EXECUTION 2 hours of cold calls a day

[claudek]

thank you @Kal-El1998

Things happen. I am 33. I am sure you are going to take action before that age.

 

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[claudek]

Difficult week.

Monday top. Friday also. I have scheduled about 8 meetings. Only today 4 meetings in 1 hour. I called only for 1 hour because I didn't feel like pushing myself as I use to do.

Tuesday everyone hated me. I couldn't set any appointment. I felt so f*cking low. Caused by several days of too many glasses of wine. They triggered depression. Hungover, hence weakness during the day, hence "I cannot make it, it's too difficult." Hence, low energy during calls and very bad results.

Today I went calling from the car, in the shade looking at the hills. It felt like freedom.

I expect results in about 1 month and a half. That's because people use the free trial for 30 days. Plus a few days to relax.

 

[TheLearner]

Glad to see the progress you've been making! Through the thick and thin you've been improving. At some point this will be as natural to you as taking a drive somewhere.

 

[claudek]

Thank you @TheLearner .

How is going your journey?

EDIT: I am actually seeing your thread.

That's great. Left a job. Already growing. I admire you.

 

[Wisith]

thank you @Kal-El1998

Things happen. I am 33. I am sure you are going to take action before that age.

And you're still younger than me. I turned 35 earlier in the month Life is all perspective, man.

I'm happy for you. This skill is important because it allows you be comfortable talking to strangers. We all sell at some point, be it asking your kid to eat vegetables, asking for a raise, asking someone out on a date, asking for a loan, etc.

I went back to my alma mater to hire some new college grads so I can help mentor them along the way. These young adults were born with the smartphones. They can't even have a conversation anymore. I had to teach them how to pick up the phone and call people. They were scared out of their minds. I was too when I first started.

I think it depends on the industry you're in. Selling software doesn't sound too bad. My first job was as a telemarketer at age 17 in high school for a mortgage company. I worked from 6PM-10PM weekdays. We had packages of calls based on zip codes. I quickly found out that the more affluent people had no interest and had the nicest ways to cuss me out, LOL. "Hey buddy, we're not interested. Anyone with a soul wouldn't be telemarketing during dinner time. You should look into another field".

As a consultant nowadays, I don't do much cold calling, but I still depend heavily on my ability to influence my clients to take actions and building relationships (knowing details about them like if they just had a child or favorite sports team). I believe this is the next level after you've turned your cold market to warm market. I still get people cold calling me myself and it's amazing to me how little they know about me or the industry I'm in. 99% of the time the product/service they're selling doesn't apply to me at all.

A challenge for you is to record yourself on a call and play it back. I compare this to pro athletes watching films to make improvement. How many times did you stutter or say um? Was it because you didn't have an answer ready? These are things I did myself and found it to be helpful.

Lastly, don't let a pissed off customer ruin your day. Control what you can control...including your mood. Again, really happy for you!

 

[claudek]

And you're still younger than me. I turned 35 earlier in the month Life is all perspective, man.

I'm happy for you. This skill is important because it allows you be comfortable talking to strangers. We all sell at some point, be it asking your kid to eat vegetables, asking for a raise, asking someone out on a date, asking for a loan, etc.

I went back to my alma mater to hire some new college grads so I can help mentor them along the way. These young adults were born with the smartphones. They can't even have a conversation anymore. I had to teach them how to pick up the phone and call people. They were scared out of their minds. I was too when I first started.

I think it depends on the industry you're in. Selling software doesn't sound too bad. My first job was as a telemarketer at age 17 in high school for a mortgage company. I worked from 6PM-10PM weekdays. We had packages of calls based on zip codes. I quickly found out that the more affluent people had no interest and had the nicest ways to cuss me out, LOL. "Hey buddy, we're not interested. Anyone with a soul wouldn't be telemarketing during dinner time. You should look into another field".

As a consultant nowadays, I don't do much cold calling, but I still depend heavily on my ability to influence my clients to take actions and building relationships (knowing details about them like if they just had a child or favorite sports team). I believe this is the next level after you've turned your cold market to warm market. I still get people cold calling me myself and it's amazing to me how little they know about me or the industry I'm in. 99% of the time the product/service they're selling doesn't apply to me at all.

