIME: The model I’m choosing will allow me to build the tech in phases and then focus on sales. After reaching targets, I can focus on evolving each phase and then upselling on new features. If I don’t replace myself, once the engineering is stable it’ll take care of itself and I can focus on sales. If I replace myself then there will be a team to handle engineering, sales, marketing, etc. Then I can steer the business in the direction the market wants, removing myself to a high-view, low-touch position.


Fifth: Execute.
I’ve been up now for three hours. By the time this post goes live, it’ll be closer to four. In that time I’ve fleshed out a business plan, technical strategy and written over 1000 words to give you guys something to read, whilst freeing my mind of mental crap.

What have you done in the last four hours? Dicked about in your cubicle at work? Read a bunch of bullshit blog articles on 100 ways entrepreneurs think?

Or have you done something?

What have you done for your business? What have you done to progress your career at work? What have you done to bring your idea to life? What have you ACTUALLY, PHYSICALLY DONE?!

For the dreamers out there, pull your head out of your a$$. If you’re wondering if I mean you, then you already know the answer. Now F***ing do SOMETHING!

ANYTHING! (other than dick about)

For the rest of you all-stars, keep going. Anything that’s shit can get better. They can certainly get MUCH worse, but you have it in you to turn that around. Screw what other people say to you and anyone that tries to put you down. Only YOU are in control.

YOU are in control.

YOU got this.


Next up: Beta reveal & Lead Generation. (Self-imposed) ETA: 19th February.

See you guys then ;)
 

Dezzamondo

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Cold calling is a numbers game
use the script and make 200+ calls I bet it won't sound like reading from a script anymore
write down all the questions after every phone call that caught you off guard and find good answers to all the questions. If specific questions are getting asked over and over again than adjust the script so that the questions are answered before they can ask you

Dude, golden words :)

It's hard work, but it's definitely getting better. You kind of feel yourself adjust and relax after a while. It's weird. Even though it's not yielded anything of great value yet, I think I can make it work to my advantage in future calls by offering a small (initially FREE) service of the back of each call. That way, if the prospect doesn't buy, then they could still be a lead for another product.

Thanks again for the advice!
 
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theag

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If you’re desperate, suck up your pride and do what’s difficult.
Why dont you get a job to cover your living expenses and build your business on the side? It sounds like you dont have any income for the last 4-5 months.

Your business model sucks. Thats not your fault. Its just the most oversaturated business on the planet and you're chasing PITA-cheapo-clients.

You've been at it fulltime for about a month (and 4 more months on other ventures) and dont have a single client and no income.

Time for a reality check.
 

Lex DeVille

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Why dont you get a job to cover your living expenses and build your business on the side? It sounds like you dont have any income for the last 4-5 months.

Your business model sucks. Thats not your fault. Its just the most oversaturated business on the planet and you're chasing PITA-cheapo-clients.

You've been at it fulltime for about a month (and 4 more months on other ventures) and dont have a single client and no income.

Time for a reality check.

This ^

Plus, if you can write copy why are you calling people instead of going to freelance sites where clients actively seek you out?
 

Baker

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Observe. Rewind. Repeat

OK, here’s how Priority 2 went down and it’s waaaaaay more useful than trawling through google, or spamming craigslist…

Identifying Prospects
How on earth did people find local businesses and services before the internet came around? Did they shout out the window?

Errrm… No.

They used the damn PHONE BOOK!

Thankfully, directories like the Yellow Pages (Yell) also have an online presence, so there’s no need to go and dust off that 700-page tome that you once considered trying to rip in half! (
)

So, I went to an online directory (Yell.com) and searched for companies that matched the following criteria:
a. Have an old/outdated/non-responsive website
b. Have an old/outdated/non-pleasing design
c. Already have their own basic copy
d. Are Local SMEs
e. Are in business
f. Have a phone number THAT I CAN CALL​

Within a couple of hours, I had the contact names and numbers of 20 businesses.

Out of those, 18 needed site updates and 2 were fresh starts.

There were dollar signs in my eyes. But here’s where things got tricky. Getting prospects is one thing, but converting them into leads is a whole new ball game…

So, onto Priority 3) Contacting prospects and getting something from them:

Before any calls, I wrote down a simple linear guide for myself to use during the call. I wanted to remove any opportunity for me to miss anything out, as well as give myself a rough guideline of things to do, given any event that comes up. It was pretty much:

Hi, is that [NAME]? -> How are you today? -> Found you in Yellow pages -> I’d like to help you get more customers. Interested?

So imagine that, with a bit more padding, and you’ve pretty much got how my calls started out.

5 calls in and…

No Dice.

Shit.

OK, so what was going wrong?

It was me.

I had no tonality in my voice. I stuttered when I had to think on my feet. Conversations weren’t flowing naturally. It felt like I was trying to sell something and it came across as such.

OK, so what can I do to fix it?

I watched Wolf of Wall Street last week (love that film) and remembered he used a script to amplify sales from cold calls.

Great! I’ll use a script!

So I did some research into phone scripts and drafted my own. For the new websites, it looked EXACTLY like this:

[IF VOICEMAIL]
Hi [NAME], it’s Derek from [COMPANY_NAME], in [CITY] and I’d like to help you bring in more customers. When you have 60 seconds, could you give me a ring back on [NUMBER] and we’ll see what I can do for you. The number again is: [NUMBER] and my name is Derek. Have a great day. Bye!



[GETS THROUGH - NO SITE]

[BE UPBEAT]
Hi is that [NAME]?

