Discuss the fun task of marketing a t-shirt shop. Where to advertise, link building, word of mouth, press releases, search engine marketing, keyword advertising, magazines, etc.
Phone...Because there are so many telephone solicitors out there, I wouldnt bother. If you were to call me, Id hang up, you wouldnt get time to say what you want to say
Cold Calling....I can see you! Even if Im not interested, you can leave your literature, and I will very likely look at it later before I throw it out.
Cold calling is about the only thing that has consistently worked for us. We do not give a schpeel or do any hard selling. We pop in, tell them who we are, and say "We just want to leave you our brochure and business card, if you need any of our services, please give us a call." Then we head out towards the door....then tell them to have a nice day.
........every single time, when we looked back once we got to the door, they were looking at our literature. Many times, they have rushed to stop us before we actually leave, and have had orders and checks in hand by the time they were done with us. Other times, several months later one of the folks we dropped in on still had our card, and she wanted new signs for her store. (She remembered us)
Cold Calling is more time consuming, but in my opinion, a better bang for your (buck) so to speak.
Absolutely! I am amazed at how many return calls we get within a few days of going by a business, walking in, and leaving a flyer (with beautifully printed graphics of our work!)...we have also received referrals from people who either saw us give the flyer to the business people or were given it by them.
i think cold calling in person is probably the most effective. like others have mentioned- keeping it short, sweet, and positive does leave a good taste in people's mouths.
if you really know your market, you will do some research beforehand to make your trip as efficient as possible. we usually go to a few neighborhoods in chicago where our market lives/works...walk up and down a few blocks window shopping before we head in. Or we go in pretending to shop, if the prices, garments, and overall style is similar...we go in for the kill!
Hey Tim,
I think calling on a perspective customer in person is usually the best way to build sales, and yes everybody on this blog is very awesome as far as good info, but I have something to add.
We are supposed to be very specialized professionals (We sort of create magic in a lot of ways) don't ever forget that.
Being a part of your community is very important, and that all takes a huge amount of time and effort. We all know and understand that right now we are in very drastic times with businesses tanking and people loosing their homes, so we as business people have to be good sales people and prove to people they need what we have. Be an extrovert, make eye contact, enjoy the new people your meeting, and try to meet every apprehension they may have.
If you care about your customers needs, they will meet yours. (Thats your base, that makes you valuable to your community.
And last but certainly not least (WHEN TIMES GET TOUGH, THE DEMAND FOR QUALITY GOES UP)
Much Luck Buddy!!!!!
Lots of great info here, thanks everyone! When I reach the marketing stage of my company, I will definitely be cold calling. True, phone calls are faster, but a face to face meeting is always better (It's all psychology).
Re: Cold Calling 
Re: Cold Calling 
