Cold calling for marketing agencies selling to local businesses

Who this is for

For agency owners and setters selling marketing, websites, ads or lead generation to local and trade businesses.

What these calls are like

Owners have heard it before

Many have been promised leads that never came. Scepticism is the default, and it is earned.

Results claims are the danger zone

Specific promises about leads or revenue are exactly what the owner distrusts, and invented ones are dishonest.

They know their numbers

Owners know what a job is worth and where their work comes from. That is where your case lives.

The moments that decide the call

1. An opening that is not a pitch

   Ask about their business before describing yours.

   Example line

   “Where does most of your work come from at the moment: referrals, or people finding you online?”

2. The sceptic

   Take a bad past experience seriously and ask what went wrong.

   Example line

   “What happened with the last agency?”

3. Honest results

   Explain what you do and what depends on their situation. No guarantees you cannot keep.

   Example line

   “I can’t promise a number of leads. I can show you what we’d change and how you’d measure it.”

4. The strategy call

   A specific time, with whoever decides, to look at their numbers.

   Example line

   “Shall we go through your enquiries from last month together on Thursday?”

Objections you will hear

Each links to a full page in the objection library.

• “We tried something like this before”

  Probably the most important one for agencies. Ask what went wrong and be honest about the comparison.

• “We already have someone for that”

  They may have an agency, or a nephew who does the website. Ask how it is going.

• “How do I know this is legit?”

  Agency cold calls have a poor reputation. Be plain and checkable.

• “We’ve got enough work”

  Ask whether it is the right work at the right price.

• “It’s too expensive”

  Compare with the value of a job, in their numbers.

Styles that fit

Coach asks for your selling style before each call. These suit this kind of call:

• Ethical / Consultative

  Honesty about what marketing can and cannot promise builds trust with burned owners.

• Question-Led Discovery

  Owners convince themselves when they describe the gap in their own words.

• Calm Authority

  Calm, specific and unhurried stands out from the usual agency pitch.

Set up a practice call

The settings in Coach that make the practice buyer match this role’s calls:

Industry focus

The type of business you target, such as plumbing or roofing.

What you are selling

Describe your real service. Coach holds you to it and marks invented results.

Difficulty

6 to 8. Local owners are sceptical of agencies.

Your selling style

Ethical / Consultative or Question-Led Discovery.

Three reps

1. Rep 1: ask before you pitch

   Open with a question about where their work comes from, and do not describe your service until they have answered two questions.

2. Rep 2: the burned owner

   Practise “we tried an agency before” until you can ask what went wrong without defending the industry.

3. Rep 3: honest results

   Explain what you do without promising a number. Check the feedback for invented claims.

Mistakes to avoid

• Promising leads or rankings

  Guarantees you cannot control are dishonest and fail the call in Coach.

• Criticising their current website or agency

  They chose it. Ask how it is working instead.

• Talking about marketing, not their business

  Owners care about jobs and revenue, not clicks and impressions.

Questions