MD Info?

[Jayne]

Hi,

How do find out in a chain of companies, which is the head office and MD. I've tried google and searching their web sites and there details are not on. Is there a free site or tool to find this stuff out?

When I phone one of their branches, I cannot get by or get info out of the secretaries etc. I don't tell them what I want and I still cannot find out. I haven't had this problem before, I think it's rude not to tell me the info' when I have rung up. I only want too send them a letter, not planning on spamming them.

Thank You

Jayne

[autolycus]

A companies house search will tell you the names of all directors for the princely sum of £1. See www.companieshouse.gov.uk/info.

However, it won't tell you who is MD, CEO, FD, etc.

Might be worth getting the names of all directors from CoHse and then Googling for each on ein turn to see what info it throws up about their exact job titles. This has worked for me in the past.

Are you willing to say what company it is you are talking about?

Dave.

[Steve Roberts]

Hi,

How do find out in a chain of companies, which is the head office and MD. I've tried google and searching their web sites and there details are not on. Is there a free site or tool to find this stuff out?

When I phone one of their branches, I cannot get by or get info out of the secretaries etc. I don't tell them what I want and I still cannot find out. I haven't had this problem before, I think it's rude not to tell me the info' when I have rung up. I only want too send them a letter, not planning on spamming them.

Thank You

Jayne

We've got access to all that stuff, if you email me the company I can provide you with name / details, etc.

[mumper]

Hi Jayne,

You will find it incredibly hard to get past the secretaries or screeners, unfortunately they rarely tell you anything or give out helpful information - it's their job and no amount of trying will shift them - except sometimes a bit of flattery :D It has worked for me occasionally :D

[JK_du_Toit]

Jayne,

It is the gatekeeper/screener's job to keep you out. That is what they get paid for. I have to deal with this quite a lot. If you call a company, any company, and you do not know the MD and you want to send them something, you are making a cold call/sales call. Gatekeepers will do their best to keep you out.

There are several ways of getting past them.

If you want to sell to a chain of companies, Goodluck!
Jayne, if you want a decision made quickly, it is not going to happen. They have a whole boardroom full of people who make choices, if one of them disagree, you dont have a sale.

I will send you all the info of how to get past gatekeepers if you want.
As for getting MD's names, you can buy lists at quite a few places, do a search on google for companies who sell lists, it will give you quite a few choices. The usual minimum amount of names that you can buy is about 5000 names which costs around £500. These lists have a few handy stats, like turnover, employees, MD, etc etc etc, so you can pick and choose who to target.

hope this helps!

jk

[ebonybailey]

You may want to put the company name on here, you never knowwe all have databases of one kind or another, we may have the name for you.


Michael

[BMS]

Hi Jayne

May be able to help but I need the directors name.

Pm me if you don't want to post on open forum.

[Jayne]

Hi,

Thanks for all your help. I don't really want to go into too much detail, as i've found out i've some friendly compertition on here :D

I want to write a nice letter to MD's, tried writing MD on the envelope and have sent about 30 letters so far, but I have a feeling they are in bins all over the country, so I want to address them correctly and send them to the right places :D

Some good tips though, thanks

Jayne :D

[Steve Roberts]

Hi,

Thanks for all your help. I don't really want to go into too much detail, as i've found out i've some friendly compertition on here :D

I want to write a nice letter to MD's, tried writing MD on the envelope and have sent about 30 letters so far, but I have a feeling they are in bins all over the country, so I want to address them correctly and send them to the right places :D

Some good tips though, thanks

Jayne :D

Maybe I'm the (friendly) competitor you're referring to, but I think we're operating at different ends of a similar market.

What message are you wanting to send MD's? Is it an offer to invest or a proposal for them to sell? Depending on the above, it will require a different approach - I could give you some friendly pointers on how to get access by phone to MD's (we achieve a 95% contact rate).

Secondly, if it's simply a mail-shot you need to understand the mathematics of direct mail. Depending on the product and demographic, most direct mail campaigns generate less than 1% enquiries. You may then have a, say, 20% conversion rate from enquiry to client. As such, 500 letters may generate 1 client - then you have to factor in a 'pipeline time' from enquiry to client. I'm not sure what the 30 letters were trying to achieve, but I'm not surprised you've not had a reponse because of the relatively low numbers involved.

[JK_du_Toit]

Jayne,

I have a feeling that 30 mailshots isnt going to be enough. And if you dont have the name of the MD, then your mail gets classified as spam.
It will never get opened, if it does, it will go to the wrong dept and then you wont get any response.

You need to get to the MD, then you need to speak to him, see if he is interested, if not, dont send the letter, if he is, he will be expecting your letter and then you give them a follow-up call to see if they want to take things further.

Sales is a numbers game, you need to get in front of as many people as you can. 30 letters wont do it unfortunately. You need atleast 300 a week if you want to get some business.

The quickest and cheapest way of marketing stays the phone though...

[Jayne]

Thank You,

I tried the phone, that's why I tried letters :D

I asked how to find MD names out and head office, to bypass the interrogation units.

