Friday, February 27, 2009

How To Get Rid Of Annoying Cold Callers

Writen by Charlie Lang

Ring ring . . .

Potential Buyer (PB): Hello

Cold Caller (CC): Is this Peter Miller?

PB: Yes, who is this?

CC: Hi, this Amy of XYZ Company. How are you?

PB: OK, what is this about?

CC: Do you want to know about a totally safe way of increasing your net worth by 200% in less than 10 years? We have an absolutely unique product you certainly have never heard of. I am sure you must be interested in that. Here is how it works . . .

Do you ever get calls like this? If they annoy you at least half as much as they annoy us, then you have a good idea of what we are talking about.

A few days ago, I found an online forum with a list of possible responses that could help you get rid of irritating callers in no time. Here are some of our favorites:

If they start out with, "How are you today?" say, "Why do you want to know?" Alternatively, you can tell them, "I'm so glad you asked, because no one these days seems to care, and I have all these problems. My arthritis is acting up, etc." When they try to get to the sell, just keep talking about your problems.

Cry out in surprise, "Amy, IS that you? Oh my God, Amy, how have you been?" Hopefully this will give Amy a few brief moments of terror as she tries to figure out where the heck she could know you from.

Tell them to talk VERY SLOWLY, because you want to write EVERY WORD DOWN.

If a female telemarketer calls your boyfriend's house ask her just why she's calling, act like you can "see right through this stupid cover-up!" and harass her for "secretly seeing" your boyfriend. Don't stop until she hangs up, or threatens to report you.

What is it that annoys us so much about these calls?

Lack of respect: Most cold callers (CCs) don't seem to care whether we are even ready to talk – or at least listen! – to someone. Perhaps they believe that the fact that we picked up the phone gives them the right to make use of our time.

Most CCs don't seem to care about what we really want: Most CCs (and many sales people, for that matter) believe that everybody should want their wonderful product and therefore pitch without hesitation.

It's about what the CC wants: Apparently, such CCs have only one thing in mind: a quick sale. That means the call is important mostly because they can benefit from it, even though they may also think that the potential buyer would possibly benefit.

We don't like being pressured: Pressure creates resistance. Even if the offered product might be something that we need, we tend to resist simply because most of us hate to be pressured.

Does any of that sound familiar to you? Have you ever wondered why many companies still use this sales method? The answer is simple: it gives them results. How?

Traditional cold calling is a numbers game, which could work as follows:

- Make 100 cold calls.

- Get 10 people to show some interest.

- Get one or two of them to buy (the lucky strikes!).

Yes, despite all the negative feelings triggered by these calls, there will always be people who listen and might even end up buying. These buyers could've been looking for such a product and the cold call was simply a timely, convenient way to get it. So if you make enough calls, you'll get some results that might make it worthwhile to continue with this approach.

What does it do to the CCs? Apparently, they must have a very strong self-esteem if they can keep using this approach despite being rejected 95 to 99 times out of 100.

What does it to the image of such companies? Needless to say, you can't build a high-quality image by using this cold-call method.

Can cold calls be made in such a way that fully respects the person being called and does not create any pressure? Can you imagine talking to a sales person who doesn't want to bully you into doing things his way as quickly as possible?

The Stop Selling! approach consists of a unique mindset combined with certain skills that helps any sales person, including cold callers, quickly create and maintain trusted relationships. This approach incorporates the realization that the seller's process, even when it leads to good results, is actually the limitation of even greater success.

Summary: Traditional cold calling is a numbers game and annoys most recipients of such calls. The "Stop Selling!" approach helps sales people quickly create a trusting relationship with prospects and customers. This is achieved through a very specific buyer-friendly mindset and skills that support this mindset.

About Charlie Lang

Charlie works with executives who are already successful and want to stay at the leading edge. They are often challenged by issues like:
- How to improve staff retention, especially how to keep top performers
- How to achieve a corporate success culture that guarantees longterm success
- How to create new levels of excellence through high employee engagement
- How to transform the business results through a different approach towards sales

Charlie, an executive coach & trainer who is known for his innovative approaches towards leadership, change processes and sales, assists his clients in mastering these challenges. They achieve outstanding results through Charlie's unique application of latest findings in research combined with his own experience in international management and leadership.

Charlie is the author of numerous articles and of the book The Groupness Factor. He delivers speeches and keynotes on sales, leadership and coaching.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

So You Think You Know Why People Buy From You

Writen by Art Sobczak

Quick, answer a question: Why do people buy from you?

Bzzzzz. Wrong, if you answered with,

• "Uhhh . . ."

• Any description of your product or service.

You get an "Incomplete" if you answered,

• "Because we have great service."

• "We have the best quality."

This might seem rather basic to some of you, but if you quit reading I promise you're cheating yourself. Unless you have an inside-and-out understanding of all the possible reasons people buy from you, you're likely inviting objections. That's because you're probably selling what you want to sell, or talking about what the company's marketing department tells you are "benefits." People buy for their reasons, not yours. Your goal on calls is to learn, remind them of, and understand their reasons for being interested in you, and ultimately buying.

An Example

Let's look at an example. A copy machine salesperson calls a smaller company, hoping to sell a copier. He speaks with the Office Manager who typically makes decisions like this one. After asking a few basic qualifying questions he learns the office has four people in it, and they now have a big old monster of a copy machine that has been in the office for about eight years.

Thinking he has a hot prospect, the rep launches into a pitch about the latest techno-copier that does everything but write the documents for you. He overwhelms the listener with a point-by-point description of each of the "benefits"-or what he thinks are benefits (they indeed are, to some people).

The prospect says, "What we have is working just fine now."

He retorts with some rendition of the "feel-felt-found" technique and rams into a brick wall. He writes this one off, and moves to the next. Same pitch, same result.

What Went Wrong?

So is the rep not skilled at closing? How about overcoming objections? Neither. You could make a case for him not being a skilled questioner, but that might not be fair. The fact is, he doesn't have a clear understanding of why people buy from him-from their perspective, not his.

You see, in this case, the Office Manager was a technophobe. She just traded in her IBM Selectric for a computer for gosh sakes! And, she is paying $300 per year, plus a per copy charge for a maintenance contract on her current dinosaur copier-about half of what a new, smaller, more reliable machine would cost to buy!

And that's not all. The prospect was really quite interested in the fact that the machine the rep was pitching could do enlargement and reduction. Her's couldn't, and she had to personally go down to the Quick Copy to have them done, and it was a tremendous hassle. But, the rep had already mentioned so many other "benefits" that were actually perceived negatives to the prospect, that she didn't think it would be worth it to talk about that one feature. However, in isolation, it could have sold her.

Even if you think you have a clue about why people buy from you, do the following exercise. And do it often, since situations change regularly.

Here's an exercise we work on in training seminars. It lays the foundation for everything else we do.

1. Identify all the different levels and types of buyers and influencers for what you sell. Describe them by title and/or function. For example, depending on the organization, you might have an Advertising Director as the buyer. In smaller companies it could be an Office Manager, or maybe even the President.

2. Taking each of these types of people, identify how they're typically evaluated in their job. A Purchasing Manager is evaluated differently than a sales manager-the former on conservation, while the latter on production. Why should we think about this? We all have a desire to survive-at the very least-in our jobs, and most of us want to thrive. Knowing how someone is measured in their environment provides insight to what makes them tick.

3. Regarding your types of product/service, what do they want and need most? Be as specific as possible. Saying, "They want good quality," doesn't cut it. If you can't see, feel, hear, touch, or taste it, how can you describe it? Good quality manifests itself in the form of "A machine that requires virtually no servicing other than routine maintenance."

4. Conversely, what do they want to avoid? Again, be specific, descriptive. Don't say "poor service." Better: "They hate having to wait three hours to get an answer to a basic technical question."

Answering these questions is just a start. After you've compiled your list, then you use the answers to create questions to determine if, indeed, these possible benefits truly are benefits.

Art Sobczak helps sales pros use the phone to prospect, service and sell more effectively, while eliminating morale-killing "rejection. To get FREE weekly emailed TelE-Sales Tips visit: http://ww.BusinessByPhone.com

Monday, February 23, 2009

3 Simple Rules For Your Next Sales Call

Writen by Shamus Brown

The other day I received a call from a telemarketer selling a website "starter kit" for small businesses. If you are reading this right now, then you undoubtedly know that I have a website. Normally, I would quickly get the telemarketer off the line so I could get back to showing people how to make more money. But this call got my attention because I thought that this might be a potential service that I could recommend to my clients. So I decided to listen to this sales pitch to evaluate the offering and the approach that the telemarketer used.

Well the rep started by going straight into a sales pitch. She was using the age-old technique of trying to complete her benefits-loaded-sales-pitch before I knew what hit me. This technique is very similar to television, radio, or print advertising where if you show your ad to enough people with a pulse, then you will eventually find a few people who actually need the service.

Instead of getting annoyed with the sales rep, I decided to have fun with the call. Once she was done with her somewhat lengthy pitch, I asked her "Do you have any idea what I even want?" Well of course, she did not because she had not asked me a single question. I could tell during her pitch that she was tense by the sound of her voice. So I started to ask her questions about the service. She answered my questions very well. I noticed by her voice that she was getting more relaxed and comfortable by my asking questions of her. I guessed that she likely was thinking that she had a buyer or a hot-prospect on the line.

