Business History Books » Business Consultant » How do I get started?
How do I get started?
Question:
> O my.. > In person selling is like the slam dunk of B2B services. Not being able > to slam dunk is a severe disadvantage against competitors who can take > it directly to the hoop.
You can say that again!! > With telemarketing… > Don’t even THINK about using little Shelly from the youth group at > church to call and charm prospects for 5.00- 10.00 hour. If you do this > she will get about 2 good appointments and then never speak to you at > church again. Use referenced PROFESSIONALS only,
Experience is great but I think its more important that the OP understand the fundamentals and then train his employees. After all, you can’t train somebody who already knows how to do the job. Little Shelly might not work out too well, but Ol’ Gertrude will be happy to make a quarter a call and two bucks a lead (or whatever she is paid). > and have them report to > you each day the number of dialings and appointment results at the > workdays beginning, ending, and halfway points, posting the results in > writing to you each week.
Hire a computer to do that. > And oh, the results are back loading, so plan > to spend at least 750.00 to 1,600.00 to have the project really worth > the hassle.
If one is going to pinch pennies, limit the solicitor to 100 calls/day, up the lead bonus and urge Gertrude to spend her time making call backs to go after those illustrious $5.00 bonus calls. DO NOT pinch pennies on the telemarketing script. Mike
Response:
O my.. In person selling is like the slam dunk of B2B services. Not being able to slam dunk is a severe disadvantage against competitors who can take it directly to the hoop. If you cannot for whatever reason, I suggest you work with a private telemarketer or sales rep and then you would do the follow up appointment. You may try working with printers, offering a fax-over-a-sketch Service. Printer supplies customer, you provide fulfillment. Post some "WE NOW DO CUSTOM LOGOS" signs on the printers front door. See if you can get about 5 or 10 printshops to make you their "Logo Man." Printer hands customer a sketch pad with grid paper and collects sketch and downpayment (his percentage). Printer faxes you a sketch, you return 4 versions within 4 days. Customer returns to printer OR VIEWS ONLINE and selects. You finish the job and FTP it to the printers website for delivery to customer as a 300.dpi PDF file, complete with color settings for printer and website friendly colors. Printer keeps a fair percentage of the profits from the logo, and of course gets first bid on the customers printing needs. Offer the service as an alternative to the "Non registrable trademarks from the cheap clip art sources". Sell the printer on the fact that printing services profits are in decline except that some shops are PROSPERING with add-on service such as this. Explain that you have a complete top shelf design rig that will not use up his utilities, take up his space, nor will you be beside his desk expecting him to buy your lunch. Ask him to simply cut you a check once per month for your share of the action. SHOW SAMPLES. After doing good with that ask for overflow and rush layout work etc, and build the biz relationship out from there. All the above being said, you are at a GREAT disadvantage if you have not mastered the rigors of in-person sales. Most clients see you as an extension of their own brain, and even in 2003 that still begins with a hand shake and a proper meeting. There are 4 things which have helped me most with that. I list them in hopes that you will consider them. 1) I honestly feel deep down in my heart that I have something important to share, whether they come to realize it or not. If I don’t feel this way, or make myself feel so, I’m selling the wrong thing. 2) I am only offering them a CHOICE. CHOICES are good things. Who wouldn’t want 3 choices over 2? 3) There are a number of personality types that are taxing to me (we are all like that). I have every right to select a area of clientele where the personality Match is going to be better for me. (Don’t sell to musicians if your a very factual person, they will think you stodgy, don’t sell accountants if you thrive on enthusiasm over cold facts, they will think you a con). 4) I can get Referrals from in person sales. (HUGE Bonus!) I hope that you and everyone reading this will begin to ADJUST your target MARKET to your PERSONALITY for an immediate increased success on the sales beat. Ed McMahn Wrote a sales book about this, and he’s right. (and Who could resist that fatherly beaming face yellin’ ‘Heeeeeeeeeeeere’s Johnnyyyyy!!!) If you can’t bear to cold sale then hire a professional telemarketer to develop a script, a list, and warm it up for you. But sheesh it’s going to cost you. Expect this step (minus the cost of the list and script writing) to cost you well over 100.00 bucks per appointment depending on expertise, based on 2-3 appointments per communicator hour (not clock hour, but "talking" hour) which is translates to about 15 minutes or so out of 60. …Worth it if you are willing to invest. With telemarketing… Don’t even THINK about using little Shelly from the youth group at church to call and charm prospects for 5.00- 10.00 hour. If you do this she will get about 2 good appointments and then never speak to you at church again. Use referenced PROFESSIONALS only, and have them report to you each day the number of dialings and appointment results at the workdays beginning, ending, and halfway points, posting the results in writing to you each week. And oh, the results are back loading, so plan to spend at least 750.00 to 1,600.00 to have the project really worth the hassle. ~zion~
Response:
>I am starting a small business doing web design and graphics. >I have very little money to work with and need some advice on how to >get my name out there. >Cold calling is out. I won’t do it.
