Cold calling - Page 2

work2bfree · 04-23-2008, 02:30 AM

Yes, exactly my point. It is best to build some kind of relationship with your perspective customer. Unless you are really good at talking to people, it is best to get to know an individual first and not tell them about your business. Eventually, as your relationship develops, the subject of your business will come up.

Ravish30 · 04-24-2008, 01:17 AM

I don't like cold calling nor do I believe in making cold calls.

I don't like it when I receive them so I am certainly not going to cold call people!

work2bfree · 04-25-2008, 05:28 AM

I wouldn't advise you doing so Ravish; especially if it makes you feel so uncomfortable.

I too don't like cold calling, but I know many people who do and are doing quite well with making the calls. But, they have the skills. Skills are important in every aspect of managing a business.

wendykrick · 05-01-2008, 03:59 PM

I used to do cold calls because that is what I was told by my up-line. You may be able to get a few prospects this way, but for me the best way to grow a business is through relationship building. I don't ever market my company or products. I only market "Wendy" and offer free help. Now people come to me. This is also a lot more fun!
~Wendy

TheD · 05-04-2008, 03:46 PM

What most people in home business don't want to realize is if your are going to make your business really work. Someone has to be called, PERIOD. But there are ways around you cold calling. Say you hire a few sales people to cold call for you. That way you pay them a commision on their sales and you pocket the rest. Lets say you do the calling and you do it for 4 hours, thats 20 hours a week of you cold calling. Lets say you hire 10 sales people and they each do 4 hours of calling for ya. Thats 40 hours of calls a day and 200 hours of calls per week. Do you think you could get some sales from that!

Just throwing that out there.

wendykrick · 05-05-2008, 12:29 PM

I'm all about loving what I do while helping people. Cold calls for me just isn't fun and it really doesn't work. Do I call people? Of course I do, but I call people who are I have built a relationship with through networking groups and forums or people who have requested information. Most of the time though people call me which is really cool. I just feel that calling opportunity leads isn't fun, so I don't do it. It is just what works for me.

Have a great day!

Wendy

work2bfree · 05-06-2008, 01:44 AM

I think cold calling is a skill. It takes time to develop these skills. The thing to consider is your desire to make cold calls. Often, people prefer not to make cold calling because one has to be confronted with dealing with a lot of rejection. For most people, rejection is a hard pill to swallow.

I am in agreement with most people here. It is best to talk to people you have a relationship with. But, despite the fact that I prefer dealing with a warm market as opposed to a cold market, I can say, that even I will make cold calls when necessary. I don't want to not engage in a marketing method just because I don't like something.

Despite my dislike of making cold calls, I have and do engage in cold calling. There is one aspect of my business where I am almost forced to; especially if I want my business to grow. What is so surprising is that since I have been talking on the phone so much, my phone technique has improved quite a bit. In cold calling, I still deal with a lot of rejection, but I am also getting people interested. This is a big improvement from my early days where everyone used to say no to me. Now I get a bunch of no's and some yes's. It just goes to show you that with practice come the rewards.

wendykrick · 05-06-2008, 01:05 PM

Yes. You just got to do what works best for you. Then do it consistently until you get better.
~Wendy

TheD · 05-07-2008, 02:48 AM

Cold calling is definitly an art. That is why it should be left to the professionals. If a person in a home business doesn't what to take the rejection from cold calling they have to find a way around it. The learning curve for being good at cold calling takes to long for most people. Not to mention the majority of home business people are not sales people. That is why our industry has a 95% failure rate. Trying to duplicate instead of delegate. But for those who master cold calling, have a better chance at success if they can stay in the game long enough.
TheD

work2bfree · 05-07-2008, 03:18 AM

You won't grow if you don't step out of your comfort zone. Building a business is not a race. Success in business is a process; therefore, it does takes time to build. This is because while you are building a business, you are also acquiring some skill-sets too. Delegating is nice to do, especially when you have the money to do so. Most people new to owning a business, start out with little to no money. I know this is my situation. But delegating will not going to help you to overcome your fears and it will not help you to learn skills that you will need to manage your own business.

In any event, Jim Rohn, who is one of my favorite motivational speakers, says that if you take the time to invest in yourself first, then your business will grow. You do need skills to own a business. You may not like cold calling and you really don't have to do cold calling but you do have to be willing to do some things that may make you feel uncomfortable at first.

I first encountered this when I tried to work the phones. It was difficult for me to answer my phone when customers would call me. When I did get the nerve to answer my phone, I failed over and over again. In addition to being shy, I also have a speech impediment that is really evident when I am nervous. Today, when i talk on the phone, most people cannot tell that I have a speech impediment nor can they detect any shyness. I am still shy and I still have the speech problem, but I have learned to overcome my handicaps.

In fact, on one of our live training calls, when me and my sponsor call people who have visited our websites, other members get a chance to listen to us as we each make these calls. I am the leader on these calls. I would have never gotten to this point if I had not taken the chance to step outside of my comfort zone. Overcoming your fears by stepping beyond your comfort zone will help you to attain the skills that you need so that your business can grow. It should not matter how long it takes to reach success; just as long as you stay long enough to achieve success. To me, growth, knowledge and experience is what matters most. The rest; such as success, will come once you have these in hand.