Like many of you in this economy I have been working to establish my own business. I actually started about six years ago, but I have only been online for about three and a half.
I started with a traditional website. I worked hard at adding quality content and submitting it to search engines, directories, and indexes. I told all my friends and family about it. I posted to forums, and eventually started a companion blog. I have been hard at spreading my network on my space and then facebook and now LinkedIn and chamber.com. I've submitted to classified sites, and now I'm writing this article in hopes of generating traffic to my site and making new contacts that will hopefully lead to sales.
But you can't forget about the value of knocking on someone's door, calling them up, or sending them an email when you know they are open to receiving one. This is how I recently became the U S representative for Rodeo Sales a new manufacturer of mechanical bulls and multi rides for the amusement industry.
I read where they were coming to the states to attend a trade show in Florida looking for a partner here. I didn't have the funds to travel to Florida, so I sent him an email at his office in Leeds. I forgot all about it until the week of the trade show. Then I get a call from a phone number that I definitely don't recognize. You guessed it, it was his U K mobile number. I didn't return it right away, so he emailed me. Once I knew who it was and that the call was legitimate; I didn't worry about calling it again. However, we then exchanged many emails about his products, their advantages, and the possibility of posting them on my site and working to sell them for him.
I'm actually thrilled to have them. You see, they have a party hire company over there and have been in the business of renting out mechanical bulls, broncos, reindeer, etc for over a decade. They evaluated all the other products under real world conditions and decided how they would make one if they ever got the chance. Then about two years ago they started manufacturing their own bull. They tested it in their own fleet. It had absolutely no problems, so they started offering them to other party hire companies in the U K. None of them have had any problems with these rides, so they are starting to sell outside of the U K and in other countries in Europe. This is when they started thinking about the U S market. Now, there were many larger more established brokerage companies at the trade show, but they weren't interested in selling these products. So you see, it was a matter of me asking. Rodeo Sales knew what they were getting, a small company with short-term experience but lots of passion and hard work.
Now, since I took them on; I've been doing a lot more asking. They make a lot of different attachments for these including a nfl football, soccer ball, poker chip, pig, sheep, reindeer, and even a banana. So, I've contacted NFl teams, MLS teams, and even teams from the Australian rules league. I've written gentlemen's clubs and party rental companies. I would love it if my website were to be at the top of Google and Alexa without daily effort; but until that blessed day occurs; I'll just keep knocking on doors, making phone calls, and sending out emails.
My daddy always told me that they can't say yes if you don't ask. This is more positive than the traditional the worst that can happen is they say no. And he also taught me that when cold calling you have to have a bad memory. The next one could be the one you have been searching for, but there will be a lot of negative responses along the way. To everyone out there with a website, blog, or social media page I wish you all the luck. Be sure and use all the tools that are available to you even the low tech ones. thanks,
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