[Progress Thread] Million+ Revenue by 25

[458]

Many would describe where you are now as being "Financially Free" (depending on how much financial stress you're carrying) and if the goal of wanting to become a millionaire was to become "financially free" then it could be argued that you achieved your goal regardless of "mis-naming" it originally. Also, if this was a plan to raise $100k and build a $15k a week business you wouldn't have got this far - probably only 10% of the way.

So by reaching for the stars you landed on the moon.

I call that success. Woot!

And some on this forum would probably be very surprised that I don't consider it a success, only because at this point it is still extremely fragile with failure possible at any time.

My end goal is to live off of municipal bonds and semi retire. If you want to have $1 million tax free cash flow per year, you need a lot of cash in municipal bonds...

 

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[Daniel A]

Hey man, I remember you! Props to you with what you've done.

What would you say are your essential habits or activities that you do daily?

Did you ever have difficulty with focus? If so, how did you consciously attempt to improve your focus? What has helped you with focus?

 

[458]

Hey man, I remember you! Props to you with what you've done.

What would you say are your essential habits or activities that you do daily?

Did you ever have difficulty with focus? If so, how did you consciously attempt to improve your focus? What has helped you with focus?

I would say the most important habits are working hard, working smart, consistency and a natural disposition for change.

The first three you can work on but I'm not so sure about the fourth. You can consistently work hard and smart but if your not evolving everything single day you will never reach the major leagues.

Right now I'm up at 445am and don't get home until 8am. Sat an sun I usuy work 5-6 hours from home. But all of that time would be a waste if I was still doing today what I was doing a year ago, I would still be making peanuts.

Other more advanced topics that are important are only hire winners, pay them very well, and delegate everything. However, this is only possible if you build a proper system which is both challenging and rewarding at the same time.

I could write for days but with that let me know what you want to learn about and I will reply on a specific question you have.

 

[458]

Expansion is always exciting. Rolled my lease into a bigger space this week, about four times the size I have now with that skyline view everyone dreams of. Laundry list of tasks, new computers, TVs, furniture, build out, yada yada.

Maybe I'll post pics when it's done..

 

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[458]

As promised, here is a short clip of one of our new offices in our suite. There is another 2,000 sq feet beyond this and the build out should be done in 3-4 weeks. Will keep you guys posted.

 

[458]

Didn't forget the pics just been very busy since we moved in, working on new direct mail campaign and hiring more staff. Rolling out a 10k mailing over 3 months as a test run, hitting each prospect 6 times over 6 weeks. Then if it goes well I plan to scale to 500-700k mailings per year.

Should have pics up soon.

 

[JohnZ123]

Good job keep it up

 

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[458]

As promised, a few pics. There's a lot more space/offices but i didn't have time to take more pics.

 

[458]

Had a good week, brought in 17k in cash, closed another 50k in contracts and hired 2 new sales guys, cheers to that

 

[ejames]

Had a good week, brought in 17k in cash, closed another 50k in contracts and hired 2 new sales guys, cheers to that

Awesome congrats! Keep it up

 

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[SIcmart]

Can you elaborate on how you did your market research to find this niche / know that it would be profitable for you?

 

[458]

Can you elaborate on how you did your market research to find this niche / know that it would be profitable for you?

Sure, basically i was looking for the following when i was doing my market research:

1. I can have everyone under one roof.
2. Something being bought on a national scale.
3. Something that people will pay a premium for because they HAVE to buy it, it is basically not a choice.
4. Something that would not be effected by technology because human touch/thought is responsible throughout the entire process.
5. Something boring or very boring, most exciting business have little margin and if they do, they are soon overrun by people cost cutting.

This is just the list that i used and some people on this forum may disagree with every point, but it has worked well for me so far.

 

[458]

Update

June was rough on new customer acquisition but we had our best revenue month yet. July seems to be picking up since people are coming back from vacation.

Hire two new sales guys, rookies but workable.

More soon

 

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[458]

Ps. Since this project is pretty much water and grow at this point, i have been working on a new project for about 8 months now. We are about one week from finally signing our shareholders agreement. Its taken about 8 months to find 6 other partners/directors and write the agreement. It's a pretty simple concept, consolidate 10-50 unit apartment buildings and take them public as a REIT. Instead of starting a new thread i will just update here on the progress of both of them.

