cold calling and cold letter mailing

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simplename

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What is peoples opinion on ringing businesses and companies who you think might be interested in your services and or product? Same question goes for snail mailing companies with a letter about your services and how you could help them. I guess this could be called cold mailing.

So these business would not have asked for calls or letters but is this illegal?, unethical?, frowned upon?, a waster of time? or is it perfectly fine and a good way to get new customers.

Obviously I want to get new customers but I dont want to tarnish my rep getting them.

Any comments and views are appreciated.
 
I don't think there are any regulations on cold calling other than in the realm of financial services-as long as you comply with the provisions of the Data Protection Act.

Of course cold calling may not reflect well on your business.
 
Cold calling annoys me and wastes my time. I would never buy anything from someone who uses this as a method of advertising. However that being said if you cold call a few hundred people you are bound to get some sucker who falls for a sales pitch over the phone....
 
thanks guys, I'm starting to see that while it is no illigeal it may not actually work that well and time might be better invested elsewhere.
 
It is not illegal to contact businesses, but there are restrictions on contacting individuals, although only by electronic means.

The European Communities (Electronic Communications Networks and Services) (Data Protection and Privacy) Regulations 2003 (SI 535/2003) places restrictions on direct marketing via telephone, fax, automated calling system and, importantly, SMS and MMS.
 
I guess if you where to take the time to research a group of say X amount of businesses and learn a little about them individually rather than just going through the phone book one by one your chances of sales would increase by about a mega amount. Might try some cold calling to businesses in my direct area and make it more chatty than pushy salesmans type of conversation.
 
Surely it also depends on your particular market. Eg if you are a new business selling specialised tools which are only of interest to eg Dentists or Vets, for example, what would be wrong with sending details to all the vets / dentists in the golden pages ? That is more targetted than eg those phone companies ringing up trying to sell their telecom services.
 
Personally, I despise cold calling. If you have to persuade me that I need your goods or service I'm NOT interested. I don't mind brochures or company literature being sent but don't pester your clients with endless phonecalls after that. I would suggest you advertise in industry related publications and perhaps a feature in a newspaper. It really depends on your market and product/service. A good website is also essential IMO.
 
Lorz said:
Personally, I despise cold calling. If you have to persuade me that I need your goods or service I'm NOT interested. I don't mind brochures or company literature being sent but don't pester your clients with endless phonecalls after that. I would suggest you advertise in industry related publications and perhaps a feature in a newspaper. It really depends on your market and product/service. A good website is also essential IMO.
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Comany literature as in leaflets or an actual letter type of thing descriping services and such.

How would people feel about dropping in a leaflet and busines card combo in the post to targetted addresses from the area or golden pages type of directories.

Brocheures I believe are quite expensvie, I wouldn't go down the brouchere route unless you had really really targetted prospects.
 
I'm a solicitor. I often receive letters and leaflets in the post from persons advertising various services. I keep those I think might be of use to my clients or I, I bin the rest. Every now and then I receive a phone call from someone- I do listen politely with the intention of getting off the phone as quickly as I can. A phone call annoys me in a way that postal leaflets don't in wasting my time.
 
Where I don't mind cold calling is where someone rings up and says
"We are a new company offering service X - do you mind if we send you a brochure?".
The phone call doesn't waste much time and one can read the brochure at one's leisure.
This is more effective than just simply sending someone a brochure out of the blue - there's a book about selling techniques which mentions it.
 
Superman said:
Where I don't mind cold calling is where someone rings up and says
"We are a new company offering service X - do you mind if we send you a brochure?".
The phone call doesn't waste much time and one can read the brochure at one's leisure.
This is more effective than just simply sending someone a brochure out of the blue - there's a book about selling techniques which mentions it.
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Excellent approach superman, they would be higly targetted too because they are interested so it might be worth them an expensive brouchere.
 
There is an amount of sophisticated human psychology behind this as well - you are getting the customer to commit to something small (saying yes to receiving a brochure) and it is easier to get the customer to commit to ever increasing things from that point.

Also by having the phone conversation you establish a relationship between yourself and the customer before they receive the brochure.
The more types of context (the short phone conversation, the brochure) you come in contact with someone the better in order to establish a relationship - so this helps from this perspective as well.

Of course, in person is best, by phone worse and by written word is worse again - but it's easier to do the phone thing than in person.
 
Yes I think it is very important to build up a rapport with a potential client via a pnonecall perhaps and then follow up with a brochere maybe.

I actually wouldn't mind the extra involved in actually going into a shop.or office or place of business however I would be afraid of scaring of the clients, I aint the best looking guy and no matter what anyone says first impressions do stick, and there is a false percieved connection between looks and intelligence. I'm probly being over harsh on the business world here though.

Supprman have you personally have success with a short phonecall then followup brochere yourself? or are with talking 'in theory' here.
 
simplename said:
Obviously I want to get new customers but I dont want to tarnish my rep getting them.

Any comments and views are appreciated.
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Depending on your location it might be worth having a look at the local college.

Do they offer a course in marketing?

If they do, or if you can find one you'd be willing to travel too that would agree (that might be the tough bit!), you could see how they may be able to help.

A class of 3rd year (or any other year) marketing students can be brimming with potential and innovation. Approach one of the lecturers/course directors and see if they might be interested in working with you.

You put up some sort of prize/reward/fund (anything from an mp3 player, flights to spain, a cash prize [could claim its a scholorship to get the college onside :p]) and offer it to the student who comes up with the best marketing strategy for your company.

It provides the students with hands on experience of dealing with a client etc so the college and students should be keen and also provides you with exactly the sorts of ideas (hopefully) you may not think of on your own.

Obviously would be dependant on talking and negotiating with the course organisers, but possible that you could have a briefing session or two with the students where you highlight your aims, hopes, concerns, budget, service, target market etc etc.
 
Although I admire the theory, quite honestly if someone did this to me I would be irritated.
 
Vanilla said:
Although I admire the theory, quite honestly if someone did this to me I would be irritated.
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Is totally theory, speaking as a former student always questioned why more industry/professionals didn't approach students for proposed project work like this (a million miles from marketing though). The theoretical projects (often given in 2nd/3rd years of courses) never seemed to spark excitment amongst students.

"Did this to you"..... as in you as a student? a lecturer?
Personally, I feel the students would benefit, the college would benefit and the OP may benefit, but havn't given it much thought, could be huge issues with rights of the ideas etc etc.

or was that in relation to call/brochure?
 
Vanilla said:
Although I admire the theory, quite honestly if someone did this to me I would be irritated.
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So would I. Why would someone waste their time and mine phoning me up to ask would I want a brochure, and then send the brochure. More than once I have received irritating phone calls like that at moments that do not suit. I would think more of a business that just sent the brochure.

What I find annoying also is firms phoning up looking for business, just because you gave them business 3 or 6 or 12 months previously. Certain newspapers and magazines are notorious for this I find.
 
Jeebus, guys. I was just relaying the method that has been the most likely to make me think "hey yer man sounds like a nice chap - if I need to get in contact with someone about that I might give him a shout".

The machiavellian stuff is just my later interpretation of how such actions work.
 
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