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Hi, for a number of reasons, I'm looking to start up a small business with an old business partner. Back story is - we worked together 2001-2012 as market research consultants and, within a small pond, did pretty well with an excellent client list, repeat rate etc. We've both happily done different things since then - he created an award winning brewery from scratch; I started an agency in London, built it for 5yrs and happily left and it's continued v well (and won awards).
We're looking to join up again and have a punt at re-doing what we did, not on a big scale. However, we're going from a standing start - no 'old' clients or contacts that we can approach.
So, we have defined our offer, we have heaps of experience and a half-decent track record, and with the help of my son, a target database of names/roles/emails.
Where we really would like help is how to approach these 'new' contacts - and with what content in what guise. We're thinking of a tandem email campaign along with LinkedIn approach.
Would really appreciate any pointers, guidance, have a conversation or help on this!
Many thanks
I've worked in sales and its offshoots for 20 ish years.
E-mail and LinkedIn are all well and good but the phone is still the answer to drive sales.
You can create brand and build some awareness with LinkedIn etc. and e-mail will help get your name in front of the right people.
But at some point you need to be a bit proactive and the best way to so this (ignore the "call called is dead" comments) is the pick up the phone to them.
How big is the list? A personal approach is always better than a mass email, especially from a new business/contact.
How did your son put together the list? If he has acquired it from a third party you need to be mindful of issues around GDPR (though there is a legimate interest clause for B2B).
I own a specialist marketing agency and I'd recommend a form of Inbound campaign for a smaller/newer business. Happy to offer some pointers if you would like to DM me (no strings, I work with life science companies).
Proper human contact.
LinkedIn is handy for pushing awareness and s brand.
But nothing beats referrals and introductions
I get probably 10+ speculative emails from people or companies a day trying to sell me stuff or tell me about “what the latest trends are in XYZ and we’d love to talk about how we can help”. 99.9% go straight in the trash can in Outlook.
I’d much rather people get to know what is genuinely causing me issues at work and offer solutions based on that. Realistically that means a personal introduction or conversation. I don’t mind then a follow up email asking how things are going.
thanks all.
Darkside - have PM'd you - thanks!
Agree re personal contact or issue specific - the challenge is getting a call through, or a conversation ... is my hypothesis that ...
1. A really pithy, but direct and positive provocative email heading and paragraph could attract some attention.
2. Follow this up with LinkedIn msg and another excellent email msg.
3. Then there's a slim possibility that they might give me 5mins conversation?
I was a Sales Engineer for 30+ years. IMO nothing beats a phone call. Especially if you know that they have heard of your company.
Pick up the phone and qualify your target to see if they have a need for your products.
A feature is only a benefit if it meets someone’s requirements. The skill of the salesman is to establish their requirements and this is done by asking questions and listening to answers. Once these requirements have been established you should explain how your products or services fit their requirements. It is not what your product is, it’s what it does.
Don’t be afraid to then ask for the order to lose the deal. If the answer is no, ask why not and try to manage their objection then ask for the order again.
What @lunge et al have said really. I've run my own company with a friend for the last 10 years and there is absolutely no substitute for the phone of physical visits. You'll have to start from scratch as you know and it will be like pushing the proverbial uphill, but that buzz when you land a client is great and things will organically develop from there.
There are lots of hustlers out there that will promise you introductions etc. Don't believe a word of it and certainly don't pay for it. Talking to people, knowing your market, knowing your pricing, offering a consistent service are key. Word will spread and people move on to different companies and take their contacts with them. There's nothing wrong with asking for referrals either.
In our experience email campaigns are largely a waste of time, but phone calls and face to face are always more productive.
Exciting times ahead!!! Get stuck right in!!
Agree re personal contact or issue specific – the challenge is getting a call through, or a conversation … is my hypothesis that …
1. A really pithy, but direct and positive provocative email heading and paragraph could attract some attention.
2. Follow this up with LinkedIn msg and another excellent email msg.
3. Then there’s a slim possibility that they might give me 5mins conversation?
Your issue is that 90% of number 1 won't be read or will end up in junk which then knocks out the impact of number 2 and removes any chance of 3 working.
You need a good target list, and a strong outreach strategy. And as importantly, someone who will pick the phone up rather than hide behind e-mails and LI content. Think of your e-mails and LI work as marketing and your calls and visits as sales.
I think @lunge has nailed it, your target won't read the message and possibly doesn't care, not your offering or you, just busy people. I have the joys of working with business leaders and sellers so see this from both sides :/ People look for reasons to delete and not response as opposed to value within any message.
If you think of LinkedIn as audience building and brand awareness you have missed a trick, it isn't social media and if you treat it like social media then t will work like social media, i.e. not very well and no (or rare) sales.
But there is a reason it is a social network, not social media, and that is the ability to talk to (yes talk!) the nice people you know and are connected to (no strangers, weirdos, people that make you look bad, people you don't trust etcetera) and ask them to introduce you to the nice people they know (that you have identified using the free "stuff" LinkedIn offers you when you know where to look) and heh presto personal introduction, cut through noise (crap) and get a nice conversation.
If you want a chat dm me here by all means.
James
As above, talk to people. Networking wins. FF or virtual, doesn't really matter.
Don't only aim to talk to targets, talk to a broad range of folks. The more you talk, the more you get opportunities for business. Easiest to start with people you know, so then a pithy email doesn't matter, and get them to refer you to potential customers if they are not that themselves.
IMHE (running a consultancy for 4 years), it's the only thing that drives business.
Remember, folks really don't give a stuff about what you know about yourself and your business, what really matters is what you know about them and theirs.
Get 20+ unsolicited inbound a day that don't get taken care of by filters.
Most are too long, don't feature link to website, have a proper signature even say what they are selling until half way into an overlong mail. Some of the co's guilty of this are public. They go straight in the bin.
If you simply say what you are looking to sell in a single line and I am in the market for what you are selling, you have a lead. E.G Product (Bomb Proof Bike Wheels), followed by some social proof (Used by Aaron Gwin @ Leogang without a tyre) and a call to action (Buy Now or. book Meeting button). Doesn't matter how good you are at sales, if I don't need wheels I'm not buying.
In your case a a consultant they need a teaser to your service like free guide e.g. Top 10 stupid things to avoid in industry X. If I don't need consultancy and the guide is half good, maybe I remember you when I do. Even more so if you cover a niche that my current approved vendor/consultants can't cover. Maybe I even help you through procurement hoops and intro you to others at co. Unlikely I'll help if called cold as first touch but guess this bit is very dependant on industry.