Once I had asked enough questions, I told the rep that this service was not for me as I already have my own website (through the conversation, she never asked this critical, obvious question). I told her that I would keep her service in mind for clients that might need a website starter kit. I could tell that she was distressed. She tried a final closing attempt on me by pleading "Well, don't you want to at least try it out?" I said "No way - do you have any idea what a pain the a%$ changing web hosting services is?"

Lest you think of me as cruel for wasting this poor sales rep's time, I remind you that as buyers we do this to salespeople everyday when we consider making a purchase. Have you ever asked many questions of a salesperson only to go home, think over the decision, and then never buy the product? Many salespeople and entrepreneurs put up with this behavior from prospects because they exhibit this behavior themselves when making purchases.

  • QUESTION: Who was in control of the sales call?
  • ANSWER: The prospect (me).
  • QUESTION: Why didn't I buy?
  • ANSWER: Because I had no pain that the service could fulfill.

If the seller had followed these 3 simple rules, she could have been on to the next suspect on her list, instead of wasting 20 minutes on a no-sale conversation:

  1. Ask questions first to find a pain to solve. If no pain, then move one to the next suspect!
  2. Don't give away free consulting. Keep your leverage until you know that the prospect is likely to buy your product or service.
  3. When you find pain, leverage this to make the sale. People will pay a lot of money for the things that they really want.

Too many companies don't invest in the best for their sales-people. They expect you to be already trained in sales or a "natural". Well naturals aren't born, they are made. If your company isn't investing in you, then invest in yourself. People who truly make things happen, are willing to do whatever it takes to get what they want.

© 1999-2004 Shamus Brown, All Rights Reserved.

Shamus Brown is a Professional Sales Coach and former high-tech sales pro who began his career selling for IBM. Shamus has written more than 50 articles on selling and is the creator of the popular Persuasive Selling Skills CD Audio Program. You can read more of Shamus Brown's sales tips at http://Sales-Tips.industrialEGO.com/ and you can learn more about his persuasive sales skills training at http://www.Persuasive-Sales-Skills.com/

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Voice Mail Beats Live Message Taking Hands Down

Writen by Dr. Gary S. Goodman

Today, I was on the phone, pitching a new book to hard-to-reach editors.

An assistant came to the line at one place, and very pleasantly asked me if she could take a message.

Almost without exception, assistants such as this person, in the publishing world, are first-rate communicators, so you can rely on them to accurately capture your message and convey it.

But I don't leave my messages with them, as a general rule—especially if I'm promoting a new title.

Here are five, rock-solid reasons for asking the assistant to put your call into the buyer's voice mail:

(1) What you say is exactly what he or she hears. There is no "lost in translation" problem with a robot.

(2) Your buyer can hear your enthusiasm, first-hand. She won't hear it from her assistant.

(3) You can get a second bite at the apple, if your first message missed the mark, in your estimation, either by erasing it, or adding to it with a second voice message.

(4) You can speak faster, and cram in a lengthier message than most humans could ever comfortably transcribe.

(5) You don't have to "dumb down" or sanitize your message because a mediator is involved.

Don't worry; asking for voice mail isn't insulting. All you have to say, when asked, "May I take a message?" is this:

"Sure, does she have voice mail? Oh, great, my message is lengthy so may I please have that? Thanks!"

Then, you and your message are on the way, just as you want them, saying no more, and no less.

What could be better than that?

Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of http://www.Customersatisfaction.com, is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone® and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service. He is a frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide. A Ph.D. from USC's Annenberg School, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations in the United States and abroad. He is headquartered in Glendale, California, and he can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Real Estate Marketing In The Quotdo Not Callquot Era

Writen by Brandon Cornett

Real estate marketing often involves making phone calls to prospective clients. There's no way around it. But to keep yourself out of trouble -- and out of court -- you need to understand the basics of the National Do Not Call Registry.

The registry gives consumers the option of not receiving phone calls from telemarketers. Now, you might not think of yourself as a telemarketer. But by the FTC's definition, if you call a prospective client (with whom you have no existing business relationship) to offer your services ... you're a telemarketer.

How Many People Are Signed Up?

Actually, most of them! In fact, according to a recent poll conducted by the research firm Harris Interactive, about three-quarters of U.S. adults (76 percent) have signed up for the Do Not Call Registry.

When Does the Law Apply?

You have to be able to make phone calls to conduct business, and the government knows this. So follow-up phone calls are certainly allowed (and encouraged). The registry is not intended to prevent follow-up phone calls to people who have contacted you first, nor is it intended to prevent regular phone calls to existing clients.

It's those unsolicited cold calls that the legislation prevents.

Other Key Points

The purpose of this article is not to scare you into a "no phone calls, ever" state of mind. On the contrary, making phone calls is part of your business. So don't be afraid ... just be educated:

As of last year (January 1, 2005, to be exact), telemarketers and sellers are required to search the registry at least once every 31 days and drop from their call lists the phone numbers of consumers who have registered.

If a consumer makes an inquiry or submits an application to a company, the company can call for three months (unless the consumer makes a specific request that you do not call them).

In other words, if somebody calls or emails you to request information of any kind, you may call them as needed (even if they are registered on the Do Not Call list). But if they request that you do not call them, you must honor that request.

A company that has an established business relationship with a person may call that person for up to 18 months after the consumer's last purchase or payment [or last business function / meeting, in the case of real estate agents], unless the consumer asks the company not to call again.

Conclusion

Don't fear the Do Not Call Registry -- just understand it and abide by it. Avoid cold-calling prospects unless you're absolutely sure they're not on the registry. Just realize that 3 out of 4 adults in the U.S. are on the registry.

Remember, if you have an existing business relationship with somebody, the Do Not Call laws do not apply. And if somebody contacts you first, you have every right to make a follow-up call. This includes a prospect calling you, emailing you, or filling out a form on your website.

* You may republish this article in its entirety as long as you include the byline and author's note. If publishing online, please leave the hyperlinks active.

About the Author

Brandon Cornett is the founder of ArmingYourFarming.com, a web-based company that provides marketing guides to real estate agents. For dozens more articles on real estate marketing, visit http://www.armingyourfarming.com

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Overcoming The Fear Of Cold Calling

Writen by Will Turner

Do you like cold calling? Most salespeople don't. In fact, many people avoid a sales career because the idea of cold calling is so distasteful. And many salespeople fail in sales or never reach their true potential because they have never mastered cold calling.

So let's look at the art of cold calling in its simplest form. Cold calling is picking up the phone and calling someone you don't know. Most of us don't have any problem picking up and using a phone; in fact, we do it all day long. We're also able to talk to people. So the "stigma" of cold calling has nothing to do with the physical act of picking up, dialing or using the phone. It also doesn't have anything to do with talking to someone.

When we look at why we avoid cold calling, it usually centers on our fear of rejection, fear of failure or fear of the unknown. We're afraid someone is going to be annoyed with us, be mean to us, or won't respond in the way we want.

So the first step in overcoming our fear of cold calling is to recognize that our fear is self-imposed. It's stemming from us. It's our perception and attitude about cold calling that paralyzes us. Of course that means that we are also the only ones that can break the shackles that we've put on ourselves.

There are two main qualities of fear. First, fear is imaginary. In other words, our fears are our thoughts; they're in our head. Second, our fear of cold calling is always in the future. We're afraid of something that hasn't happened yet. While everyone may have fear to some extent, when we let it imprison or limit us, we have given it too much importance. Keep in mind that FEAR is "False Emotions Appearing Real."

Changing our attitude and fear about cold calling is easier said than done. Remember, our attitudes are habits of thought so to change our attitudes will take some real effort on our part even if we consciously recognize that our fears are not rational.

To conquer our fear of cold calling, remember these three basic facts about fear:

1. We all possess fear to some extent. It's normal. In fact, learning to channel your fear and the rush of adrenaline it causes can be very motivating. Fear is only debilitative when it controls your life to the extent that you limit or alter your activities. When you exercise your control of fear, you are making a conscious effort to choose your own path.

2. The fears that immobilize us are usually unfounded. What's the worse case scenario? In other words, what would happen if your fears actually came through? In the case of cold calling, a prospect may hang up on you or get short with you. While it may not be pleasant, it certainly isn't life-threatening either.

3. Fears are thoughts and you have complete control over them. You have the power and ability to replace your fearful thoughts with positive ideas and realistic expectations.

To overcome your fears, you have to change your mind. One easy way to start that process is to use your fear as a learning opportunity. In other words, you need to prepare for failure, rejection or the unknown. Your preparation will help you replace your fear with confidence.

Will Turner is the Founder and President of Dancing Elephants Achievement Group, a sales training and consulting company. Will has over 20 years of sales and sales management experience and is the author of over 150 sales-related articles and programs as well as the co-author of the book, Six Secrets of Sales Magnets. Will can be reached at Will@dancingelephants.net

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

How Effective Are You On The Telephone Important Telecommunications Tips

Writen by Chris King

I have recently received several questions that relate to telecommunications. These questions are not only geared toward the unwanted and bothersome phone calls we receive from telecommunicators trying to sell us something - although we can certainly learn what not to do from them - but also are concerned with how we can present effectively and powerfully over the telephone.