 

[458]

For all you stat junkies and cold calling enthusiasts.

I'm in a giving mood tonight, attached are my OUTBOUND COLD CALLING sales stats per each of my individual sales persons and per the room as a whole. Abbreviation definitions are at the bottom of the sheet. Doubled my sales in 2 months, not bad. I expect to double them again over the next two month.

 

[Lukebrisbane]

What dialer do you use, and do I need one of i'm just planning on cold calling myself?

Do you buy business phone lists off reputable sites or do you scrape them from the internet using software?

Is it normal to feel scared before starting? I feel as though i'll get abused over the phone ringing businesses, I know that's reality but for some reason the idea of it scares me.

What are your usual calling hours?

Whats a good way to get around the gatekeeper? I noticed when I worked an office job the salespeople would always say "It's a personal call". I didn't like that tactic.

What would you say is the minimum amount of money to set up a little cold calling business?

Do you know beforehand who you are trying to get a hold of or just asking for the boss?


I have to say I've read some of your posts and you do inspire me. You will be a multi-millionare ten folds over i'm sure.

 

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[458]

What dialer do you use, and do I need one of i'm just planning on cold calling myself?

Do you buy business phone lists off reputable sites or do you scrape them from the internet using software?

Is it normal to feel scared before starting? I feel as though i'll get abused over the phone ringing businesses, I know that's reality but for some reason the idea of it scares me.

What are your usual calling hours?

Whats a good way to get around the gatekeeper? I noticed when I worked an office job the salespeople would always say "It's a personal call". I didn't like that tactic.

What would you say is the minimum amount of money to set up a little cold calling business?

Do you know beforehand who you are trying to get a hold of or just asking for the boss?


I have to say I've read some of your posts and you do inspire me. You will be a multi-millionare ten folds over i'm sure.

1. We use five9 with local presence which means it displays a local number wherever im calling nationwide. Very expensive though, i pay around $2,500 a month for 5 seats. A cost effective dialer would be Mojo with Line2 as your desk line. Around $160 per month.

2. Yes, but after you do a few hundred calls, that goes away.

3. We call from 9am EST to 530pm EST.

4. Ask for the person by first name and sound like you know them. "Yes, can i speak to John please" "Yes, its in regard to a personal matter".

5. $10 per month if you want to hand dial, just get a line2.com phone, unlimited call and text nationwide can pick any area code

6. We don't call businesses, we call consumers directly. If i was calling businesses, i would definitely know who im calling beforehand.

Let me know if you have anymore questions!

 

[devine]

Not my cup of tea, but I wish you a good luck.
Rep+.

 

[Lukebrisbane]

1. We use five9 with local presence which means it displays a local number wherever im calling nationwide. Very expensive though, i pay around $2,500 a month for 5 seats. A cost effective dialer would be Mojo with Line2 as your desk line. Around $160 per month.

2. Yes, but after you do a few hundred calls, that goes away.

3. We call from 9am EST to 530pm EST.

4. Ask for the person by first name and sound like you know them. "Yes, can i speak to John please" "Yes, its in regard to a personal matter".

5. $10 per month if you want to hand dial, just get a line2.com phone, unlimited call and text nationwide can pick any area code

6. We don't call businesses, we call consumers directly. If i was calling businesses, i would definitely know who im calling beforehand.

Let me know if you have anymore questions!

Thank you.

1. Line2 seems to be only for america and canada, is it common practise when using your own personal phone to use, that you use some sort of app to change your number.

2. Does the dialer software have to be from your own country? So to confirm to start I need the following.
-Mojo Dialer app on my android phone
-Some sort of Australian second number (line2 seems to be U.S/can)
-List of semi targetted prospects (that I load into mojo?)
-Cold calling script
-Business bank account.

3. I as of many people have been inspired by Ubermench's success in the b2b area, although you being in the consumer field, what are the benefits? I'm guessing it's a short sales cycle?

4.Is it hard to get lists?

5. How do you get around the do not call names? I've heard you have to wash data or something?

6. I noticed while stalking all your old posts (soz) that you were interested in the Inc 5000 list, I myself have found that to be super interesting. Would you say that would be a good start in finding suitable niches for cold calling C2C calling?

