In the past two days, I have been the aggressor working to make things happen. I wrote in my previous blog posting that I was going to make five phone calls, and I did. Not one person slammed the phone down on me, told me to get lost or ignored me. All the conversation was about seeking information.
The first call was to a restaurant which is under construction. Yes, the only things erected are cinder block firewalls. The roof is not even on yet. A simple Google search provided me with the franchise owner. I called the franchise and asked who is in charge of the new restaurant being built. With no hesitation, she referred me to another location.
It only took one minute to find out who is in charge. Now, it 9:30 a.m. and I call the restaurant. A voice answers the phone and I tell him the main franchise directed me to you. Are you in charge of the new store which was being built? “Yes”, replied the voice at the other end of the phone. I proceed to tell him that I want to pass on some information to him to help with the Grand Opening of the restaurant, that this was just a courtesy call. I told him that I specialize in customer retention for restaurants, over the years have worked many Grand Openings, and want to share a resource. The site is called www.GrandOpeningHelp.com, I then proceed to tell him a little about the site and if he would not mind, I can send him a link. Without hesitation, the owner proceeded to give me his email address. I emailed him the URL, a link to an article, and information about my restaurant service.
Phone call number two was to an existing client. The client was not in, so I left a message. This company does many trade shows and I want to learn more about how they interact with their customers. I am hoping to build a working relationship with this company. Like all entertainers, you need to be seen to get more work. The trick to obtaining work at trade shows is to be seen working on trade show floors.
The third call was for a client having a Grand Opening. The client is looking to have a professional athlete at their event. Since the client is trusting me with all the entertainment requirements, I needed to talk with Media Relations for the Chicago White Sox. To book a professional athlete you have to jump through many hoops and it involves more than one phone call. You first need a budget. You should figure 2-5K. Next, you have to find a player who is recognizable by the public, available, and willing to work at the scheduled time. However, you may have to talk to several people before getting a player.
Call four was to another company having a Grand Opening. Again, the store is under construction in an existing building, so their opening will be happening in the next couple of months. This is a larger company whose headquarters is outside IL. I talked to the operator who gave me contact information for the person who she thinks is in charge of this new store. Like most cold calls, you wind up talking to voice mail. Presently, I have left two messages and will continue to do so until I get a “No, thank you”, or get connected to the person in charge of that store.
The last call was another voice message to a follow up quote. The message was simple, “Hi, I am just following up to make sure you received the quote and if you have any questions please give me a call or email me. If you can let me know that you have received this message it would be appreciated. Thanks, Dale”
I have made several other calls in the past two days, and still have plans to making a couple more. Talking to an answering machine is not the goal. My goal is to make a connection with somebody. If I need to pick up a phone to generate work, so be it.
The Challenge
Do you have a business opening in your area? Why not make a courtesy call to that business and direct them to www.GrandOpeningHelp.com and while doing so introduce yourself. Keep it short and simple, let them know that you saw an article that can help them, and if they do not mind, you will email it to them. If they say “Yes”, find an article useful to them on GrandOpeningHelp.com and send it to them with information about your service. Follow up with a phone call in a couple of days to verify that they did receive your email. It is that simple…give it a try, and let me know what happens.
It is amazing how many entertainers or business owners do not realize the simple fact: You must work when you work in order to have that work be worth working. To make money, you gotta pick up the phone.
Thanks Dale.
I agree 100%!
Email and autoresponders are very important, but to neglect the phone because it’s ‘more work’ is a mistake.
Several years ago I tested having phone as a required field on my opt-in forms, vs. those without.
The results?
The number of leads were about the same, which shoots down conventional wisdom that requiring ‘phone’ will lower the number of leads you get.
Gigs without phone – booked 19% of leads
Gigs with phone – booked 24% of leads
Another good reason to ask for the phone number is the amount of email that winds up in spam folders. At least with a phone call, you know you are making contact.
I now have phone a required field on all my opt-in forms.