Telephone impressions are as important as in-person impressions. the first impression we make over the telephone will be lasting and will set the tone for the present and/or any upcoming interaction we will have with that person. Opportunities abound. We may be recording our own answering device message, leaving a voice mail message on someone else's device, speaking to an assistant, answering a call, making an order, asking a question or trying to establish a relationship with a potential client, What kind of impression are you making?

Remember that the person on the other end of the phone can't see you, so your voice, pacing, and words are all important. Therefore, it is imperative that you practice your telephone voice and tone as carefully as you would practice a speech in front of an audience. Use vocal variety, with tonal inflection. Add enthusiasm to your voice. Pace your words and speak clearly. And, people can hear a smile, so be sure to act and smile as if you were speaking face to face, eyeball to eyeball.

This is where we can learn from those unfortunate people who are employed by telecommunications firms and have to make calls to the unsuspecting. First of all, they seem distracted. When I answer, it usually takes them a few minutes to start their spiel. Then when they do start speaking, it is in a monotone, too quickly with no pauses or pacing (probably because they don't want us to get a chance to say, "no"). They are prepared with a written speech which is delivered poorly. This leads me to my next point.

It is important, as always, to be well prepared. The more prepared you are for any presentation, the more smoothly it will progress and the more professional you will appear. Before you record a message on your answering device, take the time to consider the impression you are trying to make. When I receive a canned message - especially one that comes with the answering system, right away I form the picture of someone rather unimaginative.

How do you want the caller to react? For a business, I don't suggest (and this has happened to me) that you have your five or six-year old leave a cute, giggly message or record a joke or wild music, etc. But, I do suggest adding some personality to your recording. Take the time to review what you have recorded and then call yourself from somewhere else to hear what you sound like. My message usually gets a "WOW!" and an answer, because one of the phrases I use is that "I am excellent at returning phone calls, so leave an interesting message, and I will get back to you as soon as possible." And, I do, which to me is telecommunications' etiquette.

Treat all your telephone exchanges with care. You will make a lasting impression to be proud of.

Chris King is a professional speaker, storyteller, writer, website creator / designer, free agent, and fitness instructor. Sign up for her eclectic E-newsletter, Portfolio Potpourri, at http://www.PowerfulPresentations.net You will find her information-packed E-book How to Leave Your Audiences Begging for MORE! at http://www.OutrageouslyPowerfulPresenter.com and her business website at http://www.CreativeKeys.biz

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

The New Telemarketing Part Vi Why Telemarketers Prefer Tnt

Writen by Dr. Gary S. Goodman

Sixth in a series of articles, we'll discuss various issues and practices associated with modern ways of selling over the phone.

*****************************************************************
The New Telemarketing™ is a set of selling practices designed to accomplish several things:

(1) To sell more goods and services than its predecessor, the "traditional" style;

(2) To be less offensive than its predecessor to buyers;

(3) To be consistent with a customer service style of communicating;

(4) To help in recruiting and retaining qualified phone representatives and managers; and

(5) To repair and reform the image of telemarketers in business and consumer communities.
*****************************************************************

Traditional telemarketing is a burn out for most reps that don't have the personality, drive, or physical constitution to stomach its challenges.

It requires call after call be made to people who respond, by and large, antagonistically.

The average non-salesperson finds this regimen daunting, and continuous rejection is alien to his or her experience and sensibilities.

She doesn't communicate in an adversarial way with her friends or family, and she probably hasn't been required to do it in other business contexts. So, why should she put up with it in a phone environment?

The negatives we associate with traditional telemarketing aren't inherent, they're matters of choice and design. The scripts we use are talk-a-thons, one-way monologues that invite incessant rejection.

If we change the communication content of calls, we'll change their impact not only on clients, but on reps, as well.

For example, traditional telemarketing is geared to telling. It tells prospects about a product's features and benefits, and it tells its way to a close.

The New Telemarketing™ is consultative, and it asks its way to a sale. It's much more in keeping with the relationship values we expect from friendship, family, and customer service; its egalitarian, and not dictatorial.

Reps like to communicate in a give-and-take manner, which is the model upon which The New Telemarketing™ is built. It is low-key and not high-pressure.

This wears well on everyone.

If you train reps, as I have, in both styles, and give them a choice, they'll opt for TNT, time and again.

In a future article, we'll discuss the fact that with The New Telemarketing™ traditional objections and rejection become much less of a concern.

Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of www.Customersatisfaction.com, is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone®, You Can Sell Anything By Telephone! and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service, and the audio program, "The Law of Large Numbers: How To Make Success Inevitable," published by Nightingale-Conant. He is a frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide. A Ph.D. from USC's Annenberg School, a Loyola lawyer, and an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School at Claremont Graduate University, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations in the United States and abroad. He holds the rank of Shodan, 1st Degree Black Belt in Kenpo Karate. He is headquartered in Glendale, California, and he can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com

Monday, February 16, 2009

You Can Sell Anything By Telephone

Writen by Dr. Gary S. Goodman

Just this week, one of my coaching clients asked me this question:

"Do you think we can sell our product by telephone?"

It's a question that I've been hearing for years in my seminars. Can X or Y be sold this way?

Finally, I wrote the best-selling book, YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE!

I stand by this claim; you can still do it, and the onus is on others to prove you cannot.

But here's the key, what I didn't reveal in the title: You may or may not be able to do it, profitably.

For example, a client that I had done a great job for in the security alarm business decided to buy an interest in a well known consumer electronic technology, and he called me and asked, "Can we sell this by phone?"

Quickly, I calculated that it would be difficult, but achievable. In other words, yes it can be done; but no, it cannot be done, profitably.

My instincts told me you just won't get the number of sales to make this a paying proposition, when compared to using alternatives, such as direct mail, and retail sales channels.

Anyway, he pushed me for a simple yes or no and I told him it would cost him a day of my time so I could hear more about the pricing, packaging, promotional accompaniments, and so on.

He declined to retain me for that, and he went on to lose millions trying to sell this device by phone.

As you can imagine, I use this example in many ways, to not only demonstrate something about the telephone as a sales tool, but also something about the value of information and reasoned, seasoned judgment.

So, the next time you hear or ask this question, appreciate the answer is yes, but there is always an asterisk next to the word!

Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of Customersatisfaction.com, is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone® and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service, and the audio program, "The Law of Large Numbers: How To Make Success Inevitable," published by Nightingale-Conant. He is a frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide. A Ph.D. from USC's Annenberg School, a Loyola lawyer, and an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School at Claremont Graduate University, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations in the United States and abroad. He holds the rank of Shodan, 1st Degree Black Belt in Kenpo Karate. He is headquartered in Glendale, California, and he can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Telemarketing How To Handle The Job

Writen by Michael Russell

This is probably a guide that most telemarketers wish they were given before they began their job. The truth is, telemarketing is hard work. People don't like being called in the middle of dinner only to be asked what brand of toothbrush they prefer or if they would be interested in a free trial subscription to Redbook. Potential customers can get very nasty. Some will simply hang up, but what happens when you get one who actually wants to talk to you? These tips on handling those who do and those who don't will help a lot.

Telemarketers are given a script. They are told under no uncertain terms to follow the script. But the truth is, these scripts can get annoying and make you sound like a robot. So if you find an opportunity to get away from the script, even a little bit, do it. Don't let your supervisor bully you. If he should catch you and asks you why you deviated from the script, tell him that you felt it was necessary to do so. If you ended up making a sale, show him your sheet. That should shut him up.

Part of the script is of course inserting your name. This is something you'll only learn from experience but if you are of an ethnic background, such as Jewish or Spanish, you need to have an understanding of the area you're calling. For example, if your name is Sam Goldberg and you're calling an area that you know to be predominantly Jewish, then by all means keep your real name, but if you're calling an area that you know to be predominately Christian then you might want to think of changing your name to a more Christian sounding or even neutral sounding name for these areas. Perhaps Stan Green will do fine. Believe it or not, it makes a difference to how people will relate to you.

When talking to people on the phone who are generally interested in what you have to offer, if they ask you a tough question, one that you know the answer to will not make them happy, don't lie. It will only come back to haunt you and the company in the form of a returned item or worse. Tell them the truth, but always stress the benefits over that one negative. Try to make the customer see that it would be in their best interests to at least give your product a try. Tell them that it comes with a money back guarantee so they can always return it if they're not satisfied.

If you're a telemarketer doing a demographic survey where you have to ask the person a lot of questions about themselves and their buying habits, try to mix in some casual discussion with the questions. For example, say you are asking them what their favorite soap is and they say a brand that you never heard of. Tell them you never heard of it. Ask them what they think of it. Ask them if it's any good. If they say it's great tell them that you may try it sometime. Be personable with these people. It will make the conversation go a lot quicker.

