I had a somewhat annoying experience today that made me pause and scratch my head. A sales person came into our office today unannounced and said she was “our neighbor” from a chiropractor’s office nearby. She was offering “90% off” a massage at their office and wanted to talk to everyone in our office to offer them this great deal. At first, I politely said that sure, I would be happy to ask around and told her to feel free to leave some brochures. She then proceeded to tell me that she couldn’t leave the brochures with us because it was a special offer that had to be an immediate commitment. She then described in rapid-fire detail this complicated process of getting a special code and calling some special number and then writing the code on the brochure and jumping through a few more hoops before actually getting the massage. At this point I was completely confused and getting annoyed.

When I told her that everyone else was at lunch, she seemed irritated and said “well, if we have any left, I’ll try to stop back by later.” She then walked out and I breathed a sigh of relief that the ordeal was over. Did she really think that this was the way to get new clients? She walked in unannounced and interrupted my day, talked at me rather than with me, had a wildly complex sales process for what should have been a simple transaction, tried to pressure me into a sale, and used a classic “you’re missing out” closing line. In all, it was a huge fail. I felt like I was at the receiving end of a door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesman from 1950.

Here are a few ideas that this chiropractor could have used to build a client base that doesn’t involve annoying, antiquated sales techniques:

1. Publish a great email newsletter. A bi-weekly email newsletter that contains useful health tips is likely to be forwarded to friends and will create referrals through authority and peer endorsement.
2. Utilize Google AdWords. Personal services are well-positioned to take advantage of targeted local Google search campaigns to locate and draw in prospective patients who are ready to engage.
3. Utilize social media. By creating a Facebook Fan page, a LinkedIn profile, and a Twitter account, chiropractors can distribute health tips and educational material to their networks and establish credibility as a health expert. This leads to warm referrals.
4. Network. Join a BNI chapter or another local networking group. Building a network of referral partners leads to strong referrals based on trust.
5. Offer seminars. By speaking on health-related topics, chiropractors can position themselves as leaders in their respective fields and can gain an audience of prospective patients through educational seminars. Public speaking helps strengthen your personal brand and reputation.

The difference in these techniques is that they create leads that are based on desire and trust. I would much rather work with someone who actually wants to work with me and is ready to engage. It’s 2009… there are much better ways to build your business than high-pressure cold calling.