Score one for wisdom by avoiding cold calls! How do you feel about "warm calls"? Those are the ones where the person called already knows something about you and the two of you have a mutual interest to discuss. There are any number of ways to set that up, and Scott and Mike have mentioned a few. You have one advantage. While services are intangibles, web design and graphics *are* tangible and you can show them to people. How about doing some pro bono quid pro quo? Find some non-profits who could use a web site upgrade and offer your services (within limits) for free. Or locate charities who do auctions and offer a package of services that they can auction off. Or, try friends and family. The point is that you want actual work you can offer, testimonials from clients, and referrals. I’ve suggested it before, and am sure I will again, but there is a $20 paperback you probably want: "Get Clients Now!" by C.J. Hayden, ISBN 0-8144-7992-8. Her 28-day program is designed for professionals and consultants and puts advertising and cold calling at the bottom of the list! Randy Bennett EC Stratagems Business Advisory & Coaching Services > Uncovering hidden value in markets and products <<
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Response:
> Hi, > I am starting a small business doing web design and graphics. > I have very little money to work with and need some advice on how to > get my name out there. > Cold calling is out. I won’t do it.
Cold calling stinks, I agree, but there is no less expensive way to get your name out there of which I’m aware. If you really want to do this on the cheap, your next step up from cold calling is walking door-to-door through business parks and introducing yourself. You can also pass out flyers by yourself and suffer only the cost of printing. You’re going to have to get yourself out in front of people and sell, period. If you think cold calling is difficult because of the level of rejection you experience, that’s a problem. I suggest you buy some books on marketing. I think the Guerilla Marketing books are pretty good, at gmarketing.com — especially for those with a limited budget. Good Luck! Mike
Response:
Hi, I am starting a small business doing web design and graphics. I have very little money to work with and need some advice on how to get my name out there. Cold calling is out. I won’t do it. Thanks!
Response:
how about a blastin’ print ad that touts a very good deal for a one page web for small business owners to have first time web presence. this will allow biz owners to get on the web to begin with for a low price, let them feel the waters for those who are "iffy about it", gives you small projects, and lures them in slowly for bigger projects in the future. good luck Harriet http://paperandimages.home.att.net
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Hi, > I am starting a small business doing web design and graphics. > I have very little money to work with and need some advice on how to > get my name out there. > Cold calling is out. I won’t do it. > Thanks!
Response:
> I am starting a small business doing web design and graphics. > I have very little money to work with and need some advice > on how to get my name out there. > Cold calling is out. I won’t do it.
First, since you’re going to do website designs and graphics, you need something to show and at least a few decent clients. Your own website doesn’t have a lot of value. Having done someone else’s website will as it shows you can work with clients and meet their needs. However, without a track record, you’ll likely have a hard time selling your services to these businesses/organizations so offer to a select few to do them for free. No one will know this … especially if you tell the business/organization you’re doing it free for not to tell that it was done free for them. Just tell them you need some work examples done for real-life businesses/organizations and ask if they’d like to be one of the few that you do this free for. As for which to do this pro bono work for, I’d recommend doing it for high-profile clients. Radio and television talk shows being the best of these as they’ll help promote your business in the bargain as well as have name recognition. Unfortunately, many of these already have website design firms doing theirs and they’ll VERY likely not want to turn over theirs to someone just starting out … even if you offer to do it for free. However, all this means is that you’ve got to hunt for radio and television talk shows that are either just starting up (catching them before they soar), don’t currently have a website, and/or have one that’s obviously slapped together by some production assistant or even the hosts themselves. For example, I’m starting up a talk show at the moment so if you’d like to do mine, send me an email and we can talk about it. However, you’ll need more than one. At least three. The more, the better. Once you get a few clients (at least three), go around to all your local computer consulting firms and offer to help them with their work overload. Use those clients you’ve helped out as your proof of ability. If the computer consulting firms are any good, they’ll have more work than they can tackle. However, do NOT come in and act as a jack-of-all-trades. Jacks-of-all-trades are masters of none. Pitch your specialty. The more specialized your specialty is, the better chances you’ll get work from them. In your case, it’s website design … but if you can specialize in one aspect of website design that is easy for firms to farm out, that would be an even better choice. Tell them that if they’ve got overload work in that area, you can help them out. The BIGGEST thing you need to be sure happens is that you’re not invisible to the client. You want to establish a name with the public and the only way to do that is by stepping out from behind the curtain. How to do this without causing problems is simply saying that you’ll want to meet with the client to at least show your work … if not discuss their case. If the firm refuses you this, don’t get upset with them. Simply state this is your preference. If they continue to not want to give you public exposure, only do work for them when no one else has work for you. Also, charge two rates. State that you have a "visible" and an "invisible" rate and that the "invisible" (to the