Cold calling and property investment

I was wondering if anyone has had similar experiences regarding property investment through cold calling? We had a cold call, and then a consultant came to our home, talking about reducing tax and dept, property investment etc. they want to fly us from NSW to their Brisbane office for a full day seminar on how they can help us. It was basically the same type of thing Park Trent offered us a few years ago but after researching the company decided against it. I am feeling a bit nervous about this company but cannot find any reviews either positive or negative about them.
 
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I'm ALWAYS skeptical of those who are willing to fly you interstate so that they can meet with you.

Plus the wait time at airports is always annoying.

If he wants, he should fly down and come see you.
 
As a general principle, everytime that I have taken up an offer that came via a cold call or cold visit, I have been very disappointed and my wallet distressed.
 
As a general principle, everytime that I have taken up an offer that came via a cold call or cold visit, I have been very disappointed and my wallet distressed.

you know me well by now :)

im not real good with the "show up and throw " philosophy of life, because no one can really learn from that.

could you provide some specific examples so that folks may benefit from your experience ? pls

ta
rolf
 
you know me well by now :)

im not real good with the "show up and throw " philosophy of life, because no one can really learn from that.

could you provide some specific examples so that folks may benefit from your experience ? pls

ta
rolf

Glad to. I will let you know about the one that rankles the most and still does after a few years.

A man cold calls my office and asks for an appointment to discuss with me an excellent advertising deal for my business.

He comes in and says that for 1600 per year, his company will create a short advertising video which will be played endlessly on the tv screen at a busy medical centre. I accepted his opinion that I would have a captive local audience as they are forced to watch the tv whilst waiting to see the doctor.

I sign a cheque for this amount and a contract for their services.

Big mistake.

The TV screen is really small and my ad is one of 20 commercials within a loop.

I have not had a single piece of business arising from this ad over the years.

Other issues.

1. I never see this sales man again.
2. I can't contact this sales man again.
3. The company is located interstate and I can never get anyone to return my calls.
4. I keep getting quarterly invoices for the advertising, even now two years down the track. When I ring up to enquire why, they said that the contract I signed was for four years!
5. I do internet search on this company and find similar negative experiences.

All this arising from one cold call a few years ago. Never again please.
 
Glad to. I will let you know about the one that rankles the most and still does after a few years.

A man cold calls my office and asks for an appointment to discuss with me an excellent advertising deal for my business.

He comes in and says that for 1600 per year, his company will create a short advertising video which will be played endlessly on the tv screen at a busy medical centre. I accepted his opinion that I would have a captive local audience as they are forced to watch the tv whilst waiting to see the doctor.

I sign a cheque for this amount and a contract for their services.

Big mistake.

The TV screen is really small and my ad is one of 20 commercials within a loop.

I have not had a single piece of business arising from this ad over the years.

Other issues.

1. I never see this sales man again.
2. I can't contact this sales man again.
3. The company is located interstate and I can never get anyone to return my calls.
4. I keep getting quarterly invoices for the advertising, even now two years down the track. When I ring up to enquire why, they said that the contract I signed was for four years!
5. I do internet search on this company and find similar negative experiences.

All this arising from one cold call a few years ago. Never again please.


ouch

4 years ????????????//

I get clients taking out life insurance on weekly premiums

ta

rolf
 
Glad to. I will let you know about the one that rankles the most and still does after a few years.

A man cold calls my office and asks for an appointment to discuss with me an excellent advertising deal for my business.

He comes in and says that for 1600 per year, his company will create a short advertising video which will be played endlessly on the tv screen at a busy medical centre. I accepted his opinion that I would have a captive local audience as they are forced to watch the tv whilst waiting to see the doctor.

I sign a cheque for this amount and a contract for their services.

Big mistake.

The TV screen is really small and my ad is one of 20 commercials within a loop.

I have not had a single piece of business arising from this ad over the years.

Other issues.

1. I never see this sales man again.
2. I can't contact this sales man again.
3. The company is located interstate and I can never get anyone to return my calls.
4. I keep getting quarterly invoices for the advertising, even now two years down the track. When I ring up to enquire why, they said that the contract I signed was for four years!
5. I do internet search on this company and find similar negative experiences.

All this arising from one cold call a few years ago. Never again please.

We had that exact same cold call.

