Thread by @joshuamschultz

Scaling service businesses requires sales

A lot of emphasis is put on inbound sales (ie automatic and no interacion until close)

While this works, sions and ROI on time if you do cold outreach

Cold Calls are not dead
Cold Emails are not dead
Stop bys are not dead

Here's how

1. The key to cold outreach is not just volume, but what I call qualified volume.

You will spend less time overall if you qualify your contacts first.

Do this using google, review sites, facebook, company website, or driving by.

Volume without qualification is discouraging.

2. Make sure they are someone who would benefit from doing business with you, not just someone you want to do business with.

I have plenty of people I'd love to work with... but at this point, I have nothing have value to offer.

So I don't waste their time (or mine).

3. Doing your qualification research, make notes on what they gain by doing business with you.

How are they better off?

Get a picture of the transformation they will experience.

You will use this when you speak with them.

4. Grab facts or stats from their information online, or from their market.

ex. Your engagement is 0.02% on facebook, that should be around 4%.
ex. Your supplier is charging $4/lb, I get higher quality for only $3.45/lb

Give them a numerical value to your help.

5. Who makes the decision - that is who you want to reach out to.

Use Linkedin and look for the role that would make that decision.

For consumer-side service this is easier.

5. Make the call

Its time to pick up the phone!

Call and ask for your decision maker.

If its them, give a one sentence on your name, where you are calling from, and what you'd like to talk about.

5b. Tell them

- the specific fact that you found,
- how it could be better,
- and how you can help them get there

bonus if you can tell them when you get that done from them.

6. Don't try to close on the cold call.

You're only goal here is to set up another meeting in which you can do what is called Factfinding.

Don't try to close.

Ask when you could set up a proper time to discuss the process, the transformation, and see if you can help.

7. Cold Email

If going the cold email route, keep them short and to the point.

Line 1 - your name and where you are emailing from
Line 2 - specific fact that you found, and how you'd like to help.
Line 3 - ask for meeting

Real Life Example:

One of my qualified prospects was a manufacturer of LED lights in my local city.

I looked them up online, but not much info. They were new.

I searched news and found they had raised funding.

I then drove by their facility, and to my surprise, it was a tech incubator.

That means they had no:
- warehouse
- production facility
- quality lab

I used linkedin to find the CEO

I searched for their email format on google.

I emailed them, explained I sourced parts globally. I could get them cheap prices on castings and fasteners like large global companies.

Even though they didn't know those markets, I did.

I gave them the price they were paying for alumumin and casting, and what I could deliver.

I promised it would go through our quality lab.

Finally, I offered a free design review to help with manufacturability and cost cuts as well as a meeting with an LED engineer.

This resulted in a years long relationship

If you want to stand out, do things others aren't willing to do..

cold email
cold call
stop by
research
be personal
know your market

You'll stand out, and have overall better return on your time.

Sales isn't complicated.