New job role - need some advice

[wilksj01]

Hi,

I have been an IT consultant now for about 6 years and have been really successful. I have only really worked in large organisations and so when a job opportunity came up in a small company who wanted to grow the business I thought this would be a great way to gain some additional experience in other areas of business.

I have been there now for 2 months and have been getting to grips with the way the company works etc. Due to the size of the business I have been asked to help with getting in new business but as the company has no marketing and is not a well known name in the IT industry I think this will be a lengthy task.

So what I would like is advice on how any of you have grown your business, talked cold calling etc, how you perceive cold calling if you’re in a professional role, what would grab your attention rather than the usual phone calls, e-mails and mailing.

The company is an IT services provider to small and medium sized organisations. The unique service they offer is a hosted IT service that allows smaller companies and companies with multiple locations to have corporate level IT systems but with no upfront investment, low monthly cost and reduced overall IT speniture. So they do have a really good story to tell but it is establishing the best way to tell it.

Your help is appreciated.

Wilksj01

[staffsMike]

I work in a small business as Network and Tech Support etc.. and I don't often give cold callers the time of day.

I have however, given a certainly supplier the chance to deal with us. They are local and do a good job most of the time. So with regard to cold calling.. make sure its not random comapnies. Start only in your area as this will attract customers as you won't be far away if they ever want to give you greif (sad but true lol) as you gain more customers your name will naturally grow and you can expand to surrounding areas.

Another one is, only use english speaking people.. I'm not racist.. far from it (anyone who knows me could vouch for this lol) but in my job i dont have time to baby people who dont understand what i'm talking about..which leads to the next point..

One good employee is worth 10 rubbish ones when it comes to cold calling. There is no point ringing people who work in I.T if they dont know what they are actually trying to sell you.

Lastly..good customer service sells it self. Some compaines may give you a chance...ONLY one chance so make sure your customer service is consistently good.