7. Say you were yourself. Starting over at 25. You had legit about $100-300 if you saved to start. What would you do? Would you hit up the same industry you are in today? How would you start if you were extremely scraped for funds?

8. If you were going to start from scratch again, would you get a part time job to cover yourself or would you just dive in and back yourself?

9. Is it possible realistically for someone with low funds, to start something themselves, either signing agreements with suppliers, possibly getting cheap lists somewhere, then just starting to call? I know you'll say yes. I just feel that internal resistance.

I actually have about 50 more questions but I understand you have a succesful business to run. Thank you for taking the time to help a stranger.

 

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[458]

Thank you.

1. Line2 seems to be only for america and canada, is it common practise when using your own personal phone to use, that you use some sort of app to change your number.

2. Does the dialer software have to be from your own country? So to confirm to start I need the following.
-Mojo Dialer app on my android phone
-Some sort of Australian second number (line2 seems to be U.S/can)
-List of semi targetted prospects (that I load into mojo?)
-Cold calling script
-Business bank account.

3. I as of many people have been inspired by Ubermench's success in the b2b area, although you being in the consumer field, what are the benefits? I'm guessing it's a short sales cycle?

4.Is it hard to get lists?

5. How do you get around the do not call names? I've heard you have to wash data or something?

6. I noticed while stalking all your old posts (soz) that you were interested in the Inc 5000 list, I myself have found that to be super interesting. Would you say that would be a good start in finding suitable niches for cold calling C2C calling?

7. Say you were yourself. Starting over at 25. You had legit about $100-300 if you saved to start. What would you do? Would you hit up the same industry you are in today? How would you start if you were extremely scraped for funds?

8. If you were going to start from scratch again, would you get a part time job to cover yourself or would you just dive in and back yourself?

9. Is it possible realistically for someone with low funds, to start something themselves, either signing agreements with suppliers, possibly getting cheap lists somewhere, then just starting to call? I know you'll say yes. I just feel that internal resistance.

I actually have about 50 more questions but I understand you have a succesful business to run. Thank you for taking the time to help a stranger.

Just get a local voip phone that has a desktop application which you can plug a usb headset into. I dont have experience with any dialers outside of the us. I dont have experience with B2B so i cant comment. My lists are extremely targeted and geared toward my industry. We create them in house using Filipina contractors. Since are lists are so targeted we are exempt from washing. Yes, companies in my industry continue to be on the inc 5000 list each year.

In regard to your last set of questions, just get started. Jump in and learn, nothing prepares you for the monster load of shit you'll have to endure, its always gonna be sink or swin in this game.

 

[Lukebrisbane]

Just get a local voip phone that has a desktop application which you can plug a usb headset into. I dont have experience with any dialers outside of the us. I dont have experience with B2B so i cant comment. My lists are extremely targeted and geared toward my industry. We create them in house using Filipina contractors. Since are lists are so targeted we are exempt from washing. Yes, companies in my industry continue to be on the inc 5000 list each year.

In regard to your last set of questions, just get started. Jump in and learn, nothing prepares you for the monster load of shit you'll have to endure, its always gonna be sink or swin in this game.

Could you expand more on how you get the philo's to make you great lists?
So you just go on upwork or something and ask them to get say 10k people's numbers?

 

[458]

Could you expand more on how you get the philo's to make you great lists?
So you just go on upwork or something and ask them to get say 10k people's numbers?

The key to a great list is to bypass ALL the middle men when it comes to getting the leads name, address and phone numbers. If you need names, find out how you can get them from some type of source, not lead brokers. If you need numbers, find out how you can get them from some type of source, not scraping the internet, IE. private data.

 

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[458]

Quick update, direct mailers have been starting to work after months of adjustments. Dropped $25k for 100,000 which will be spread over 50 weeks starting in Jan. Conversions are at about 0.00454 which equates to about $60 cost per acquisition.

 

[eTox]

Awesome progress Keep it going and keep us posted!

 

[458]

Awesome progress Keep it going and keep us posted!

Thank you. Questions and comments always welcome.

 

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[Lukebrisbane]

Thank you. Questions and comments always welcome.

If you had no prior experience and wanted to get a job doing cold calling what you do, what would be a good starting point?

