Comments | scooterbird: One call!

scooterbird

One call!

Dec 01, 2008 15:06

Okay. I did it. I made one cold call.

I do not feel too much like a desperate whiny S.O.B., or a pushy, smarmy, besuited salesdroid, or a slime-covered leech. Not too much.

I may try again in a bit, but I only made the promise to my self and my wife business partner that I would do one cold call today, and I did it. Tomorrow, I may do two or ( Read more... )

the exchange, podcasting, jobhunt, work drama, whine

Comments 3

Are you calling potential clients, or employers? brockulfsen December 1 2008, 22:08:05 UTC

If it is employers, take a deep breath, chill. The person you are talking to is paid to put you through to HR or to play HR.

If it is clients, I can offer some advice.

If it is a samml firm, introduce yourself by name, then company name and/or service description (assuming you have a phonebook entry, or website this is important). Ask if they think they may need your services in the near future. If they say no, thank them for their time, move to next number. They will remember you as the guy who was polite and didn't waste their time. If the firm you've clled is small, your name will be remembered when they ask the secretary to find people who do what you do any time in the next year and you will get calls, eventually.

If the firm is larger, get put through to whatever section would normally deal with you.

Re: Are you calling potential clients, or employers? scooterbird December 2 2008, 17:06:38 UTC

It's clients; this is for my own business. I do have a script, and have built a list of businesses in the area to call. That's really their only defining characteristic is that they're in town; I took the names of a number of streets that are contained within a nearby office/industrial park and just grabbed anyone with that address.

I just hate cold calling, hate hate hate. People should immediately see that I am obviously a genius and should trip over themselves to offer me a contract. I've learned to sell myself, but it still feels wrong.

thecanuckguy December 3 2008, 04:58:44 UTC

As a fellow small business owner, Gad, but I hate cold calling. Hate it, hate it, hate it, hate it. Was talking to another client earlier today (client/friend/business advisor) who advised me that if I want to do anything with my business, I either have to be marketing all the time and/or make my website more noticeable using SEO (search engine optimization). God love him, I have oodles of respect for the guy, but he does tend to be a big preacher for the latest trends that come out; not that there's anythign wrong with that, he's probably quite right at what I need to do (he practices what he preaches for getting his business sold, isn't afraid at all to cold call, and makes good coin), but with my day job announcing last month that our jobs are being transferred to Georgia sometime in 2009 (and I don't want to follow my job there), this definitely is the time for me to look at my business to see if I need to get it moving more or pack it in for my home business too. Not the best time to be operating a business lately (or, more ( ... )