MakeGreenM8
Junior Member
- Apr 6, 2017
- 134
- 94
The last few months I have been busy pounding the phone, sending out emails like a madman. Sorry if I took a while to write this guide up.
This is a follow-up to the basic cold calling guide I wrote in June. It basically said: treat sales as a step by step process where you only pan for specific type of prospect. When you can fill a pipeline, and make the most of every client, the sky is the limit. First, you will need the right mindset...
1. Keep in Mind
--If you are averse to forming relationships, it won't work. You have to be willing to be upfront with people. Otherwise, these methods will better serve as toilet paper for you.
--I've found reading only lessens the time we lose to false assumptions. Reading does not experiment for you. Treat this guide as a rope that can guide you through our chaotic dust storm of a world. Walking through the winds with dust blasting your face is still the hard part.
--Only completely committed action without distraction will get you exceptional outcomes. No super-duper-secret method ever ever will. No organization. No guru. Just you going all in. Quit stubbornly waiting for one.
Ok now that your mindset is primed...
The Back-End Is Where Success Hides In Plain Sight
People who have already bought from you are a lot easier to sell to than a total stranger. All it takes is to demonstrate that your offer will continue to help them. Treat this as a process and keep trying new angles. It is worth it because this is where the highest rewards on your money and time are hidden.
Forget some $5 a day spoonfed mentality. You have to be willing to push through delayed gratification. Building relationships takes time.
What I am sharing is the 80/20 breakdown of what has worked for me. You still have to use your brain applying these concepts, since I don't know your exact business model. This guide is already way too long.
2. Reports: Demonstrate Your Value and Suggest Ways to Do More
Spend a little time created a nicely formatted template with your logo on it. Send an email version and spend the extra cents and mail it to them. If you only email it, the odds that it is opened is low.
I take my print outs and highlight and write a personal note with what we can do to increase revenue, leads, etc. A few days later, I call and ask if they read the report. I review the report with them as they are looking at it. (This lets you control what they see and hear) Then I make my suggestion as an extension my existing beneficial services.
This will demonstrate that you are professional who stands by your work. With this foundation, everything you do will shine in a much stronger light. A recommendation for a better design or new campaign will be way more persuasive.
To really devour this effect's potential, don't be afraid to follow-up 5+ times. Even if it takes two months, no means not yet. They have all appreciated my suggestions of making them more money. If you're genuinely trying to add more value, your client may simply be a little afraid of taking action. Be patient, but never be satisfied.
3. Refer Them to Your Network of Professionals
In addition to sending a monthly or bi-monthly report, you should call up and ask if they have any problems relating to the rest of their marketing/cost cutting efforts. Most business owners are completely over their heads with time consuming responsibilities.
You can scout for reliable SEOs, Web Designers, Accountants, etc. Basically, you can judge an SEO better than a surgeon can. You aren't impressed by fancy metrics and buzzwords. You are an industry insider, and can figure out the correct questions to judge characters and competency. This is a valuable skill too many of us never exploit.
Therefore, if you are a web designer, or SSM agency, or whatever, you can make a deal to resell or get a commission for every client you refer to a reputable SEO agency. The other professional is always hungry for leads because they are probably complacent little bitch who is afraid of selling. This helps your client, it helps you, and you make a useful connection.
Often I don't charge my client for this bonus service. I just say I mostly do business by referrals. This is a good litmus test I use for the quality of a client and the other agency. Do they make a referral for me in return, or do they not get the big picture? It is recommended to blacklist and replace ones who don't ASAP. We are after the highest ROI after all.
Two awesome books that go into this more deeply are, The Trusted Advisor by David Maister, and Networking With the Affluent By Thomas Stanley. Before I read them, I thought networking was retarded and pointless. What I've shared is just the tip of the iceberg.
That was a very expensive misconception!
Conclusion
This isn't very blackhat. It is just strictly focused on what matters. To me this forum is a marketing haven that is intolerant to BS. Your clients are the same. Don't burn your greatest assets by screwing them once you've gone through the trouble of closing the deal. That was only the beginning of what you could earn.
