Cold Callers: I want your opinion!

[RaffUnscripted]

When I started in the investment business it was all cold calls all day long. This was pre -do not call- list times. Anyway, to break through the clutter I would start the call with a question. Same question every time over and over... it was "Are you happy with the way your investments are being handled?" a version of this might work for you. It throws to ball right to them and breaks the pattern makes them scramble a bit for an answer instead of staying in their script.

 

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[Five Star]

@Crexty is fortunate to have so many forum members prepared to help him.

This free flow of information wouldn't happen on other forums. ~Carol❤

Couldn’t agree more.

@Crexty have you taken any action since starting this thread based on the advice?

 

[Crexty]

Wow! Thank you everybody for the responses! I truly appreciate all this info! I'm currently trying to make my process way more targeted versus the "Shotgun" approach.

 

[Crexty]

Wow. That thought alone makes me want to open a sideline gig to get in this business. All I have to do is outmaneuver my competition - which I've been doing since I was nine. It's not hard - more on that later in this post...



The market is already there, and it's proven. How many business' can say that? It's like selling tires. Everyone is going to need them, sooner or later. That's more than half the battle already won!



I NEVER ask someone a yes or no question. Talk about setting myself up for failure! I always present a CHOICE. Example: would you prefer your present cleaning service to be cheaper or better? Really? I'm surprised to hear that. So you don't have any complaints - or - So you like everything the way they do it right now, except you think the price is a bit high? I'm GLAD to hear that, because...

That is the difference between SELLING and COLD calling. Nobody likes COLD...



EXACTLY. Instead of using a shotgun approach and thinking the more people you contact the better - do this instead - TARGET and TAILOR your approach - in other words, CUSTOMIZE your approach to WIN POINTS with EVERY single contact. We've already established that EVERY office needs your services - and you are not inventing this service, but TAKING existing customers away from your competition - and this can be done EFFECTIVELY with a little selling. Using all of that INFORMATION, and applying it, will result in you NOT spinning your wheels and wasting time. Quit treating gatekeepers like they are just a name on your list - which they are. Nobody likes to deal with such COLD selling. It is irritating AND a waste of time. It's a good thing you have such a NECESSARY service to sell, because there is no way you could ever sell something that is not a necessity. I've sold things people/offices could ABSOLUTELY do without. I can only dream about selling something they need AND are already using. Geeeesh!



I've already stated this, but Carol puts it much milder. Shotgun or bullet approach? I use a very effective "I care" one on one approach, and I get astounding success rates. I should. Like I said earlier - there is a world of difference between selling and cold calling. Since there are numerous books on this, downloadable even, and very cheap - there is no need to beat this topic to death here anymore.



That is called "establishing rapport" with customers. And that leads to "customer relationships" which leads to business, which leads to referrals. Take the right direction, and look what can happen!



And this sums it all up so nicely! If you understand "sales" as is stated above, you can sell anything. Like MJ entered, and then dominated, the Limo business - a good sales person can enter ANY business and cut out their portion of the market - and that's whether or not the market's saturated or not. Be glad you are not going up against anyone that I've quoted in this post. They would move in and take over.

QUIT cold calling and be a sales warrior. One example - DON'T ask if you can PM someone. That's like asking - can you ask me a question. No. What does that convey? Weakness. Just DO IT. Learn to use lead in phrases like... Really? I'm surprised you say that. I'm glad you said that... and so on. You have to be confident - skilled - and assertive - and MOST of all LISTEN. If you learn HOW to listen, the customer will tell you what they want without saying what they want. Selling is GUIDING your customer to your goal. Good selling is LETTING your customer guide themselves to your goal. I don't see "cold calling" fitting into that very well. I DO see "selling" - even though it may be a NEW call over a phone - working quite well. Worlds of differences.

You should be so grateful to have all this advice here. It's all solid gold, and none of it is difficult to implement. Get some books. And. Then. Just. Do. It.

Wow, that was won of the best things i've read along with the few posts above this one. Definitely it makes sense me to Zero in on a few targets vs mass approaching a list.

Now that we both agree that nearly every almost that uses employee's has a cleaning service or a NEED for a cleaning service. How do I "target and Tailor" my approach towards these companies. The # of companies I could do business with in a Metro City area are endless. Would it just be best for me to make a "dream 100" list of companies I would love to do business with and are my "ideal" client? Should I target people based on things going on with their company? (People who have recently leased, new businesses, etc?)? Please Enlighten me more.



