Cold Calling…or not?

[Todd Terry]

For what it’s worth, all the videos play fine for me. I’m on a relatively fast but not super-smokin’ DSL connection.

T2

__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com

[Jeffrey Gould]

Thanks Todd, I really don’t think their is an issue with the playback. I just wrote 3 friends, 2 with cable, one with DSL, I’ll let you know what they say. Someone would’ve had to make me aware of it over the past few years.

Jeffrey S. Gould
Action Media Productions

[Jeffrey Gould]

I actually just got a call back from a message I left yesterday and while they are not in the market at this time, she will keep my name and web address on file. I guess I did something right to have her take the time to call me.

Jeffrey S. Gould
Action Media Productions

[Randy Wheeler]

Well, your videos in the “projects” page do have a problem when I try to play them. After clicking on each video it takes 10-12 seconds to load while you see the word “connecting” waiting for the player to load. Plenty of connection speed here so it’s just a poor player interface design.

Also your videos are streaming from playstream.com not vitalstream.com, check your browser cache to check this. When I went to playstream.com to play their videos I had the same slow-loading player issue as yours and it uses the same player interface which is sorta lame too with the tiny scroll bar length and ugly interface design.

I would completely rework the Flash player interface maybe even change streaming services, it really turned me off right away as a fellow video professional since streaming should have no delay when initially loading. I’ve had much better experiences viewing progressive downloads demo pages compared to your current streaming demo page.

I also don’t like the audio that plays when the home page loads or the audio when scrolling over buttons, went out of style a long time ago.

Remember if you are recommending that people need to change/improve their website and to hire you then your website should be spotless for criticism.

Just trying to help out,

Randy

[Jeffrey Gould]

Randy, Unfortunately, it’s how VitalStream works, I can’t control that. The HTML is generated from their site, so is the player. Vitalstream bought playstream which then became an Internap company. I will consider using a different service as I feel the same way you do with both the delay and interface. Regarding the music on my home page, a lot of people like it (I did when I first designed it, but lately it gets on my nerves) and the rollover button sounds can appear as amateurish. But honestly, I do get a lot of compliments on the site from peers as well as clients. I’ll look into softening it and removing the sounds. Thanks

Jeffrey S. Gould
Action Media Productions

[Darren Edwards]

Thankfully – or not, as the case may be – I’m not the only
one facing streaming difficulties. The site you linked, Jeff,
resulted with the same buffering problems. I can easily
‘Download This Video?’ straight from the server because I’ve
got the latest ver. of RealPlayer installed, but I shouldn’t
have to do this.

D.

x-gf.com

[Mike Cohen]

Rejection is the worst part of cold calling.
Perhaps you can send out a postcard campaign to a select list of business, and then do the cold calls about 10 days after the mailing goes out. For a couple thousand dollars, or less, you can print a 4 color 2 sided 8.5×5.5″ postcard, and either print your own address labels or use a mail house.
Given that businesses receive a lot of junk mail, this may or may not increase your name recognition, but it is worth a shot.

That’s my idea.

Mike

[Jeffrey Gould]

A year ago I posted on this form asking about mailers and sending out Business Card CD’s and it was pretty overwhelming that it will just get tossed in the garbage can. Thanks for the suggestion.

Jeffrey S. Gould
Action Media Productions

[Tom Mcnally]

Don’t discount postcards. They are a fantastic inexpensive way of keeping your name in front of potential clients. Have your business name, website and phone number stand out. Don’t overload it with info. Get the message across as the viewer scans the card and then throws it out. Stick with the regular size postcards so postage is only 26 cents per piece.

Not everyone needs work done when you call. Postcards can help you keep your name in front of an audience. The idea is for them to think of you when they are in their buying cycle.

Set goals. For example, over the next 4 months, call 250 companies a month. Have a postcard printed ready to go and mail list ready to go. Each week you call, send out a postcard. Even if you leave a voice mail, send a postcard.

After four months, you called a thousand businesses, sent out a thousand postcards, and fine tuned your sales script. You will probably add some to your list and removed some. Hopefully you will have picked up at least one or two well paying clients.

Don’t stop. Have a different postcard ready to go out. Keep in contact. Keep selling. And don’t forget to provide great service:)

Good Luck,
Tom McNally

[Bob Zelin]

Hi Jeffrey –
you are getting both good and BAD advice on this forum – most were good, but the last comment about (about post cards and direct mail) was incorrect. Direct mail absolutely works – for about 100 post cards, you will get 1 response – this does not mean one job – it means one response that you must go after aggresively.

COLD CALLING WORKS – let me be more specific. It’s not cold calling – it’s STALKING. Many VERY successful people have gotten to the top from professional stalking. Adam Taylor, who was the VP of Sales of AVID for many years, was a well known stalker for AVID when he was a salesman in New York. If he even heard a rumor that you were going to buy an AVID, he would call you OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER until you caved in. I recall one specific story (that was told to me by my client at Giraldi Suarez) that they told the receptionist to NEVER TAKE A CALL FROM THIS A-HOLE EVER AGAIN. And he called, and found out (from being polite) that they were at a session in LA, and HE CALLED THEM IN LA (are you ready to buy that AVID yet) – and they caved in and bought the AVID. I am sure that Adam is a very wealthy man now.

Bill Haberman from Forecast Installations (the biggest console company in the industry) “yelled” at me once years ago, when he inquired about a job that we were bidding on. “I don’t want to be too aggressive with the client” I replied to him. He responded aggresively to me (I dont’ recall his wording) but basically said “I don’t give a rat’s ass if it’s embarassing, or too aggressive – you call him and find out if he is ready to build this edit room”. Of course, Mr. Haberman is now a wealthy man as well, with a large company and many employees.

Salesman (and company owners) spend their lives CALLING customers, “wining and dining” customers, advertising, going to trade shows, joining user groups, doing direct marketing, etc. JUST LOOK AT ALL THE BANNER ADS ON THIS FORUM – have you called even one of these companies to buy something- it’s annoying, isn’t it. But it WORKS. It gets their name into your head.

Here is a technique. You send out your press kit (post card, demo reel, web info, etc.) to your client (call the stupid receptionist, and get the bosses name – she will give it to you and not hang up – you are just getting his name). Mail him the info, and CALL THE COMPANY at 8am or 6:30pm – NEVER DURING THE DAY.

There is not one small company that I cannot get as a client.
I was a very shy child, and because of business, I have overcome “being embarassed” in business situations – I am fully prepared to be humiliated, rejected, told that I am not good enough, too stupid, not qualified, too expensive, etc. etc. And I do WHATEVER IT TAKES to change that persons mind.
I have always found it positive to be shown what an idiot I am, and put effort out to learn whatever I have to do, to make sure that I am no longer that idiot, and I can surpass the person that embarassed me.

Be the bulldog, get your bone, get the work – prepare for rejection – EMBRACE REJECTION AND HUMILIATION – it starts slow, and snowballs. You get one client from 100 calls, then you get two, then four. Then you are on your way.

To the person who said that “cold calling is illegal” – I would call your company to solicit, just for the challange.

Bob Zelin