Let’s face it cold calling sucks but it is still effective. Learning how to cold call is an incredible skill set and can really help grow your business.
I say it is a skill set because you need thick tough skin, have a good solid pitch, good communication skills with a comfortable approach on the phone. You are going to get rejected many many times.
Here are just a few of the obstacles you will face when cold calling businesses
- No answer
- No I am Not interested and hang up
- A gatekeeper saying to leave a message or call back
- Owner Giving excuses: he already tried the same type of services you offer, now is not a good time, I need to speak with my partner, etc…
You need to write out a sales pitch and also have some rebuttals ready for the obstacles I mentioned above.
Selling social media marketing or management services like you see Tai Lopez and others talk about across the internet is an incredible residual business model and every business needs to be active and building a following on social.
These platforms are only going to get more popular and produce more engagement between brands and people.
I have used many techniques and tactics to sell services and products and I believe if you are just starting out you should start cold calling right away.
I would also look into walking into specific local businesses and showing your face, asking questions and just ask if you can send the an email with some information that you feel will really help their business.
Have a email template already developed and saved in a google drive document that you can copy and paste to the owners of all the local businesses that said they would like more information.
Hiring Cold Callers To Sell Your Social Media Marketing Services
Once you close a few clients on your own I would suggest to reinvest and hire and train another salesperson if you are looking to grow.
You can also look into hiring an outside telemarketing agency that can handle all the cold calling for you but you just need to make sure you are hiring a reputable and quality telemarketing firm.
You know what you are selling better than anyone so it is important to really educate whoever is going to sell your service.
Cold calling small businesses can be frustrating especially when you first start but you should record your calls so you can make adjustments, take notes where “positive peaks” happen.
For example if you noticed when you slow down your delivery and said a specific sentence the potential client reacted in a positive way I call this a positive peak.
Since you are documenting progress you can now use that tactic in your next call.
You will also learn from recordings things not to do.
I honestly like to keep cold calling simple and I focus on building a real relationship over the phone.
If you are trying to sell social media marketing through cold calling always ask questions and let the potential client talk.
I would suggest you try and get the owner’s name before you call.
If you bought a list of names, phone numbers and emails you already have the owner’s name but if you are on a shoestring budget and just scraping through the internet for business numbers I would suggest you find a business and go over to manta.com paste the business name in the manta search bar and look through the data that pops up.
90% of the time they will reveal the business owners name. When you call up ask for that person.
Another trick is to leverage relationships they already have. For example if you can figure out other places they are advertising this is not only a good way to grab their attention but it is also a way to get past the gatekeeper.
For Example: If I see Joe The Plumber is spending money on YellowPages ADs I can call Joe The Plumber and start the conversation by Saying Hi, How are you?
I am calling about your YellowPage ADs spend, can I speak with Joe or the account holder?
I know you might think this is “trickery” but it works, you are not lying and now you have their attention to swoop into your pitch.
That is just an example of getting past the gatekeeper and also getting the attention of the potential client.
Again, I like to keep the sales pitch simple and I will share with you a cold calling sales pitch template specifically for social media marketing. I will also embed a YouTube video below of me on the phone doing a live cold call.
Social Media Cold Calling Pitch Example
Hi, this is James. How are you?
I am calling about your Facebook Ad performance, can I speak with (business owner’s name).
(if No)
and asked Where are you from? I am from MMP the Facebook ADs performance division.
We monitor Business pages and offer education and insights on what specific businesses with either stale Business pages or under performing ADs are missing out on.
I just wanted to speak quickly with (business owner’s name) so he doesn’t miss out on our 15 minute coaching call for (niche specific industries)
(if yes)
Hi (business owner’s name),
Im calling about your Business Facebook and want to see if you are currently running ADs?
(If Yes )
How are they working? Are you measuring and tracking the performance?
(If No)
Is there a specific reason you are not using the AD platform consistently?
Are you familiar with the in-depth targeting you can do and local engagement?
I know your time is valuable and I know you are getting a ton of spam calls and spam emails so I know it’s hard to really get across what we do even as an educational agency.
But, I am telling you that your industry is missing out on incredible growth by not using Facebook and social correctly.
There is a specific way to use it and we understand it.
The main reason for the call (business owner’s name) is I just want to invite you to our FREE 15 minute (niche) demo it’s done online you just need to be in front of a computer and I only have 4 more spots left to fill and you will actually see live real results and get educated on how powerful these platforms are.
I am not selling you anything today, just looking to connect and show you what ever (niche business) is going to wish they had started doing this year.
These can be things even you or your team learn and implement, no strings attached with us, again this is just to pull the curtain back and really educate you and show you what real, advance and experienced social media marketing looks like. This way at least you understand it.
We understand if you have no idea how something works you really cannot believe it especially with all the B.S. that gets sold out there wouldn’t you agree?
So what day next week would you be able to be in front of a computer for just 15 minutes? And what time works for you?
It is pretty simple, I ask a few questions and let them talk.
My main focus is to get them to agree and then set up a good time to show them a no strings attached and absolutely FREE demo so they can see how they are burning their money in other places and missing out on real measurable growth and brand building.
You can always change specific words up and I suggest you say things with your own personality.
You should talk to them like they are family or a friend. Do not sound like a robot. So many people do not sound natural and that is why you want to make a lot of calls so it just becomes comfortable, and a simple easy conversation.
You are there to provide some value. If you are new to selling social media services I would also focus on selling one specific service such as Facebook ads.
Another beginner mistake I see is trying to sell too many services the first time around. I know it can be exciting to have your social media marketing agency but when you start selling social media management and ads for every platform out there you are going to be overwhelmed.
Do not fall into the the selling trap Youtube ads, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, LinkedIn and list keeps growing.
Master one ad platform I recommend Facebook and in a specific niche. Once you are making money, closing clients and getting great results with Facebook marketing then up sell into the other platforms.
Here are a list of niches that Facebook ADs work well on if you are first starting out.
Gyms, Fitness, Yoga, Crossfit, Restaurants, Real Estate, Hair Salons, Dentists, and Chiropractors. These are just some of the niches that you can look into.
Check Out The Rank And Rent business model instead. In my opinion this is a much better opportunity than a smma agency or digital agency in general.
I like to go on Groupon and see what businesses and incentives are currently on there to see if I can get some ideas and niches to pitch too.
I believe every business should be using Facebook ADs and all the other social platforms to grow their brand, get targeted engagement, build targeted funnels and other advanced brand building techniques.
If you are just starting your digital marketing agency all of these niches above I would say are easier to cold call and set up ADs that perform well because you can offer a no brainer incentive to grab your target audience’s attention.
Example: If you are running a fitness campaign you can offer a 3 day free trial to get them in the door.
Calling specific niches will also help you stay focused on one creative pitch that you can really work on to perfect along with having a focused presentation already set up.
Here is a video helping on how to sell digital marketing services to local businesses.
Here is a video I recorded live just for you where I am cold calling a social media client to set up a demo
Follow me on my other social platforms right here https://linktr.ee/jameskuck