More important that anything else, be yourself. Try to enjoy what you're doing. If you let your personality shine through in the calls then people will enjoy talking to you and your job will be a lot easier. For those who are nasty with you and hang up on you, don't take it personally. Shrug it off and move on to the next call.

Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Telemarketing

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Telemarketing Services

Writen by Damian Sofsian

Telemarketing has emerged as a popular and effective marketing tool. More and more companies are adopting this method owing to the quicker responses received. Companies often outsource their telemarketing services to third party telemarketing firms. The outsourcing enables the companies to concentrate on their core activities, while the telemarketing firms handle the telemarketing services. One of the advantages of utilizing the services of professional telemarketing firms is their expertise in handling a wide range of customers. Outsourcing telemarketing services generally proves to be a wise business decision.

Telemarketing can be broadly classified into inbound telemarketing and outbound telemarketing. A standard firm offering telemarketing services deals with both these kinds of marketing. Telemarketing firms also offer other services such as business-to-business telemarketing, business-to-consumer telemarketing, and automated telemarketing. Some specialized telemarketing services include voice broadcasting, sales lead generation, answering service, appointment fixing, order processing, and sales report generation. These services are provided at a cost effective and reliable manner. Telemarketing can be outsourced for better results and professional services. The outsourcing of telemarketing services has now emerged as a key component in a company's sales initiatives.

Third-party telemarketing firms usually have tie-ups with numerous companies for selling their diverse range of products and services. The expertise gained in dealing with a diverse customer base can be utilized effectively for telemarketing at different regions with different ethnic populations. Some customers complain that marketing calls are a pestering problem. They enlist themselves into some state or federal do-not-call lists. It is a serious offence to call these customers for any commercial or marketing purposes. The telemarketing firms therefore maintain do-not-call lists in their databases.

Telemarketing provides detailed information on Telemarketing, Telemarketing Software, Telemarketing Services, Telemarketing Lists and more. Telemarketing is affiliated with Telemarketing Lead Lists.

Friday, February 13, 2009

Karma Of Phone Prospecting

Writen by Scott Adams

Do you ever wake up on the wrong side of the bed? Does the rest of the day just follow suit? Have you ever thought that your attitude towards the day might just be coming back to you through misfortunes and bad things through out the day?

Well it happens and it is called KARMA.

KARMA is defined as if you put a negative out there it will come back to you in the form of another negative. So you could say you get back what you put out there.

So lets relate that to your calling of leads.

If you put out a negative presentation you get back a negative result commonly phrased as "I am not interested", "Is this a pyramid scheme", "Is this MLM", or "does this cost anything". So how do you create a positive presentation in order to get back a positive result?

Let call the process of creating an effective phone presentation the K.A.R.M.A. of Phone Presentations.

KNOWLEDGE of the industry is the first thing you need to consider when putting together your presentation. You see if your prospect doesn't have a basic understanding of the MLM business model it will be virtually impossible to develop a successful downline partner. You need to be sure they have an understanding before you can expect them to be productive in your downline. The best way to find this out is to ask early on in your conversation if they could define MLM or Network Marketing.

ACTION step is required at this point. You need to go one of two ways. If they understand MLM or Network Marketing you can move onto the next step. If they don't understand the industry your best move is to educate them before you move into any kind of presentation of your company or product. Make sure you have some websites or emails that you can send them in order to educate them about the industry. Wouldn't you agree that if you were going to start a restaurant business you ought to know something about the industry? So why should it be any different in our industry? Once you provide education for them then you can follow up with them and move onto the next step.

REASONS for each person vary. But as you and I both know there are several reasons that are common and it is important that you begin to find out why they want to start a home-based business. This will begin to make a connection between you and the prospect. You may even find out that you have the same reason as your prospect. This stage is really a stage where you get to know the person. Be sure to NOT ask how much time and money they have to invest when getting to know them.

MATCHING the prospect to your business is the next stage of an effective presentation. Use what you have learned about your prospect and create a bridge between where they are today and your opportunity. Let them know with confidence that with all you know about them at this point you feel your company is a great match for them and it would be worth it to take a closer look.

ACTION time is again upon you. You must now give them the next step in the exploring process. Your company most likely has a process laid out for you whether it is to do a 3-way call with your upline, connect them to a live presentation, or simply send them to your website for more information.

Follow the K.A.R.M.A. presentation and you will be on your way to getting the positive results you desire when calling your leads.

Make it the Best Day Yet,

Scott Adams

Scott Adams is the owner of Home-based business Training & Support company called http://www.Leads2YourSuccess.com; The mission is simple - to help you grow your business!

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Incoming Telemarketing Sales And Upgrades

Writen by Lance Winslow

Every incoming call to your business is a potential sale and you should consider each and every phone call, which does come into your company as a potential future customer and an incoming telemarketing sales call. You should also train your staff to ask questions of the customer and find out what it is they really want and figure out how your company can best supply them with their needs and desires.

This will help your company with sales upgrades from incoming telemarketing. Consider a suggestive sale at a fast food restaurants, when the person behind the counter asks you; would you like to super size that? Or would you like a pastry with your Starbucks coffee. Fast food restaurants estimate that 45 percent of the people will upgrade themselves if you ask the question or suggestive sell. This will increase sales and help with profitability.

Most sales training companies will recommend this as it is a known fact and that is that your current customers are 10 times more likely to buy from you than someone off the street. From a marketing standpoint it makes sense to spend more time and money on your current customers and helping them to everything that they need since they have already chosen to do business with you.

With incoming telemarketing sales upgrades it is very important to your business and you should pay attention to all aspects of this. You should train your employees to recognize customers who need more information and education them about your products and services. I sincerely hope you will consider this in 2006.

Lance Winslow

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

How To Overcome Telemarketing Cold Calling Barriers

Writen by Jason Morris

Sometimes making cold calls gives us a strange feeling in our gut. We become stuck, flustered and the phone turns into the heaviest dumbell you are ever likely to pick up. Unless you combat this feeling I'm afraid it only gets worse, even getting to the point where we are a nervous and hate the phone.

However, practice makes perfect and such reluctance is normally more evident in people that are new to cold calling and telemarketing in general. Well here's the good news, cold calling doesn't have to be the nerve tingling dreadful experience we all know it can be.

In telemarketing we tend to create our own fears. For example we may be put off making a call to a prospect because he'll be offended if he's busy, or if we call during lunch he'll be upset, or he has probably been called a thousand times before about this particular product, deal or service. It is human nature to make matters seem worse than what they actually are, thereby creating our own fears.

As human beings we have great tendancies to make excuses, and this is especially so in the telemarketing profession. This can become a sticking point when it comes to cold calling or even when calling warm leads. We subconciously tell ourselves that we don't have the correct resources to get the job done without some other form of external help. We may feel that we should send some more information first or ask them to fill in yet another survey.

Three tips for cold calling success

Don't care what anyone else thinks - Separate yourself from that part of your personality that thinks cold calling is wrong and a bad way to find new business. Stop kidding yourself and telling yourself that there is a better way to drum up new prospects and business which suits your personality better, such as email, media advertising or direct mail. The real truth of the fact is that nothing is as effective as telemarketing when it comes to winning new business.

Define your reluctancies - decide that your call reluctancies can be managed effectively by highlighting tendancies and excuses outlined above. Use an approach that seeks to gain feedback from your calls, and will hopefully show that your fears are totally unfounded.

Tell yourself you CAN - in telemarketing it is necessary to tell yourself that you CAN make those calls, and when you do more new business will follow. Most tendancies and fears are based on a projection of what you think a prospect will say to you when you call. This fear builds to the point where one part of your personality tries to protect the other from what is only presumed harm, and in actual fact will more than likely prove to be a falicy.

Jason Morris is the Business Development Manager of Intramation Limited, as well as a Co-founder and marketing consultant of Business Phone Systems Direct. Specialists in all Telecoms, IT and telemarketing solutions

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

If Cold Calling Works For You

Writen by Frank Rumbauskas

I receive e-mails on a regular basis from people who state that cold calling is working perfectly well for them and that they've become quite successful by it. That's fine - as I've always said, if it works for you, then keep doing it. My materials are for people who either are not getting results from cold calling, or who simply do not enjoy it and do not want to do it anymore.

If you feel that cold calling is working just fine for you, this chapter is for you. The problem with being satisfied with the results of cold calling is that you fail to see cold calling's biggest flaw and why it imposes strict limitations on your sales production.

Here's something to think about. Even if cold calling is working for you, you're failing to use the amazing power of LEVERAGE to your advantage. What I'm getting at is the fact that as a cold caller, you can only make one call at a time or knock on one door at a time. Add into that the fact that you must also fit appointments and other work such as generating proposals into every business day, and your ability to make a large number of quality cold calls diminishes rapidly.

Here's the pattern I typically see – and that I experienced myself – with people who rely on cold calling for generating business, and who feel that it's working for them:

Month 1: Sales are down. Most free time is spent cold calling. Leads are generated and plenty of first appointments take place but the salesperson falls short of quota for the month.

Month 2: Numerous second appointments take place and proposals are presented. The salesperson spends lots of time working to close sales and is successful. Quota achievement is far in excess of 100% this month.

