| Author |
Message |
Steve Taylor (Unregistered Guest)
Unregistered guest
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 10, 2012 - 05:54 pm: |    |
How do you feel about being cold called by product reps? We have a person in our organization who does a lot of cold calling. I've tried to suggest he call ahead, without making any impression. I'd like to get an idea which of us is correct. |
J. Peter Jordan
Senior Member
Username: jpjordan
Post Number: 464
Registered: 05-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 10, 2012 - 07:02 pm: | |
I don't think cold calls (and I assume you mean calling in person) are the norm, but I do get some, and I will try to make some time. I don't feel bad if I have to chase them off because of other commitments. Most reps who call on me will call ahead, and I do appreciate the courtesy.
I do know many architects and specifiers who will not see anyone without an appointment. There are others who will see a CCPR on a cold call but no one else.
It would seem to me that cold calling is risky. One could make a couple of days of cold calls without doing any more than schmoozing with a couple of receptionists. I guess that it is an opportunity to leave a product binder, but I would assume that leaving a binder without making some sort of presentation is not as desirable as leaving a binder with a presentation. |
Doug Frank FCSI, CCS
Senior Member
Username: doug_frank_ccs
Post Number: 295
Registered: 06-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 11, 2012 - 07:42 am: | |
I don’t get nearly as many cold call visits from reps as I have in the past but I think that’s because there are far fewer reps, not because they stopped cold calling. It has always been my practice to meet and greet a cold caller but never give more than the minute or two that it takes to explain to them that they need to call in advance and schedule a meeting with me when I have time to actually listen to what they have to say.
As J. Peter mentioned, I’ll be a little more forgiving if the rep has CSI on their business card and probably a lot more forgiving to a CCPR (although I think part of the CCPR training is to Not make cold calls).
Doug Frank FCSI, CCS, SCIP Affiliate
FKP Architects, Inc.
Houston, TX |
Lisa Goodwin Robbins, RA, CCS, LEED ap
Senior Member
Username: lgoodrob
Post Number: 185
Registered: 08-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 11, 2012 - 09:52 am: | |
In this era of technology, making a quick cell phone call before you stop by doesn't seem to be asking too much. That would give me the opportunity to say, I'll be available at this time. You might just get me to think about your product before you get here, so I could refer you to some design architects with current projects.
And please, be polite to everyone in the office, not just the person you came to meet. That young woman you just dismissed as the receptionist may be the very person you need to talk with most.
- |
Lynn Javoroski FCSI CCS LEED® AP SCIP Affiliate
Senior Member
Username: lynn_javoroski
Post Number: 1516
Registered: 07-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 11, 2012 - 10:25 am: | |
Peter, Doug and Lisa have summed it up really well. Cold calls should be discouraged - they just might be a waste of everyone's time. If I don't have the time when the rep is in my office, I have to take the time to tell them that and they could have been more productive elsewhere. Call ahead; it's what a CCPR would do. |
Richard L Matteo, AIA, CSI, CCS
Senior Member
Username: rlmat
Post Number: 514
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 11, 2012 - 10:55 am: | |
I have to concur. I'm in a somewhat different arrangement right now, but prior to this, I used to discourage cold calls as much as possible. Calling ahead on a cell is acceptable.
Sometimes, a rep showing up has been opportune as I was just about to call them, so I don't like to totally not dismiss a cold call. |
ken hercenberg
Senior Member
Username: khercenberg
Post Number: 298
Registered: 12-2006
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 11, 2012 - 11:07 am: | |
Thankfully, no one can past our security desk downstairs let alone our receptionist who does call me when a rep insists that they need to talk with someone about a specific project. There have been rare occasions when the rep's timing has been spot on for our needs, but I'd say about 98 percent of cold calls are met with cold shoulders. |
J. Peter Jordan
Senior Member
Username: jpjordan
Post Number: 465
Registered: 05-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 11, 2012 - 11:08 am: | |
I am a big fan of "just in time information." It doesn't happen very often, but several times in my career, I am deep into product selection for a particular project and a rep for that product just shows up without calling.
Part of being a "golden rep" (maybe at the platinum level) is reading the specifier's mind from a distance (just like we have to read the designer's mind). That way you know when a cold call might be a hot ticket. |
ken hercenberg
Senior Member
Username: khercenberg
Post Number: 299
Registered: 12-2006
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 11, 2012 - 11:10 am: | |
Steve, one other thing to mention to your cold caller. If I get wind that a rep is bothering my architects and is wasting their time using this tactic, they and their product lines will usually not be considered for use on our projects. It's pretty rare that they're going to be the only game in town.
A rep that does not consider Architects and Specifiers worthy of consideration will be dealt with in a similar fashion. |
Cynie Linton
Senior Member
Username: cynie_linton
Post Number: 14
Registered: 10-2010
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 11, 2012 - 11:17 am: | |
On another note - I sometimes get cold calls (and I put phone calls in this category) from reps who want me to look at a product that is something that we would never ever use, primarily residential products or materials. I think a little homework is in order before knocking on the door. A friendly well written email with link to a clear well designed web site that provides easy access to well written guide specs will always turn my head. |
James M. Sandoz, AIA, CSI, CCS, CCCA, LEED AP
Senior Member
Username: jsandoz
Post Number: 118
Registered: 06-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 11, 2012 - 12:15 pm: | |
I've been fortunate lately regarding cold calls. Perhaps it is the tight economy which makes product reps more prudent with their time. Most call me late the week before they plan to visit my area the following week. This is smart because it gives both of us options as to day and time and helps the rep plan his or her stops for maximum efficiency.
Houston is the definition of sprawl and it is tremendously wasteful to be criss-crossing the area when one could line up visits both temporally and geographically.
As I've stated before, I almost always know when I am dealing with a CCPR even before I see a business card. They call first, ask questions to assess my needs, and come to meetings prepared to discuss what is important to my work. I've even had a rep or two, after a few minutes of conversation over the phone, say something to the effect of, "My product doesn't really seem to meet your needs right now. Thank you for your time and please contact me if I can be of assistance in the future." That, my friends, is the kind of person who gains my trust and respect.
I do not expect a product representative, or anyone else for that mattter, to drop everything in an instant and tend to my concern immediately and I certainly don't encourage them to expect that from me. |
J. Peter Jordan
Senior Member
Username: jpjordan
Post Number: 466
Registered: 05-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 11, 2012 - 02:34 pm: | |
One of the by-products of putting up a website has been that most of the reps who call on us do a little homework before they come in. They know what kinds of projects we have done and which architects we work for. We get very few people who come in with some off the wall stuff that we would never use.
I want to echo Mr. Sandoz about our expectations of our reps. We are in the office most days, but when I try to contact a rep outside of working hours, I don't expect a reply before the next business day; of course, it is nice to get surprised with a telephone response to a Saturday afternoon e-mail. |
Bill Coady CSI, CCPR
Senior Member
Username: billcoady
Post Number: 7
Registered: 06-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 17, 2012 - 09:11 pm: | |
About the only time I will make a "cold" call is if I'm on an appointment in a building that houses several firms and I find myself with a few extra minutes. If that occurs I will occasionally use my cell phone, call someone I know at the neighboring firm, tell them I'm on the next floor, and ask them if they have a few minutes. This may not qualify as a true cold call but it is as close as I get to one today.
With that said, I've made many a true cold call in my time. Sometimes a half day's cold calling generates many more days of productive appointments and meetings.
Bill Coady CSI, CCPR |
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