Direct Marketing News

Cold Calling is simply just a waste of time.

The sad reality is that salespeople in all industries still have this method of prospecting and selling forced upon them by there managers, or there up line, or whom ever they have to answer to on a daily basis.

Cold calling immediately puts you into a position of being needy. Cold calling gives your prospect the impression that you have nothing better to do, and that all you are doing is trying to scrape up business. It makes you look desperate, I dont know about you but in my business I want to come across as being someone who is successful, and isnt out their begging for the business. One quote that I live and die by is that Professionals Sort & Amateurs Sell People want to buy from a person who is in a position of power, not someone who is desperate and is in a position of being needy. Whether you are in Business to Business sales, Direct Consumer sales, Direct sales, Network Marketing, or you run your own Home Based Business there are a lot of different ways to prospect. The biggest thing is that you want people contacting you, and wanting to get more information from you about your product or service. This puts you in a position of power, and that is exactly where you want to be. Here are just a few of the different ways you can generate leads or prospects.

1.Flyer Distribution- This is a very basic non-cold calling technique that you can use to market your product, and or your business. This is a very cost effective way of direct mail, which can be extremely successful if it is done correctly. I found this method to be work extremely well in Business to Business sales. I would simply make up some flyers, and go to each business, and instead of trying to get past the gatekeeper I would simply give them the flyer along with my business card, and ask them to pass it along to who was ever in charge of advertising, and also ask for their business card. Not only did I get an amazing response, now when I spoke with the prospect, I was seen as an authority figure because they contacted me not vice versa.

2.Email- This is one of the most important tools a sales person has in the Information Age, but most sales people fail to use it, and take advantage of it. As I mentioned it in the first point flyer distribution, this is why I would get a business card when I was dropping off flyers. Email has become the preferred way of communication in todays day in age. One of the reasons is that it is the quickest way to communicate and its free! I have found that for every phone call I used to make where I had to leave a message I would get maybe 2 out of 10 calls back. Where with email I find for every message I send I am getting 5-6 responses. Definitely take advantage of email.

3.World Wide Web- What better way to market to your prospects than on the internet. The internet is a very powerful tool, when it comes to reaching your prospect. It allows you to market to a very specific market or industry, and is relatively inexpensive. It may take a little longer to get it up and running, but once it is, youll find that it is well worth your time. All you need is a website, where your prospects can come to and fill in your information, and then it is up to you to follow up with your prospects. Utilize the marketing tools that are available, on Google, Yahoo, MSN, and Zango.

I can remember when I first got started in the mortgage industry I would spend my days cold calling real estate agents, insurance agents, home builders, financial planners, lawyers, and every other referal source that I could think of. Then I finally realized that I was doing the exact same thing as every other mortgage broker out there….Cold Calling! That’s when I decided that I had to do something different, and started to implement the procedures, and ideas that I have listed above. As soon I started to use these ideas my business exploded. I now use these methods in my home based business, and my results have been amazing. Well I hope that helps you, and gives you some ideas you can use in your career, or business, and eliminate the dread that comes along with having to cold call. All the best!

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