I've already limited my prospects down to the type of companies i'm after (White collar office space and medical space).

How would you go about Maneuvering around other companies, and carving out my portion of the market? I'm extremely motivated to learn.

 

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[Crexty]

And if you could please let me know what books those are, I would love to add them to my que reading list! (I already have 30 i'm trying to get through).

I'm very motivated to learn how this and become the best I can. I Love all the information you guys are giving me, and I promise that I'm not taking it with a grain of salt and I won't let any of you down.

 

[WJS]

And if you could please let me know what books those are, I would love to add them to my que reading list! (I already have 30 i'm trying to get through).

I'm very motivated to learn how this and become the best I can. I Love all the information you guys are giving me, and I promise that I'm not taking it with a grain of salt and I won't let any of you down.

Read this book. It's not sexy like other books on sales and marketing, but the points written in the book are highly practical

 

[Crexty]

Read this book. It's not sexy like other books on sales and marketing, but the points written in the book are highly practical

View attachment 18234

Thank you!

 

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[Real Deal Denver]

Give me an outline of your business plan.

How many times does an office want to be cleaned? Once a week? Twice a week?

How many offices could you clean in a day? How many days would you have available for your services? 5 - 6 - 7?

How long does it take to clean an office? One hour? Two? Three? Which "plan" is most popular?

What is your ideal client? Office with up to five rooms? Office with 10-15 rooms? Restaurant? etc.

What is your capacity now? One crew - working 7 days a week? Two crews working five days a week?

How easily can you expand? You have one crew? Can you add another within a week? Could you add three more within a week?

What is the population of your city?

Once we have an outline to work with, we can formulate a plan. People fail in business most often because they don't have a plan. They create a "job" for themselves, and are typically just self-employed, doing something that they used to do being an employee. That's not a business - that's having a job.

With detailed insight, perhaps a plan can be worked out. Then you simply follow the plan, step by step. You grow and cultivate your business on a clear pathway.

It's kind of like going to Vegas. You know your starting point, you know how far you have to go, you know how far you can travel in a certain time period, and you have MJ meet you there so he can bankroll your gambling! See? Easy.

 

[Crexty]

Give me an outline of your business plan.

How many times does an office want to be cleaned? Once a week? Twice a week?



How many offices could you clean in a day? How many days would you have available for your services? 5 - 6 - 7?

How long does it take to clean an office? One hour? Two? Three? Which "plan" is most popular?

What is your ideal client? Office with up to five rooms? Office with 10-15 rooms? Restaurant? etc.

What is your capacity now? One crew - working 7 days a week? Two crews working five days a week?

How easily can you expand? You have one crew? Can you add another within a week? Could you add three more within a week?

What is the population of your city?

Once we have an outline to work with, we can formulate a plan. People fail in business most often because they don't have a plan. They create a "job" for themselves, and are typically just self-employed, doing something that they used to do being an employee. That's not a business - that's having a job.

With detailed insight, perhaps a plan can be worked out. Then you simply follow the plan, step by step. You grow and cultivate your business on a clear pathway.

It's kind of like going to Vegas. You know your starting point, you know how far you have to go, you know how far you can travel in a certain time period, and you have MJ meet you there so he can bankroll your gambling! See? Easy.

1. My ideal client is cleaned 2-5x per week.

2. I have employees doing the cleaning, but I would like to add on 3-6 contracts a month. That way i can slowly hire. (Answer would be unlimited really. All cleaning is done at night). We are open 5 nights a week.

3. That varies, some take 1 person 1 hour. Some offices take 4 people for 4 hours. All depends on size, frequency cleaned and foot traffic in business.

4. Offices consisting of 1000 - 50,000 squarefeet. White collar space and small medical clinics.

5. Couple crews working each night. I can hire pretty easily. Im constantly interviewing and getting new candidates ready. I can add on a few crews in a month.

6. Population is roughly 4 million.

 

[Real Deal Denver]

All righty then. NOW we have some meat to work with! Get the barbecue sauce and napkins and let's fire this grill UP!

First of all, the population being 4 mil, you're in a feeding ground for your business, and you're never going to be able to saturate it. In other words, it's a wide open ocean for you to fish in, and you're never going to run out of fish.

You couldn't ask for better news than that!

Most importantly - you have a variety of clients already. Great. Do you know what you have there? Testimonials. That is going to be your dynamite you need to break through the stone walls of your business.

