Dress Code in the Telesales and Telemarketing Business
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Tuesday, December 08, 2009 |
 The issue about dress code policy in call centers always comes up. Some call centers impose a strict corporate to business casual to casual to "anything goes". Management almost always encounters resistance from employees on the dress code they want to implement. This friction has led some call centers to loosen up a little bit by giving up corporate in favor of casual dressing, giving employees some leeway on how they want to dress. And the result? There was a significant decline in the employees' quality of work.
On the other side of the extremes are call centers that do not have any dress code at all. The result? They get nothing but headaches. Their employees would show up wearing clothes that are generally considered inappropriate to the point of being indecent by showing too much skin. This goes to show that centers need to have a dressing policy put in place because it has an impact on how you do business.
So the question now becomes: "What is the right dress code?" The answer to this depends on the nature of the business. An ideal dressing policy that would be acceptable in most call centers is business casual. Some people may argue that dressing up is not really necessary because the customers they interact with over the phone do not see them at all. But what call center employees do not see is that dressing up in business casual gives them a professional image and this professionalism is reflected in the way they conduct themselves over the phone. Also, if clients visit your call center quite often, wearing business casual attire certainly helps give a positive impression.
Call center employees have a diverse cultural background, and when it comes to dress code policy making it is better to get the employees themselves involved. This will not only make things easier for the management. It also ensures that the code that will be established is acceptable to all and will be observed by all faithfully. Fines or penalties should be imposed on those who don't observe the proper way to dress.
Let employees have a breather once a week with a "wash day". You can put a twist to the business casual policy by giving employees the option at certain times to pay little amount of money in exchange for the freedom to wear what they like (but still conforming to the "code" of dressing appropriately) and donate the proceeds to charity. The fact that that there are some who don't take the opportunity to dress down does not mean that they don't to want to support a good cause. It means they are just comfortable with what they wear.Labels: appropriate attire, dress code, phone business, presentation |
posted by Natasha Atanasovska @ 10:02 AM   |
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15 Ways to Stay Motivated and Focused When Cold Calling
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 Most sales reps would rather endure a root canal than make a cold call. Cold calling is often be grueling so many reps procrastinate. And as they delay, the thought of dialing becomes more and more onerous. But it doesn't have to be that way if you follow these 15 simple tips:
1. The 1 hour sprint - Treat the cold calling not as a marathon which is tedious and grueling but rather as a sprint. Devote a good solid hour to calling then stop. An hour is manageable and achievable and not nearly as discouraging as the thought of four hours of cold calls.
2. Set a goal. Having a 1-hour sprint is great but tie it with an objective. For example, you might have a goal of a minimum of 30 or 40 attempts. This will help ensure that you stay on the dialing track and not idle away the time with other activities (see #7 for more info).
3. Schedule your cold calling. Sit down right now with your calendar or planner and schedule that 1-hour sprint EVERY day for the next three week. Consider it an unbreakable appointment. This will create discipline and reduce procrastination.
4. Fish where the fish are. Are there better times than others to reach your target market? You bet there is and that's when you should be calling. Executives, for instance, are easier to reach early in the morning, say, from 7:00 onwards. Wake up early and start dialing. You'll increase your success almost immediately.
5. Do it first. If your target market doesn't have a particular time that's more effective than another, then schedule your cold calling for first thing in the morning. Do it first. Get it finished so that it doesn't linger over you like the sword of Damocles.
6. Create a Master List. Don't fiddle with your data base flipping back and forth from screen to screen. Get a list of 30 prospects. Put their names on a pad of paper with their phone numbers. Begin at the top and start dialing. Go down the list. If there is no answer, don't leave a message, go on to the next name and number. If you get through the list with no answer, start at the top of the list and begin again. This creates speed, rhythm and focus on productivity.
7. Be prepared. Duh! Be prepared and organized. Have your opening statement prepared ahead of time. Don't shilly shally and shoot from the hip. Know what you want to say. Practice it if you have to. Have any job aids you might need in front of you. Have a pen that works. Clean your desk of clutter and distraction. Do all this before you start your 1-hour sprint.
8. Call and only call. Don't use your 1- hour sprint to make copious notes, stuff envelops, send a fax or compose an e-mail after a call. You'll use up precious minutes. Stick to your hour of dialing and stick to the goal you set (see #2). After you've done your dialing you can go back and update information.
9. Reward yourself. You've heard this one before: if you do your solid hour of dialing, give yourself a reward. Maybe it is a triple grande latte at Starbucks. Whatever. Something.
10. Create a competition. Misery loves company. If you have associates, get them to cold call with you at the same time. Have contest for dials, connects, presentations, leads or sales. Buy a small trophy and award it to each other on a daily basis. Have fun with it.
