New Members
There is something that you really don’t like about your business. Maybe it’s cleaning the bathroom, maybe it’s balancing the books, and maybe it’s sales calls. For the bathroom or the books (doh), hire a Chamber member to do it for you. For sales calls, try a power hour three times a week and see what happens.
I learned about the Power Hour years ago during some sales or time management training thing – I’ve long since forgotten what else was discussed, and vaguely remember that it was in a beige hotel conference room and that the food was good. I figure that if you come away from most seminars with one great new idea, it was worth the time and money. Any my love of the Power Hour has far outweighed whatever I paid. I’ve used it across several industries, in volunteer activities, and I use it at home to get my housework done.
What’s a Power Hour? It’s an absolutely dedicated, pull-out-the-stops, blitz.
Define what you’d like to do. Have a list of prospective accounts that you’d like to call, complete with phone numbers, contact information, and so forth. Know why you’re calling them. Is it to set an appointment so you can visit later? Is it to see if they’re already using a business like yours? Do you want them to know about an upcoming promotion? Have your call list ready to go, whether it’s hard copy or on screen. Have your office tools ready… pens, legal pad, whatever. Put a sign on your door that says, “Do Not Disturb – Power Hour 1:30-2:30” and have water or coffee to drink on your desk. Use the rest room, because once 1:30 hits, you’re not allowed to get up for an hour. Turn off any apps that aren’t related to your calls.
Ready? Set your alarm for 2:30. Take a deep breath. Dial. It’s all about how many calls you can make in this hour. For every ten, I’m guessing you’ll leave seven messages, have two conversations, one bad phone number. Just dial. Don’t think about it. Don’t do any follow up right now – no emailing ‘sorry I missed you’ or even sending your contact info. Just dial. Just for an hour. When the alarm goes off, stop. Even if you’re on a roll… stop.
Does it still seem threatening? Think about this. If you started the day with a pack of gum in your pocket… ten sticks of gum… and throughout the course of the day you asked people you met if they’d like a piece of gum. Seven of them said no, thanks. One nut case went on for ten minutes about how gum had ruined her dental work. One person said, “sure!” and the final person said, “Thank you so much. I had a tuna sandwich for lunch and I can’t get the taste out of my mouth. You are terrific.” At the end of your gum offering, was anything scary? Did it hurt? No. Did you gain something from it. Yes. And so did the guy with the tuna sandwich.
Was it painful? No. And I’ll bet you’ll feel a great sense of accomplishment. If you made 30 calls, that’s great. So if you do a Power Hour three times a week, that’s 90 calls. That’s 360 calls a month… do the math. I’ll bet it’s way more calls than you’re making now. If one in 30 calls brings some kind of business, think what the Power Hour can add to your bottom line.
Try it once, and let me know how it worked. I dare you.
Ellen McKenna Doiron
Membership Services
Nashoba Valley Chamber of Commerce
2 Shaker Road, B200
Shirley MA 01464
978-425-5761
nvchamber@nvcoc.com
www.nvcoc.com
