TheWhippinpost - 5:32 pm on Feb 5, 2007 (gmt 0)

There ya go, now we're into a discussion ;)

They are viable methods BeeDeeDubbleU, albeit, with a lot of work involved for my liking.

IMO, if you want up-to-the-minute best information, call them up.

The thread had a sub-heading, "A general guide for new-starters", hence why I alluded to the more retail end of the market (including the businesses like woodworking shops, iron-gate makers etc...) - Basically, the more easier-to-reach people that can make decisions without committee's... This is important when you're starting-out.

I personally wouldn't use directories for this sector mainly because I can get info far quicker by just calling them up.

Directories are great for finding the contact's names when you are calling up the mid-to-large sized companies where having a name is a definite bonus to getting past the gate-keeping secretaries etc... but they can quickly date, even for names (people come and go). I also wouldn't (couldn't?) rely on it for garnering website details for the same reason.

I am not comfortable with telling lies.

I'm assuming you're referring to my "pretend to be injured" first call?

You might call it lying, I would call it research and planting a seed ;)

Really not much different to what Walmart or any other big store does when it sends staff into competitor stores masquerading as shoppers, accept, I'm not doing it to close you down!

I understand though that some people will be uncomfortable with doing that. Pick-up almost any biography from a self-made person though, and you'll often read of corners cut during their company's formative years.

IIRC, Richard Branson, and Alan Sugar both, in their respective industries, used to call-up retailers as punters to enquire about their own product, knowing full-well the stores didn't have them stocked. They'd go in "officially" and then sell them. Still further, I think it was Sugar (or possibly both even) that would then send someone in to buy their own products back off-the-shelves so as to later persuade the stores to increase their next order.

It worked.

... and d'ya know what? You only have to watch TV to see it go on all the time: When they say, "... no wonder Great Britain loves x!". When a celeb says, "... Our operators are on standby waiting for you call now!"

... "Our operators"?

It's called sales-puff.

I am definitely not advocating lying about what you do, or if you can indeed, do it... That shouldn't mean however, that the experience of getting in front of, and selling to potential clients has to be a dreary, uneventful, same old everyday presentation.

You can also Google for specific text that the hosting companies put on their holding pages. This should turn up companies who have bought a domain but not developed it. They are far better prospects because buying the domain means that they have at least considered a website.

Excellent tip.

[edited by: TheWhippinpost at 5:57 pm (utc) on Feb. 5, 2007]