The next nine months, I will focus even more on building my network and getting referrals through it. That will be my next guide. Until next time. Peace.
This is a follow-up to the basic cold calling guide I wrote in June. It basically said: treat sales as a step by step process where you only pan for specific type of prospect. When you can fill a pipeline, and make the most of every client, the sky is the limit. First, you will need the right mindset...
1. Keep in Mind
--If you are averse to forming relationships, it won't work. You have to be willing to be upfront with people. Otherwise, these methods will better serve as toilet paper for you.
--I've found reading only lessens the time we lose to false assumptions. Reading does not experiment for you. Treat this guide as a rope that can guide you through our chaotic dust storm of a world. Walking through the winds with dust blasting your face is still the hard part.
--Only completely committed action without distraction will get you exceptional outcomes. No super-duper-secret method ever ever will. No organization. No guru. Just you going all in. Quit stubbornly waiting for one.
Ok now that your mindset is primed...
The Back-End Is Where Success Hides In Plain Sight
People who have already bought from you are a lot easier to sell to than a total stranger. All it takes is to demonstrate that your offer will continue to help them. Treat this as a process and keep trying new angles. It is worth it because this is where the highest rewards on your money and time are hidden.
Forget some $5 a day spoonfed mentality. You have to be willing to push through delayed gratification. Building relationships takes time.
What I am sharing is the 80/20 breakdown of what has worked for me. You still have to use your brain applying these concepts, since I don't know your exact business model. This guide is already way too long.
2. Reports: Demonstrate Your Value and Suggest Ways to Do More
Spend a little time created a nicely formatted template with your logo on it. Send an email version and spend the extra cents and mail it to them. If you only email it, the odds that it is opened is low.
I take my print outs and highlight and write a personal note with what we can do to increase revenue, leads, etc. A few days later, I call and ask if they read the report. I review the report with them as they are looking at it. (This lets you control what they see and hear) Then I make my suggestion as an extension my existing beneficial services.
This will demonstrate that you are professional who stands by your work. With this foundation, everything you do will shine in a much stronger light. A recommendation for a better design or new campaign will be way more persuasive.
To really devour this effect's potential, don't be afraid to follow-up 5+ times. Even if it takes two months, no means not yet. They have all appreciated my suggestions of making them more money. If you're genuinely trying to add more value, your client may simply be a little afraid of taking action. Be patient, but never be satisfied.
3. Refer Them to Your Network of Professionals
In addition to sending a monthly or bi-monthly report, you should call up and ask if they have any problems relating to the rest of their marketing/cost cutting efforts. Most business owners are completely over their heads with time consuming responsibilities.
You can scout for reliable SEOs, Web Designers, Accountants, etc. Basically, you can judge an SEO better than a surgeon can. You aren't impressed by fancy metrics and buzzwords. You are an industry insider, and can figure out the correct questions to judge characters and competency. This is a valuable skill too many of us never exploit.
Therefore, if you are a web designer, or SSM agency, or whatever, you can make a deal to resell or get a commission for every client you refer to a reputable SEO agency. The other professional is always hungry for leads because they are probably complacent little bitch who is afraid of selling. This helps your client, it helps you, and you make a useful connection.
Often I don't charge my client for this bonus service. I just say I mostly do business by referrals. This is a good litmus test I use for the quality of a client and the other agency. Do they make a referral for me in return, or do they not get the big picture? It is recommended to blacklist and replace ones who don't ASAP. We are after the highest ROI after all.
Two awesome books that go into this more deeply are, The Trusted Advisor by David Maister, and Networking With the Affluent By Thomas Stanley. Before I read them, I thought networking was retarded and pointless. What I've shared is just the tip of the iceberg.
That was a very expensive misconception!
Conclusion
This isn't very blackhat. It is just strictly focused on what matters. To me this forum is a marketing haven that is intolerant to BS. Your clients are the same. Don't burn your greatest assets by screwing them once you've gone through the trouble of closing the deal. That was only the beginning of what you could earn.
The next nine months, I will focus even more on building my network and getting referrals through it. That will be my next guide. Until next time. Peace.