11. Make a commitment to someone else. Publicly state to a co-worker, boss, friend, significant other or whoever that you WILL do 1 hour of cold calling at a given time. Ask them to ask you how you did. Telling them you didn't do it will make you feel embarrassed and sheepish which means you'll want to avoid it at all costs. (Thus, you're more likely to pick up the phone and get it done).
12. Track results. Keep track of your dials, connects, presentations, leads, sales and revenues. Make a chart on a sheet of paper. Use little 'sticks' to record your results. This is easy and take.67 seconds per stick so it save time. Over time you can create a predictive model. If you have a boss, it's also a great way to provide feedback on lists or offers.
13. Avoid the Dementors. In the Harry Potter books 'Dementors' are creatures that literally suck the life spirit from people. Whiners and complainers are like Dementors. Avoid them at all cost. They'll drag you down and eventually your drive and spirit will be depleted.
14. Hang out with winners. If there's someone who is good at cold calling, or at the very least, is disciplined about cold calling. Sit near him or her. Feed off their energy. Compete with them (see #10). Their drive and spirit is infectious.
15. Don't be a wimp. You know what's real easy? Quitting. It's real easy to quit. Don't be wimp and stick to the plan and follow the tips here. Give these ideas a chance. Your revenue and your job may depend on it. So don't quit. Be persistent.
Cold calling doesn't have to be as miserable as we sometime make it. Follow these tips and you'll create momentum and the process will not be so taxing. It'll be easy, faster and more effective. Just do it.Labels: phone advice, phone call advice, phone etiquette, phone reasons |
| posted by Natasha Atanasovska @ 9:51 AM |
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Christmas Gift Top Tips
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 Christmas gifts are one of the key attractions of Christmas. As a parent, Christmas may be a giving you a headache because you need to know what is the most popular Christmas gifts are for kids. Christmas Gifts are quite a difficult thing to choose.
Christmas gifts are more about the sentiment than the price tag. Christmas gifts are not hard to find, since during the holiday seasons, there are lots of options for you. I would have to agree that homemade christmas gifts are a great idea and friends and family absolutely love them.
Make sure your homemade Christmas gifts are practical. It doesn't have to be expensive and it doesn't have to be huge as long as this year's Christmas gifts are right on target. Personal Christmas gifts are becoming more and more popular each year. These Christmas gifts are great for the holidays and stuffing the stockings.
Wines and cigars as Christmas gifts are bound to strike the right chord for the men folk. To make your loved ones feel special Christmas gifts are ideal.
When it comes to Christmas gifts, many parents have no idea what the most popular Christmas gifts are for that year. But Christmas gifts are reciprocal; one cannot under-buy, one cannot be outdone. Most Christmas gifts are physical objects, capable of being wrapped and set under the tree.
Children's Christmas gifts are probably the most exciting type of presents to shop for during the festive period, and are often the most affordable, too. Christmas gifts are a gesture of showing our love and concern for those who are special.
In most of the world, Christmas gifts are given at night on Christmas Eve, or in the morning on Christmas Day. Most exchange Christmas gifts and decorate their homes with holly, mistletoe, and Christmas trees, under which the Christmas gifts are stored. In fact, inexpensive handmade Christmas gifts are often the most cherished items under the tree. For most of the world, Christmas gifts are given at night on Christmas Eve (24 December) or alternatively in the morning on Christmas Day.
The best christmas gifts are always the unusual and different rather than the socks from Aunt Jessica or the tie from a sister Sue. Hand-made Christmas gifts are a fantastic idea and will make a lasting impression on the recipient for years to come.
Before you go out and buy some baby Christmas gifts, first realize for whom those baby Christmas gifts are really for: the parents. Christmas gifts are meant to be reminders of the gifts of the wisemen to the infant Jesus. Christmas gifts are usually wrapped beautifully in bright paper, sometimes with ribbons and bows and other adornments.
 Christmas gifts are the most popular Christmas purchase, most adults have to buy Christmas gifts for lots of family members and close friends. A few good ideas for last minute Christmas gifts are ornaments, plants, wine baskets, hot chocolate or coffee baskets, coffee mugs, and many other ideas. Alternative Christmas gifts are a meaningful way to give a gift that keeps on giving.
Unique Christmas gifts are available for all budgets; just because a gift is individual does not mean that it has to be expensive. Christmas gifts are always great but there's just something delightfully extra about receiving a gift for no particular reason. So once again I am reminded that the best Christmas gifts are not the ones you buy in the store. Skip the Boring Christmas Gifts this Year Christmas gifts are often bought last-minute and not a lot of thought is put into them. Favorite Christmas gifts are typically the most unlikely.
