[asterisk-users] Marketing 101

Thu Apr 26 05:35:58 MST 2007

I posted this before but I will put it up again modified slightly.  You
can base an entire business on these leads generation ideas and tools.
I have weighted them for priority.

They key is finding companies that are just starting, moving, or
expanding.  These are all excellent opportunities to sell your wares.  

Here is my top ten list of a couple thousand dollar tips each.  I want
my commission if they work out.

1.  Sign up for a www.buyerzone.com account and get qualified leads.
Leads cost money but they are HOT.  20%

2.  Get in good with commercial realtors, they can provide huge leads.
15%

3.  Go to buildings with and slide fliers under doors, especially new
buildings and empty offices.  In DC I have gone into several empty
offices to prep for my customer to move in.  I went into the phone
closet and there was a very basic flyer for a company doing telcom work
pinned to the wall where the old PBX used to be.  10%

4.  Cold call very early or at the end of the day when receptionists
have left, you are more likely to not get screened and actually get to a
decision maker since they are more apt to stay late.  5%

5.  Buy lists from InfoUSA for direct mailing and cold calls.  You can
narrow your searches by company demographics.  5%

6.  Networking events cannot hurt but don't waste too much time.  5%

7.  A good logo, slogan and telephone number along with services on your
company vehicle, work trunk, Van.  This one takes time but gets you name
recognition, even driving around sometimes just to think can bring in
sales.  15%

8.  If you go on a sales call or demo, make a habit of going to
neighboring offices and explain that you are doing a demo for such and
such company and thought that they may want to see the demo too.  10%

9.  Set a goal of the number of contacts you will make in a day and
stick to it.  Donald Trump's goal was something like 100 cold calls a
day starting out.  10%

10.  Don't take no and people being rude as personal.  Cold calls and
sales is a numbers game.  Depending on your confidence and style those
numbers go up.  I have heard statements that if you ask one hundred
women off the street to sleep with you, one of them will probably say
yes.

Let's make it a nice round number.

11.  Make friends with sales people at the different telcos.  I have
received many leads from these people, just be sure to pay them back by
trying to send them customers in return.  At least let them bid for the
business.  5%

Thanks,
Steve Totaro
http://www.asteriskhelpdesk.com
KB3OPB

> -----Original Message-----
> From: asterisk-users-bounces at lists.digium.com [mailto:asterisk-users-
> bounces at lists.digium.com] On Behalf Of dave cantera
> Sent: Wednesday, April 25, 2007 7:00 PM
> To: Asterisk Users Mailing List - Non-Commercial Discussion
> Subject: Re: [asterisk-users] Marketing 101
> 
> shadowym,
> wow, I see telco guys at all our networking events and chamber
> events...  they come and go mostly.  since you already have a customer
> base that trusts you, that is the best way to make an entry point...
> keep letting them know your new service and eventually, they will be
> prep'd when the opportunity arises...  I have to start from scratch,
> ugh.. but at least I can see that it is doable.  this is where
marketing
> and sales differ...
> daveC
> 
> shadowym wrote:
> > Thanks for the advice.
> >
> > Maybe I should clarify what I was asking.  It's not so much the how
but
> the
> > what.
> >
> > What are people doing to get PBX Sales/Support business.  I know how
to
> get
> > IT business but potential customers still see the Telco business as
> quite
> > different and are used to using separate companies for that.
> >
> > What I was asking is how the traditional telco guys get new
> > sales/support/consulting business.  With IT it's usually a
combination
> of
> > cold call/networking/word of mouth.  I'm hoping that Telco is the
same
> but I
> > never see any telco guys at networking events so I am thinking they
cold
> > call and advertise targeted at business owners.  I'm not sure
though.
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: dave cantera [mailto:david.cantera at iacnet.net]
> > Sent: Tuesday, April 24, 2007 9:12 PM
> > To: Asterisk Users Mailing List - Non-Commercial Discussion
> > Subject: Re: [asterisk-users] Marketing 101
> >
> > shadowym,
> > best thing to do is talk to a lot of consultants, coaches, and
marketing
> > people...  take the approach you do with learning open source only
> reverse
> > it...  instead of reading source (internal) ask people (external)...
it
> is a
> > big undertaking and the most important task you
> > have...   marketing is a bigger task than the technical (for a tech
> > anyway)   don't go it alone....
> >
> > nothing happens without marketing (and sales)...  marketing is *not*
> > sales...
> > daveC
> >
> > shadowym wrote:
> >
> >>
> >> I have some general questions about marketing.  Lot's of technical
> >> info but I was wondering how people are getting the business to
begin
> >> with.  I'm from the IT end of things but Telco is quite a bit
> >> different.  Is cold calling still the way to go or networking?
General
> >>
> > stuff like that.
> >
> >> Are there any resources on the web I can search for?  Any
suggestions
> >> would be appreciated.
> >>
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> >>
> >
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