A challenge for you is to record yourself on a call and play it back. I compare this to pro athletes watching films to make improvement. How many times did you stutter or say um? Was it because you didn't have an answer ready? These are things I did myself and found it to be helpful.

Lastly, don't let a pissed off customer ruin your day. Control what you can control...including your mood. Again, really happy for you!

Wow, thank you @Wisith .

Yes, sometimes I record myself. And yes, verbal farts are a big part of my package

I like the comparison with pro athletes. Watching tapes is a fundamental tool for them to improve. Bigger than I expected.

As a consultant nowadays, I don't do much cold calling, but I still depend heavily on my ability to influence my clients to take actions and building relationships (knowing details about them like if they just had a child or favorite sports team). I believe this is the next level after you've turned your cold market to warm market. I still get people cold calling me myself and it's amazing to me how little they know about me or the industry I'm in. 99% of the time the product/service they're selling doesn't apply to me at all.

Do you mean that it becomes a warm market because you already know the clients or because you basically make researches about them before contacting them?

It seems you are in the business of communication and personal relationships.

You should be very confident talking to people.

I have always had problems due to the issues I had with my skin and stuff like that.

 

[Wisith]

Wow, thank you @Wisith .

Yes, sometimes I record myself. And yes, verbal farts are a big part of my package

I like the comparison with pro athletes. Watching tapes is a fundamental tool for them to improve. Bigger than I expected.




Do you mean that it becomes a warm market because you already know the clients or because you basically make researches about them before contacting them?

It seems you are in the business of communication and personal relationships.

You should be very confident talking to people.

I have always had problems due to the issues I had with my skin and stuff like that.

Haha. I used to be very self conscious. I moved to the states when I was 9-10 and had to learn English from scratch. That meant I had a strong accent for years. Some people still say I do now slightly. I was always shy in school too. Learning to talk to strangers was frightening to me.

I'm pretty confident nowadays because of repetition and the worst thing that can happen is they say no to you or don't talk back. Best case is you make their day a bit better when complimenting a stranger or gain a new friend.

My line of work (workers compensation insurance) is different. You have the various agencies out there cold calling business owners. They try to connect the business owners to various insurance companies. They get paid commission so they try to bank on finding a good match so the residual income kicks in when their client renews year after year.

My company is one of the insurance companies. We set our prices really high because everything is hands on including many in person visits by me. When I said warm market, I meant that these business owners chose to go with my company because their agency signed them up. They already paid up front but don't know who I am yet.

I became obsesses with being a better consultant so I learned to ask open ended questions and have them talk about their pain points so we can come to an agreement for an action plan to take during the year they're with us. The overall goal is to provide such great service that they would renew with us in a year and pay our price, which is higher than the market due to the hands on services.

Books like these really helped me in the process. But these would only work on warm market. They take too much time for cold market and some may find offensive.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0070511136/?tag=tff-amazonparser-20

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1591844355/?tag=tff-amazonparser-20

 

[claudek]

Haha. I used to be very self conscious. I moved to the states when I was 9-10 and had to learn English from scratch. That meant I had a strong accent for years. Some people still say I do now slightly. I was always shy in school too. Learning to talk to strangers was frightening to me.

I'm pretty confident nowadays because of repetition and the worst thing that can happen is they say no to you or don't talk back. Best case is you make their day a bit better when complimenting a stranger or gain a new friend.

My line of work (workers compensation insurance) is different. You have the various agencies out there cold calling business owners. They try to connect the business owners to various insurance companies. They get paid commission so they try to bank on finding a good match so the residual income kicks in when their client renews year after year.

My company is one of the insurance companies. We set our prices really high because everything is hands on including many in person visits by me. When I said warm market, I meant that these business owners chose to go with my company because their agency signed them up. They already paid up front but don't know who I am yet.

I became obsesses with being a better consultant so I learned to ask open ended questions and have them talk about their pain points so we can come to an agreement for an action plan to take during the year they're with us. The overall goal is to provide such great service that they would renew with us in a year and pay our price, which is higher than the market due to the hands on services.

Books like these really helped me in the process. But these would only work on warm market. They take too much time for cold market and some may find offensive.