client) rate is much higher. This will drive the point home to them and make it very clear that you want public exposure. As for how to pitch yourself to them, I suggest simply asking for a meeting. You’re starting up your consulting firm and would like to know what precisely they do so if you’ve got work you cannot do but they can, you can toss it their way. Note I didn’t say anything about them tossing work your way. Remember that. You want to pitch yourself not as a desperate beggar but an equal and possible revenue source. If they have any brains, they’ll want to meet with you for this reason. When you talk to them, honestly find out all that there is about them. Personally meet with each of the members of their firm. Don’t buy it that they’re jacks-of-all-trades either. Find out what they’re really good at. Feel free to press them on this point until they become honest with you. If they continue to say they’re jacks-of-all-trades, simply tell them that you can also be that but you’re master of whatever your specialty is and that you only toss clients to masters, not jacks. Again, if they have any brain, they’ll change their tune right then and there. During this chat, you’re also educating them about your specialty and naturally say you’d appreciate any of their work overload that falls under your specialty. Bring along and give them a nice one-page typed sheet on your business stationary that lays out what your specialty is. Do NOT have it go beyond one sheet. Also, bring along a laptop computer with the websites of the clients you’ve already done work for on it so you can whip it out and show them your work. Do NOT require that your laptop is hooked up to the net to do this. Have the client websites fully loaded on your laptop so you don’t need internet connection to show them. As for rates, simply state that’s done on a case-by-case basis. Don’t tie your rates down. And you’ll very likely will be tossing work their way. In fact, don’t be surprised it will take you tossing work their way before some of them will toss work your way. Don’t get upset or frustrated that this is some Catch-22 situation. It’s just the nature of business-to-business relations. Besides, very likely you’ll have businesses come in that will want you to do something you’re not good at and thus this gives you a golden opportunity to get in good with the other computer consulting firms. All businesses appreciate referrals and the smart ones will be anxious to return the favor so you continue to toss work their way. One or more of the computer consulting firms you initially approach as outlined above might have work for you right away. Expect it to be something very small, quick, and unimportant. They’re testing you out. They want to see the quality and speed of your work. Their reputation and the reputation of their firm will be affected by the work you do for them. One screw-up and they never send you work again. Always remember that. As for who to approach, do it geographically. Approach the firms that are closest and work your way out from there. You’ll need to drive to them occasionally so you don’t want them across the nation … yet. Also, you can only do so much work and they’ll all want prompt service. Don’t over-extend yourself. Also, be PAINFULLY HONEST with them when they call about when you can get the work they’re trying to get you to help them with done. Do NOT be optimistic on your time estimate. Be reasonable. Realize that you MUST meet all deadlines you give … even if it means you have to work weekends, vacations, birthdays, and/or without sleep. If you miss a deadline, don’t expect work from them ever again. Also, don’t ask for extensions. They very likely picked you over others because you said you could work within their timeframe. Asking for extensions messes with them and they’ll be less likely to toss work your way in the future. Also, don’t overextend yourself. Some of them will beg and plead with you to help them get their work done "as soon as is humanly possible" and/or take it on when your workload is already full. Do NOT take on such work! You’ll burn yourself out, miss the deadlines, and end up emotionally and financially worse for it … as well as get all the blame from all your clients … including the one that begged you to take them on. You’ve got to have the iron will to refuse work. Simply be honest with them. Turn them down politely but turn them down. Every season have a barbeque and invite all of them to it … whether or not they’ve given you work. You want to get on friendly terms with them and this is a great way to do that. Look successful. The more successful you look, the more they’ll want to toss business to you. Upgrade your home when you can. Hire an interior decorator. Evaluate everything in your house to be sure it speaks of quality. Also, invest into yourself and your spouse/girlfriend/boyfriend. Go to the gym, hire a personal trainer for both of you, and get fit. It doesn’t matter your age. If you’ve got a mold on your face, go to a plastic surgeon and get it removed. Additionally, find out at these parties what leisure-time activities they like to do. Do they like to play poker? A monthly poker game is something you could host. Golf? Bowling? You get the idea. You need to keep your name fresh in their minds and socializing with them is the best way to do this. Lastly, keep an eye out for good people to add to your own firm. Your specialty should be their specialty. Your firm should stand for that specialty. Also, try to take on at least one college intern each semester. College interns can be great for the bottomline and are essentially like a new employee on probation. In fact, they’re better than a new employee as they come with no strings attached. If they don’t work out, you don’t have to fire them. You simply don’t hire them after they graduate. And hire yourself a secretary, business manager, and salesperson in that order as your firm grows. You want to have your firm grow to the point that you can direct it instead of having to work for it. At that point, you’re a business success. For more on this, read Michael Gerber’s book "The E-Myth". Good luck! Scott Jensen — Peer-to-peer networking (a.k.a. file-sharing) is entertainment’s future. If you’d like to know why, read the white paper at the link below. http://www.nonesuch.org/p2prevolution.pdf