Is Anyone Using The Phone Exclusively For Selling?

[Guitarjoe63]

Hi All,

I'm new here and have a few questions. I just read through "Print Profiteer" and I'm pretty jacked up about the possibilities. I'm curious if anyone else is doing this exclusively by telemarketing?

I'm seeing that the most successful posters here are doing face to face selling, but I have zero interest in that. I sold door to door for years and those days are over, done, finished.

I currently own a home based business where I sell products in a niche industry by phone and have been doing so for 16 out of the past 21 years, both for myself and others. Not to be arrogant, but I'm pretty confident in my abilities. I'm just getting burned out and tired of people telling me that business is slow, etc. This industry took a huge hit during the recession.

The prospect of developing a group of repeat customers that are using a high profit service (with no inventory and monthly bills to pay) is very intriguing.

I'm just wondering if there are any major obstacles that people have run into that has kept them from making sales over the phone?

Bob, do you have phone scripts that you'd care to share? Is there a specific product or training that covers this model?

Thanks in advance.

Joe

[Mister Natural]

have been doing so for 16 out of the past 21 years, both for myself and others

Impressive time span.
Care to share a phone pitch with us?
Would be great to hear a recorded phone pitch so we could hear how you emphasize certain words or phrases to make your offer attractive.
With that kind of experience you should offer some "tutoring".

Back on topic: I can't imagine selling ad spaces on an unknown and unfamiliar advertising publication "solely" over the phone.
Possibly on a popular and successful publication... sure. Somewhat like selling classified ad space in a newspaper.
( what became of the newspaper guy that was posting here? His posts were quite good )

off topic again. sorry.

[Guitarjoe63]

Impressive time span.
Care to share a phone pitch with us?
Would be great to hear a recorded phone pitch so we could hear how you emphasize certain words or phrases to make your offer attractive.
With that kind of experience you should offer some "tutoring".

I'm not quite sure if you're being serious or arrogant? I'd sincerely hope that it's not the latter. Regarding my post, that may have come across as being arrogant. I assure you that it wasn't my intention.


Back on topic: I can't imagine selling ad spaces on an unknown and unfamiliar advertising publication "solely" over the phone.

Well, I just visited the link to the Yellow Pages site that Jake linked to in his "Print Profiteering" report and what he said about being able to beat their prices on the item he was referring to by .20 to .30 per item looked to be true. Of course, I don't know all about the add-on "bells and whistles" that each individual would need and how to compare those yet, but at first glance, I don't see any reason why I couldn't simply send them the link, have them get on the same site while I have them on the phone and show them. There's proof right there. I send prospects and customers to competitor sites frequently. Why wouldn't I? I have nothing to hide and their site reenforces the fact that I'm giving them a great deal. It appears to be the same here, but I still have some research to do to verify a few things.

Also, you're making an assumption. Who said that I'd be selling them ad spaces on an unknown and unfamiliar advertising publication? I have no intention of starting with the 9x12 method. I could just as easily sell them business cards or something else that they're familiar with, right? "If" they were interested in something that they weren't sure about, I could also simply offer to do a smaller quantity, give them a great deal and get my foot in the door that way in order to build their trust, right?

Regarding customers being afraid of paying me without meeting me in person, it happens all the time online. They could also try to do a chargeback on a credit card or put a stop payment on a check, right? Risk goes both ways. Honestly, I'd be a bit concerned if someone that I'd never spoken with before wanted to start out with a huge order. It might be okay, but it also might be a disaster.



Possibly on a popular and successful publication... sure. Somewhat like selling classified ad space in a newspaper.
( what became of the newspaper guy that was posting here? His posts were quite good )

off topic again. sorry.


I'm interested in learning Bob's/Jake's basic approach for contacting and closing new prospects because what he and his team are doing is already proven, just as the script that I use for my industry is proven. I could probably create a basic script, make 100-150 calls to businesses each day and accidentally make 1-2 sales just off shear numbers, but it only makes sense to ask him and others if they'd be willing to share what's already working, right? I also plan to listen to a couple podcasts, take notes, etc before I start making calls.

Wasn't it Abe Lincoln that said if he had 8 hours to chop down a tree he'd spend 6 of those sharpening his axe? :-)

There's no doubt in my mind that it can be done. I watched a video of Jake closing someone in Iowa by phone the other day. That's one of the reasons I'm asking.

Regarding face to face/door to door, I'm 51, am a partially disabled Vet and have sold multiple things face to face off and on since I was 17. It's simply not something that I want to do anymore. Some people are okay with it. You're obviously doing well with it. That's great! I'm not interested in doing it anymore. Been there, done that. I prefer the phone. I have customers that I've dealt with through a few different companies in the same industry for many years that I've never met in person.

If I have to I'll simply keep on doing what I'm doing (drop shipping physical products). However, I've been looking for another method that also builds repeat buyers like my current model, but offers higher ticket items, higher margins, provides a more consistent guaranteed income and doesn't have quota's to meet to maintain my pricing structure.

Anyway, I have some more of Jake's materials to absorb and I'll go from there.

Regards,

Joe

[Mister Natural]

Nope. I wasn't being arrogant,,, I was being serious.
Hundreds of people in this forum would greatly appreciate a tip or two on how to effectively promote their business with a telephone.
Considering your background, it sounds like you possess a wealth of helpful information.

[Guitarjoe63]

Nope. I wasn't being arrogant,,, I was being serious.

That's good. Sometimes it's easy to misinterpret what's being said in print. I've just become so casual over the past 12 years I can't imagine doing face to face anymore. I live in a warm environment and rarely even wear anything other than shorts, t-shirt and flip-flops.


Hundreds of people in this forum would greatly appreciate a tip or two on how to effectively promote their business with a telephone.

Considering your background, it sounds like you possess a wealth of helpful information.

I'm tentatively planning to do two WSO's or Kindle books (I haven't decided which), one on drop shipping and the other on how I use the phone to make a living from home. I've had a couple people begging me to do the drop shipping product for a few months now. I don't mind sharing a few things but I don't want to give away too much for free either.

After watching Jake's videos, I can see a lot of similarities between his style and my own. That's another thing, he's released his "Remote Control Selling" and I don't want to step on his toes by doing too much for free or devalue my own products.

I don't mind offering critiques here and there, though. Also, I don't know your sales experience level outside of what you're currently doing but you'd find that much of it can be used across the board in most industries. Of course, there are some things that will be industry specific.

Anyway, I highly recommend checking out Jake's "Remote Control Selling" videos as well as his podcasts. I only got to listen to the first 15 minutes or so of his first podcast a couple nights ago and my laptop battery decided that it was bedtime, but that was excellent, for me at least.

Joe