Recently I filled out a request for information form at BuyerZone.com for outbound telemarketing and direct mail services.  I did this for two reasons: 1) to help the folks who go through the List Samurai program identify potential quality vendors to connect with for their marketing needs and 2) develop a better understanding of the price points for these types of vendors for my own business growth needs.

Buyer Zone Homepage Screenshot

I filled out the request on Sunday in order to get some feedback on Monday and Tuesday as I create more List Samurai videos & slides, and boy did I get some feedback! To the tune of a phone call every hour on the hour starting around 9:30 AM ET.  Here are my takeaways and friendly advice based on the experience thus far:

1) Many of these companies MUST be hurting for business based on the amount of phone calling and email attempts made in the last 36 hours. This means you can likely strike a pretty good deal if you play your cards right when approaching them.  How can you do that? Simply don’t contract for services for at least 48 hours after the request. See what everybody brings to the table before furthering the process.

Also, it’s probably a good idea to sit back and see who responds most and how.  If one particular vendor calls more than the others, they’re likely the one that will provide the most wiggle room on your first deal.  This may also be an indication that their business health isn’t as positive as the others, too so be cautious.

2) If you don’t want to be hounded by the hourly phone calls, simply place a statement in the request for information form that says something along the lines of “searching for relevant providers and pricing information. Please do not call.” That’s what I wish I had done in this situation, but you live and learn, right? Next time I fill out one of these forms, I’ll include that caveat and if any vendors ignore the request to not call, they’ll be eliminated immediately for a failure to pay attention to the request. After-all, if they can’t follow simple directions at the outset, how are they going to produce when things get more complicated?

I highly recommend using services such as BuyerZone.com to find quality vendors and potential partners, but you may want to include some basic contact & follow-up instructions especially if you’re not looking to be called a lot on the phone. In the vendors’ defense, they are following up to a request as best they can, but sometimes that follow up is a bit extreme.

There is also a brief podcast below that shares my experience and advice.  Enjoy!