Just made my first call...

With successful, independent persons sometimes quite the opposite works better. I realized it when I considered, that I love to pay cold professionals who don't really care about me but instead try to do their job because they are committed to it.

When I was looking for a provider to take care of a rib implant (sports related stuff) I ended up with an expensive heartless sob and am still very satisfied. All the rest were servile, smiling creatures, grovelling before my parents. It looked pretty phoney mostly because they were having so much time to waste.

My guy on the other hand was simply like 'Yeah, I can do it but we are very busy so the boy has to wait at least a month. I am sorry we can't offer you our services sooner, but we need to take care of all the others before you first. If you are still interested, please use the front desk to make an appointment for the procedure. You have to excuse me now.' I was sold right there

I don't have experience with dentists but making potential clients feel that I am offering them a chance and don't care if they take it works pretty well. What I use is very high quality envelopes and paper and very little content. But all made to look like it's being sent to 100s other high rollers.

Lawyers and doctors always skim through long texts trying to identify the meat and never go back to reread stuff. And they understand simple logic, more exposure = more money, no need to say it over and over again in 20 paragraphs.

To get through the secretary, make it complicated enough so she isn't sure whether throwing it away would result in losses for her boss. They are usually very easy to manipulate when they are uncertain in their ability to make the right call in a given situation.

Also it is better to isolate yourself too. Even if you don't have money for a secretary, use a voice changer and never accept calls directly with your real voice. Make them wait (10-20 seconds at least) while 'redirecting'. Or say the real you is busy right now and will call back in 20 minutes. Don't ask whether that would be fine, just state it.

It's like the majority of expensive places, patrons are made to wait to be seated, for the bill, for their coats but they just love to pay for the privillege. Of course the service itself must be great, as are the meals in those places. Another analogy is the waiting associated with buying a rolls. The company's motto is 'yeah, well, we depend on you, now go sit in a corner and wait'. They still send catalogues to potential buyers though.

As anyone who has managed outbound cold calling projects will tell you, the trick is to not put down the phone. Just keep dialing for dollars for a specified period of time before taking a break. Once you put down the phone, it weighs a thousand pounds to pick it up again.

Bumping this so people can read tonlilaz comment, good guide to cold calling

There is some great advice here and I'd like to add a little more. This is from almost a decade of cold calling and appointment setting which we still do daily. We also train others on how to market themselves, so I'm still in the trenches.

The general consensus is correct, you do NOT leave a VM or a "message" with the receptionist for anyone. You also never give your name or company until you are talking to your DM. Why? Because it will never get you TO your DM, it is only a tactic to keep you from them. The gatekeeper doesn't know you, she doesn't care who you are except to screen your call. The DM doesn't know you and you aren't going to trick him into thinking he does because you tell the gatekeeper your name or company name or because you left him a nice VM with your information.

Stop thinking that will work!

Your goal:
Make the call
Get to the DM
Gauge interest so you aren't wasting your time
Get the appointment for a time when they can speak with you
GO and sell yourself!

Those are your only goals...do them, in that order.

The gatekeeper is there to keep you from that goal, and no, she doesn't want you to friend her, flirt with her, be nice to her, patronize her or anything else, she wants you to state your business or get off her phone. How do I know? I was one for 7 years before I did this. We don't want to be your friend, stop with that.

Here is how to answer/deal:
- You say "is Jack in/may I speak with the owner/etc" - If the GK asks who you are or what your business is that is code for "he's not talking to you or he is unavailable" so you say "if he's not available now, can you tell me when I could catch him today?" See, we're changing the subject...and we keep doing that until she either answers or you just say "that's ok, I'll try him back later." This is why we don't say who we are until we talk to the DM...so you can keep calling back to do this as needed.

Now, IF she offers to put you straight to VM, you accept...why? Because you can leave this message - and this is the ONLY MESSAGE you ever leave:
"Hi Jack, this is Mary, I was trying to catch you in the office, please call me back at _______" and hang up.
Is he going to call you back...there's a 99% chance he won't. Why do we do this then? Because you can hit 0 and go back to the GK and say "I left Jack a message and wanted to know when you expect him in so I know when he'll get it?" Most of the time she's got her guard down, and she will say "tomorrow morning" and you say "thanks, what was your name again?" - Guess when you're calling back?

TO SAY: Hi Casey, I spoke with you yesterday and left Jack a message, does he happen to be in?" She will say no, and you say ok and hang up, or she will say yes, and put you through.

YOU SAY: Jack, this is Mary, I called and LVM for you yesterday and I wanted to see if you got a chance to listen to it (most of the time it will be a "no" and they will apologize for being so rude as to not call you back)

YOU SAY: Oh, that's fine, let me take a minute to tell you what I said - and you're in...make your appointment after giving a minimal amount of info to gauge his interest.

You're welcome.

Thanks for the post... I'd look at adding a competitive factor in as well, but that's really great.

Don't give up OP! There are lots of potential clients out there.. You just need to spot them up..

Yep drop the SEO and GOOGLE part...it;s been done to death. You are an I.M. er