SPIN Selling: Neil Rackham: 0352099390877: Amazon.com: Books

The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation: Dixon, Matthew, Adamson, Brent: 8580001040912: Amazon.com: Books

Thank you @Wisith.

so you use the “hands on” part of the business to differentiate yourself, add quality, and probably I guess you also like it. It’s good to meet people and provide value.

I liked your story. My accent is ridiculously strong.

I have been obsessed with sales as well. Mainly because I have always been so bad at it. The need to learn just came to the surface recently.

I will definitely check the books you recommended.

Thank you

 

[WJK]

Wow as a young guy this is really motivating! It shows what you can accomplish when you take massive action!

"Massive action"? What it really takes is consistent, doggedly determined action -- coupled with a relentless uphill battle to get better and better with each effort. The "consistent" part means day after day, week after week, and year after year. If the author of this thread does his two hours per day, 5 days a week, he will make amazing progress. 2 hours of daily concentrated effort, coupled with his record keeping to up his odds of getting orders, is his key to success. It's NOT a sprint. It's a marathon that creates a wave of good luck and resulting orders.

 

[claudek]

"Massive action"? What it really takes is consistent, doggedly determined action -- coupled with a relentless uphill battle to get better and better with each effort. The "consistent" part means day after day, week after week, and year after year. If the author of this thread does his two hours per day, 5 days a week, he will make amazing progress. 2 hours of daily concentrated effort, coupled with his record keeping to up his odds of getting orders, is his key to success. It's NOT a sprint. It's a marathon that creates a wave of good luck and resulting orders.

Thank you WJK for reminding me of this.

Incredibly useful.

I feel grateful.

 

[Kal-El1998]

"Massive action"? What it really takes is consistent, doggedly determined action -- coupled with a relentless uphill battle to get better and better with each effort. The "consistent" part means day after day, week after week, and year after year. If the author of this thread does his two hours per day, 5 days a week, he will make amazing progress. 2 hours of daily concentrated effort, coupled with his record keeping to up his odds of getting orders, is his key to success. It's NOT a sprint. It's a marathon that creates a wave of good luck and resulting orders.

I agree. I thought the consistency of action was understood. You can't just do something once, win or lose, and expect that to be the norm...you have to be consistent.

 

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[claudek]

Another week is gone.

On a personal level, this lifestyle is changing my relationship with people. I feel more connected with them even when I talk in real life.

Financially, nothing yet. A person signed up for the free trial. Some people say no. Some are very interested but they haven't taken action, yet.

For this last category, I am hoping for success in the follow-up. I haven't followed up with anyone, yet. This is the next step.

Besides that, it's happening that sometimes I feel thrilled by the thought of making the calls. Like f it was something that I actually enjoy doing. This because I am getting better at presenting myself in a polite and confident way and even if people are not interested, I still can have a good chat. It's happening that sometimes I spend also 15 minutes on the phone with people. Whether they are interested or not.

Three people this week flaked the meetings. One for headache, one for unknown reasons, another didn't write to me at all.

I have two goals:
1- reach 100 clients
2- selling the company and getting a percentage

Keep going

 

[ChrisGav]

You're right. It is an adventure. I crafted my humble beginnings into a high-power career -- far away from selling little houses. I went places I never dreamed of and I had many powerful clients over those years. The basic people skills can translate into many different businesses. If you can conquer your fears and hone your skills through education & experience, you can go far.

Are you still a real estate agent? I’m a new agent as well. 22, had my license for about a month and 1/2 now. All I do is cold calling, 3-4 hours a day sometimes 6-7 hours. I’ve gotten 2 closed deals so far, 2 current active listings though and about 9 buyer clients! It’s exciting, but still scary!

any tips?!

 

[claudek]

Are you still a real estate agent? I’m a new agent as well. 22, had my license for about a month and 1/2 now. All I do is cold calling, 3-4 hours a day sometimes 6-7 hours. I’ve gotten 2 closed deals so far, 2 current active listings though and about 9 buyer clients! It’s exciting, but still scary!

any tips?!

Well, you are definitely better than me.

Do you have any tips?

I am 33, calling 2 hours a day, and closed a free trial in almost one month.

Regarding calling being scary, I think it will go away in about 3 months. If not, check after 7.

Based on my experience in other fields related to being in contact with people, I think it went already away.