Month 3: The salesperson spends plenty of time on customer service issues this month, and following up with all the customers who bought last month. After all, it's normal to be busy with these issues after a huge month. By the end of the month, everything is taken care of, but sales are in the gutter and far below quota this month because most time was spent taking care of all those issues, and to make matters worse, the pipeline is now empty and there are no more prospects to work on. The cycle starts all over again with month 1.

As you can see, this cycle of cold-hot-cold guarantees failure and is one of the key reasons why cold calling rarely, if ever, results in success. If anything, it allows salespeople to make quota every third month, barely avoid probation, and therefore keep their jobs.

By contrast, systems of self-marketing allow you to use the power of LEVERAGE. Let's say you do well at cold calling and continue to make, say, 30 calls a day. What if you could put systems into place that effectively made an additional 300 calls per day while you're free to do other things? If your 30 calls per day generated one hot lead, wouldn't a system that performs the equivalent of 300 calls generate 10 hot leads in a day?

This is the power of leverage, and this is where those who rely solely on cold calling are missing out. If cold calling works for you then keep it up, but doesn't it make sense to add to it and increase your number of leads exponentially? Then you'll be so busy with all the appointments that you really will drop cold calling after all – you won't have time for it anymore with so many people calling you, ready to buy!

Frank Rumbauskas is the author of the hit sensation "Cold Calling Is A Waste Of Time: Sales Success In The Information Age". His training and products teach salespeople how to generate hot leads without cold calling and how to keep their power and remain in control of sales situations. For more information please visit http://www.nevercoldcall.com

Monday, February 9, 2009

A Screener And Voice Mail Tactic To Avoid

Writen by Art Sobczak

Sometimes I see a sales guru in print suggesting a technique so unrealistic and outrageous I don't even bother to get upset. I know most sane people would dismiss it.

However, here's one I've seen at least three times within the past month, each attributed to a different person, each time in a different publication or on-line source. I must address it.

The tip is always aimed at outside reps setting appointments by phone. These goofball "authorities" suggest when you're having a difficult time reaching a buyer and getting screened, or they're not returning calls . . . leave a message on voice mail saying,

"I'm having a difficult time reaching you. I would like to meet with you to show you what we can do for you. I'll be in your area, and unless I hear from you otherwise, I'll interpret that as a sign of interest, and I'll stop by at 9:00 a.m. on Friday."

You've got to be kiddin' me! Heck, why stop with the appointment? Why not say,

"Since you haven't returned my messages, I assume you want to buy from me. I'll ship 30 cases right out to you unless I hear from you before Friday."

How pompous. How idiotic. When I read nonsense like this, everything else the author says has no credibility with me, since I must assume he's not speaking from experience.

Recommendation

So why does any salesperson not get calls returned, or get screened out? Simple. Their listeners do not perceive returning the call (or, putting the call through in the screener's case) as worthwhile, containing anything of value to them.

Many sales people create errors of omission (not saying anything of value to persuade the listener otherwise, or being evasive with a screener) or commission (leaving messages that are salesperson-oriented and product-centered, which scream out, "I only care about selling something!"

As we've talked about so many times here, when attempting to reach a buyer be certain that you have a results-oriented statement that will pique curiosity. You don't need to sell them; just get them curious enough to want to spend a little time with you by phone. You can and should use the same ideas you'd present in an opening statement.

For example,

"Mike, the reason I'm calling is that I understand you're now considering upgrading your office network. Depending on how far you are in the process, I might have a few ways to streamline that upgrade as well as make sure you don't overspend on hardware. I'd like to ask a few questions to determine if it would be worth our while to spend some time together. My number is . . ."

Trickery and outrageous tactics only contribute to the stereotype of the typical "salesperson." Articulate the value you can potentially deliver, and you'll earn the right to speak with more people who can and will buy from you.

Art Sobczak helps sales pros use the phone to prospect, service and sell more effectively, while eliminating morale-killing "rejection. To get FREE weekly emailed TelE-Sales Tips visit: http://ww.BusinessByPhone.com

Sunday, February 8, 2009

How To Stop Cold Calls From Feeling Intrusive

Writen by Ari Galper

4 key ways to be seen as helpful while cold calling

Can't you tell when somebody wants something from you? I certainly can. And it usually feels inconvenient and intrusive. So you can understand, then, why potential clients will often run for cover when your cold call is only about "making the sale." Most people sense that cold calls are self-serving to the person calling. You can almost hear the unspoken thought, "You want something, right? Otherwise why would you be calling?" This triggers almost immediate resistance.

For cold calling to be done in a non-intrusive way, we must shift the perception away from "you want something," into "you are being helpful." When our cold calls do not feel intrusive, people naturally are more open to talking with us. Shifting this perception in others is all about shifting a perspective within ourselves. Focusing on being helpful takes us away from the traditional sales mindset. In the old mindset, we talk about ourselves and our product or service. In this new approach, we're focusing on potential clients and what may be helpful to them.

To be perceived as helpful, we must actually be helpful. If we try to use "being seen as helpful" as just another sales technique, people will sense our hidden agenda and react with suspicion. Be sincere in your approach and desire to help the other person.

Here's how to stop being intrusive and start being helpful:

1. Make It About Them, Not About You

We've all learned that when we begin a conversation with a potential client, we should talk about ourselves, our product, and our solution. But this self-focus almost always feels intrusive to the other person and shuts down the possibility of a genuine conversation.

Instead, step directly into their world. Open the conversation with a question rather than a sales pitch. For example, "I'm just giving you a call to see if your company is grappling with unpaid invoices issues?" Never let the person feel that your focused on your own needs, goals, or agenda. Communicate that we're calling with 100 percent of your thoughts and energy focused on their needs.

2. Avoid the Artificial Salesperson Enthusiasm

People feel pushed along by artificial enthusiasm. This triggers rejection because it feels very intrusive to be pushed by someone they don't know. Artificial enthusiasm includes some expectation that our product or service is a great fit for them. Yet, we've never spoken with them before, much less had a full conversation with them. We can't possibly know much about them or their needs. And so to them, we are simply someone who wants to sell them something.

It is better to modestly assume you know very little about them. Invite them to share with you some of their concerns and difficulties. And allow them to guide the conversation, even when it means getting "off track" a bit.

3. Focus on One Compelling Problem to Solve

Don't go into a pitch the way you would if you were operating out of the traditional sales mindset. Make what you say about them, not about you. Try to keep in mind that who you are and what you have to offer are irrelevant at this moment. The key is to identify a problem that you believe the other person might have. Depending on your business or industry, here are some examples of what you might say:

I'm just calling if you'd be open to looking at any possible hidden gaps in your business that might be causing sales losses?

I'm just calling to see if you're grappling with problems of employee performance related to a lack of training support?

I'm just calling to see if you're open to looking at whether any department in your company might be losing revenue due to vendor overcharges?

Address one specific, concrete problem that you know most businesses experience. Don't make any mention of you or any solutions you have to offer. Remember, it's always about them, not about you.

4. Consider "Where Should We Go From Here?"

Let's say the initial call turns into a positive and friendly conversation. The other person feels you're offering something valuable, and wants to know more. Both of you feel there may be a match. Rather than focusing on making a sale at this point, you can simply say, "Well, where do you think we should go from here?"

This question reassures potential clients that you're not using the conversation to fulfill your own hidden agenda.

Rather, your giving them space and time to come to their own conclusions. You're helping them create their own path, and you will follow.

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Sales Speaker Says Cold Calling Advice Is Usually Cheap Amp Wrong

Writen by Dr. Gary S. Goodman

Show me anybody that ever sold anything by phone, or even came close, and I'll show you another world expert in cold calling.

That bozo who still couldn't tie his shoelaces by himself, and he was in the fifth grade; he's a cold calling guru now because someone taught him to read a script and he followed it, word for word, and got lucky, at least once.

That "motivational speaker" who had the temerity to get on the phone and to tout his own phoning abilities, yes he, too became a wunderkind of the wired and now wireless world.

Talk about someone who had maybe one year of experience and has sold that to other people, since then, year after year!

Yes, the one-eyed man is king in the land of the blind, and most salespeople are clueless about the ins and outs of dialing and smiling.

They're such ignorati, in fact, that they follow these utterly stupid pieces of advice:

Never cold call, because it is a waste of time.

If you cold call, always ask, "Do you have a minute" or "Are you busy" before going beyond the greeting.

Put as many suspects into your pipeline as possible and follow-up with every one of them.

Always ask a lot of questions because they involve the buyer.

Never leave voice mail messages, because nobody will call back a stranger.

I could go on, because the fictions are innumerable.

So, is there such a thing as a genuine cold calling expert?

There are such people, and we'll talk about them in the next article.

Every minute of every day, someone in the world is reading a book or an article written by Dr. Gary S. Goodman. Best-selling author of 12 books and more than 850 articles, Gary is considered a foremost expert in telephone effectiveness, customer service, and sales development. A top-rated speaker, seminar leader, and consultant, his clients extend across the globe and the organizational spectrum, from the Fortune 1000 to small businesses. He can be reached at: gary@customersatisfaction.com.

