Hello Small Business Forum

[EndersGame]

Hello everyone.

I am sure glad I found this site. Seems to be the most active business forum I have found yet.

I am in my early 30s, originally from California (22years in SoCal) and currently live in North Carolina


I have done all types of sales (retail, demonstration, phone) but I am new to outside sales. I recently started working for a small company that manufactures wood finishing materials (laquers, stains, sealers) and industrial coatings for plastic and metal.

The company I work for is struggling. And the owner insists on having me cold call lists of potential buyers. That is actually how I found this site. I was looking for alternatives to cold calling and found the thread "how to handle cold calling rejection".

I am good on the phone, but when most of my time is spent battling complicated phone systems, finding out who to talk to and then leaving a voice mail that doesn't get returned---I'll be honest, it is very discouraging.

To make matters worse, the owner is fairly insistent on doing it this way. I believe its the only way he has ever done it and although the success rate isn't incredible he is stubborn to change. I can't help but thinking of that saying, "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

So there is no confusion, I am not being paid hourly. All that really matters is that I get sales. It is my intention to develop a program, with your fine advice and suggestions and present a complete marketing strategy on Thursday. A plan of attack if you will.

We have a limited budget, but I still think with our existing customers, and possibility of referrals plus a few things I am sure you will contribute, I can make a serious go of it without cold calls.

[vangogh]

Welcome to the forum EndersGame (by the way that's one book I always wanted to read, but for some reason never have). I hear you about cold calling. It's never been something I enjoyed doing and so never took it beyond a handful of calls when I first got started. I'm sure some people can make it work. In fact I'm sure I could have too, but I didn't like the way I felt doing it.

Who are the potential customers for the business? Are we talking about average homeowners looking to make improvements on the weekend or is it more selling in bulk to commercial customers? Something in between.

To me marketing breaks down into a few concepts.

1. Identify who your customers. You want to figure out who is likely to buy what your selling. I'm guessing you already know this.

2. Find out where those people spend their time. That can mean where they physically spend time, what they read, what tv programs they watch, etc. Basically where are they that you can reach them in some way.

3. Build a presence in those places. If you've done the first two you're now in front of a group of people who at times have need or want to buy what you're selling. You want to build a brand in front of those people. Let them know you exist. Show them how you're a better choice than their other options. The details depend on your business, the potential people you're trying to reach, and the message you're trying to get across to them about why you.

Naturally money can help, but it's not necessary. Usually what you lack in money can be made up in time, however that means being prepared for results that won't come instantly. Depending on how limited your budget maybe there's a way to spend it smartly so that it returns enough money to put right back into the marketing.

I know I'm being general here, but hopefully something in there helps. Please start some threads with more specific questions and I'm sure we'll have some opinions to share. The more details you can share the more likely our opinions will apply.

Thanks for joining the community.

[EndersGame]

The company I work for manufactures industrial coatings for just about any type of client. We have the capabilities to make batches for Homeowners, Contractors, Small Companies and Large Companies. Anything from gallons to 5 gallons to 55 gallons to a tanker truck. Obviously its better for us if we are selling to larger clients but business is business.

Our typical clients are furniture or cabinet manufacturers. High Point is the furniture capital of the United States---possibly split now with Las Vegas, but still, a ton of business here.

On a side note, we would like to also move more into the plastic and metal coatings as the furniture business is slowly moving away (China) but the companies that make plastic and metal components, many of them are staying here.

[vangogh]

Our typical clients are furniture or cabinet manufacturers.

I guess the next step is deciding how best to reach them. I wouldn't think this would be your typical online crowd spending time on social sites. Does your business have a website or is all the marketing done offline?

[EndersGame]

We have a website, that is outdated with Midi Music, A large block of Flash and is at some parts incomplete with pictures that don't make sense. Not to mention, even though we have a testimonial page on our website, and we could easily get testimonials from our customers, we don't and there are none on the website.

I would consider all the marketing to be done offline.

There are so many things that need to be changed, I am not sure where to start.

The website needs to be completely redone.
Some search engine optimization would be nice.

Testimonials from our clients would be great.

[vangogh]

For starters even if you're embarrassed by the site you can add a signature here with a link back to it. Then every time you post something there will be another link. Links are currency online. Each one is a like a tiny billboard directing people to your site. They play a big part in seo too. Not that some forum signature links will lead to tons of search traffic, but it's a start.

Testimonials are easy to get. Just ask for them. You have to ask right away after the sale or if the sales process is ongoing just before the money transfers. You can ask any repeat business as soon as they contact you for more. Not too long after your transaction is done, most people will forget. Just keep asking most everyone and before long you'll have a collection to pick and choose from. If you can get an image from them and ask if it's ok to use their email if someone wants to contact them.

