The Ultimate Voicemail for Calling People You Don’t Know

How you say it is more important than what you actually say.  You need to sound very matter-of-fact, very nonchalant.  If at all possible, try to lower the tone of your voice as to not come across as nasaly or squeaky.  All you need to state is the following:

 “Hi _________, this is __________.  Please give me a call when you are free.  My cell number is ___________, Again, that’s (repeat number).  Thank you”.  

Keep it short and sweet.  Don’t tell them what you do or why you are calling; don’t give them a reason to not call you back.  If possible, say your company name in a way that relates to their business (i.e. if they are in Financial Services, work in the keywords “Capital” or “Financial”.  If they are in Entertainment, use the words “Agency”, “Productions”, or Entertainment”).  

I have received more returned phone calls from this method than from anything else.  Enjoy.

 

The Right Way to Generate New Business: Prospect from the Top!

One of my Sales Heroes, Jeffrey Gitomer, recommends asking to be transferred to a sales representative when cold-calling a company.  While I agree with Mr. Gitomer on virtually everything regarding all things Business, I disagree with this one strategy. 

Let’s say you engage a sales representative, and they’re impressed by your presentation.   What do you think will happen next?  They will most likely forward your proposal in an e-mail to their supervisor, where it won’t be taken seriously, and the sales process will die.  I always recommend beginning contact with a CEO, Owner, or President of the organization.  Even if your target Decision Maker is a Marketing Manager or CMO, it is almost always better for the head of the company to refer you to the appropriate Decision Maker. 

This does two things:  Firstly, business owners are usually more receptive than their gatekeeper subordinates.  While Marketing Managers may raise objections over budgetary concerns, their bosses are often big-picture oriented, and more likely to conceptually agree with your ideas for increasing his or her bottom line. 

Additionally, by engaging the owner of the company, you get their stamp of approval as an asset to their organization.  Once the owner approves you, there are really no more gatekeepers or rogue employees left to gum up the works. 

Stay Hungry, My Friends

I have an obsession with success.  Other people seem to have a love affair with the status quo; they find solace in really just skating by.  Perhaps what really separates others from me is that they seem to think that comfort equals happiness.  I learned early in my twenties to not vote for comfort.  Being comfortable is the root from which all problems eventually flourish.  When you don’t vote for comfort, you stay hungry.  You don’t settle for good enough, you want outstanding.

I like to remind others that we only have the opportunity to have one human experience (or so we think).  There ought to be an obligation for you to get up every morning and do something exciting with the time you are being alive.  Light a fire under someone’s ass.  Have a brainstorming session with your colleagues at work, and invent something that will change your collective destinies.  Call up a client, or a prospective client, and let them know you have been officially crowned King Rainmaker, and that your first royal proclamation is that there shall be torrential downpour of epic proportions!  (Don’t actually do this.  Do call your client, but call with important news that concerns them.  Never call just to “follow up”.)

Time is limited.  Sit down, take out a pen and paper, and write down what you want most.  Then underneath that thing which you desire, create a list of the things that need to be happen in order for your goal to come to fruition.  Then do it.  Don’t discuss it with anybody, don’t put things off, don’t lie down and watch TV.  Man the Fuck Up and start saying YES.  Stay Hungry, My Friends.

Building Better Habits in Business

Do you ever feel a tightening in your chest come Friday afternoon at your office when your Weekly Revenue totals fell short of where you needed it to be?  Do you leave for the weekend on Friday afternoon replaying everything you could have done differently, only to repeat them every week?  Here are some simple changes you can make to you daily work habits that will open new doors, and thus new business.

1)       Try answering your phone more often:  One anonymous superstar real-estate agent once commented “Never let your phone go to voicemail.  Every call that you don’t take might be a missed opportunity that will then go to your competitor.”  Especially in a struggling economy, increased availability can be a major competitive edge.  Believe it or not, there’s a lot of low-hanging fruit to be found in your voicemail and email inboxes.  Clients will appreciate your emphasis on customer service.  You just might appreciate the orders you’ll get just by being there to take them.

2)      Increase your digital footprint:  If you think Twitter and LinkedIn are mere fads that are non-essentials to increasing your market share, prepare to fade into obsolescence.   More online content with your name on it will translate into greater search engine coverage.  Also, increased web transparency means a whole lot with building trust between yourself and your clients.  You are not doing yourself any favors by hiding behind the computer.  Imagine telling a prospective client to simply Google your name to win their trust and admiration.

3)      Don’t get complacent:  Stay hungry.  Read industry trades.  Go to networking events.  Write blogs.  Pioneer new marketing campaigns.  Know that the day you stop growing is the day that you start dying.  That saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, it doesn’t apply in business.  In business, nothing is ever really “fixed”, otherwise consumerism as we know it would forever cease.  You are expected to grow every year, otherwise your value diminishes.  Keep striving for better.

4)      Don’t think you can do it alone:  Nobody ever really makes it on their own.  When you start out in business, you need a mentor.  Then you need your first client, someone who is willing to take a chance on you.  Then you need employees, partners.  You need to build a team of people who believe in you, and believe in the path that you are on, and want to travel that journey with you.  Remember, it’s teamwork that makes the dream work.                  

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