[YUS]

[Add a hyper-inflection – A micro agreement]
Hi [NAME], its Derek from [COMPANY_NAME], in [CITY], how are you today?


[YUS]

[SQUINT]
I’m glad to hear that! Now, if you recall… you currently have a listing in yell.com, but no website? Does that ring a bell?


[YUS]

[Drop your voice to imply scarcity – Use bottled enthusiasm]
[Imply the reasonable man – Adjust tonality – Stress reason]
Ok, great!
[DOWN TONE]
Well, the Reason for the call today is that I’m on a mission to help local businesses gain more customers and improve their online presence. If you have 60 seconds, I’d like to share some ideas with you.

Have you got a minute?

[NOR]
Ok no problem. Would there be a better time for me to call?

[NOR]
OK, sorry for disturbing you. I’ll remove you from our calling list. Have a great day.
Bye

[YUS]
Great! Have a great day and I’ll call you then, [NAME].
Bye

[YUS]

Great! Well, first off, is there a reason you don’t currently have a website?

[Schpiel]

Ah, I see. If you were able to pull in just one more customer each month, what would that be worth to you? [Pause/They Stutter] Quite a lot I would think.

[YUS]

Imagine what several more customers each month would mean for you. An extra few thousand pounds perhaps?

[HMM…YUS]

Well my company, [COMPANY_NAME], specialises in building business websites that pull in customers for OUR clients, by delivering more value to YOUR customers.

With a website built by us, you will have a tailor made online presence showcasing your [BUSINESS_TYPE] business.

We can link in with your existing social media and give potential customers peace of mind over the quality of your business before they buy from you. And at the end of the day, I want to help make YOU more money.

Does a new website sound like something you would be interested in?

[NOR]
OK. Would there be anything else for your business I could help you with?

[NOR]
OK, no problem. I’ll remove you from our calling lists then. Have a great day [NAME].
Bye.

[YUS]
[Find pain points and see if you can help]​

[YUS]
Great! Well, if you like, I can get three draft designs over to you tonight, and let you mull over them for the evening.

I can give you a call tomorrow to see what you think, and we can take it from there.

Does that sound good to you?

[YUS]

Great! In that case can I just confirm this is the best number to call you on [NUMBER]

- And do you have an email address I can send the designs over to?
- [OR] And can I confirm the best email to send the designs over to is [EMAIL_ADDRESS]?

Great! And before I go, when would be the best time to call you back, [NAME]?

[Schpiel]

OK, Great! I’ll send the designs over tonight and I’ll give you a call at [TIME] tomorrow [/OR DAY]!
Thank you very much, [NAME].
Have a great day and I’ll see you tomorrow!


[CYA]
Bye



Woohoo! I have a million-dollar script! What could possibly stop me?!

Well, a lot it would seem.

Shit.


Takeaways:
- Reading from a script sounds like reading from a script.
- Deviations from the script can throw you. (i.e. prospect asks questions you haven’t prepared for)
- If it sounds like you’re selling, people will assume you’re selling something.​

Urgh.

The result? 5 more calls.

No Dice.


Take Three: A Different Approach

10 more prospects to go, and I’m going to try something different.

I get a lot of unsolicited emails from people (mostly in India) wanting to build my websites, etc. But they annoy me because they clearly haven’t done any research into my business, nor my needs. Presumably, I can’t be the only one they do this to either.

How can I use this to my advantage?

Go the extra mile and come up with a potential design for the client, BEFORE approaching them.

Now the process looks like this:
a) Build & publish basic theme with client details, showing them what they could have.
b) Email link to the design with some sales blurb.
c) Follow up with a call the next morning and close the deal.
d) Rinse, repeat.​

It worked back in December with another client, but isn’t particularly fast. It just takes more effort than most people are willing to put in.

Time for me to work harder.

Let's make this happen...

I like this last approach alot, showing the value of what you have to offer before contacting them by phone. Thanks for sharing.
 
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Dezzamondo

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Why dont you get a job to cover your living expenses and build your business on the side? It sounds like you dont have any income for the last 4-5 months.

Your business model sucks. Thats not your fault. Its just the most oversaturated business on the planet and you're chasing PITA-cheapo-clients.

You've been at it fulltime for about a month (and 4 more months on other ventures) and dont have a single client and no income.

Time for a reality check.

Thanks for the straight up honesty @theag, I've respected your advice within this forum for years and this time is certainly no exception. I've been doing odd-jobs and looking for work within tech/programming to cover living expenses. Every recruiter I've come into contact with keeps disappearing, which is pretty damn frustrating!

But whilst that's been going on, I landed one client that covers half of my outgoings and am working with another as a one-off. Now I just need to find a way to cover the other half...

So Here's What I'm Doing About It
  1. Scrapped the copywriting & high-ticket web stuff.
  2. Refocusing the products to simpler turnkey stuff that I can be turned around within 24 hours, at a much lower price point. Sell on other
  3. Networking with a group of local entrepreneurs on Monday to discuss development of local business services, helping each other out and launching a collaborative workspace for the county.
  4. Building a portfolio of services & example sites to showcase skills.
  5. Try to find some part-time work to ease things.
Things are getting tight, but they're certainly getting there. Billing my first client has definitely been the high point for the week!

Let's see how this next week goes!
 

LibertyForMe

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Finding some part-time work should be easy. No reason you can't get a part time job within a week. Don't wait and look for a listing, just call up some places.
 

Rockhound

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If you are still interested in finding customers to update their websites, look in the chemical distribution business. Every website I have come across looks atrocious. I mean some of them look like they were made back in 1999.
 
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