Making Cold Calls

[Cloudedjourney]

I had a question about making cold calls. I have 5 double head bulk candy machines and trying to get some of them placed since I finally have a few free days. But I was wondering about leaving voice mails. When you leave a voice mail for someone do you give your pitch? I feel like it comes off a lot less naturally and it is most likely going to be ignored anyway. How much information do you generally give?

[KYvendor]

Personally, when I'm locating, I do everything in person. Much more difficult to say "no" to an actual person, than to call someone back and say no, or saying no to a voice over the phone. However, if you are in a situation requiring you to locate over the phone, then you shouldn't leave a message. Just keep calling over time until you get an actual person to talk to.

[Cloudedjourney]

I found that locating in person took a lot of time and driving and often I would need to come back and meet with a manager at a later date anyways. Without having much time I figured I would give calling a go. Haven't had much success so far but I found my pitch has thoroughly improved, still trying to get it just right though.

When you locate do you just drive to a strip mall and do the rounds?

[KYvendor]

Yep, just grind it out man haha. It takes time but once you get 2-3 hours to go locating, I don't see why you couldn't get 3-4 machines located if your pitch is good

[Makes Cents]

I found that locating in person took a lot of time and driving and often I would need to come back and meet with a manager at a later date anyways. Without having much time I figured I would give calling a go. Haven't had much success so far but I found my pitch has thoroughly improved, still trying to get it just right though.

When you locate do you just drive to a strip mall and do the rounds?

I used to locate in person by driving place to place and I found I used alot of gas and missed alot of potential locations. Now I try to find a busy street or blvd. and park, get out of the van and walk up one side of the street and down the other, because I hit 2-3 times more businesses my placement rate has gone up. After Ive got my locations I deliver the machines usually within 2 hours.

Another benefit I found is because of this technique I have placed machines in businesses I wouldnt have thought to stop at before, and a fair number of those have turned out to be great spots.

[sherlock]

I only locate commission locations in person.

When searching for charity spots, I locate by phone.

And to answer your question: I never leave a voicemail.

I just keep trying until I reach someone.

IMO, voicemails are a waste of time when cold-calling.

[Makes Cents]

I only locate commission locations in person.

When searching for charity spots, I locate by phone.

And to answer your question: I never leave a voicemail.

I just keep trying until I reach someone.

IMO, voicemails are a waste of time when cold-calling.

When locating by phone for charity, how many calls are you normally making before you get a yes? Do you give your pitch to whoever answers the phone or do you ask to speak to the owner/ manager before making sales pitch?

[sherlock]

I don't keep tabs of how many calls I make per "yes".

I just go to work at it whenever I need to.

If I work at it and don't get a single "yes", oh well...life goes on.

If I work at it and get multiple "yes" calls in a short period (it has happened), then great...still I keep going.

I don't worry about the answers I get...I just know when I have a certain amount of time set aside for locating by phone, I get to it until I have filled that time.

 

As far as who I speak to, I always speak to the person "in charge".

I never ask for "the owner" because "the owner" may not make any of the decisions if he/she has a manager handling things.

And the reverse can be true, too.

I never ask for "the manager" because there may be an owner who makes even the smallest decisions rather than leaving it to his/her mgr.

Asking for the person "in charge" will usually get me to whomever I need to speak to...be they manager, owner, supervisor, etc.

[Makes Cents]

I don't keep tabs of how many calls I make per "yes".

I just go to work at it whenever I need to.

If I work at it and don't get a single "yes", oh well...life goes on.

If I work at it and get multiple "yes" calls in a short period (it has happened), then great...still I keep going.

I don't worry about the answers I get...I just know when I have a certain amount of time set aside for locating by phone, I get to it until I have filled that time.

 

As far as who I speak to, I always speak to the person "in charge".

I never ask for "the owner" because "the owner" may not make any of the decisions if he/she has a manager handling things.

And the reverse can be true, too.

I never ask for "the manager" because there may be an owner who makes even the smallest decisions rather than leaving it to his/her mgr.

Asking for the person "in charge" will usually get me to whomever I need to speak to...be they manager, owner, supervisor, etc.

The first part of your response I find interesting. I have tried phone locating before with mixed results but going at it with that type of 'low key' attitude may be a better way to go. Sometimes I try too hard when locating and looking back my best results do come when I just keep going and not worry too much about numbers.