 

[WJK]

Are you still a real estate agent? I’m a new agent as well. 22, had my license for about a month and 1/2 now. All I do is cold calling, 3-4 hours a day sometimes 6-7 hours. I’ve gotten 2 closed deals so far, 2 current active listings though and about 9 buyer clients! It’s exciting, but still scary!

any tips?!

I'm 44+ years into the business. Officially, I'm a retired professional RE investor. I've done a little bit of everything from selling, being the broker, appraising, expert witness, litigation support, investing, etc. I've been at it so long that I was flipping houses and other properties when we still called those deals Equity Purchases. I door knocked and cold-called every day for years for different phases of the business. I've had to build up a client base for each activity.

Notes on selling -- I like to be in control of my deals, so I was a "listing" agent. When I was selling, I listed an average of 2+ properties per week. I had to have one of them sold by the end of the week because we had our caravan day (agent preview) on Friday mornings in my area. I could only physically sit at one open house, not 2+.

I found that each of the selling agents had a consistent customer profile. My job was to be relentless at marketing my listings to agents who had a good chance of selling them. I'd take the listing and immediately start contacting agents who dealt with the type of buyer for that house or property.

Even today, with my rentals -- when I get a vacancy, I get on the phone and social media in order to find my renter. We just got a unit ready to rent, so I have made a bunch of calls and posted it over the last couple of days. I've made it my business to know who can help me.

 

[claudek]

Are you still a real estate agent? I’m a new agent as well. 22, had my license for about a month and 1/2 now. All I do is cold calling, 3-4 hours a day sometimes 6-7 hours. I’ve gotten 2 closed deals so far, 2 current active listings though and about 9 buyer clients! It’s exciting, but still scary!

any tips?!

hey @ChrisGav,

one question.

How do you gather the list of prospects to call for real estate.

I am not into that business yet. I am just curious (if you can answer of course).

I am thinking that:
- brokers provide it
- you find places online where buyers post their interests in buying houses
- you call randomly a list of people without knowing in advance if they are interested in buying a house or not.


Thank you

 

[claudek]

I am following the Masterclass course by Chris Voss about negotiations.

There are a few concepts that are amazing.

Strangely today I have been able to apply them during the calls.

One that really impressed me is that, on certain occasions, if a person says NO, it is better than when they say YES. That is because the YES commit people, while the NO makes them feel safer, together with allowing them to add more information when answering our questions.

One way to receive a NO is to ask something like the following (I am coming up with the questions, so there can be mistakes):
- Do you think it is stupid to ask you for a meeting of 20 minutes?
- Do you think it is ridiculous to share this product with you?
- Do you think it is stupid the idea behind this service?

The above questions are likely to be answered with a NO. Plus, a person is motivated to add information to their answer.

For instance:
CLIENT: I am not interested in your product.
SALE: Do you think it is a stupid idea this kind of solution?
CLIENT: No, it's just that we are using a different software to generate leads.


Other notes on the course.

Label a person but without using the pronoun I.
When we use the pronoun I, we put judgment or something similar in the conversation. In the course, it is explained better.
To label, so, we can do something like this:
- it sounds like you are open about the project
- it looks like you are driven by results
- etc...

Probably the above are concepts known by most people. I have never been able to use social gimmicks, I just have a block toward them. But these, I find them to be ethical and powerful (after I have tried them).


Thank you

 

[WJK]

I am following the Masterclass course by Chris Voss about negotiations.

There are a few concepts that are amazing.

Strangely today I have been able to apply them during the calls.

One that really impressed me is that, on certain occasions, if a person says NO, it is better than when they say YES. That is because the YES commit people, while the NO makes them feel safer, together with allowing them to add more information when answering our questions.

One way to receive a NO is to ask something like the following (I am coming up with the questions, so there can be mistakes):
- Do you think it is stupid to ask you for a meeting of 20 minutes?
- Do you think it is ridiculous to share this product with you?
- Do you think it is stupid the idea behind this service?

The above questions are likely to be answered with a NO. Plus, a person is motivated to add information to their answer.

For instance:
CLIENT: I am not interested in your product.
SALE: Do you think it is a stupid idea this kind of solution?
CLIENT: No, it's just that we are using a different software to generate leads.