Friday, February 6, 2009

Telephone Sales For Cell Phone Adapters

Writen by Lance Winslow

Cellular telephone accessory companies will often use the telephone to make sales to their cell phone customers. Often, this makes the telephone subscriber upset because they are paying for these minutes. However, if the telephone sales are done during the non-peak hours where the people are getting free unlimited minutes then generally the cell phone subscribers are not very upset.

One of the things telephone salespeople will ask is are you happy with the service? Do you like your phone? Would you like to upgrade your phone? Have you seen our new phones? Do you need any additional car battery adapter? Do you need a new leather carrying case? If so I can take your credit card over the phone right now or I can put it on your cell phone bill if you'd like. I will mail it out to you right away and you should have it within two or three working days; would that be okay for you?

Perhaps you can see why telephone sales and sales for cell phone adapters work so well and why so many companies are doing this. The telephone salesperson will act like this is a service to you to check up on cell phone service and see how you are doing and if there's anything you need but in actuality it is a pure sales call to sell you stuff. Consider all this in 2006.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

Thursday, February 5, 2009

What Can I Do If I Dont Make My Sales Quota

Writen by D.M. Arenzon

As you know it can be very discouraging if you miss your sales quota! You may begin to doubt yourself and your abilities as a salesperson. This is where our negative self-talk can get the best of us and we may start to internalize thoughts like, "I'm not good enough" or "I just don't have what it takes." The powerful thing here is that you have a choice and that choice is your attitude. If you decide to feel sorry for yourself and doubt your sales abilities then you will be pushed down a very dark staircase that leads no where---that's self-destructive.

Or, the other option that you have is to take this time to reflect and analyze what you can do better the next time around so that you make and exceed your numbers. Here are five practical suggestions that you can use the next time you do not make your sales quota:

1. LEARN FROM TEMPORARY SITUATIONS.

When you miss your numbers it's a temporary situation in the big scheme of things. I suggest that you use this time as an opportunity to figure out what is working and what is not working. Thomas Edison once said, "Just because something doesn't do what you planned it to do doesn't mean it's useless." If you apply these words of Edison and compare them to the attributes of a successful marketer (and in your case a telephone marketer) you will see many similarities and they can be summarized in seven words: "Testing, testing and more testing equates to success." If you perceive this situation as a learning opportunity rather than as an obstacle to your success your results will be that much greater!

2. STOP NEGATIVE SELF-TALK AND REFLECT ON YOUR PAST SUCCESS.

A great way to avoid negative self-talk is by reflecting on your past success. You may want to internalize thoughts like, "I've made my numbers before, I've been successful in the past and I can do it again!" Once you have made these associations from your past it's now time to take action! Remember this Chinese Proverb: "Talk does not cook rice!"

3. TRANSFORM YOURSELF INTO A BALL OF POSITIVE ENERGY.

Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist, poet, and philosopher once said, "The person who sends out positive thoughts activates the world around him positively and draws back to himself positive results." Per Emerson, a positive attitude attracts positive energy and in turn creates opportunities for success. The question is how do you motivate yourself to be positive?

Based on my experience, you need to do things that make you happy. For example, you can go to Starbucks, go shopping, exercise or listen to motivational tapes. One interesting idea to "Transform yourself into a ball of positive energy" is to change the aesthetics of your office or cubicle. You could try adding a few plants, toys around your desk or advertise your favorite motivational quotes on signs around your office. Sometimes new environments can change your behavior and in turn inspire you to take action!

4. THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING PERSISTENT.

According to the National Sales Executive Association, 2% of sales are made on the1st contact, 3% of sales are made on the 2nd contact, 5% of sales are made on the 3rd contact, 10% of sales are made on the 4th contact and 80% of sales are made on the 5th-12th contact. Based on these numbers, if you are only contacting your sales prospect just a few times then you may want to re-think your prospecting strategy.

These statistics indicate that you need to be persistent to make the sale. However, another reason that you must be persistent is to gain the respect of your sales prospect. What do I mean here? The prospects that you are contacting should be very successful executives and these people did not get to where they are by being reactive, but rather by being proactive. They will draw from their past work experience and quickly associate with your tenacity.

As a result of your efforts, they will respect you for your persistence. In fact, your persistence may act as a catalyst that helps to reduce resistance and move you even closer to a sale! Finally, the next time you have contacted your prospect multiple times with no response please remember this line, "Pleasant persistence wears down resistance." Do you know what time it is now? It's time to go back and call some of the prospects that you have given up on!

5. DIVERSIFY YOUR CALL LISTS.

It's important to make sure that you have several different types of calls lists in your prospecting database. For example, you may have one list from a local chamber, another from a mailing that you did to potential prospects or a list of exhibitors at a tradeshow. You should have dozens or more of these lists and you need them as a way to diversify your day. As a final suggestion, when you complete a sale write down where you got the lead. This way you can quickly determine which lists are most effective and which ones are not!

Copyright 2006 MR. COLD CALL SEMINARS - All rights reserved.

Mr. Cold Call is the author of "How To Have Fun Cold Calling" and "114 Common Sales Objections, 153 Clever And Savvy Responses." According to Mr. Cold Call, "Your cold call success is dependent on 11 winning personality traits (known as your Telephone Persona Of Success! )." Collectively, these traits allow you to uniquely market yourself over the telephone so that you can inspire your prospect's curiosity and reduce their resistance. Are you interested in finding out more about Mr. Cold Call? Then sign-up for his weekly cold calling tips at http://www.mrcoldcall.com

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

How To Be A Cold Calling Superstar

Writen by Gavin Ingham

Our emotions and feelings are changing all of the time based on our interpretation of events. Does this mean that even a sales superstar feels bad if they lose a big deal? Of course they do. They wouldn't be human if they didn't. It's natural for your feelings to fluctuate as you go about your business.

Take a moment and imagine a bad day selling on the phone. It's been awful. You've been cold calling for over 3 hours and you've had rejection after rejection after rejection. You've had enough and you're bored and disconsolate. How would you be sitting? Most people would be leaning forward, hunched up. Your head might be down, your breathing shallow. You'd be speaking quietly and your hand may well be partly covering your mouth. You'd probably be looking down too and your facial expression would be boredom. But I didn't have tell you any of that. You already know what physiology goes with a bad day on the phone or in any selling scenario.

The quickest way to change the way that you feel in any given moment is by changing your physiology. Physiology is your changing expression through your physical body – how you breathe, stand, sit, walk, move, smile etc – and it's hard wired to the way you feel. Your physiology and your feelings are so interconnected that you can use one to change the other and vice versa.

Imagine now the next call. You start off the same but as you do the client starts to take an interest. He's quite perky and positive. You sit up a bit and your head comes up. He starts to ask you questions and show a real interest. You sit right up, smile and start to fill your lungs. You smile again. Finally, he asks you to tell him more about your flagship product. You stand up, push your shoulders back and confidently start to tell him about the product. Did you consciously decide to make these physiological changes? No! Your mind and body just knew that these were necessary to deliver the right message. But what about the 20 calls before? Did those clients get the right message? Probably not?

Whilst we all know that changing our physiology changes the way that we feel we rarely take conscious control of it. In order to change our physiology it's essential that we are aware of all of the key elements that make up our physiology. As already mentioned they are – breathing, posture, movement and facial expressions.

Breathing

Breathing is an unconscious action. At least, I hope that it is! I wouldn't want you to get really busy and forget to breathe. Now that really would be a mistake! Obviously, breathing must be an unconscious task and that is a major positive for the human race however there is a negative side to this. Because breathing is unconscious we don't generally choose to focus on our breathing.

When we are stressed or angry or we face confrontation we tend to breathe faster and more shallowly. As you start to breathe faster this sends a message to your feelings and they intensify, so you start to breathe faster still and so on in a loop. Certainly this reaction might be perfect if you need to fight a wild animal but if you want to deal professionally with a client then maybe it's not so suitable. Learning when to stop, take a break and breathe more deeply can really help you to break your pattern both during difficult sales situations such as cold calling, negotiating and presenting.

Conversely, when you are bored and tired your breathing gets slower and deeper. This sends a message to your feelings and you start to breathe even deeper and so on in a loop. This does nothing to help you to feel or sound energised. Certainly, if you're not energised and dynamic when you're selling your product you can't expect the client to be. Learning to recognise when either your physiology or your emotions change and to change your breathing patterns will considerably increase your energy levels when selling.

Movement

If someone walked into the office slowly and with little movement how do you think they feel? Conversely, if someone strode into the office purposefully and with a bouncing gait how do you think they feel? Not hard to guess is it! We all know that movement changes the way we feel. If you've been sitting reading for a while tell me where your energy is at the moment on a scale of 1 to 10. Try getting up and moving around the room a bit. Stand up a sit down, do some moderate exercise (health permitting!) for a few seconds. Have your energy levels gone up? Do you feel more energised? Of course you do.

When I run coaching sessions I can usually tell who the positive members of the team are from the way that they walk across the car park on their way to work. I don't use this information as it could be misleading but it is usually spot on. People who do regular exercise know the value of movement for changing the way that they feel and for creating energy. As a sales person you need to use movement to control your emotions and to maximise your sales success.