[sherlock]

The first part of your response I find interesting. I have tried phone locating before with mixed results but going at it with that type of 'low key' attitude may be a better way to go. Sometimes I try too hard when locating and looking back my best results do come when I just keep going and not worry too much about numbers.

 

Good for you.

It makes no sense to worry about a bad day or two of locating.

If you find you are going through a stretch of nothing but "no's" over a longer course of time, then maybe it's time to readjust your speech.

Otherwise, a short stretch of "no's" could be nothing more than a bad day or two...no sense letting it affect your attitude, your work ethic, or your presentation.

 

There's a reason why people trying to lose weight shouldn't get on the scale every day or two.

It's the same reason that runners don't try to best their minutes-per-mile every time they run.

If you are a golfer, you wouldn't adjust your stroke after one or two bad holes.

And, this way of thinking, is the exact same reason why you shouldn't assess your telemarketing skills after every session or two.

[Cloudedjourney]

I like what you said about asking for the person in charge, I've been trying to figure out how to word it, and have been asking for the person in charge of the vending program. It works okay, but when you are calling smaller company's some people get confused. It also sometimes makes secretaries get their guard up and screen your call. 

[sherlock]

It works okay, but when you are calling smaller company's some people get confused. It also sometimes makes secretaries get their guard up and screen your call. 

 

I guess I don't run into that much since I don't telemarket places that have secretaries.

I have had zero luck with offices so I avoid them.

I just wonder: If you call offices, isn't a secretary going to have her guard up no matter who you ask for? Business or personal, when I call an office I can even ask for the boss by name and I'm still asked "what is your call pertaining to?"

Good secretaries are trained to be solid gate-keepers.

[Cloudedjourney]

Well there are some small technical schools i was working on, that i had that specific issue with.  Usually when you say you are with a charity people put the guards down. But not always I learned. I got my whole summer schedule and I have a few Wednesdays off, so I'm just going to write those in as locating days, and try to just go through the city in areas rather than pick a select few places and drive all over.

[Makes Cents]

I don't keep tabs of how many calls I make per "yes".

I just go to work at it whenever I need to.

If I work at it and don't get a single "yes", oh well...life goes on.

If I work at it and get multiple "yes" calls in a short period (it has happened), then great...still I keep going.

I don't worry about the answers I get...I just know when I have a certain amount of time set aside for locating by phone, I get to it until I have filled that time.

 

As far as who I speak to, I always speak to the person "in charge".

I never ask for "the owner" because "the owner" may not make any of the decisions if he/she has a manager handling things.

And the reverse can be true, too.

I never ask for "the manager" because there may be an owner who makes even the smallest decisions rather than leaving it to his/her mgr.

Asking for the person "in charge" will usually get me to whomever I need to speak to...be they manager, owner, supervisor, etc.

I tried this yesterday, I had to paint some machines and soak some globes for cleaning so I had some time in between drying and scraping.

Here are my results:

I got 2 locations, a pallet company with 17 employees but no stores near by, and a motel place which usually I dont like but this might be good as its real large and out in the sticks and alot of weekly and monthly guests. I also got a few call backs that didnt sound like brush offs that I might actually work, one is a canning plant with 80 plus employees.

Overall was easy. I used business listings in local phone book and just started alphabetical instead of by category. I took Sherlock advice and didnt count but I think I called less than twenty five places. Instead of asking for person in charge I said something like 'Good Morning. I was woundering who I need to talk to about placing a small charitable candy machine at your business to help benifit The National Children’s Cancer Society'. The responses: 1) They usually said who could authorize it and transferred me or 2) said said who could authorize it but that person wasnt in (in which case I wrote the name down for call back) 3) asked more about it (how big, what type of machine, where it would go etc). When I got the right person I went through my speil.

The motel, the gatekeeper authorized it, the pallet company I was transferred to a partner who authorized it.

So good experience, I saved myself $60 in locator fees and got a little more confidence with cold calls. I'll be doing it weekly from now on.

[sherlock]

That's great news.

Glad to hear you had a pretty good locating session.

I like the way you phrased your pitch...that sounds fantastic.

[Cloudedjourney]

Yeah that's great!  Naming the charity helps a lot I think, especially when Children is in the name. I am using a local charity called the 5 and 2 ministries, so it's a little bit trickier. It helps that I am a volunteer with them as well so I can address my self as such, but I am trying to find the right way of presenting what the charity does, as it offers a pretty broad range of services. I have been saying something like "a local charity that supports low income families, and the homeless."

