How My Boss’s Bathroom Supplies Business Was Saved Thanks to Cold Calling

When I was 23 years old, I worked as a secretary for an import-export business that sold bathroom supplies to builders, contractors, architects, and resellers. My boss, who had started his business only six months prior, hired me to sit at a desk, in a dark cold warehouse and answer the phone. In the first month or so, it was great. I would spend the days on MSN chat, an instant messaging platform where you could chat with friends. Now, you could say I had a lot of time on my hands. That’s because the boss’s business landline was not ringing. Ever. Back then, he relied heavily on Google ads and a community radio advert that played all day.

One day, I looked around the warehouse and found myself surrounded by boxes filled with vanities, toilets, tiles, and taps. I remember the boss telling me how he had spent a fortune on importing this inventory. I then realised that this business was in trouble, and so was my job. So, I got the Yellow Pages (this was the early 2000s) and began cold calling all the local construction companies, plumbers, builders, and bathroom resellers, telling them about the bathroom products we sold at pre-construction prices.

A week later, I got some brochures together, got into my boss’s Holden UTE, and drove around to all the local construction sites.

Four weeks later, I made my first sale. There was a unit that was being newly built, with 250 units in Parramatta, Sydney, and just like that, I sold almost 300 grand worth of vanities, mirrors, taps, toilets, and tiles.

You could say the boss was very pleased. Initially, he didn’t believe that cold outreach sales initiatives would work. You could say he was more of a marketer. So he told me to be patient and the marketing would pay off. But after eight months of marketing, he barely sold three taps and two vanities to a couple renovating. As more bulk sales were made, the boss's cash flow returned to a healthy state. Pretty soon, he was even?able to hire more staff.?Embracing cold calling and door knocking helped turn an almost bankrupt business into a multi-million dollar one.

Why am I sharing this story? Although I’m proud of my initiative, the reason is that there are many doubters, who have bought into the notion that cold calling and door-knocking don’t work. And there are many sales reps out there who sit back, as their company loses market share, waiting for someone to give them a good lead. Or they may not value?the leads that are handed to them.?

Now, I understand that many companies are in different stages of growth. Some may need their reps to focus mostly on retention, while others need to focus more on growth. However many organisations still have growth targets. Others can't afford to get complacent.?

Although there are many different ways to retain new customers that don’t include cold calling and door knocking, please don’t underestimate the power of going out there and starting conversations with your ideal customers. You may never know when you’re going to strike gold. Plus, we’re lucky to have a wealth of sales intelligence tools at our disposal these days, making it easier than ever to engage with potential customers.

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