Email or voicemail. Email is easy to read and respond to any time of day or night, on my work schedule. Voicemail is because I'm working from home, and my sheepdog likes to get involved when the phone rings, so I will often not even answer the phone (due to his barking) unless I recognize the number. If it's important, the person should leave a voicemail. If it sounds like a robo-message or unclear, I will delete and move on.
Sales people who show up unannounced often get escorted by the aforementioned sheepdog and run the risk of interrupting me while I'm working with a horse or moving sheep or other work activities. Aggressive interruptions like that are not conducive to selling your product. This is why I'm open by appointment.
In person is the best way. Pulling doors and introducing one's self gets more mileage than all the other ways. People get to see you in person, hear what you have to say, even if your cut off at the reception area. Sometimes the receptionist will share information about you, such as appearance, a product my have suggested and information you left behind about a product or services you offer. Yes, the probability of getting in behind the door is slim, but good salespeople make an impression and could be called back to help find a product or perform a service they can't find....
We operate 90% through email with all communications. Texting is reserved for those who have established a relationship through sustained business. My cell phone - with all of it's apps, does not inform me when I have received a voice mail. So if you call and I miss it - it could be weeks before you hear from me.
By email, and with links to info about the services and company. Ensure that your service is actually relevant to the people you are contacting. (eg, not spamming businesses with offers for home services etc) Tailoring your emails to show you have an understanding of the potential client and what you can offer and improve on also goes a long way.
Personally, I prefer to get contacted by email first. I usually am not tied to my desk during the day, so it's hard to reach me by phone, and with that said, it's hard for me to meet with people if they just walk in.
It's best to simply email, and DON'T do it by a spam list. Take the time to make it a simple, yet personal email. That way it doesn't get filtered out by a spam filter. Salesmen who are successful know that it takes work. Check out your potential contacts before you fire off that form letter email. Know who they are and what they may need from your product line. It's most often a simple "Google Search" away. Personal touches like that will not only warm up a cold sale, but it helps to not waste your contact's time trying to sell them something they have no use for.
1- The best way in the door is an introduction from another customer (if competiting is out of the equation) Or another vendor.
2- If it's a totally new prospect, make sure they have needs you can offer solutions for.
3- If you know the name call introduce yourself and offer to take them to lunch. Do not discuss product unless asked too. Rather try to learn about their business and employees.
4- I totally dissagree with the email route, some of us get 200-300 emails per day and it is easy to miss.
5- Snail mail is great. People tend to place more attention to the effort. If your handwriting is good use it.
I could go on but you should get it. Build a relationship on a person to person level that all parties know can turn into a trust for you, your company, and your product, in that order.
Sharing my outreach experiences. I begin with a personal phone call on behalf of my clients. Depending on how the conversation goes, I ask if we can follow-up via email or send information in the US mail so they have our contact information. I then offer to call back on a certain day, date and time. If, by the second call, they are still not interested nor have any positive feedback about the future, then we have our answer. If they are still considering our business services, we keep the contact alive by ongoing follow-ups calls or emails within their time frame. Decision making and sales cycles are not created equal. However, I always ask what my client can do to earn the privilege of being their "go to" contact for information. The more we earn their trust, the better chances they will become a customer.
I vastly prefer to handle pretty much everything by email as it helps me to remember what was said and when, it provides (nearly) undeniable proof of what was said, and it's much easier to coordinate with any schedule. Of course, I have had someone accuse me of misunderstanding what they wanted--even with it all in writing, including my clarifications, photo examples in some cases, and their acknowledgements thereof; however, it's usually easier all around.
This assumes that we haven't met in-person and/or that we're discussing finer details at that point. If we meet while out somewhere--like in line at Walmart--obviously, an in-person introduction is just fine, along with contact info and an online follow-up later.
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Answers (1-10)
Email or voicemail. Email is easy to read and respond to any time of day or night, on my work schedule. Voicemail is because I'm working from home, and my sheepdog likes to get involved when the phone rings, so I will often not even answer the phone (due to his barking) unless I recognize the number. If it's important, the person should leave a voicemail. If it sounds like a robo-message or unclear, I will delete and move on.
Sales people who show up unannounced often get escorted by the aforementioned sheepdog and run the risk of interrupting me while I'm working with a horse or moving sheep or other work activities. Aggressive interruptions like that are not conducive to selling your product. This is why I'm open by appointment.
In person is the best way. Pulling doors and introducing one's self gets more mileage than all the other ways. People get to see you in person, hear what you have to say, even if your cut off at the reception area. Sometimes the receptionist will share information about you, such as appearance, a product my have suggested and information you left behind about a product or services you offer. Yes, the probability of getting in behind the door is slim, but good salespeople make an impression and could be called back to help find a product or perform a service they can't find....
We operate 90% through email with all communications. Texting is reserved for those who have established a relationship through sustained business. My cell phone - with all of it's apps, does not inform me when I have received a voice mail. So if you call and I miss it - it could be weeks before you hear from me.
By email, and with links to info about the services and company. Ensure that your service is actually relevant to the people you are contacting. (eg, not spamming businesses with offers for home services etc) Tailoring your emails to show you have an understanding of the potential client and what you can offer and improve on also goes a long way.
Depends on my mood!
Personally, I prefer to get contacted by email first. I usually am not tied to my desk during the day, so it's hard to reach me by phone, and with that said, it's hard for me to meet with people if they just walk in.
It's best to simply email, and DON'T do it by a spam list. Take the time to make it a simple, yet personal email. That way it doesn't get filtered out by a spam filter. Salesmen who are successful know that it takes work. Check out your potential contacts before you fire off that form letter email. Know who they are and what they may need from your product line. It's most often a simple "Google Search" away. Personal touches like that will not only warm up a cold sale, but it helps to not waste your contact's time trying to sell them something they have no use for.
OK y'all asked for it.
1- The best way in the door is an introduction from another customer (if competiting is out of the equation) Or another vendor.
2- If it's a totally new prospect, make sure they have needs you can offer solutions for.
3- If you know the name call introduce yourself and offer to take them to lunch. Do not discuss product unless asked too. Rather try to learn about their business and employees.
4- I totally dissagree with the email route, some of us get 200-300 emails per day and it is easy to miss.
5- Snail mail is great. People tend to place more attention to the effort. If your handwriting is good use it.
I could go on but you should get it. Build a relationship on a person to person level that all parties know can turn into a trust for you, your company, and your product, in that order.
Bottom line: Relationship and
Hi Everyone:
Sharing my outreach experiences. I begin with a personal phone call on behalf of my clients. Depending on how the conversation goes, I ask if we can follow-up via email or send information in the US mail so they have our contact information. I then offer to call back on a certain day, date and time. If, by the second call, they are still not interested nor have any positive feedback about the future, then we have our answer. If they are still considering our business services, we keep the contact alive by ongoing follow-ups calls or emails within their time frame. Decision making and sales cycles are not created equal. However, I always ask what my client can do to earn the privilege of being their "go to" contact for information. The more we earn their trust, the better chances they will become a customer.
I vastly prefer to handle pretty much everything by email as it helps me to remember what was said and when, it provides (nearly) undeniable proof of what was said, and it's much easier to coordinate with any schedule. Of course, I have had someone accuse me of misunderstanding what they wanted--even with it all in writing, including my clarifications, photo examples in some cases, and their acknowledgements thereof; however, it's usually easier all around.
This assumes that we haven't met in-person and/or that we're discussing finer details at that point. If we meet while out somewhere--like in line at Walmart--obviously, an in-person introduction is just fine, along with contact info and an online follow-up later.