You got those clients somehow - when you DIDN'T have testimonials. Now, it's going to be much easier.

You couldn't ask for better news than that either!

This is a time intensive hands on business, so I'd forget mass marketing - which includes cold calling, by the way. There are 100 ways to go about this. Not having been in this business, this is one way I'd approach this...

You're only looking to add 3-6 contracts a month. That's about one a week. Incredibly small. That's not a bad thing - it's an easy thing.

First of all, I'd map out every business within two miles of where you mainly work from. Ideally, wouldn't it be great to have, say, seven or eight clients all in the SAME office building? Wow - that's the kind of efficiency that could really boost your bottom line. With that goal in mind, here's what I would do.

I'd make a BOOKLET of before and after shots of some of your clients offices. Spend a few bucks on a classy glossy booklet. Then I'd personally visit every office in ONE office building. Introduce yourself - ask to talk to the decision maker, OR the office manager if they want to play cutesy guessing games. Ask them if they could spare 2-3 minutes for you to show them your "market study." of customers in THEIR SAME BUILDING that are using your services. You may have to come back - fine. When you get to that point, briefly page through this booklet. Make it interesting to see! Say that you realize their time is limited, which is why you have prepared this very graphic aid so they can really see why your service is so special / needed / in demand / whatever. Get some google research data to throw in there. 80% of consumers say they do notice the cleanliness of business' and they DO rate that as an important factor in choosing who to do business with. In fact, that is the number THREE feature that they rate as being most important. Get their attention. This IS important for them to know. Then STRESS that you would like to do a CUSTOM proposal of what you can do for them, which you can have prepared in less than a week. People like custom personalized service. Are you impressing them so far? Hell yes you are. No - don't get it done the next day. You're very busy - they have to wait their turn! Make them want it.

You may have to remind them that this is totally no obligation of any kind, and of course, no charge. And you wouldn't be talking to them if you were not ABSOLUTELY sure you can deliver superior results for what they are paying now - or even LESS perhaps. For this study, naturally, you will need to know how many times their office is cleaned, what they're paying, and what - exactly - that entails. Holy moly - now you have your competitors blueprints! BE PROFESSIONAL! Name a few clients off the top of your head and how long you've been working with them. You are selling something they already KNOW they need!

When you do prepare the proposal, don't propose only what they have now. Give them OPTIONS. They could go with the plan they have now, which is your gold plan. They could also save a few dollars, if they went with your silver plan, or they could go first class with your platinum or diamond packages. Be. Professional. Never give them a yes or no, take it or leave it, option. Always choices! Give them a "lock in your price for 12 months" preferred customer discount program! Be creative!

This may take two or more trips. This is an ongoing revenue stream, not a one time sale, so work it. It will be worth the effort.

If they refuse or put you off, follow up with them in two weeks. But THIS time you can remind them, and thank them, for the time they spent with you 12 days ago, when you were in the building. Tell them that since that time you have signed up 5 more offices in their building (whatever the number is) of SATISFIED customers, and you'd be glad to EMAIL them contacts so they can get first hand referrals. Most people are not going to do that - but they will be impressed that you have a number of customers in their own building. I bet you don't know that the number of NO responses that is received before a YES is heard is not one, or two, or three. It's seven. It's an art, not an algorithm or a series of emails or cold calls. That's why sales people are well paid.

Next is the hard part. You have to play it by ear. You could offer them 25% off the entire first months service - or you could offer them an entire FREE month if they like your service and refer only ONE customer to them that signs up. And that's an ongoing offer that NEVER expires, by the way. Tell them you'd like nothing better than to give them a free month discount EVERY month! Or you could follow up with an interesting email - a letter - a link to your website - whatever. If all else fails, I'd send them a $10 gift card to Starbucks and thank them AGAIN for their time and you look forward to them being your customer. I didn't say IF did I? I said WHEN they will become your customer. You gotta have brass balls, but not be cocky.

You might not get every customer you talk to. Don't sweat it. But imagine if you got, say 20, did I say 20? Yes I did. Are you paying attention? Imagine 20 offices all in the same building! Now that I have your attention - tell me why it couldn't be 40? Why not? It's there for the taking.

Rinse and repeat for the building across the street, and so on, and so on.

How do you thank your customers? The person that hired you - Ms. Susie High Heels - can you leave a box of chocolates on her desk and a hand written thank you card the first time you clean their office? How about movie tickets two months later and a hand written note saying how much you appreciate their business. Make them love you.

