COW Tutorials: Business & Marketing Tips NO-Cost Ways to Grow Your Business

[Nick Griffin]

Great piece, Ron!

Much as cold calls are universally hated, they’re a necessity for all but the most obscenely successful businesses. If you’re too busy working on the current projects to worry about the next ones you are doomed to hitting periods of no projects.

One thing that we’ve found especially effective is to use (what I call) “Door Openers.” These are well packaged items which contain a pitch about us either on them (in the case of a label) or attached to them or the package. Last year we did a mailing which utilized a hot sauce for which we created a new label which stated a few witty things about the company. The outer box led in with a statement that “We have the hots for you.”

Then, once your prospect has received this Door Opener item (which because it’s a 3Dimensional object, not a letter almost invariably bypasses the secretarial screen) you can call.

Viola! It’s no longer a cold call!! They know you.

My experience with Door Openers is 9 times out of 10 the prospect will take the call, and they’re usually chuckling.

[Franklin Mcmahon]

Ron, great article!

Yes following up is an excellent point. I would add to “ask for the sale”. You can get a client worked up and ready to go for it, but if you don’t ASK then they THINK and time passes.

They don’t think of new reasons to go with you, often they worry and think of reasons not to work with you. So ask and ask, you’ll be surprised how many will go for it!

Frank

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Franklin McMahon
Creative Cow Leader
http://www.fmstudio.com

[Ron Lindeboom]

Thanks for the kind words, Franklin, and thanks for building episode 31 of your Podcast radio show around “Clients or Grinders.” It was an honor to receive your email and hear that you have done that. That little article seems to have a life all its own and I am grateful to have stumbled into that principle long ago — so long ago in fact, that I cannot remember if anyone ever taught it to me or if it was just one of those serendipitous moments of realisation where your circumstances communicate lessons to you in the situation.

I can’t agree more about the importance of asking for tha deal. That, and not talking past the point of the sale — now that’s something I am still working on at age 54. ;o)

Someday, when I grow up, I wanna get these things all worked out.

Best always,

Ron Lindeboom

[Ron Lindeboom]

That is a brilliant way of “heating things up”, Nick. ;o)

Anytime you can give yourself an edge when cold calling is sure to add to your bottomline.

Nice technique, man. When I grow up, I want to be just like you, you animal. ;o)

Ron Lindeboom