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Offline Old School

by KingOfContentMarketing
6 replies
I asked my 83-year-old uncle how he built his video production company in the 50s.

He said he used direct mail and "telephone calls."

"You mean cold calls?"

"Yeah, cold calls. I didn't always enjoy that, but then you realize what it is costing to you to NOT call."

The clients he acquired from cold calling included General Motors and Frigidaire. He grew rapidly after that from referrals.

And how's this for pressure? He started his business with no clients and five young kids. Yowza.
#offline #school
  • Profile picture of the author ewenmack
    And here we are in 2013 and direct mail
    and outbound phone calls still work.

    Good knowing what worked then
    to keep us grounded in business building principles.

    Thanks Joe.

    Best,
    Ewen
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    • Profile picture of the author AndrewCavanagh
      Originally Posted by ewenmack View Post

      And here we are in 2013 and direct mail
      and outbound phone calls still work.

      Good knowing what worked then
      to keep us grounded in business building principles.
      I know I'm being picky about semantics and this probably
      wasn't exactly what you meant when you wrote this but
      it is an important point...

      Direct mail and outbound phone calls are not business
      building principles...they're strategies.

      A business building principle would be:
      Building relationships with potential prospects increases
      your chances of getting hired or...

      Getting in touch with potential prospects increases your
      chances of getting new business.


      The strategies may change or alter over time (nowadays
      your first contact might be through a website, email
      or online chat followed by a phone call or direct mail,
      or whatever works as strategies evolve) but the principles
      stay the same.

      As an example when you're calling on the phone these days
      you need to take into account that the person you're calling
      may be on a mobile phone anywhere, in their car etc.

      You may find online contact first works better, you may find
      a sequence of online contact, direct mail followed by a
      telephone call works the best.

      The strategies will change but the principle of contacting the
      people you need to get business won't.

      Kindest regards,
      Andrew Cavanagh

      P.S. I think it's a cool story too.
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      Old School Copy Like This Is BACK & Converting Like Crazy!
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  • Profile picture of the author KingOfContentMarketing
    Ewen, you'll like this--here's something else he said:

    "I found that if I made enough calls, I would always get a bite."

    I asked him if he had a sales team.

    "Not at first. It was just me and the telephone."
    Signature
    Marketing is not a battle of products. It is a battle of perceptions.
    - Jack Trout
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    • Profile picture of the author SashaLee
      Originally Posted by joe golfer View Post


      "Not at first. It was just me and the telephone."

      Which goes to show that's all you need (coupled with a desire to work for living) to start on the road to success.

      All the best,

      Sasha,
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  • Profile picture of the author bsummers
    Agree with you Ewen. Cold calling and email still works today. No matter how the world has changed, those two still and will work. Of course, we also need to adapt with the current technology.
    Signature
    Need help in LEADS for your business? Ask me on how to generate qualified and targeted leads from appointment setting and lead generation campaigns through calling, social media and email marketing.
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    • Profile picture of the author CurtisSWN
      The more that things change, the more they stay the same.
      Signature
      Simple Two Step Formula
      Earns Me Over $146.72 in 12 Hours. This is Weird, But it Works!
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