I wanted to edit my post. To ask an actual decent question. You talked before about overcoming the fear of rejection after 200 or so calls. My problem is i can't even start. All I want to do is get a job cold calling but the resistance is strong. I know it'll go away eventually but it is strong.

What's the progression from say someone who just starts in sales and how does it usually work?
I mean, I read ubersmench posts about closing 6 figure deals but that seems so far off. I notice you, yourself seem to manage a group of young cold callers. How would you say the progression should go to opening your own business in sales like you have?

Would you say, get experience for 6 months in a base level sales job, then try mid level walking into businesses sorta thing? go up and up? when it is appropriate to cut corners.

 

[AgainstAllOdds]

Quick update, direct mailers have been starting to work after months of adjustments. Dropped $25k for 100,000 which will be spread over 50 weeks starting in Jan. Conversions are at about 0.00454 which equates to about $60 cost per acquisition.

This is awesome stuff.

Can I ask who you recommend for printing direct mail? And is it hard to get a mailing permit?

I used Vistaprint a few times, and saw conversion rates similar to yours -- profitable, but returns could be better (by lowering the cost to $0.25 a mailing).

 

[458]

This is awesome stuff.

Can I ask who you recommend for printing direct mail? And is it hard to get a mailing permit?

I used Vistaprint a few times, and saw conversion rates similar to yours -- profitable, but returns could be better (by lowering the cost to $0.25 a mailing).

http://www.rocketprintandmail.com/

 

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[458]

If you had no prior experience and wanted to get a job doing cold calling what you do, what would be a good starting point?

I wanted to edit my post. To ask an actual decent question. You talked before about overcoming the fear of rejection after 200 or so calls. My problem is i can't even start. All I want to do is get a job cold calling but the resistance is strong. I know it'll go away eventually but it is strong.

What's the progression from say someone who just starts in sales and how does it usually work?
I mean, I read ubersmench posts about closing 6 figure deals but that seems so far off. I notice you, yourself seem to manage a group of young cold callers. How would you say the progression should go to opening your own business in sales like you have?

Would you say, get experience for 6 months in a base level sales job, then try mid level walking into businesses sorta thing? go up and up? when it is appropriate to cut corners.

If you want to start right now, here is a quick game plan that MIGHT work for you:

1. Choose an industry you are interested in and has lots of small to medium sized players
2. Use google to build a list of 100-500 phone numbers of these businesses
3. Cold call them and ASK THEM what the most pressing problem there trying to solve right now in there business
4. After making 500 of these calls you should see some type of pattern that there all trying to solve and you will have gotten a lot of practice cold calling
5. Call them all back and pitch them your solution for there problem, once you have your first sale, you now have a business

Goodluck

 

[Lukebrisbane]

If you want to start right now, here is a quick game plan that MIGHT work for you:

1. Choose an industry you are interested in and has lots of small to medium sized players
2. Use google to build a list of 100-500 phone numbers of these businesses
3. Cold call them and ASK THEM what the most pressing problem there trying to solve right now in there business
4. After making 500 of these calls you should see some type of pattern that there all trying to solve and you will have gotten a lot of practice cold calling
5. Call them all back and pitch them your solution for there problem, once you have your first sale, you now have a business

Goodluck

If you want to start right now, here is a quick game plan that MIGHT work for you:

1. Choose an industry you are interested in and has lots of small to medium sized players
2. Use google to build a list of 100-500 phone numbers of these businesses
3. Cold call them and ASK THEM what the most pressing problem there trying to solve right now in there business
4. After making 500 of these calls you should see some type of pattern that there all trying to solve and you will have gotten a lot of practice cold calling
5. Call them all back and pitch them your solution for there problem, once you have your first sale, you now have a business

Goodluck

Thank you, I'm now in the process of outsourcing on freelancer the 500 businesses to call.

How's this for a script?

Hey, Could I please speak to your director? I'm an entrepreneur in your industry trying to find out how I can help businesses like yours? (get past gate keeper hopefully)

Me: Hi My name's Luke, I'm an entrepreneur trying to find problems to fix in your Industry, I wanted to ask what is your businesses most pressing problem your trying to solve at the moment?

They talk: -

Me: Okay thank you, If I am able to come up with a solution for your problem would you be open to hearing more about it down the line?

They talk-

Ok thank you I'll be in touch.
*hang up*