Why he thought town planning/urban design/landscape architecture was a good target for this form of advertising I'll never know.
 
We had a cold call, and then a consultant came to our home, talking about reducing tax and dept, property investment etc. they want to fly us from NSW to their Brisbane office for a full day seminar on how they can help us. It was basically the same type of thing Park Trent offered us a few years ago but after researching the company decided against it. I am feeling a bit nervous about this company but cannot find any reviews either positive or negative about them.
I love all forms of "cold" calls...

I always leave the caller feeling very, very cold.


He comes in and says that for 1600 per year, his company will create a short advertising video which will be played endlessly on the tv screen at a busy medical centre.
We have a ute which has a large sign attached to the roof, parked down on the main road near the workshop each day. I move it around to hopefully catch new eyes each time. It works very well; lots of folk comment on it as they come in to the workshop reception. The total cost of the sign and the frame to support it was $1200 and it is there forever.

So, now when I get these donkeys coming around or calling me about advertising (I've had the exact same doctor surgery type of cold call), I equate the cost of their advertising with my sign....there is just no contest. I gleefully tell them the cost of my sign and its success and invite them to match the price or better it - once up cost of $1200 or less.


On this note; If you have an appointment at a doctor/specialist, etc...why do you then have to wait for ages in their "waiting" room? :mad:

I now have a standard procedure with this (not that I go to these people often)...On arrival I ask the receptionist how far behind the doctor/etc is with appointments.

If she says it is longer than 15 mins, I say "sorry; I'm very busy and can't wait that long", cancel the appointment and leave.

Everyone should do this; then these b@stards wouldn't run over time by an hour, hour and half on a regular basis like they do.
 
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I hear ads from Park Trent group on the radio all day currently... their current promo is flogging houses in Whyalla starting at 350k
 
Does anyone know anything about Boston One? My inlaws went to a seminar and have a "free no obligation meeting" at their house.... They only told me after they had booked it.... I am always very skeptical about these things, so would like to know their agenda before they preach it. Cheers
 
Another parktrent

We had a cold call, and then a consultant came to our home, talking about reducing tax and dept, property investment etc. they want to fly us from NSW to their Brisbane office for a full day seminar on how they can help us. It was basically the same type of thing Park Trent offered us a few years ago but after researching the company decided against it. I am feeling a bit nervous about this company but cannot find any reviews either positive or negative about them.

That is exactly how Parktrent does it. I just wish i had the good sense to do a research on Parktrent like you had done. In fact there was another company here in Melbourne that was closed down recently and their Mode of operation was same as this company's or parktrents', so i would say steer clear of them.
 
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Glad to. I will let you know about the one that rankles the most and still does after a few years.

A man cold calls my office and asks for an appointment to discuss with me an excellent advertising deal for my business.

He comes in and says that for 1600 per year, his company will create a short advertising video which will be played endlessly on the tv screen at a busy medical centre. I accepted his opinion that I would have a captive local audience as they are forced to watch the tv whilst waiting to see the doctor.

I sign a cheque for this amount and a contract for their services.

Big mistake.

The TV screen is really small and my ad is one of 20 commercials within a loop.

I have not had a single piece of business arising from this ad over the years.

Other issues.

1. I never see this sales man again.
2. I can't contact this sales man again.
3. The company is located interstate and I can never get anyone to return my calls.
4. I keep getting quarterly invoices for the advertising, even now two years down the track. When I ring up to enquire why, they said that the contract I signed was for four years!
5. I do internet search on this company and find similar negative experiences.

All this arising from one cold call a few years ago. Never again please.

You need to be very clear what you want from your advertising. How can a loop ad like you have described show what benefit your prospective customer will get from using your services? Also unless practitioners in this centre are already referring to you, their patients will rely more on their doctor's suggestion than yours. People often don't want to upset their doctor by asking for a referral to someone their GP hasn't suggested.

You need to be perceived as being an expert? So for example could you sponsor an event with people who refer to you?
Where do your customers come from, ie demographics, how do they get your name, would one of your customer's refer a friend or colleague to you? What is your point of difference?
Unless you know these things you will only be wasting your money on hit and miss marketing!!
I get at least one or two calls a month offering me deals like you were offered. Ask the questions to them or yourself? How many people will see this? Are they the people I want to have use my services? Can I reach the same number of people or more in a different way?
 
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