Facial Expressions

I have recently become a very proud uncle. I haven't had the experience of being around babies before and it is very interesting for someone who is so intrigued by human potential and development. Liberty is nearly 4 months old and one of the areas of her development that has really interested me is watching her use her facial expressions. She seems to have been born with some of them but not others. Certainly, she could pull a screaming face straight away but smiling took a few weeks. I wonder if she knew how to smile already and just couldn't physically do it or whether she copied it. In any case, her facial expressions are now firmly hardwired to the way that she is feeling. How do I know? Because she never smiles and screams at the same time and she never coohs and pulls her pained face! Even at her age she doesn't make mistakes in this – not any! In fact, if you can get her to smile or laugh when she's screaming she will stop screaming instantly and start cooing again!

Surely it's not that easy? Indeed it is! Think of the habitually miserable people in your organisation... do they smile all of the time? Nope. And if you now think of someone who you'd describe as positive and happy I'd like to guess that they smile quite a lot of the time. Would you go around with a friend who didn't smile at you ever? I doubt it. Taking time to be aware of your daily facial expressions is well worth the effort. Interestingly, many of the salespeople I work with are unaware that they don't smile that often and when they do this (silly) exercise they find themselves winning more new clients. Now isn't that strange.

Posture

Posture is the way that you sit and stand. Our posture says a lot about us. I first became aware of this through an old work colleague who was particularly negative and depressed. He always saw the bad side of everything. His shoulders were forward, his back not straight and his chin down all of the time. When he did telesales he would be hunched up like a weather beaten sack of spuds! When he visited clients he used to shuffle in like an old man. On the other end of the scale thing about how a sales superstar would sit and stand in similar situations.

Working with salespeople and telesales teams I often know immediately where they are through their physiology. Once I have built rapport with them one of the first things I do is change their physiology through exercises and games. Not only is this the quickest way to change the way that they feel but it supports the deeper changes that often need to be made.

Exercise: Physiology Benchmark

Think of the best telesales call that you've ever made. Remember it in as much detail as you can. Who were you speaking to? Why did you do such a good job? What was so great about it? Now imagine yourself making a call twice as good. Go on! I dare you! You can do it!

As you imagine this amazing call I want you to take the time to think about your physiology. In your logbook take the time to describe it in detail or draw a picture (go on – have fun!). It's incredibly important that you benchmark this physiology so that you know what you are striving for.

Top 5 Tips for Maintaining a Positive Telesales Physiology

1. Put a mirror on your desk so that you can monitor your habitual facial expressions. I know, I know – people are going to laugh at you! If you knew this would double your sales would you do it? Of course you would. So how much does it have to help before you do it and why do you care what average performers think anyway? Go get one!

2. Keep your head up. When you raise your head and eyes above the horizontal line you will feel much more empowered. Try it. When I work with telesales teams and individuals I often put a banner or a slogan on the wall about two feet above eye level. Make it motivational and make sure that it means something to you and your team. If you're a sales manager and you see a call start to go awry get the sales person to look up.

3. Stand up periodically when you are doing telesales, particularly at the start of calls. If you don't like talking on the phone and standing up try standing up between calls occasionally. Standing up changes your whole physiology. It also changes your ability to utilise your whole voice and it's whole range.

At the end of a live telesales training I was once running a coaching session where the delegates were ringing live contacts to set up appointments. One of the delegates was on a particularly strong call and was standing up. He was just coming to the point where he was going to close for the meeting and he would have got it. As he realised that this was coming up he pulled up his chair and sat down. As he did so, his whole physiology, tone and confidence fell. It was obvious to even a non-trained observer. He half-heartedly tried to close the client and the client objected. His head lowered and I could see the opportunity slipping away.

The client was getting into objection mode and was really questioning the validity of having a meeting. I snapped my fingers above and to the front of the sales person's face to break his pattern and get his attention. As he looked up, I gestured at him to stand up and as he did so I moved his chair away so he had to continue his call standing. His physiology changed again, he rapidly took control of the call and he set the appointment.

Results may not be quite so dramatic and obvious for you but they will be there!

4. Wear a headset. I heard your cry of horror so I'll repeat it, wear a headset. Don't make excuses, try it. If you're thinking anything about it being uncomfortable, unnatural or weird I will repeat myself again. Wear a headset. I have always recommended the wearing of headsets and it always seems to have been in the top 5 most debated pieces of advice I give! I think this is because we are all conditioned to pick up the phone and it seems unnatural to not do so. Until wearing a headset feels natural you haven't yet experienced the benefits of using a headset. I guarantee that if you try it for long enough it will feel natural and it will improve your calls.

If you think about it for a moment it's obvious why wearing a headset will improve both your feelings and physiology and the quality of the call. It's because it frees you up to move and act naturally. You get totally into the call without this little plastic barrier wedged up against your ear.

Another spin off benefit of wearing a headset is that in my experience your call rate will go up by as much as 20%!

5. Make cold calling sessions a maximum of 45 minutes long! You weren't expecting that were you! I believe cold calling and telesales is something that you should perform at 100% and to do this you need to work in concentrated bursts. Now don't get me wrong, I agree that telesales is a numbers game however you can also explode your performance by making more impactful calls. 100 useless calls is no better than 50 useless ones! Neither are satisfactory. Far better that you make a good number of powerful calls.

As an individual or a team leader what you need to do is have a 2 minute session to set mini-objectives for your telesales session. Then you focus 100% on the sessions for 45 minutes. You don't send out literature, take incoming calls, talk to your neighbour or get disturbed. You ring clients. At the end of the session you have a quick 2 minute session to measure your performance, take a short break and then decide what to do next.

I sometimes work with clients who "say" that there is no way they could endorse this as their salespeople cold call all day. When we run these high intensity sessions I prove time and time again that most sales people do more in 45 minutes than they normally do in a whole day! In any case, there is nothing stopping the trained professional who has run several empowered sessions and who can stay focused for the whole 45 minutes to run several sessions in a day. The key is to focus on staying at high intensity for the whole of the 45 minutes. I would always prefer that my teams ran two of these at this level in a day than they spent the whole day cruising at 50%.

Note: In my experience very few people make anything like 45 minutes worth of high intensity, cold calls each and every day.

For the last 10 years, Gavin Ingham has been helping sales people to explode their sales performance by turning self-doubt, fear and lack of motivation into self-belief, confidence and action. With his inspirational approach to sales performance and motivation Gavin combines commercial experience, personal excellence and communications technologies in delivering personal and business sales success.

For a free 9-part objection handling course, more articles, free downloads and to join Gavin's newsletter visit http://www.gaviningham.net now.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

13 Million Found With This Sales Strategy

Writen by Leslie Buterin

The story you are about to hear is true.

With the implementation of one well-crafted sales tactic, Gene surprised himself by making one phone call and getting a meeting with a senior executive. A man Gene and his team had been pursuing for more than one year!

The contract ended up serving the executive so well he had no reason to renew current contracts with eleven of Gene's competitors.

What a day that was! Better yet, the days that follow continue to be lucrative with a steady flow of sales coming from the powerful strategy used that day.

One cold call, one meeting, one $13 million contract … ba-da bing, ba-da boom!

Play-by-play reports of big sales bring shivers of delight to sales professionals. We meet. We talk. We share our stories of success. After all, that's where we get out jollies! We thrive on closing the deals ... and no one appreciates the sophisticated subtleties of these stories like other sales professionals

The best-of-the-best know that within each story are nuggets of learning that will …if unearthed and applied … add greatly to their own success.

Gene decided to try calling this executive cold, without a "warm" introduction. His reasoning was, "I've spent months trying to get a hold of this guy. I have nothing to lose by calling his office myself."

Gene called, spoke with his prospect's executive assistant, and requested a 20-minute meeting.

When the gatekeeper asked the question asked by all gatekeepers, "What's this meeting about?" Gene responded, "I want to know why he's using eleven companies to do what his competitor across town just uses us to do."

Those words prompted the executive to call Gene and schedule a meeting. During their face time, Gene outlined the benefits of: doing business with one vendor in terms of reduced paperwork, having easy access to one contact, and reducing expenses with volume discounts.

That's the sales call that resulted in a staggering $13-million contract.

Yes, such deals are as simple and complex as all that.

There are important lessons to learn from that brief phone message. A few sentences can result in a tremendous increase in your meetings with high-level decision makers.

First of all, Gene called the executive's office and let him know he wanted to meet.

Sounds pretty basic doesn't it? Now, ask yourself, how many executives have you called this week, better yet, today? That's the question Gene asked himself.

For months on end, he and his super sales team worked their contacts hoping for warm introductions right on up the organizational ladder. Contacts who had assured Gene they'd get him and his team in to see the President. Frustration mounted, as those folks inside the company were unable to follow through on their commitments. Twelve months after going down this path, Gene still wasn't in.

When introduced to the concept of successfully cold calling executives, the light clicked on for Gene. He could clearly see a new solution for an old problem. He returned to the office, called the executive, and gave a good reason why the executive would want to meet with him.

Let's take a few minutes here to scrutinize the few words that led to such powerful profits. You'll find several tactics you can easily implement!

* State the purpose of the call … a 20-minute meeting with the executive.