That, my friend, is how to dominate this business. Own a building full of clients! Then a block! You could have your entire business in a population of 4 mil - all running within one square mile or less!

This is absolutely entirely possible. But there's a catch. There's ALWAYS a catch. You are going to buy me not one, but TWO rum and cokes on our cruise after you have this up and running.

Great business model. I am seriously thinking of doing this myself...

Then you can add on things, like - rent a decor. Bring in paintings and plants, and swap them out every two months to keep things changed up and interesting. How about small vending machines or a coffee service for their waiting room? You're there anyway! Damn - this is getting expensive man. Now we're up to THREE rum and cokes. And counting.

 

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[Crexty]

All righty then. NOW we have some meat to work with! Get the barbecue sauce and napkins and let's fire this grill UP!

First of all, the population being 4 mil, you're in a feeding ground for your business, and you're never going to be able to saturate it. In other words, it's a wide open ocean for you to fish in, and you're never going to run out of fish.

You couldn't ask for better news than that!

Most importantly - you have a variety of clients already. Great. Do you know what you have there? Testimonials. That is going to be your dynamite you need to break through the stone walls of your business.

You got those clients somehow - when you DIDN'T have testimonials. Now, it's going to be much easier.

You couldn't ask for better news than that either!

This is a time intensive hands on business, so I'd forget mass marketing - which includes cold calling, by the way. There are 100 ways to go about this. Not having been in this business, this is one way I'd approach this...

You're only looking to add 3-6 contracts a month. That's about one a week. Incredibly small. That's not a bad thing - it's an easy thing.

First of all, I'd map out every business within two miles of where you mainly work from. Ideally, wouldn't it be great to have, say, seven or eight clients all in the SAME office building? Wow - that's the kind of efficiency that could really boost your bottom line. With that goal in mind, here's what I would do.

I'd make a BOOKLET of before and after shots of some of your clients offices. Spend a few bucks on a classy glossy booklet. Then I'd personally visit every office in ONE office building. Introduce yourself - ask to talk to the decision maker, OR the office manager if they want to play cutesy guessing games. Ask them if they could spare 2-3 minutes for you to show them your "market study." of customers in THEIR SAME BUILDING that are using your services. You may have to come back - fine. When you get to that point, briefly page through this booklet. Make it interesting to see! Say that you realize their time is limited, which is why you have prepared this very graphic aid so they can really see why your service is so special / needed / in demand / whatever. Get some google research data to throw in there. 80% of consumers say they do notice the cleanliness of business' and they DO rate that as an important factor in choosing who to do business with. In fact, that is the number THREE feature that they rate as being most important. Get their attention. This IS important for them to know. Then STRESS that you would like to do a CUSTOM proposal of what you can do for them, which you can have prepared in less than a week. People like custom personalized service. Are you impressing them so far? Hell yes you are. No - don't get it done the next day. You're very busy - they have to wait their turn! Make them want it.

You may have to remind them that this is totally no obligation of any kind, and of course, no charge. And you wouldn't be talking to them if you were not ABSOLUTELY sure you can deliver superior results for what they are paying now - or even LESS perhaps. For this study, naturally, you will need to know how many times their office is cleaned, what they're paying, and what - exactly - that entails. Holy moly - now you have your competitors blueprints! BE PROFESSIONAL! Name a few clients off the top of your head and how long you've been working with them. You are selling something they already KNOW they need!

When you do prepare the proposal, don't propose only what they have now. Give them OPTIONS. They could go with the plan they have now, which is your gold plan. They could also save a few dollars, if they went with your silver plan, or they could go first class with your platinum or diamond packages. Be. Professional. Never give them a yes or no, take it or leave it, option. Always choices! Give them a "lock in your price for 12 months" preferred customer discount program! Be creative!

This may take two or more trips. This is an ongoing revenue stream, not a one time sale, so work it. It will be worth the effort.

If they refuse or put you off, follow up with them in two weeks. But THIS time you can remind them, and thank them, for the time they spent with you 12 days ago, when you were in the building. Tell them that since that time you have signed up 5 more offices in their building (whatever the number is) of SATISFIED customers, and you'd be glad to EMAIL them contacts so they can get first hand referrals. Most people are not going to do that - but they will be impressed that you have a number of customers in their own building. I bet you don't know that the number of NO responses that is received before a YES is heard is not one, or two, or three. It's seven. It's an art, not an algorithm or a series of emails or cold calls. That's why sales people are well paid.

