Cold-Calling: any tips or things to watch out for?

[The-J]

I'm currently building a list of potential customers for my plastic surgery Web site. I don't know my pay model, but my first step is an easily searchable directory and a news Web site for plastic surgeons and people considering different surgical and non-surgical cosmetic procedures. That part isn't really important for this topic.

However, a lot of these surgeons have no or small online presence due to the difficulty of garnering one (so many Web sites owned by each plastic surgeon who thinks he/she is the best and is only separated by review sites and offline adverts), so many of them do not broadcast their e-mail address (yes, in 2012, there are plastic surgeons who do not have an online presence). I'm going to have to cold call and sell these people on my Web site (they are NOT paying for it... not yet anyway :smug2

My plan is to put them into my free directory using information found from other directories, online and offline, then e-mail/call them to notify them that they are in the directory and if they want to be taken out of the directory, all they have to do is say the word. The ones with the online presence I will be able to e-mail and do correspondence that way, but the others I will have to call.

But I am ghastly afraid of screwing it up: how do I present myself as credible and as a person they will want to do business with in the future? Are there any patterns you guys have found when dealing with potential customers during cold calls?

I know this is a noob question, but help would be greatly appreciated.

Also, if you have criticisms about the idea itself, PM them to me and don't post them; I don't want this thread to get cluttered with irrelevant stuff.

 

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[Rain]

Professionals, especially doctors, especially surgeons, are usually very busy people. You will probably not be speaking to them when you call. More likely, you will speak with a receptionist/secretary (aka gatekeeper).

Always treat the gatekeeper with respect. Being courteous and professional with them will at least provide a chance for you to do business with the plastic surgeon, whereas treating them like a nobody will essentially guarantee your failure. Secretaries have power by proxy, and you must respect that in order to accomplishment your objective.

When speaking to them on the phone, aside from a friendly introduction, get straight to the point: tell them what you have to offer the surgeon(s) they work for, explain how they will benefit from what you have to offer, and in your case, make sure they know it's free.

Best two words in the English language: free and buffet. If either of these relate to what you are doing, let it be known.

Lastly, this kind of task may require follow-up calls and/or emails. Be prepared to do that as well.

Cold calling is one of those painfully boring, tedious activities that you just have to get used to. And while cold calling is better than doing nothing, I would strongly recommend brainstorming another potential marketing strategy while you make your daily calls.

Picking up a book or two on Amazon wouldn't be a bad idea either.

 

[The-J]

Thanks. I'll check out some books on Amazon right now. What I am offering them is free. What I want from them is an e-mail address so that I can send them updates on the site (that is, if they say yes) so that when I do come up with a service that they will have to pay for, they can opt in.

 

[healthstatus]

Best tactic here is get a website ranked in the top 1-3 positions for plastic surgery terms in specific localities, i.e. "face lift specialist NYC", then send a screen shot to the physician/surgeons in the area and say, I will put your information on this page for $xxxx/month, I am only taking the first 2 responders and one backup in case someone misses a payment.

 

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