Cold-calling and gaining new clients.

[TXGraphix24]

Hey guys, I'm pretty new to the forum. Well im a 17 year old HS student, and ive been doing signs, shirts and such for 3 years or so. Since i was 14. Started with a cheap UScutter, and now i have a Roland and auto screen printing setup.

Anyways, business has slowed down a little this month and im trying to find some new ways to gain potential customers. I try to stick to email because its less of a nuisance if people are not interested, but ive been thinking about starting the cold calling to local businesses that i feel are in need of my services.

How do you introduce yourself when they answer the phone? How do you start the conversation? any good tips?

I know it sounds like a dumb question, but are there any tips for me?

Thanks guys, this forum has brought a lot of insight and info for me,

Tyler

 

[Gino]

Hi, my name is Tyler and I would like to talk to the person in charge of ordering your textile needs. If he/she's not available, would you please give me their name and a good time to call them ??

Thank you for your time and have a 'Great Day' !!

 

[showcase 66]

I am not a big fan of cold calling. I would rather walk in and introduce myself, but some people dont like when someone walks in to tries and get business.
Not sure if your school has Public speaking classes or VICA (Vocational Industrial Clubs of America) Or SkillsUSA. But if they do, I would talk to the teacher involved in the public speaking portion. They can get you some good info on what is appropriate and not appropriate when talking over the phone. I remember they had Cold Calling as part of VICA competitions that I went to when I was in HS.

Not sure if it helps, but that is what I would do. Actually, I still call one of my HS Teachers from time to time to get their input on things like this.

 

[mikefine]

Here is my tip. If I was 17 again, the first thing I would do is take a good sales class. But it has to be a good program. You will learn about psychology, how to deal with interpersonal relations, etc.

It will be the best investment of time and money you could make.

 

[showcase 66]

Here is my tip. If I was 17 again, the first thing I would do is take a good sales class. But it has to be a good program. You will learn about psychology, how to deal with interpersonal relations, etc.

It will be the best investment of time and money you could make.

+1 Good idea.

 

[btropical.com]

Watch this and learn

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwRISkyV_B8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAw0_wiDcd8

 

[Billct2]

Don't know about selling T's but one old standby for selling signs is to find the places that have signs that are faded and looking generally shabby, stop in with your portfolio, business card and proposal form ready to fill out. And get used to accepting "No" with a smile.

 

[TXGraphix24]

Hi, my name is Tyler and I would like to talk to the person in charge of ordering your textile needs. If he/she's not available, would you please give me their name and a good time to call them ??

Thank you for your time and have a 'Great Day' !!

i like this.

But how do you politely say your sign looks like crap and i want to fix/remake it?

 

[SignManiac]

Start compiling a before and after portfolio and show potentials how you can help improve their companies image. Just make damn sure your work is top notch.

 

[jiarby]

+5 for face to face meet... go by, introduce yourself, have an iPad or notebook with portfolio. Leave behind a brochure, card, or sellsheet.

Don't sell signs... sell solutions. How can you help this guy make more money. Don't get too technical about specific products.

 

[Just Another Sign Guy]

what a Stud 17 years old. Keep your eyes on this guy. I've always believed there are those who look for jobs and those that create jobs..I'm seriously impressed.

with that said I don't think that cold calling is the best use of your time as far as sales and marketing are concerned. Make sure that you think through how you are presenting your company versus how you want it to be perceived by your potential customers and if this sales strategy meets the way you want your company to be viewed.

The first thing I would ask you is who is your ideal customer?

are you focusing on a local market?

primarily business owners?

if you are primarily serving a local market comprised mostly of business owners do you have a referal program in place? are you asking your existing, satisfied customers who they know that would benefit from the products and services that you offer?

if not this would be the first thing that i would focus on.

good luck to you, truly i am impressed!

 

[TXGraphix24]

what a Stud 17 years old. Keep your eyes on this guy. I've always believed there are those who look for jobs and those that create jobs..I'm seriously impressed.

with that said I don't think that cold calling is the best use of your time as far as sales and marketing are concerned. Make sure that you think through how you are presenting your company versus how you want it to be perceived by your potential customers and if this sales strategy meets the way you want your company to be viewed.

The first thing I would ask you is who is your ideal customer?

are you focusing on a local market?

primarily business owners?

if you are primarily serving a local market comprised mostly of business owners do you have a referal program in place? are you asking your existing, satisfied customers who they know that would benefit from the products and services that you offer?

if not this would be the first thing that i would focus on.

good luck to you, truly i am impressed!

I appreciate the kind words. I started this as a hobby, and now i have 3 out of my 4 years of college tuition payed for and i hope to make it a decent career.

One thing i havnt tried that you mentioned is a customer referral program. Thats something i will deffinately use in the future.

Right now, my biggest seller is shirts, im still in high school so all my teachers and friends know me as the t-shirt guy, so everyone knows where to go for t-shirts. I also sell to little league teams, since i do custom jerseys and the window decals and such. Most of its word of mouth, but last summer when business was slow i went up to coaches before games and let them know who i was and what i offered. I would guess around 1 every 5 at least attempted to get some work done.

