Excerpt from: Home Based Office Tips
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| March 25, 2007 | | Small business owners can take steps with existing customers before resorting to cold calls | |
In the world of small business owners, there always comes a time when you
have to face a task that can put fear in the strongest of professionals: cold
calling. Few of us can even think about making cold calls without breaking
into a sweat and hoping for a better way. Before you tackle the act of cold
calling, there are some steps you can take to help you see results and build
your business. Consider the following:
Work with what you have. Call on existing accounts, and try
to get current customers to upgrade or add on to their current product
line.
Get referrals. Call existing satisfied customers and ask
them if they know two or three other professionals who would benefit from the
same product or service that they enjoy.
Build Your Network. Develop relationships with
noncompetitive companies that call on the same industry and business. This can
be a great way to access new accounts for you and for them.
These are all steps that you can take to build on your existing customer
base. If done regularly, they can be very effective. But eventually you probably
will have to bite the bullet and make a few cold calls here and there. In the
next part of this series, we’ll take a look at how you can face cold calls with
confidence. | | |
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