* Leave a compelling message.

* Speak directly to the executive's interests in bottom line terms with numbers the executive can sink his teeth into.

Then, take note of what Gene did not do. Take note, he did not "burn daylight" elaborating on:

* Who he was

* The name of his company

* What his company does

* How long the company has been in business

* And so forth … there was no fluff!

His words, information, and delivery positioned him as an important player in the executive's world. Those very words compelled the executive to act quickly so as to capitalize on a timely opportunity.

Now, it's your turn to give it a go. Call the top executive of a company you've been prospecting for awhile, follow-through with these tactics, and get ready to be awed by the spine tingling stories of success that come your way!

Forward this article to friends—they'll thank you for it!

For your FREE mini-course "Jealously Guarded Secrets to Cold Calling Company Presidents" visit http://www.ColdCallingExecutives.com! Or call Your Sales Coach for Extreme Profitability, author/speaker Leslie Buterin (like butterin' bread) at (816) 554-3674 9-3 CST (that's Kansas City/Chicago Time).

Monday, February 2, 2009

How You Can Avoid The Worst Cold Calling Mistake Made By Sales Pros

Writen by Leslie Buterin

Sales pros frequently ask, "What's the #1 change I need to make, as I prospect by phone instead of face-to-face?"

Here's the emotional truth behind this seemingly innocent question …

Most sales pros confess they'd rather have their toenails pulled out with pliers than cold call prospects by phone. Took me a couple of years to figure out for myself why my stomach knotted up into a queasy ball every time I glanced at that gray lump of plastic on my desk and thought about dialing-for-dollars.

How do you make sense of it? You're bigger than the phone, smarter than the phone. So, how can a talented sales professional be totally paralyzed by the thought of using the darned thing to prospect?

Here's what I finally figured out. When on the phone, you no longer see the whites of their eyes.

Before you roll your eyes, shake your head and say, "Duh!"…

Think about it. The phone keeps us from reading the prospect's body language. For folks like us who take pride in our ability to quickly glance at and assess a situation, overturn every objection, and close a sale on the spot … the loss of visual input is quite frankly, unnerving.

This does not compute unless you know that ...

More than half of face-to-face conversation is communicated through the eyes. So, as funny as it sounds, during an in-person sales presentation you'll "quickly hear" your prospect with your ears AND your eyes—at the speed of light.

According to Roger Ailes, in his book "You Are the Message" 55% of an interpretation of face-to-face conversation is determined by nonverbal cues, 38% by our voice and 7% by the words themselves."

What's important to you about these statistics is …

When you're prospecting by phone, you and your prospect "slowly hear" only with your ears –at the speed of sound. This is a very big deal.

Why? Because, a whopping 55% of the information you normally take in and process in the blink of an eye—is gone, unavailable, poof. Critical information vanishes the instant you transition from face-to-face to phone communication! And immediate loss of that much information, my friend, would disorient anyone.

So, how do you compensate for the loss of visual cues when you're on the phone talking "blind" to a "blind prospect" doing your best to sell-ice-to-an-Eskimo?

Let's start with what not to do …

Don't do what most folks do when talking to unsighted people … talk loud and fast as though the person was deaf instead of blind!

If you're like me, you'll function from one of two extremes. Your brain will freeze and leave you speechless or you'll spray hundreds of words at the prospect and pray that some comment will compel them to invite you in to see them.

This may come as a shock but, prospects on the receiving end of "spray and pray calls" report in focus groups their incredible frustration and irritation with the assault of words coming through the phone, directly toward them, in rapid-fire succession. They admit they never really "hear" the sales pro and generally hang-up rather than do the work to make sense of the call.

The worst cold calling mistake you'll make is to …

Talk too fast and shut down your prospect's ability to hear you. For a smooth transition from in-person to telephone prospecting you're going to have to do an unnatural act. You're gonna have to talk slowly … excruciatingly slowly, so your prospect can hear, register, and process your words. Even though you'll feel awkward and uncomfortable, if successful cold call prospecting is your goal, you must make this adjustment.

How can you get objective feedback as to whether or not you articulate well, you articulate clearly, and give a compelling benefit statement on the phone?

An inexpensive, private way to observe yourself is to dial your voice mail: leave your name, phone number, and state the purpose of your call. Then, listen to your message and ask yourself, "Based on your ability to clearly understand what you said, would you do business with you?"

Forward this article to friends—they'll thank you for it!

For your FREE mini-course "Jealously Guarded Secrets to Cold Calling Company Presidents" visit http://www.ColdCallingExecutives.com! Or call Your Sales Coach for Extreme Profitability, author/speaker Leslie Buterin (like butterin' bread) at (816) 554-3674 9-3 CST (that's Kansas City/Chicago Time).

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Telemarketing Vendors Cant Compete With Internal Operations

Writen by Andrew Rowe

Lots of companies look to outsource their lead generation to telemarketing vendors that provide turnkey services for calling into prospect accounts and qualifying leads. In fact, our own company has experience providing these services to clients. I'm here to tell you today that this process of outsourcing your telemarketing to a tele-services firm probably is not a very efficient or cost effective way to do business in today's day and age.

Why? Well, it's been proven that telesales and telemarketing is a strategic part of most companies' competitive arsenal today. Companies that outsource telemarketing or telesales typically pay a much higher price per lead and gain a lot lower lead intake, than companies that actually perform those functions in-house.

If your company has been outsourcing its lead generation to a teleservices firm, you might want to consider taking this function in-house. If you're concerned that you don't have the expertise to do telemarketing, consider employing the services of a good inside sales consulting firm. The good ones have experienced inside sales managers who are capable of setting up the process, recruiting the people, training them to the process and managing them to a defined set of outcomes or metrics. A good telesales consulting firm can help you to take a core competency away from your telemarketing vendor and convert it into a core competency within your company. In the process, you'll improve your overall sales efficiency and gain improved oversight and the ability to continuously improve your selling model. You'll also lower your cost per lead.

Cube Management helps companies accelerate their sales, by providing the Sales & Marketing talent they need to grow their business. Cube is a leading recruiting and consulting partner to mid-market and emerging growth companies in the technology, manufacturing, healthcare and business service sectors. We work across the spectrum of Sales, Marketing and Business Development, providing holistic solutions that drive revenue and profit success. Cube Management combines Strategy, Process and People, to produce great results. Download the Cube Management Recruiting Guide and the Cube Management Inside Sales Guide.

Saturday, January 31, 2009

Teleselling Troubling Topics

Writen by Lance Winslow

Telemarketers come in all shapes and sizes and are constantly selling us all sorts of garbage. But they are not always selling us a service or a product, as sometimes they are persuading us to do something. Now normally telephone sales people try to get us to buy something but not always. Occasionally they try to get us change our opinion, re-enforce our decision or vote for something. How do they do this you ask?

Well it is simple really, first they attempt to get us to fear the outcome if we fail to act. For instance if we vote for the Republicans then the Democrats will lose and that will mean Global Warming will destroy the Planet they will say. Or if we vote for Democrats then the Republicans will not get elected and the International Terrorists will come into our country and your family will be in grave danger.

When selling on the phone these telemarketers will work very hard to scare you and act like your friend and get you to commit yourself to vote for their initiative or candidate. This is how they sell troubling topics on the telephone and you might enjoy listening for it and watching the manipulation of the conversation and use of tactics. Consider all this in 2006.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

Friday, January 30, 2009

Cold Calling And Voicemail Messages The Proper Etiquette

Writen by Tino Buntic

There is a proper way and a wrong way to leave voicemail messages when cold calling. I'm not an advocate of cold calling; the odds of generating any amount of significant sales leads or new business are stacked against you when cold calling. But, it does work for a minority of people and some still do it. If you are a cold caller you must know the proper etiquette when leaving voicemail messages.

When you call on a prospect and receive his voicemail, your message must begin with your name and phone number, followed by your message or sales pitch, and ending with your name and phone number once more.

Before I explain why, let me tell you about a typical work week for me. In a typical week, I receive dozens of cold calls. People pitch me all kinds of products and services. Unlike most people, I actually don't mind receiving these calls. I enjoy hearing the various sales techniques that salespeople use. I've heard them all. I don't normally respond to them, but I at least hear them out. I don't always get to answer my phone, so logically many of these calls go to my voicemail.

Some of these voicemails amaze me. You wouldn't believe how many times I get a voicemail that is a couple of minutes long and, often, the caller doesn't leave his return phone number until the very end. What happens if, as he is leaving his phone number, I get distracted, or I get a beep from my calling waiting, or background noise from his end garbles up the phone number? What would happen is that I would miss the phone number. That means that if I were interested in returning his call I would have to listen to the entire message again to get his number. Do you think I have time to do that? Do you think that any executive or decision maker has time for it for that matter? NO!

When leaving voicemail messages while cold calling you must start each message with your name and number, followed by your message, and ending with your name and number again. It's proper etiquette. It will increase your ratio of call backs. If someone misses your number and has to listen to your message again he won't have to listen to the entire voicemail.

Tino Buntic created TradePals to provide B2B & B2C sales leads without cold calling to salespeople across the United States and Canada.