I think some of these secretaries have been trained by the SAS, truth syrum wouldn't work on that lot either :lol:

Think I may have to wait until I make good money and pay for a marketing guru :D Let them take all the flack from those secretaries. I get upset when they are snotty to me. I don't have to talk to them in letters.

Thanks again

Jayne

[JK_du_Toit]

You have to follow up with a phone call after sending the letter though. You cannot leave it to the letter to bring the sale in. You have to close the deal.

Get the MD's name, Speak to him, send the letter and follow up.
Some people make 150 phone calls a day! They get approx 30 sales pitches (MD's are hard to get hold of) and make about 2-3 appointments.
Of that 3 appointments, there is only about a 60% chance of you closing a deal anyway.

Numbers Numbers Numbers...

[Jayne]

Hi,

It's a wonder all those marketing people don't burn out with stress. Not a fun thing to phone up someone you don't know, I feel like i'm being rude and keep saying sorry a lot. I don't think i'm pushy enough to do these calls well.

I love talking to my customers who phone up, but these sales calls give me butterflies before I make them.

Thanks for the info though (i'll grit my teeth and try) :D

Jayne

[JK_du_Toit]

Jayne,

There is no need to appologise to anybody you call. You are offering them a service, not the other way around. You can help them.

Dont answer any questions that the gatekeeper throws at you apart from your name and the company name. If they ask what it is regarding tell them that you cannot discuss it with them and that it is a matter only to be discussed with the MD.

If you answer all the questions that the gatekeeper throw at you then they own you and are likely not to put you through.

If they are strict, you be stricter, if they are rude, you put them in their place ( You cant be nasty, but you can report them! :D )
I love this saying: Rather seem like a peer in the boardroom than a vendor in the hallway. It is true. Show the gatekeeper that you have a right to speak to the MD. They are more than likely to put you through.

Keep going and remember: it's numbers!

[Jayne]

Thanks,

Better practice being tough then, i'm usually as soft as butter, I even say sorry to my dog if i'm late home :lol: So this could take some doing!

Let you know how I get on (when I find out who to call that is)

Jayne :D

[MinuWeb]

Also, if they ask for you name, tell them "Jayne ***** Managing Director of XYZ Ltd"

They will be more likely to let an MD speak to their MD, and they are also more used to having an MD tell them what to do :D

[Jayne]

Excellent idea Tony, i'll write that one down so I don't forget :D

Jayne

[Steve Roberts]

Anoother tactic you might want to employ, is to inform the PA of a little of what you want to talk to her boss about.

For example, you might say "I need to talk to Mr Smith about an acquisition opportunity that he needs to know about". The objective being, getting the gatekeeper from a position of "frightened to get it in the neck from the boss for putting a call through" to "frightened to get it in the neck from the boss for NOT putting the call through".

[JK_du_Toit]

It is a good thing being soft. But not in business. Believe me.

Jayne, the biggest thing that you can be is fair. As long as you have that in you and you wont let people walk over you, you will be fine.
I had to learn the hard way as well. If you feel you are wrong, say sorry and go on. If you feel you are right, then tell the person why you think you are right and discuss. But never, NEVER back down when you are on the losing side and it is not fair towards you or any other person.

Business is really fun game if you get into it....

[JK_du_Toit]

These are good ideas, but you have to make sure that the information given to the gatekeeper is correct. The moment they smell something is not right, you are done for and then you will never get the sale anyway. So make sure that the correct info is given.

I am not sure whether you are the MD of your company, if you aren't, do not use that line. If you are, you are a peer rather than a vendor.
Use that to your advantage then!

So, giving the right info, without being shown away is an art in itself.
Keep Practising, you will make it.

[Jayne]

Hi,

I'm used to running a business, but the bakery is a whole different ball game. I am the boss there, but mainly all my tel: calls are as a customer, so everyone is nice to me. Now I am the supplier and looking for customers. We have never had to look hard for business in the shop, people come to use without much advertising.

When I phone others, the i'm expecting them to hang up on me, because that's what I do (well only the pushy ones, I listen to the nice ones) :lol:

Jayne

[JK_du_Toit]

Jayne,

If you have something good to present, know what to say and get through to the MD, if he is interested in what you have to offer, he will not hang up on you, guaranteed. IF he wants to hang up, offer to send him some information, maybe that will do the trick.

You are going to get a few rude ones. it is usually one of 2 things: Either they know that they are easy to sell to or they dont have time to sit and listen to you. So play around with them a bit, you will get the feel for it soon enough.

Remember, you canot take any calls personal, that will give you a nervous breakdown. The moment you take it personal, the focus is off business where it should be and you are playing on a thin line...

Any questions, I am here.

:D

[Jayne]

Thanks for the info, you really know a lot about this stuff don't you :D I am learning lots. Think i'm going to practice all this first on my sister, so I get use to it first :D

Thank You

Jayne

[JK_du_Toit]

Get her to through some objections and you start working your way around them. Note it down on a piece of paper cause the same questions keep coming back again and again and you have to get past them every single time without getting the phone put down on you.

So keep a note pad next to you and note all the objections and answers down, it might come in handy...

I am just returning the favour that you did me by direting me here...

Good Luck! :wink:

[Jayne]

Thank You, glad you joined :D

Jayne