Does a cold call/email actual work or does it make people feel offended or insecure?
Have you received the text, email or message from a friend who reaches out because she’s excited to introduce her business?
Some are well done, and I have a need for what she’s offering, so I buy it.
Then other emails and messages just make me feel weird, or worse, bad, or even mad.
So I’m asking your help to do this the right way.
Now not all sales outreach is offensive. I’ve received great cold emails (shout out to Samantha Farley at mAccounting and Lizzie who I mention below).
Samantha emailed me several times when I was the CEO of a nonprofit organization, and I’m so glad I finally agreed to a meeting. We used mAccounting’s services, and I highly recommend them. For any nonprofits seeking accounting help, ask for Samantha and Molly Williams.
When I’ve been the one sending the emails, I’ve felt differently. I’ve made thousands of cold contacts, more in my corporate roles in advertising and fundraising than in my direct sales businesses with Beachbody or Wildtree. Those contacts still felt unwanted, and for the volume of outreach, the conversation rarely result in a response, let alone a sale.
Then being on the receiving end of a cold outreach message, here’s how I’ve felt.
“My high school friends know I’ve gained weight.”
“My high school friends know I’ve gained weight,” is what I thought three years ago when I got the Facebook messages to join Beachbody challenge groups.
And I had gained weight — lots of it, see the 2015 pic — and with my Beachbody friends help, I dropped 75 pounds and 75 inches and kept it off.
“Do I look bad? I thought I looked good in that pic,” is how I’ve felt many times when I get a makeup, skincare, hair care or beauty sales email.
I know I could always improve, but I didn’t think I needed help with my skin or hair.
*Note that my Rodan + Fields rep Lizzie Evans didn’t make me feel that way at all, and many of the women who have asked me about R+F over the years have been very professional.
As a client and sales rep, I’ve experienced both the good and the bad.
I’m a client of R+F and a client and rep of Beachbody and Shakeology. I’m also a sales rep with Wildtree meals. I personally struggle with how to go about recruiting team members and customers.
I love the products I use, and I’m thankful I can earn commission on product sales. That income has helped me as I quit my traditional jobs to become self-employed with Freije Brands.
Just like with Freije Brands, my business has grown from referrals from happy clients who introduce me to others who have an advertising need or a food, exercise and meal plan need.
If there’s a better way to be approached, I’d like to know.
If there’s a better way you’d like to be approached, I’d like to know, and hundreds of other professional sales reps out there would love to hear your thoughts, too.
I’ll keep making cooking videos, answering weight loss, gluten free and allergy questions, and making public events to taste my Wildtree meals, but I have to do more.
Would you tell me how you would like to be approached (if at all) or what you recommend I do that shows I care about my customers and truly want to help fill a need while growing my businesses?
I promise to listen and appropriately share what you tell me with others who care enough to want to be better.
Thanks for reading and thanks in advance for responding. This topic is really important to me, and I want to do it right.
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