 

[Pat Whatley]

Your biggest hurdle, in my opinion, is going to be that you're 17. People will automatically stereotype you as some slacker high school punk. To earn a little trust you're gonna have to have some seriously good portfolio pieces and you're going to have to be damn confident in your abilities in order to sell the job.

If you've got the skill set, though, follow Gino's advice...just call and ask for the work. I've actually been a little surprised in myself since I bought my shop how many times I've bought services from some random caller/walk in because they called and made it easy.

Kudos to you for being a hell of a lot more motivated than I was at 17.

 

[airborneassault]

Pat's right on this one, the age is a huge hurdle. Being 20 I face the same setbacks, usually when I walk into a business and introduce myself I'm instantly written off. Educating potential customers on the fact that it's your business and you take pride in what you do can prove to be extremely difficult.

You mentioned you did jerseys for the little leagues in your area, if possible ask to put your logo/website/ph # on the sleeve, back, or even inside just anywhere that it can be potentially seen. If it's visible at a game, chances are someones relation owns a business and will need your service or how about the parents doing laundry. Point being aside from the parent/coach who orders from you, the rest of the parents may be completely oblivious to where the jerseys come from.

Next thing I'd say is to go ahead with going into businesses with some info on yourself to make sales. Dress up in a nice pair of slacks or at least clean dark jeans and a polo shirt with your logo, show them you're serious. Most advise that they won't buy from a salesman dressed as a salesman, I've heard people mention dressing down but with the age factor dressing up a bit always helps and prevents falling into that sterotype so easily. Smile, be polite and make good eye contact. When they say no or turn you away simply smile, thank them for their time and give them an ink pen imprinted with your info, nobody throws away a free ink pen and it will roll around the office forever. Now don't get discouraged, after several visits you probably won't make sales but be persistent.

-Nathan

 

[megacab]

get yourself a hot 18+ year old girlfriend and let her make the sales calls.

but seriously, dress for the occasion in nice clothing and go out there and sell yourself. that's what sales calls are all about. there are tons of people that do what we do. it's going to be you that gets the clients to call and you that services them well enough to keep them coming back. i wish you the best. sure seems like you are headed in the right direction at your age.

 

[bayshorecreations]

Watch this and learn

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwRISkyV_B8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAw0_wiDcd8

Can't imagine life without my slap chop!
Love that thing!

 

[Edserv]

We started our first business when I was 24 (wife was 23) and we decided to not mention we were the owners. We did not use our last name in the business name, and approached businesses more as "sales reps." Of course, if asked, we were always honest about being the owners, but you'd be amazed how many businesses just assume you work for the company. So why open a can of worms?
Also, after almost 20 years of direct sales, we derive almost 80% of our business from our website, and no longer have much time to cold call.
Also- I posted a lot of direct sales info at www.cycleofsales.com (it's free content, just a project I started a couple years ago.)
Cold-calling via the phone or in-person is still a great way to get leads, even if you're not very skilled at direct sales. Just make sure to have a great "leave-behind." One of our best was a "mini-banner" made from vinyl with a magnetic backing that we tried to place on the secretary's file cabinet (with the secretary's permission.) This is an easy, low-cost way to leave a "mini billboard" that will hopefully be there long after you've left. And you'd be surprised at how many leads you'll get weeks or months later.
Good luck. Sounds like you have the energy, which is 90% of it. Stay positive and just keep pounding the pavement. You'll do well!

 

[TopFliteGraphics]

I have been in "sales" for a number of years and HATE cold calling on the phone.
My Dad was a salesman his whole life and he taught me one of the most important lessons I've ever learned - "Nothing happens until somebody shows up."

You see, prior to being in sales, I was an operations manager and in charge of many things including purchasing everything from printing to toilet paper. I don't think I ever bought from someone over the phone unless it was a major company. I purchased mainly from the people who showed up and showed an interest in our business. I was buying well over $3-4million a year and I frequently gave the "little guys" a shot just because they showed up.

Also, the best attribute you can have is a positive attitude. People want to buy from someone they like. It's hard to like a person with a downer attitude. A lot of people will say that in "This Economy" there is no business to be had. Guess why they say that? They are not out there knocking on doors. There are people in need of t-shirts, vinyl graphics, and printing everywhere! A lot of these people are not getting serviced. So the best thing you can do is, stop in, say hello, leave a business card and then FOLLOW UP. Guess what, if you do those things, when they need something, you're going to be the one they call.

Best of luck!

 

[postnetnc133]

Consider looking for print shops,and sign shops in your area that you can do work for.

 

[Craig Sjoquist]

All the tips are great so far indeed another is get a book on ...How to close a sale ..the one I got that really helped a huge amount even after doing lots of signs was... James W Pickens ...The Art of Closing Any Deal

Wow 17 & doing your own thing, go for it & take your time....Pick up a book by Mike Stevens ..Mastering layout , the real money is the ability to design a outstanding advertisements.