So obviously a big topic people mostly discuss about is cold calling, scripts, how to call, how to sell, how to do this, how to do that. I see so many people here getting so in depth with cold calling tactics, closing tactics, etc. They speak like they have been doing it for years.
When in reality, half these people asking questions have never even picked up a phone and cold called. How in gods name could they possibly comprehend some of the things you’re trying to teach them? They can’t…so they go and try it for a couple hundred calls (if that), fail, then come back and ask for critiques. The cycle starts over, and that is the precise reason why this place can become a bit of a circle jerk.
So I decided on Jan. 1st 2015 to start a little test.
I had a family member that lost his job, came to me for money, etc. I said I don’t give out loans, but I’ll pay you if you do some shit around the office. He agreed and I told him he would start on Monday at 8am. This guy is as far away from his Series 7 as you can get, has absolutely no clue what he’s doing on the phone, he works construction…never had a sales job in his life, and sure as hell doesn’t even know how to pronounce SEO. He’s a complete noob.
He shows up at the office at 7:45, I have a desk cleared for him with a headset and a piece of paper in front of him with this written.
“Hi, Ben calling – could I speak to the owner please”
“Hey I’m sure you’re busy so I apologize if I’m interrupting. I just wanted to shoot you a quick call and introduce myself. My name is Ben and I’m web designer, I also help struggling businesses get more sales month to month. – Just wondering if you knew of anyone that could put me to work”
I told him to call each number on a spreadsheet I made.
I paid him $10/hr
He worked Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday (8am-noon) and a 30 minute break so he could go smoke a half pack.
He never missed a day, never started late, never left early.
When he got someone that was interested I had him tell them he wanted to get his senior project manager in on the call. Showed him how to transfer calls, and introduce me, and that’s what he did for 3 months. I showed him nothing else, no closing tactics, no pre-qualifying questions, just a straight up offer/question.
He would get about 400 dials a day, and was pretty beat by the end. Of that 400 dials, on average there were 3-4 people he transferred to me. I tried to keep the same rhythm going, no hard pitching etc. I’m not the best salesmen admittedly. Just kept everything casual. I’m not going to spill the #dials #people talked to #voicemail, none of that matters to me. This test was about consistency.
I invested $1,440 in him
Got 11 new clients
60 warm leads that were put into the email autoresponder cycle we use for warm leads
$17,800 up front
$4,300/mo – contracted at 12 months.
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$69,400 from a $1,440 investment
I never want to hear that a simple script does not work again. Ever. I have preached over and over that those who are just starting need to learn the basics, build a schedule, and keep it simple.
It was very interesting, many people didn’t need our services, but they knew someone that did. 2 of the sales was from referrals. A lady actually had a son that worked for a web design agency, he said they were overflowing with work, and to call them if we needed work. I was skeptical but I did it anyway. Turns out they really did need help. We built a website for one of their clients, split the commission with them, and I later sold that client on a $500/mo video marketing plan.
The moral of the story is be consistent.
(ps: My cousin found a job, but could no longer use his wife’s car. I felt bad so I decided to put the down payment, which was $3500. He deserved it though!)
Article originally posted by shadow92