Next is the hard part. You have to play it by ear. You could offer them 25% off the entire first months service - or you could offer them an entire FREE month if they like your service and refer only ONE customer to them that signs up. And that's an ongoing offer that NEVER expires, by the way. Tell them you'd like nothing better than to give them a free month discount EVERY month! Or you could follow up with an interesting email - a letter - a link to your website - whatever. If all else fails, I'd send them a $10 gift card to Starbucks and thank them AGAIN for their time and you look forward to them being your customer. I didn't say IF did I? I said WHEN they will become your customer. You gotta have brass balls, but not be cocky.

You might not get every customer you talk to. Don't sweat it. But imagine if you got, say 20, did I say 20? Yes I did. Are you paying attention? Imagine 20 offices all in the same building! Now that I have your attention - tell me why it couldn't be 40? Why not? It's there for the taking.

Rinse and repeat for the building across the street, and so on, and so on.

How do you thank your customers? The person that hired you - Ms. Susie High Heels - can you leave a box of chocolates on her desk and a hand written thank you card the first time you clean their office? How about movie tickets two months later and a hand written note saying how much you appreciate their business. Make them love you.

That, my friend, is how to dominate this business. Own a building full of clients! Then a block! You could have your entire business in a population of 4 mil - all running within one square mile or less!

This is absolutely entirely possible. But there's a catch. There's ALWAYS a catch. You are going to buy me not one, but TWO rum and cokes on our cruise after you have this up and running.

Great business model. I am seriously thinking of doing this myself...

Then you can add on things, like - rent a decor. Bring in paintings and plants, and swap them out every two months to keep things changed up and interesting. How about small vending machines or a coffee service for their waiting room? You're there anyway! Damn - this is getting expensive man. Now we're up to THREE rum and cokes. And counting.

Wow, that was an AMAZING post! I loved every single part!

Now quick question. Most office "buildings" (if not all) have a janitorial service that takes care of all the tenants...

I guess I would have to be going door to door in office parks? And what would the follow up process look like this in a CRM (that way it can be automated).

First In person visit, Emails, Sales Letters, Etc?

Could this be applied to dental offices? lawyers? or really any general office?

 

[Crexty]

All righty then. NOW we have some meat to work with! Get the barbecue sauce and napkins and let's fire this grill UP!

First of all, the population being 4 mil, you're in a feeding ground for your business, and you're never going to be able to saturate it. In other words, it's a wide open ocean for you to fish in, and you're never going to run out of fish.

You couldn't ask for better news than that!

Most importantly - you have a variety of clients already. Great. Do you know what you have there? Testimonials. That is going to be your dynamite you need to break through the stone walls of your business.

You got those clients somehow - when you DIDN'T have testimonials. Now, it's going to be much easier.

You couldn't ask for better news than that either!

This is a time intensive hands on business, so I'd forget mass marketing - which includes cold calling, by the way. There are 100 ways to go about this. Not having been in this business, this is one way I'd approach this...

You're only looking to add 3-6 contracts a month. That's about one a week. Incredibly small. That's not a bad thing - it's an easy thing.

First of all, I'd map out every business within two miles of where you mainly work from. Ideally, wouldn't it be great to have, say, seven or eight clients all in the SAME office building? Wow - that's the kind of efficiency that could really boost your bottom line. With that goal in mind, here's what I would do.

I'd make a BOOKLET of before and after shots of some of your clients offices. Spend a few bucks on a classy glossy booklet. Then I'd personally visit every office in ONE office building. Introduce yourself - ask to talk to the decision maker, OR the office manager if they want to play cutesy guessing games. Ask them if they could spare 2-3 minutes for you to show them your "market study." of customers in THEIR SAME BUILDING that are using your services. You may have to come back - fine. When you get to that point, briefly page through this booklet. Make it interesting to see! Say that you realize their time is limited, which is why you have prepared this very graphic aid so they can really see why your service is so special / needed / in demand / whatever. Get some google research data to throw in there. 80% of consumers say they do notice the cleanliness of business' and they DO rate that as an important factor in choosing who to do business with. In fact, that is the number THREE feature that they rate as being most important. Get their attention. This IS important for them to know. Then STRESS that you would like to do a CUSTOM proposal of what you can do for them, which you can have prepared in less than a week. People like custom personalized service. Are you impressing them so far? Hell yes you are. No - don't get it done the next day. You're very busy - they have to wait their turn! Make them want it.