Other notes on the course.

Label a person but without using the pronoun I.
When we use the pronoun I, we put judgment or something similar in the conversation. In the course, it is explained better.
To label, so, we can do something like this:
- it sounds like you are open about the project
- it looks like you are driven by results
- etc...

Probably the above are concepts known by most people. I have never been able to use social gimmicks, I just have a block toward them. But these, I find them to be ethical and powerful (after I have tried them).


Thank you

When they do buy your product, you want them to think it was their idea. You're just helping them to execute their decision.

 

[claudek]

When they do buy your product, you want them to think it was their idea. You're just helping them to execute their decision.

This is one of those things that I know are very important, but I don't grasp them, yet.

 

[claudek]

Things are going. Keep sticking to the agenda.

I see there are opportunities.

What I am offering has value for clients. Our actual clients are having great results.

Until now I only get one person signing for the free trial. I think she did for compassion, though. Not paying clients, YET.

The following things could improve my situation:

1- Improving myself. How I present the product. The angle. My mental frame. My beliefs even, why not.

2- Instead of pitching to digital marketing agencies, contact directly businesses (as the company is already doing).

3- Creating a nice presentation for when I do the Demo (today I signed up for a demo for a famous software in order to understand what and how they do it).

4- I am asking the company to change 4/5 things in order to remove friction.

5- Using other channels like @eliquid shares in his post. The knowledge and availability shared in this post are mindblowing.

EDIT: 6- Adding values skews to the product. Listening today to the presentation, the guy talked about 10 things the software does. I have been TRULY impressed by 1/2. I didn't care about the rest. So I am going to create a list of value skews for the software I am selling and add them sparingly during the presentation.


Thank you

 

[WJK]

Things are going. Keep sticking to the agenda.

I see there are opportunities.

What I am offering has value for clients. Our actual clients are having great results.

Until now I only get one person signing for the free trial. I think she did for compassion, though. Not paying clients, YET.

The following things can improve my situation:
1- Improving myself. How I present the product. The angle. My mental frame. My beliefs even, why not.
2- Instead of pitching to digital marketing agencies, contact directly businesses (as the company is already doing).
3- Creating a nice presentation for when I do the Demo (today I signed up for a demo for a famous software in order to understand what and how they do it).
4- I am asking the company to change 4/5 things in order to remove friction.
5- Using other channels like @eliquid shares in his post. The knowledge and availability shared in this post are mindblowing.


Thank you

Have your pitch ready for when you start getting orders. You want to ask everyone for referrals -- even your lady for your free trial...

 

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[claudek]

Have your pitch ready for when you start getting orders. You want to ask everyone for referrals -- even your lady for your free trial...

Thank you WJK.

You mean a pitch ready in relation to asking for referrals right?

I will certainly do it.

Adding to the list

 

[WJK]

Things are going. Keep sticking to the agenda.

I see there are opportunities.

What I am offering has value for clients. Our actual clients are having great results.

Until now I only get one person signing for the free trial. I think she did for compassion, though. Not paying clients, YET.

The following things can improve my situation:
1- Improving myself. How I present the product. The angle. My mental frame. My beliefs even, why not.
2- Instead of pitching to digital marketing agencies, contact directly businesses (as the company is already doing).
3- Creating a nice presentation for when I do the Demo (today I signed up for a demo for a famous software in order to understand what and how they do it).
4- I am asking the company to change 4/5 things in order to remove friction.
5- Using other channels like @eliquid shares in his post. The knowledge and availability shared in this post are mindblowing.


Thank you

Have your pitch ready for when you start getting orders. You want to ask everyone for referrals -- even your lady for your free trial...

Thank you WJK.

You mean a pitch ready in relation to asking for referrals right?

I will certainly do it.

Adding to the list

Yes, and make sure that it includes the "free" trial. You can even use a gift card from the client to their friend. How about a discount or a gift for the client IF they refer you to someone? You want to build up clients as quickly as possible.
This is like pushing a car from a standstill. It's hard to push. Once you get it rolling, it's a lot easier to push.

 

[claudek]

Have your pitch ready for when you start getting orders. You want to ask everyone for referrals -- even your lady for your free trial...

