leave to voicemail or pick it up immediately?

[Retraction]

Okay after a lot of changes and unforseen events, I finally sent out the letters. I have a day's grace until they arrive. Do I just let the calls go to voicemail or do I pick it up on the spot? Which one is better?

 

[bmac]

Answer the phone....close a sale while their interest is peaked.

 

[Retraction]

Answer the phone....close a sale while their interest is peaked.

Err do you know what I am doing? 7878, gotta close in face to face.

 

[bmac]

Yes I know his method and I dont mean you have to make the sale over the phone but I can tell you first hand as a busy business owner I hate having to leave voicemails. My day is usually tight and when you send me to voice mail I feel like you are just another design firm, seo firm, or social media firm that is just taking a shot gun approach to their business and I will move on. If I call a business and get a voice mail it just screams "not professional"

 

[Magic5]

Whats the 7878 method exactly this sounds fun.

 

[youtalkmedia]

Best thing to do is answer the phone right away, then book an appointment to go see them within 2-3 business days.

Hot leads are easy to sell, cold ones are hard as hell.

(I didn't try to rhyme that, but it worked )

Also, they have not shut you down until they have said no to you 3 times. its better to have some1 hang up on you, than for you to hang up on them.

 

[youtalkmedia]

Whats the 7878 method exactly this sounds fun.

his method is an old one.

Take dice (or something else clunky), put them in envelopes, and send them to people.

It sparks interest, and gets people to read letters, they would otherwise toss into the garbage.

 

[xaviel]

Answer the phone on the spot.

They are excited, they made an effort to dial.

Answer the phone man.

 

[b1step-ahead]

answer the phone and close it. Use goto meeting, google hangouts or skype. Unless your charging 2k a month, going out to 50 meetings is going to purely manic.

 

[Techxan]

A potential customer has called you and you are asking if you should answer?

 

[Vesania]

Simple OP, pick up the phone answer "please do not call me again!" This is essentially what you are saying by asking whether or not to pick it up.

It is the same way as having a hot women and not being able to touch the merchandise. It is heresy!

 

[Trepanated]

Err do you know what I am doing? 7878, gotta close in face to face.

How would he know what you are doing, when you made no mention of it in your post?

As to your question - why would you go to all the effort of preparing and sending out sales and marketing material and then ignore the hot leads when they call you?

Not only would I answer the calls, but I would have a spreadsheet prepared with details of everyone I sent a letter to.

As I answered the phone I would also have their website open so I could tailor the conversation around that specific person and their specific business.

That caller would immediately realise I knew who they were and what their business was about (if I remember who they are then my letter couldn't have been part of a large mailshot).

Preparation is the most important thing in sales - not only preparing your marketing material, but preparing yourself well enough that you have the best possible chance of making a sale when you speak to someone.

 

[nameless7]

Answer the phone. Because your clients can change their minds and decide to find someone else. You'd better cash in while you can

 

[thisismymp3]

answer the phone before the first ring. Letting it go to voicemail tells me you are a scared little beyatch hiding in your mommas basement.

 

[Retraction]

Been a couple days. No calls. Really disappointed. Gotta keep my head up and try a follow through. Don't know if follow-through works and how the hell I'm even supposed to get past the gatekeeper. But thanks for the help.

 

[Trepanated]

Been a couple days. No calls. Really disappointed. Gotta keep my head up and try a follow through. Don't know if follow-through works and how the hell I'm even supposed to get past the gatekeeper. But thanks for the help.

How many letters did you send out?
What did you write in those letters?
Did those letters go to the decision makers?
Did you include a landline number for them to call?

If they haven't called you then pick up the phone and call them.
The only guaranteed way to NOT make a sale is NOT speaking to them.

 

[Retraction]

How many letters did you send out?
What did you write in those letters?
Did those letters go to the decision makers?
Did you include a landline number for them to call?

If they haven't called you then pick up the phone and call them.
The only guaranteed way to NOT make a sale is NOT speaking to them.

29 letters. I compared their ratings to their competitors and told they were losing business. I gave them a number and an email to call and my phone was on 24/7 during this period. And yes, I addressed the letters to the owners. I also added a twist, I used black envelopes and a white marker to write the name, address, etc. So I'm pretty sure they opened it up.

So a lot of twists. I'm going to try another round of leads and try the old method. Print out negative reviews, white envelope, etc etc.

I'll try to call back next week on Monday.

 

[Trepanated]

29 letters. I compared their ratings to their competitors and told they were losing business. I gave them a number and an email to call and my phone was on 24/7 during this period. And yes, I addressed the letters to the owners. I also added a twist, I used black envelopes and a white marker to write the name, address, etc. So I'm pretty sure they opened it up.

So a lot of twists. I'm going to try another round of leads and try the old method. Print out negative reviews, white envelope, etc etc.

I'll try to call back next week on Monday.

Calling them over a week later is far too late. I suspect the reason you are putting it off is because you are nervous about making the call. And on Monday you will probably find a reason to delay the calls again.

Just call them. You will make mistakes and say something wrong, but you still need to call them. Making mistakes is how you hone your sales skills.

Look at it this way:

If you don't call them you will make no sales.
If you call them and make 28 shit calls and one good call, you will make one sale.
And you will also learn what works and what doesn't - so the next 29 calls you make may get you two, three or more sales.

You will learn how to make better sales calls
And you will learn how to write better marketing copy.

And then you are better equipped for designing your next mailout - if you don't go through the learning process, your next mailout will not change and will therefore get the same results - no calls.

Seriously - call them today.

Even if you only have one good call, you will have a good weekend and will be looking forward to doing your next mailout next week.

 

[Retraction]

Calling them over a week later is far too late. I suspect the reason you are putting it off is because you are nervous about making the call. And on Monday you will probably find a reason to delay the calls again.

Just call them. You will make mistakes and say something wrong, but you still need to call them. Making mistakes is how you hone your sales skills.

Look at it this way:

If you don't call them you will make no sales.
If you call them and make 28 shit calls and one good call, you will make one sale.
And you will also learn what works and what doesn't - so the next 29 calls you make may get you two, three or more sales.

You will learn how to make better sales calls
And you will learn how to write better marketing copy.

And then you are better equipped for designing your next mailout - if you don't go through the learning process, your next mailout will not change and will therefore get the same results - no calls.

Seriously - call them today.

Even if you only have one good call, you will have a good weekend and will be looking forward to doing your next mailout next week.

Weirdest thing happened today. I called 5 prospects, three of them said they didn't get letters and the other two said their bosses were out of town and vacation. I messed up with the first one because I was talking with the owner and I missed the chance to pitch my service. As soon as he said he didn't get the letters, I sorta blanked. The next one was semi successful, I was saying whatever came to mind. The other was really successful. The guy didn't even know what a review was. I explained everything in simple terms and he said he's gotta talk it over with his partner. Gave me his email and everything.

I didn't call the others because I want my letters to get there. I have no idea why my letters didn't go through. I am sending a test letter to myself and seeing how it goes.

Also, some of the owner names were inaccurate. Guess I shouldn't rely on Manta too much.

I'm glad you told me to call them and caught this mistake. Really man, thanks. I already have a game plan for my next set of letters.

 

[davids355]

I think this ones a no brainer dude! They make the effort to call you so you best answer if you want to make a sale!