You may have to remind them that this is totally no obligation of any kind, and of course, no charge. And you wouldn't be talking to them if you were not ABSOLUTELY sure you can deliver superior results for what they are paying now - or even LESS perhaps. For this study, naturally, you will need to know how many times their office is cleaned, what they're paying, and what - exactly - that entails. Holy moly - now you have your competitors blueprints! BE PROFESSIONAL! Name a few clients off the top of your head and how long you've been working with them. You are selling something they already KNOW they need!

When you do prepare the proposal, don't propose only what they have now. Give them OPTIONS. They could go with the plan they have now, which is your gold plan. They could also save a few dollars, if they went with your silver plan, or they could go first class with your platinum or diamond packages. Be. Professional. Never give them a yes or no, take it or leave it, option. Always choices! Give them a "lock in your price for 12 months" preferred customer discount program! Be creative!

This may take two or more trips. This is an ongoing revenue stream, not a one time sale, so work it. It will be worth the effort.

If they refuse or put you off, follow up with them in two weeks. But THIS time you can remind them, and thank them, for the time they spent with you 12 days ago, when you were in the building. Tell them that since that time you have signed up 5 more offices in their building (whatever the number is) of SATISFIED customers, and you'd be glad to EMAIL them contacts so they can get first hand referrals. Most people are not going to do that - but they will be impressed that you have a number of customers in their own building. I bet you don't know that the number of NO responses that is received before a YES is heard is not one, or two, or three. It's seven. It's an art, not an algorithm or a series of emails or cold calls. That's why sales people are well paid.

Next is the hard part. You have to play it by ear. You could offer them 25% off the entire first months service - or you could offer them an entire FREE month if they like your service and refer only ONE customer to them that signs up. And that's an ongoing offer that NEVER expires, by the way. Tell them you'd like nothing better than to give them a free month discount EVERY month! Or you could follow up with an interesting email - a letter - a link to your website - whatever. If all else fails, I'd send them a $10 gift card to Starbucks and thank them AGAIN for their time and you look forward to them being your customer. I didn't say IF did I? I said WHEN they will become your customer. You gotta have brass balls, but not be cocky.

You might not get every customer you talk to. Don't sweat it. But imagine if you got, say 20, did I say 20? Yes I did. Are you paying attention? Imagine 20 offices all in the same building! Now that I have your attention - tell me why it couldn't be 40? Why not? It's there for the taking.

Rinse and repeat for the building across the street, and so on, and so on.

How do you thank your customers? The person that hired you - Ms. Susie High Heels - can you leave a box of chocolates on her desk and a hand written thank you card the first time you clean their office? How about movie tickets two months later and a hand written note saying how much you appreciate their business. Make them love you.

That, my friend, is how to dominate this business. Own a building full of clients! Then a block! You could have your entire business in a population of 4 mil - all running within one square mile or less!

This is absolutely entirely possible. But there's a catch. There's ALWAYS a catch. You are going to buy me not one, but TWO rum and cokes on our cruise after you have this up and running.

Great business model. I am seriously thinking of doing this myself...

Then you can add on things, like - rent a decor. Bring in paintings and plants, and swap them out every two months to keep things changed up and interesting. How about small vending machines or a coffee service for their waiting room? You're there anyway! Damn - this is getting expensive man. Now we're up to THREE rum and cokes. And counting.

Oh and another thing is! Some office parks have their individual management company (that usually has a Janitorial service take care of them)...

How do I go about that? That way I don't waste time visiting parks that couldn't even use my service anyways

 

[Real Deal Denver]

Now quick question. Most office "buildings" (if not all) have a janitorial service that takes care of all the tenants...

There's your goal. One entire building. They probably include cleaning in their leases to lock in their customers. That's interesting. You can use that against them, actually. Go to their competitors and offer a better deal, which they will use to get more clients. That will heat up the market a little bit. Then you can do that same thing with other office buildings. You're a resource that they can use to be more competitive. I'd really have to dive into that and look at it from different angles. They may have a contract, which would be a big hurdle for you to overcome. This may be a long time goal that you can keep on the back burner. It's definitely worth checking out because I think that's where the money is.