Yes, and make sure that it includes the "free" trial. You can even use a gift card from the client to their friend. How about a discount or a gift for the client IF they refer you to someone? You want to build up clients as quickly as possible.
This is like pushing a car from a standstill. It's hard to push. Once you get it rolling, it's a lot easier to push.

Ok, thank you.

That's interesting.

Thinking about it.

I have to communicate with the company about these things. It's becoming more important every day that I speak up about the changes necessary to get into a different market. At least I think so (always keeping in mind I may be wrong).

Thank you again

 

[Pat D. Rick]

Cool progress so far.

I hate cold calling myself so i never do it, although it would certainly help me attract new clients.

One thing I once heard about how to motivate yourself to keep calling is this:

Let's say you need 20 calls to set an appointed and 10 appointments to make a sale worth 1.500€.

That's 200 calls to make 1.500€.

Now break it down to a single call: 1.500/200 = 7,50€

That means you make 7,50€ every time you pick up the phone and start calling.
Isn't this enough motivation to keep calling?

Granted, the numbers are made up, but you get the point. Figure out what a single call is worth to you and let that motivate you.

 

[claudek]

Cool progress so far.

I hate cold calling myself so i never do it, although it would certainly help me attract new clients.

One thing I once heard about how to motivate yourself to keep calling is this:

Let's say you need 20 calls to set an appointed and 10 appointments to make a sale worth 1.500€.

That's 200 calls to make 1.500€.

Now break it down to a single call: 1.500/200 = 7,50€

That means you make 7,50€ every time you pick up the phone and start calling.
Isn't this enough motivation to keep calling?

Granted, the numbers are made up, but you get the point. Figure out what a single call is worth to you and let that motivate you.

Thank you @Pat D. Rick .

I recently read what you said above in Cold Calling Techniques by Stephan Schiffman.

Today I have started organizing all my data in order to come up with those numbers as well.

I will update you as soon as done.

Thank you

 

[Johnny boy]

Use slybroadcast.

Record a message that will cut through the BS time wasters

Upload the numbers and hit send

Voila, they will get a voicemail with your message thinking a real person called them and left a personal message.

It costs 7 cents a message, wastes 0 time and you can get your message out to a lot more people.

DM me for more info if you want any help with it. I hate cold calling.

 

[claudek]

Use slybroadcast.

Record a message that will cut through the BS time wasters

Upload the numbers and hit send

Voila, they will get a voicemail with your message thinking a real person called them and left a personal message.

It costs 7 cents a message, wastes 0 time and you can get your message out to a lot more people.

DM me for more info if you want any help with it. I hate cold calling.

Wow, thank you @Johnny boy .

It sounds great.

I have two types of clients. With the first one, I cannot make it. But I can with the second one. I will find a way to create a database for the second type of clients, and then I will DM you if I have any questions.

Thank you again

 

[claudek]

Use slybroadcast.

Record a message that will cut through the BS time wasters

Upload the numbers and hit send

Voila, they will get a voicemail with your message thinking a real person called them and left a personal message.

It costs 7 cents a message, wastes 0 time and you can get your message out to a lot more people.

DM me for more info if you want any help with it. I hate cold calling.

One question Johnny boy.

Which is the callback ratio for those automatic voicemails?

Just know what to expect more or less.

Thank you

 

[claudek]

Here are the numbers approximately until now (I am not very good with numbers, yet):

- 700 total calls dialed
- 400 not answered
- 300 answered
- 17 meetings set
- 8 meetings actually happened
- 1 signed in

This means:
- 1 meeting set every 17 calls
- 1 meeting had every 32 calls
- 1 sign in every 8 meetings had

I cannot say how much $$ per client because the commission changes based on how many clients the agencies have. Or, for how many of them the agencies decide to use the software.

These are not good numbers, yet. The reason why I started cold calling was just to do something different from what I have done before. I am improving. Things are happening. I have been invited to a meeting with other entrepreneurs in January.

Today I call called for 2.30 hours. Meanwhile, I want to try the following:
1- what Johnny Boy said
2- I want to participate in meetings. Like meetup and similar. I have a unique product. So I am thrilled about the idea.
3- Linkedin approach

I say "try" because if something doesn't click with me in some way or the other, I just drop it.