Cold Call closing rate - retail

JBurd

JBurd

New member
I'm curious what you guys have found to be your closing rate for doing direct sales on commercial flatwork. I'm talking about hitting up restaurants, banks, gas stations, fast food etc in person with unsolicited bids on maintenance cleaning and trying to get it into the hands of decision makers.
 
JBurd said:
I'm curious what you guys have found to be your closing rate for doing direct sales on commercial flatwork. I'm talking about hitting up restaurants, banks, gas stations, fast food etc in person with unsolicited bids on maintenance cleaning and trying to get it into the hands of decision makers.
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We could test it...I usally get what I go after. My sales folks dont, thats only because they do not follow up.
 
Ron's right. Following up is crucial. Once I have made contact with the decision maker I always ask the best time to follow up if they haven't made up their mind. I would've lost A LOT of work without persistence. Another big help is NEVER just leave a message with an employee. They love to pretend they are the boss and tell you no. I always find out when the boss will be in and tell them I will just call back then. When it comes to cold calling I always think of the saying, "timid salesmen have skinny kids". That has a way of upping your close rate.
 
Absolute1 said:
Ron's right. Following up is crucial. Once I have made contact with the decision maker I always ask the best time to follow up if they haven't made up their mind. I would've lost A LOT of work without persistence. Another big help is NEVER just leave a message with an employee. They love to pretend they are the boss and tell you no. I always find out when the boss will be in and tell them I will just call back then. When it comes to cold calling I always think of the saying, "timid salesmen have skinny kids". That has a way of upping your close rate.
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I'm never right, I don't even sell
 
Yeah Ron, I don't sell, either. I also don't do big jobs. In all honesty, I am not a great salesman, but I am really good at following up and performing. That does make a huge difference.
 
Scott Stone said:
Yeah Ron, I don't sell, either. I also don't do big jobs. In all honesty, I am not a great salesman, but I am really good at following up and performing. That does make a huge difference.
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It's everything. IMO


Doug Rucker
Clean and Green Solutions
Pressure Washing Roof Cleaning School
Call or Text 281.883.8470
 
Ron Musgraves said:
Hows it Going Three Years Later ?
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My closing rate on commercial flatwork never picked up so I stopped focusing on it. I blame my market. We are having success in residential and multi-family complexes. Some commercial flatwork and building washes but mostly in new construction, historic restorations, or corporate settings, not so much retail.
 
20 years Lexus and Harley-Davison.NEVER leave a message of any kind ,only talk with the decision maker(s). Always ask are all the decision makers present? Follow up until you get a yes or no. If you say you will call back on a certain day or time...do it! This shows you can deliver satisfaction. Some customers want to control the sale, some want to be sold. (Regardless you must be in control of the sale)Phone cold calling is the hardest lead to control, before you tell the cold call what you are calling for introduce yourself, (not your company yet) ask them for their name, from this point of the call use their name in as many open ended questions as possible.(when was the last time you cleaned your roof) ...don't ask a question that no is a possible answer. Hope this helps just trying to give back to this site, I have taken a lot of info from here.
 
JBurd said:
My closing rate on commercial flatwork never picked up so I stopped focusing on it. I blame my market. We are having success in residential and multi-family complexes. Some commercial flatwork and building washes but mostly in new construction, historic restorations, or corporate settings, not so much retail.
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Your closing rate was bad, so you blamed your market? I'm not the commercial flatwork expert but not sure i believe that blaming your market is a good idea.
 
socalkol said:
Your closing rate was bad, so you blamed your market? I'm not the commercial flatwork expert but not sure i believe that blaming your market is a good idea.
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Most resi guys don't like commercial at all. That Might have something to do with it.
 
ram hydro said:
20 years Lexus and Harley-Davison.NEVER leave a message of any kind ,only talk with the decision maker(s). Always ask are all the decision makers present? Follow up until you get a yes or no. If you say you will call back on a certain day or time...do it! This shows you can deliver satisfaction. Some customers want to control the sale, some want to be sold. (Regardless you must be in control of the sale)Phone cold calling is the hardest lead to control, before you tell the cold call what you are calling for introduce yourself, (not your company yet) ask them for their name, from this point of the call use their name in as many open ended questions as possible.(when was the last time you cleaned your roof) ...don't ask a question that no is a possible answer. Hope this helps just trying to give back to this site, I have taken a lot of info from here.
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Great advice!
 
socalkol said:
Your closing rate was bad, so you blamed your market? I'm not the commercial flatwork expert but not sure i believe that blaming your market is a good idea.
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When the only ones who are hiring out power washing barely pay beer money and the rest leave their concrete looking like slime, I'd suspect the local market isn't supporting quality pressure washing at this time. If someone wants to come in and educate and demonstrate, more power to them. I decided to focus my efforts elsewhere. I have no trouble selling my other services to the right audience, and my business has grown considerably every year.
 
ram hydro said:
20 years Lexus and Harley-Davison.NEVER leave a message of any kind ,only talk with the decision maker(s). Always ask are all the decision makers present? Follow up until you get a yes or no. If you say you will call back on a certain day or time...do it! This shows you can deliver satisfaction. Some customers want to control the sale, some want to be sold. (Regardless you must be in control of the sale)Phone cold calling is the hardest lead to control, before you tell the cold call what you are calling for introduce yourself, (not your company yet) ask them for their name, from this point of the call use their name in as many open ended questions as possible.(when was the last time you cleaned your roof) ...don't ask a question that no is a possible answer. Hope this helps just trying to give back to this site, I have taken a lot of info from here.
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Awesome advise!
 
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