Who to target on a call liist

Hi...what kind of business do you have? So I can get an idea.

Also, I don't know if the 'Do not call lists" include businesses, but worth checking into first.

I own a small screen printing company.

I think it all depends on your target market. If you are a Screen Printing company then focus on the businesses that are going to be bringing you a larger ROI. From personal experience Screen Printing is a highly competitive market and cold calling has never worked well for me, everybody is different though.

I've seen great success from BNI which is a networking group that has groups in most cities. I find it to be better than other groups like the chamber of commerce because your getting warm leads to call on and your never cold calling. Our conversion rates with BNI our very high compared to other forms of advertising/marketing, I would look into it if I were you.

dfc, I appreciate the advice and will check into BNI. What forms of advertising/marketing have you found to work well for you?

Our manufacturing target is school, businesses, groups and organizations. Our clothing market is 15-30 m/f with urban art interest.

Chris,

I feel like BNI has worked very well for our marketing/sales efforts that are geared towards a local audience. Another thing that has worked well is Google Local, if you haven't registered your business through Google Local and Yahoo Local yet I would highly suggest doing so. It's free to do and it only takes a few minutes to register your business... make sure that you list the physical address of your business, this is a huge importance in Google's eyes. You'll be very surprised how much business actually will come from this and it takes no effort on your part besides closing the sale once your prospect calls. We've landed a few school accounts from Google Local so don't under estimate the importance of taking the time to set these listings up.

GoTShiRTs said:

I'm getting ready to prepare a call list and was wondering if anyone had any advice on how to create or get one and which businesses/groups would be best to start with.

Thanks,

Chris
Black and White Clothing

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Hi Chris,
I know that creating business groups can be challenging. I always make sure to remember to create a clear strategy for how I'll approach each contact and I you hope to achieve with each call.
To be fair the first idea is to purchase a list: If you don't have the time you can buy a list from a reputable provider. Make sure to do your research and choose a provider that specializes in your target audience. If you decide to do it yourself, think about the businesses or groups that are most likely to be interested in your products or services. You can start with businesses in your local area, or you can research businesses online that fit your target audience. Consider factors such as industry, size, and location. Also don't forget about Yelp and other business directories, they can find your business groups in your local area.