The site and seo are going to cost a little money more likely than not. On a tight budget I'd recommend installing WordPress and shelling out $100 or so for a good theme. It's not as good as having one custom built, but it will likely be pretty good and cost you much less. WordPress is coded well for seo out of the box, though it will require a few tweaks that we can walk you through. If you pay for a theme you'll probably get pretty good there too. The free themes are hit or miss and more miss in my opinion.

There's more to do online of course, but that's a start.

Given the business I would expect offline marketing to be the primary way you reach customers. It clearly has been to this point and I guess I can understand why your boss wants cold calling. He probably sees it as less expensive than advertising. To me cold calling just isn't that effective anymore with all the phone calls we get and I think it hurts your brand. You get a reputation as the company always calling to interrupt.

You might already do this, but you can leave a few business cars with each order to get your customers to pass your name around. Maybe offer them incentives to bring others to the business. A discount here or there maybe. I'm guessing there are trade shows for carpenters and furniture and cabinet makers. They definitely exist for DIY homeowners. It would probably make sense to get a table at some shows. Here there are always craft fairs in the late summer and fall. I'm sure there are some in your area. That might be another place to go. Even without a table you can strike up conversations with people and where appropriate hand out business cards.

Again it's just figuring out where potential customers are likely to be and then being there yourself and being prepared to tell people why you're a good choice and to leave them with enough information to contact you later.

[KristineS]

Definitely upgrade the web site. A good web presence can do so much for a business and the investment is always worth it.

If you do want to develop the home owner side of the business, I'd look at DIY forums, and consider Twitter and Facebook. Those might be good things to do regardless of your customer base. My company has made some good business contacts through our Twitter feed and Facebook page. It takes some strategy in who you follow, but both mediums can be used successfully for a business.

There is also always direct mail. It can be very useful if the message is targeted and the mailer is well done. You could buy a list of furniture manufacturers or whatever group you want to target, and then target your message to that specific group. Make them some kind of special offer to get them to call you or to inquire about what you have to offer.

[DeniseTaylor]

Hi there and Welcome!

I have always preferred inbound leads to cold calling - especially today. You probably don't have much control over it, but what about an Internet presence where you attract the attention of those searching online for information related to your product?

It would take time to develop, but if you were able to be found for a large percentage of keywords related to your niche, you would begin to attract attention. Throw up a lead form and you have an online lead generator.

Meantime, you could set up a Google Places listing. That would get you found locally, at least.

Just some ideas on marketing tactics I use for my husband's business. Cold calling was exhausting and fruitless. We did much better getting out there where people were looking for us and setting up a way for them to contact us. Worked like a charm.

But every business is different. ;-)

[teerwater]

Welcome to the site! A good company website is a must. Nothing frustrates me more that going to a site that is out dated with old pictures and links that don't work, it's just a bad way to showcase your company. Considering most prospects will go to your site before making a buying decission, you should try to get the owner to spend a little money and update it. I don't beleive a good website will sell your product, but a bad site will lose sales... As far as B2B sales go, most companies aren't always looking for an alternative to something that is allready working for them. I suggest doing your homework and learning everything about your competition, (quality fo their product, who's using it, etc) then determine what makes your product different or better. This information will be your "key" in the door to most companies. You need a powerfull statement that conveys the "immediate benefit" of going with your product vs someone elses. I think cold calling is a good start, but even if you get a voicemail, you should immediately follow up with direct mail which includes testamonials from other companies that use your product. I've had companies leave me a voicemail and then, later in the week, I get a brochure with their product. I'll usually visit their website, then, the next time they call, I am more likely to answer the phone or call them back.

As far as social media is concerned, I just got a book called "The Zen of Social Media Marketing". The book changed my mind on how I thought social media should be used. I'm now ready to start using it in my business, I suggest reading it and see if it would work for you.

Forgive me if I stated the obvious....

Dan

[seolman]

Hi EndersGame (good book) - I used to live in NC and did a lot of work in the Hickory, Ashville, Charlotte area selling high tech filtration equipment, primarily to big time chemical companies. I remember the market being tightly knit and difficult to break into. After many months striking out cold calling I finally decided to drive to each potential customer's place of business and ask to speak to the boss/manager. In one case I was brought to the procurement manager and I said "look, I know you buy filtration equipment from another company so I won't waste your time talking about that. What I really need is advice on the best place for trout fishing in Cherokee because my brother-in-law and I want to come out and fish here next week" (which we did). He dropped everything he was doing and invited me in to talk for about 2 hours on trout fishing (actually fly fishing - an old passion of mine). He made some great recommendations and we caught a ton of trout.

After our trip I called him and thanked him for the advice - told him about all the fish we caught and he invited me out to his office the next week to show him our products. I was able to show the client how our equipment was far superior both in cost/gallon filtered and resulting product quality. Within a month we secured the first of two $180,000 orders for equipment. It may take time to get established but making the effort to get to know your buyer on a personal level really worked for me on many occasions. We were able to 30% increased sales for the business during a very bad economy.