For your immediate concerns, I think there are hundreds of smaller offices that you could take on. With a one on one way of acquiring clients, I think you could grow this as big as you want to. I have a similar business. I'm a real estate appraiser. This is a business with a huge responsibility. I am valuing the biggest financial investments of someone's life. Most of the time, I don't work with customers directly. I work with lenders. This is similar to your business in that my customers (the lenders) provide me ongoing business, and I market to them VERY directly. I do have a website that is enormously helpful, but that is like a business card. It is not a main part of my marketing - it is only an "additional" piece to reinforce who I am and what I do. I have only encountered one other appraisal website that impressed me. My competitors are dinosaurs in this line of work. You and I have a lot of similarities in our business models. I have a success rate of 50% or more. Some marketing people, using mass marketing techniques, aim for a 5% success rate. My business is not adaptable to mass marketing, and - like yours - is also a hands on, time intensive, business.

I like your business because it is not so damn regulated, and you can clone your people. Those are two things that are against me. Not to mention, that my business is like walking a tight rope. I have to know what I'm doing, or I could fall and get hurt very very badly. I'd like a business that I could "box in" and just do it. Nothing complicated - just work that is measured and sold in units of time. How nice that would be.

I think you have enough to go on right now. Don't overthink this. Throw together a decent website, make a flyer that mirrors your website, get a nice logo, some business cards, and a two dollar tie from Good Will. You only have to get ONE business a week. Two max. And then class it up. Get matching T-shirts with your company logo on them - a decent van with your website and phone number easily readable - and make your people the best damn people in the business. They are the ones that are going to make or break your business. Not you. Results are what you are going to be judged on, so make damn sure your people deliver SUPERIOR results. Every time.

Then, you can look at those other things - decor, coffee, snacks, too. I'm a highly trained professional at what I do, but I like your business model a whole LOT more! Run with it.

 

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[Crexty]

There's your goal. One entire building. They probably include cleaning in their leases to lock in their customers. That's interesting. You can use that against them, actually. Go to their competitors and offer a better deal, which they will use to get more clients. That will heat up the market a little bit. Then you can do that same thing with other office buildings. You're a resource that they can use to be more competitive. I'd really have to dive into that and look at it from different angles. They may have a contract, which would be a big hurdle for you to overcome. This may be a long time goal that you can keep on the back burner. It's definitely worth checking out because I think that's where the money is.

For your immediate concerns, I think there are hundreds of smaller offices that you could take on. With a one on one way of acquiring clients, I think you could grow this as big as you want to. I have a similar business. I'm a real estate appraiser. This is a business with a huge responsibility. I am valuing the biggest financial investments of someone's life. Most of the time, I don't work with customers directly. I work with lenders. This is similar to your business in that my customers (the lenders) provide me ongoing business, and I market to them VERY directly. I do have a website that is enormously helpful, but that is like a business card. It is not a main part of my marketing - it is only an "additional" piece to reinforce who I am and what I do. I have only encountered one other appraisal website that impressed me. My competitors are dinosaurs in this line of work. You and I have a lot of similarities in our business models. I have a success rate of 50% or more. Some marketing people, using mass marketing techniques, aim for a 5% success rate. My business is not adaptable to mass marketing, and - like yours - is also a hands on, time intensive, business.

I like your business because it is not so damn regulated, and you can clone your people. Those are two things that are against me. Not to mention, that my business is like walking a tight rope. I have to know what I'm doing, or I could fall and get hurt very very badly. I'd like a business that I could "box in" and just do it. Nothing complicated - just work that is measured and sold in units of time. How nice that would be.

I think you have enough to go on right now. Don't overthink this. Throw together a decent website, make a flyer that mirrors your website, get a nice logo, some business cards, and a two dollar tie from Good Will. You only have to get ONE business a week. Two max. And then class it up. Get matching T-shirts with your company logo on them - a decent van with your website and phone number easily readable - and make your people the best damn people in the business. They are the ones that are going to make or break your business. Not you. Results are what you are going to be judged on, so make damn sure your people deliver SUPERIOR results. Every time.

Then, you can look at those other things - decor, coffee, snacks, too. I'm a highly trained professional at what I do, but I like your business model a whole LOT more! Run with it.

Thank you! Your advice is very Hands on and Take-Action like, I love it! Thats exactly the type of person I am! I've already got my website and business cards. I'm going to have some materials printed and I'm just gonna hit the doors. I appreciate the help and I think many people will benefit from you for whatever business they are in!

 

[Real Deal Denver]

In my business, I try to have five quality clients giving me one job a week. Just one. I can only handle, by myself 4-5 jobs a week. I could do more, but I don't want to spread myself too thin.

