Cold Calling: Whats the worst that can happen?

I wasn't scared until I seen everyone else scared. Seriously, what is the worst that could happen from cold calling? They hang up?

macdonjo3 said:

I wasn't scared until I seen everyone else scared. Seriously, what is the worst that could happen from cold calling? They hang up?

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A lot of the time, it's because english isn't their native language... Other than that, you just have to have thick skin, don't be afraid of rejection (its going to happen). And just remember, the more people you call and talk to, sooner or later somone is going to buy from you.

I do it often. Probably 50% of my leads come from it, the other 50 from emailing. You're right, worst that happens is they hang up. Best thing to put in your mind is that usually, it's not a one call close. You're just canvasing to see if there may be some people interested. While you are doing your calls, if someone asks a question that indicates they want more information about what you are selling, immediately jot down all the info you can on that call. That's a lead. Hate to sound cliche, but it is certainly a numbers game. Many people, including sales people, will tell you it is worthless and a waste of time. They are wrong. Sales people hate it because it is boring as hell. And it is. Non-sales people will tell you "I'd never buy anything from a telemarketer." And that is BS. If it didn't work, companies wouldn't employ this method. People also say spam email doesn't work... run that statement past some of the people here on BHW and see what they tell you about that. I don't know where you are in the world... but in America, we are suckers and impulse buyers. Most of the deals I get from cold calling are impulse buyers. You're gonna find them. It's just a matter of when, so keep dialing. There is no DNC compliance requirement for B2B telemarketing in the States. So, you don't have to worry about that. In fact, most business owners (myself included) receive cold calls very often. You might be suprised to see how people are not as rude and abrasive as you would initially believe. Sure, you'll get some that a$$holes, but for the most part, it'll be "thanks for reaching out, but I'm not interested". I say do a test run, 10-15 hrs/wk, for 2 weeks. That's enough dials to develop some good leads. Don't get discouraged. You might not make a sale w/i those 2 weeks, but you have developed leads that you will probably convert shortly. Also keep in mind, that it's kind of like standard deviation. Those 1st 2 weeks might be godawful, or they might be the best two weeks you will ever see. Keep plugging, keep calling. Good luck, my man.

Why deal with all the BS when you can have a professional do it for pennies per call.

Nothing beats doing it yourself.

Long term, sure outsource, but how can you expect someone else to do it if you cant?

I think most reasons people outsource this, and then fail, is they do not know if the service is good or bad, and are not sure if the script sucks.

Go for it, good luck, you can do it man!

CasinoJack said:

Nothing beats doing it yourself.

Long term, sure outsource, but how can you expect someone else to do it if you cant?

I think most reasons people outsource this, and then fail, is they do not know if the service is good or bad, and are not sure if the script sucks.

Go for it, good luck, you can do it man!

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Is doing it through Skype good?

The worst that could happen?

You have a heart attack and die.

Anyway, I'd say 3/10 calls, the receptionist starts flirting with me. Generally, I'm calling to ask for DM information. The odd girl will say, "you're gunna have to work to get that info". And then we start bantering back and forth... it's fun.

I use cold calling as a tool to find out more about a company or person. Calling to sell is going to yield poor results and takes a huge toll on your confidence.
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the worst that can happen? It can break your spirit.

The worst that can happen is they tell you to ******** off. Then you just move on to the next call. I actually started telemarketing about 10+ years ago. I hated it, but it definitely is an immediate money technique.

mudbutt said:

the worst that can happen? It can break your spirit.

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Agree. You've got a couple of options -- I agree wholeheartedly with CasinoJack that you can't expect someone else to make a bad script work. So you can

1. Get an experienced telemarketer to write your script
2. Test your script yourself until you get a sale, then use that data to see if it's a high enough conversion rate
3. Run the script with 1 telemarketer with fixed budget as a test, then make changes

Not every item is really suited to telemarketing, either. Keep that in mind.

ii never cold called a day in my life until i started with my offline consultent biz, the first few calls were nerve wrecking,

until i noticed something...im talking to human beings. lol

Were all humans and we talk to eachother everyday, whats the difference with them? If they say no, move on, WTF ever!

What does everyone usually cold call to sell?

Nothing professional about this call.. actually we were drunk.

I do this from time to time when Im bored and fell like calling.

Im not a big fan of cold calling but it seems to work ok..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCoreQb2_TQ

you should really test your own script before you outsource it. i did telemarketing years ago. i changed two sentences in the script and it resulted in me having a 50% conversion whereas the other people using the old script averaged 10%. The managers discovered this (unfortunately because i was making all the bonuses) and changed it across the board. good for them bad for me......

but my point is, you would be really surprised how changing a few words can really make or break a script. unless the people you are outsourcing to are being paid by performance then they have no reason to do extensive testing.

simplebeans said:

Is cold calling not illegal in the UK?

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Man, chill out - as long as makes you $$$ its legal for you - what they can do to you for that even if its illegal? Fine you? Whatever

nethead01 said:

Nothing professional about this call.. actually we were drunk.

I do this from time to time when Im bored and fell like calling.

Im not a big fan of cold calling but it seems to work ok..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCoreQb2_TQ

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Well, if cold calling brings customers and $$, I am a fan of it!

It's a good people skill and it never hurts to hear from potential customers.

Split test scripts. Make like 10 scripts and try a new one every other day

They can't come through the phone and grab ya by the ba$%$lls, can they?

Yeah, only a small % will listen, and only a smaller % will agree to whatever it is you have to say, but what if you made 60 calls a day, let's say about 2 hours worth. Do you think if you had a decent line o'bs (anyone have a short, rockin' script by the way?), you could generate 1 lead a day?

Ok..lets do the math. Guy's interested, you offer something cool like 1 month free or something. He bites, you star getting paid month 2. Now, you only close 1 out of 5 guys, for example. So, after 1 week you 1 client paying you what-$$299 a month for example? Well, ya got 4 weeks in a month, no? So that's a $1200 a month income starting month 2. Roll up the numbers from there.

Can you close 1 out of 5? Are you good at this stuff? If you are, and you believe in yourself, you will close at least 1 out of 5. Work it, trust yourself, forget the a^$^$holes, and rock on to da bank.

A little courage goes a long way, Dudes....

I have cold called, warm called, door to door, and more! Over the years I have gotten really good at it. Its really all about finding the words and phrases that turn them OFF - then avoiding those and see what turn's the prospect ON.

You'd be surprised where you can get just saying "Look - I Know I'm just a guy on the phone - but I'm a person just like you and I wouldn't promote a product that I don't believe in." What's the lesson? DONT PROMOTE A PRODUCT YOU DONT BELIEVE IN.

The worst that can happen is it can break your spirit. This is correct. Get a seasoned pro to handle it for you and leave the rest to what you do best!