[Makes Cents]

I found a good resource for calling that has been helpful to me, manta.com. Its like using a directory like superpages except you can list by employee size or broad category. For example lets say you want to target factories in a town with 50 or more employees you can do that. It also list the names of the owners, how long in business, etc.

[mainor5251]

I usually profile potential locations using manta and state website that has a data base of every business in every county in Florida. Also use google maps to get a street view of locations.

[Makes Cents]

Tips for telemarketing. I got this from another source. I does seem to help:

SMILE WHEN TALKING- It translates even over the phone and the other person can tell the difference.

DRESS THE PART- It changes your attitude and translates in to more professional upbeat tone.

STAND UP- It increase your energy level and changes your voice.

SET TIME LIMIT- Limit yourself so you dont burn out. Try calling for one hour or set a minimum number of calls that does not overwelm you.

[h20g8tr]

There are some great suggestions on this thread. You may want to use different approaches and suggestions to suit your style. As a telemarketing locator who has been doing this for about 10 years, I have found that you can have the greatest pitch but still get shot down most of the time, which is expected.  One of the most important things I have learned is the intonation you use. Your intonation plays a subtle but powerful way of getting that decision maker to say yes or increase your yes's. By intonation, instead of talking from low to upward intonation, I use an intonation of asking a question from upper to lower tones. I am asking a question but subtlety telling him rather than asking if that makes any sense. It take practice and confidence and you incorporate with your personality. 

 

As to the original question, I never leave voice mails. It is just a waste of time because I have never had anyone call me back. So if the decision maker is not there, I just say I will call back and note it on my list and get his or her name. So when I call back, I can say, "Is John there?" This is a pure numbers game from a telemarketing point of view. You have to go through so many No's to get that Yes. Sooner or later, you will find someone that says yes. You also have to use the word OK at the end of your pitch. For example, "we just wanted to see if we can drop one of our candy machines off at no cost to you or any obligation. OK?!!! 

 

Depending on the area, you may have to go through 50-100 calls to get 1 or 2 yes's. Many times the DM is not there and most of the time you will get a NO when the DM is there. The idea is to expect to get NO's. Thank them when they say NO and go to the next call. The faster you go, the faster you will find a Yes. If you get good at this, expect to get 1 or 2 an hour. I never try to talk them into it or try to convince them to change their mind. They get these calls all the time and there are a bunch of locators or other vendors like yourself all chasing after the same locations. The faster you go through the NO's, the faster you get to the DM of a location that says, "Yes, no problem." Those are the ones you want that don't ask questions and are happy to have the machine that is associated with the charity. 

 

It is one thing to find a location like that, the other aspect is to keep the machine there as long as possible. This takes a lot of schmoozing and personality. Give them some free candy, a pen, hat, t-shirt from the charity. Keep your machines clean and product fresh. It reflects on the business and if the machines are dirty or neglected, there is no doubt that the owner/mgr will start to sour on you. Wear a hat or a tag from the charity if you can. It looks professional. Give them a certificate from the charity to hang on the wall. Customer service on your part keeps the machine in there longer. If they like you, they will keep your machines in there longer and they will other vendors / locators that they are happy with the machines they have. If you really get really good at this, you will learn to pitch in Spanish. Hehe. 

 

I hope that helps.

 

Ned

[Cloudedjourney]

Great advice New thanks a lot. I speak Spanish already, but it's not as helpful in Canada. I need to learn Mandarin maybe. :-)

[shepherdsflock]

I just switched charities to a local pregnancy support center and I've been getting locations as quickly as I can get machines ready to place. Finding a charity that people feel a connection to or see value in seems to make a huge difference.

[caserri]

STAND UP- It increase your energy level and changes your voice.

Had to laugh. Whenever I'm on an important call, I always end up standing. Not sure how or why but when I do, my voice gets louder and has more authority. I don't notice a difference and I don't do it on purpose. My wife calls it my "professional voice".

[mission vending]

Had to laugh. Whenever I'm on an important call, I always end up standing. Not sure how or why but when I do, my voice gets louder and has more authority. I don't notice a difference and I don't do it on purpose. My wife calls it my "professional voice".

 

I spent about a year with a telemarketing firm back in 90-91 and one of the "tricks" we were taught was to stand up during difficult calls for that very reason.

[Rick]

I spent about a year with a telemarketing firm back in 90-91 and one of the "tricks" we were taught was to stand up during difficult calls for that very reason.

 

It's true.  I've noticed I do this at home without even thinking about.  Must be a biological reason for it because you really do think better on your feet.