I have more than 200 clients that I could market to and get work. So, you see, I DON'T want mass marketing methods giving me 20 or more clients to work with. I couldn't handle that volume.

Same with you. Grade and rank your clients. A lawyers office is going to have a lot less customer traffic than a real estate office. Why work harder when you don't have to? Take the easy ones. Same with me - I appraise nice square homes some of the time - but some of the time I get the trapezoid custom things that are so very beautiful to look at - but much harder to appraise. I use a flat fee most of the time, so I am going to, naturally, seek out the more average homes.

Remember. Sell options. Give them a choice - not a yes or no answer to a question. Build in promotions to have them bring customers to you. Lock your best cream of the crop customers in with a discounted long term contract. Above all, never stop improving. You should eventually get a referral stream that will grow your business naturally. 5 to 10% a year would be reasonable to expect.

And don't forget that Susie likes chocolate. Sam maybe likes that gourmet jerky. When it's time to renew their yearly contract... yes, try to give them a preferred contract that locks them in for a year... send a email (with their renewal contract) that a pizza will be delivered tomorrow - whether they renew or not. That is not to entice them to renew - it is to THANK them for being such a great customer that past year! Play this to your advantage man! When it's business, make it personal. When it's personal, make it business, so nobody takes anything personally. Get it? Selling is what this is about!

I was once in charge of an engineering department, and I had a customer send our ENTIRE office gourmet food by Fed Ex (he was in another state). What do you think that did to our business relationship? For a couple hundred dollars, he shot to number one. Every call from him was priority from that point on. That guy knew how to build a good business relationship, and I can assure you he reaped the benefits of his kind gesture many times over. He MADE us love him.

One on one. Care about your customers and PROVE to them that you do. Your customers are a marriage of sorts. It doesn't end when they hire you - you haven't won the game. It only begins at that point. Make them love you. And, by the way, make your people in your company love you too!

 

[Alex Edson]

Anyobody? Please Help.. I'm trying.

I highly (highly!) recommend reading the book "How I Raised Myself From Failure To Success in Selling" by Frank Bettger.

I wrote a book summary on my company's blog which can also help.

How I Raised Myself From Failure To Success in Selling by Frank Bettger

Hope this helps.

 

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[Real Deal Denver]

I highly (highly!) recommend reading the book "How I Raised Myself From Failure To Success in Selling" by Frank Bettger.

I wrote a book summary on my company's blog which can also help.

How I Raised Myself From Failure To Success in Selling by Frank Bettger

Hope this helps.

I see you are a founder and CEO or your company Alex. You have solid gold credibility.

I also love your review. The first sentence was a knockout. The points were powerful and easy to read. You have the CEO touch of eliminating the fluff and clutter and getting to the point.

I love points 2 and 5 the best.

Thanks for a great review. Based on that review, I would say this book is required reading for anyone dealing with customers - not just for those in sales.

Selling is defiantly an art. So many gurus want to automate it with sites, landing pages, funnels, and drip campaigns. Oh, if it were only that easy, everyone would be so successful. But, it's not, of course.

I also love that your review did not reflect that you were paid per word. You hit the major points, and you kept things brief and interesting. That, too, is an art!

 

[Angelic]

I'm in B2B sales and regularly cold call. You sound uncertain in your wording, which displays uncertainty in the value of your service to the consumer. You need to sound more confident and assertive in the sense that they NEED your service, and can truly benefit from it.

Start it off by saying "Hi, is (name of owner or decision maker) there? Do your research beforehand, you need to have a game plan before you pick up the phone. If you leave a voicemail or have the secretary take down your number, chances are 90% of the time you won't get a call back.

After this, say "Hi ___ this is Jon calling from (name of your company) how are you doing today?" In an upbeat tone. If who you are speaking to is willing to talk to you, they will answer back in that same enthusiastic tonality.

At this point, you can transition into the value you offer to them. "Good, now Steve the reason for the call, is because we are calling local businesses in the area that are with our competitors to see what we can do in order to switch themover and take advantage of the new business perks and discounts that we offer." Give a few relevant perks that they can benefit from and emphasize it. What I said above is my raw top of the head template for my calls. See how much they are paying for their services and see what you can offer them price wise. You don't always have to beat your competitors price, if the value of what you do is there, it's still easy to get new clients as long as you display it well. Hope this helps you a bit in what you are doing, thought I'd share some of the things that have worked for me.