Approaching businesses

Just starting a general conversation about approaching businesses. We have contacted so many, few rejections, which is OK. But a lot of interested and they ask us to mail them broshures or email them which we do. Then we wait.... still nothing. I know we have to be more patient. But a lot seems interested when we say FREE.
Just wondering if this sounds familiar to others, do you end up hearing from the "intrested"? Just wondering also if you think instead of cold calls, should we go to actual businesses and give them broshures.
Or should we hang up the free and offer $$$.... Jim

On the paid members area I posted some professional sales call advice that I believe it is worth the read. I will tell you that success in sales is just like everthing else, hard work pays off.

Some will never "buy", some will "buy" at the first call but most success will require several to many sales calls to come to be a customer of yours. If your are not experienced at sales then reading my advice on cold calling would be helpful to you. In fact most salepeople fail to do the basics and that turns customers off. When I was a full time business to business salesman a "successful" salesman was one who was rejected 8 out of 10 sales calls. Now that doesn't mean they were totally rejected but just did not close the deal that day.

Hopefully this gives you some food for thought and for those who participate in this thread, Mike.

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Originally Posted by MvPElectronicRecycling

Just starting a general conversation about approaching businesses. We have contacted so many, few rejections, which is OK. But a lot of interested and they ask us to mail them broshures or email them which we do. Then we wait.... still nothing. I know we have to be more patient. But a lot seems interested when we say FREE.
Just wondering if this sounds familiar to others, do you end up hearing from the "intrested"? Just wondering also if you think instead of cold calls, should we go to actual businesses and give them broshures.
Or should we hang up the free and offer $$$.... Jim

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Explain again what you are offering the business? Are you talking about free pickup of old stuff? Give me a synopsis of your general sales pitch and i'll help if i can

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Originally Posted by MvPElectronicRecycling

Just starting a general conversation about approaching businesses. We have contacted so many, few rejections, which is OK. But a lot of interested and they ask us to mail them broshures or email them which we do. Then we wait.... still nothing. I know we have to be more patient. But a lot seems interested when we say FREE.
Just wondering if this sounds familiar to others, do you end up hearing from the "intrested"? Just wondering also if you think instead of cold calls, should we go to actual businesses and give them broshures.
Or should we hang up the free and offer $$$.... Jim

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I walk around with a large wad of cash and usually get any old computer equipment I want.......SO YES HANG UP THE FREE AND OFFER COLD HARD CASH

I'm with mikeinreco, walk in as a professional buyer, tell them what you buy, lay the cash on them and haul your goodies home.

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Originally Posted by freonjoe

I'm with mikeinreco, walk in as a professional buyer, tell them what you buy, lay the cash on them and haul your goodies home.

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That's what this biz is coming to.........You have to spend money to make money

Have those brochures ready to hand them when they ask. Also, I agree with get rid of the free thing. If you offer free pickup and get them as a regular, It just takes me or anyone else coming behind you and offering a measly dollar a pound for motherboards and 6 dollars a pound for RAM and you just lost your supplier.

Simply put, make it stick and make it lasting. Treat them like you want to do business with them for the long term. I have picked up more than one supplier by offering to pay when they used to be thankful for a guy that picked the stuff up for free.

As a matter of fact, I now have a scheduled pickup soon for my fourth big e-waste load from a customer that will continue to be a supplier for me for years to come. One of the loads was just a bunch of shred, but even then, I split the ticket with them. They helped to load and was about $15 in gas for me, but they got $80 for the load.

In my opinion, I play it like I want to keep them and never lose them. If you get them based on free pick up, you WILL lose them to the next guy.

Never, ever, ever mail a brochure. It is the simplest way for them to get you off the phone. If you have printed materials just show up with them and a big smile on your face reminding them what they said (hard to argue with if they told you to send a brochure) and since you were "in the area" you thought you'd just drop it off. Gives you a second shot at them. Mailed brochures go right into the circular file.

Moneytalks , Cash is the best flyer out there. Already printed for you.

I keep some bags of free peanuts in my truck which tend to get everyone interested.

As most have said, cash talks. Also, a printed buy list with prices helps a LOT. I recently talked to two different businesses that said there was someone else buying, but they couldn't remember what they were paying so they sold to me when I gave them a copy of my buy list.

Selling/Buying in person really helps too. Last week I was in the office with a guy who was on the phone telling someone they didn't have any computer stuff at all. When he hung up and asked what I needed, I gave him a list (to keep) and talked to him for a short time before leaving there with 305 lbs of hard drives at 50 cents per lb.

Lastly, always be honest, helpful, nice and available.

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Originally Posted by BurlyGuys

Never, ever, ever mail a brochure. It is the simplest way for them to get you off the phone. If you have printed materials just show up with them and a big smile on your face reminding them what they said (hard to argue with if they told you to send a brochure) and since you were "in the area" you thought you'd just drop it off. Gives you a second shot at them. Mailed brochures go right into the circular file.

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I get what you are saying, and I have pounded the pavement myself to more door and for many more miles than I care to talk about. But! I did the every door direct mailing through the post office and have secured 2 of my biggest account through that. The cost was minimal and the return on those 2 accounts alone has been monumental to myself and my business. I do prefer to go to every person myself, but I can not cover the ground the post office can. I still do the door to door thing also with good results. I guess for me it is a all around approach.

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Originally Posted by mikeinreco

I walk around with a large wad of cash and usually get any old computer equipment I want.......SO YES HANG UP THE FREE AND OFFER COLD HARD CASH

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I tend to agree. Around here there seem to be a million individuals/businesses that offer "free pickup" of computers/electronics. So by offering free pickup I would have nothing on the competition. Cash seem to get the attention better for me at least.

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Originally Posted by msearl3244

I get what you are saying, and I have pounded the pavement myself to more door and for many more miles than I care to talk about. But! I did the every door direct mailing through the post office and have secured 2 of my biggest account through that. The cost was minimal and the return on those 2 accounts alone has been monumental to myself and my business. I do prefer to go to every person myself, but I can not cover the ground the post office can. I still do the door to door thing also with good results. I guess for me it is a all around approach.

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Every door direct mail? Absolutely! What I am saying is if you have a telephone conversation with a prospect the easiest brushoff in the world is "please mail me a brochure."

My approach is solid to businesses. We get alot of positive results just not new results. Lately. I think you guys are right that we need to start paying. We have approximately 15 computer shops we buy from and there always quicker to schedule pickups. Case and point we pay.

Just a lot of people pay around us for removal. So thought free would be more appealing. Keep plugging away and post results.