The Top Toys for Christmas Gifts This Year (joke list):
1. Paris Hilton Video Game
2. 'Victory in Iraq' Board Game
3. Little 'Big Brother' Reality Video Set
4. Pamela Anderson Enhancement Set
5. 'American Idol' No Hit Wonders CD, Volume 12
6. 'Lost' Survival Gear
7. Republican Dominoes/House of Cards Set
8. Children's Poker Set
9. Lego's Duplo Checks and Balances
10. 'Obese Niece' Doll
Real gift tips:
* Barbie doll
* Harry potter toys
* Lord of the rings toys
* Playstation 2 games
* Tickle Me Elmo toy
* Wii from Nintendo
* Star car toy
* Star Wars Ultimate Darth Vader
* Dora The Explorer Bubble Console & DVD game
* Steam Along Thomas Set |
| posted by Natasha Atanasovska @ 9:45 AM |
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Using Your Phone Effectively in Your Day to Day Selling Activities
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 Suppose you want to start using your phone more in your day to day selling activities. You may want to increase your customer coverage, improve customer relations, compete in different markets or more distant markets. The tactics for each of these or other objectives vary, but a successful approach depends on using some basic sales essentials in varying degrees depending on what you want to accomplish.
The following are what I consider basic essentials of good telephone selling.
1 - What is the reason for the call?
Maybe you dropped off some samples or literature and you want to follow up on them. Your company may have introduced a new product or a different use for an old product, you can alert the customer by using. the telephone. Perhaps you sent a letter or an e-mail and you want to follow up. There are a myriad of things you can follow up on or use as a reason for calling.
2 - Your prospect must benefit from listening to you.
Start off immediately with the benefit the prospect gains from listening to you. "I am calling regarding" mention the need and benefit it will supply and answer.
3 - Have a reason for the customer to take action.
Something you or your company planned so the customer is required to take that action should be relayed to the customer as soon as you can. "Mrs. so and so, shortly in May as a matter of fact my company is planning---, for your benefit you should --- ".
4 - Plan a well phrased leading question to measure the sales potential of your telephone prospect.
Not only the prospects' but your self interest must be realized in order for you to continue. Getting results depends on spending time with true prospects. " Mr. or Mrs. Prospect when was the last time you upgraded your --- whatever, how old is the --- your using"?
5 - Use " Trial Closes" early and often.
Try to close as early and quickly as possible. The old adage close early close often applies. Remember trial closes often lead to customers' opening up and revealing needs that upon satisfaction leads to a close.
Make sure your customer understands exactly what you both have agreed to and the responsibilities you both will assume. Repeat them and gain acceptance once again. "Now let's review what we agreed upon. Restate the agreed upon actions.
One cannot over emphasize the telephone as not only a means of contact but as an important selling tool.Labels: better selling, phone advice, phone tips on selling |
| posted by Natasha Atanasovska @ 9:38 AM |
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Telemarketing - How To Overcome The Fear Of Phone Rejection
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 Rejection by phone is a problem that can be overcome easily if the right approach to calling is taken. The problem is if there is too much expectation or pressure, each call can be a painful experience, good or bad. Most telemarketing campaigns are set up the wrong way, and the pressure for results causes a number of normal human reactions such as fear and doubt.A major factor in phone fear is simply a fear of the unknown. People usually have issues with "what if I don't know the answer to a question" or "what if they are mean to me". These issues tend to evaporate with experience. But in the meantime, here are (3) keys to help you with phone fear. Key #1 Focus on Activity, Not Results. Make your goal a DIAL goal. This is simply how many times you pick up the phone and dial numbers. Don't worry about how many people you reach or presentations you give or sales. Just focus on making DIALS. This activity is the most important. If you are not dialing the phone, none of the other things matter. Plus, your activity is going to make it easier for future calling sessions. And, the volume of calls you will make, focusing on dials, will be so high it is going to be hard to focus on any single "bad call". Key #2 Pretend. You can be anyone you want to be on the phone. It can be just like acting. You are in control, so have fun. If you want to be bold, aggressive and a hard-charging SOB, go for it, even though you might be meek as a mouse. Its up to you (and perhaps your manager). This view can make the fear of rejection by phone disappear because it makes you the controller of what responses you are going to get from the person on the other end of the phone. Again, the more experience you have calling, the more the fear of the other person you are calling will diminish. Key #3 Scripts. Always have a script. I do not care what anyone says, having a guide for your calls will give you confidence and power on the phone. Scripted rebuttals make your effort easier and reduces your chance of getting stumped by a prospect. Practice your script before you call, and practice with other people to get a feel of how you sound and what you can do to improve your calls. Timm O'Day has used telemarketing successfully for over 10 years in a variety of businesses including insurance and financial services, the mortgage industry, charitable fund raising, service businesses, telecommunications, business products and services and home based businesses. He believes that it is a great method to compliment any marketing campaign. Timm is offering a free telemarketing script for all readers of this article. Labels: phone fear, phone selling skills and tips to improve, rejection, telemarketing |
| posted by Natasha Atanasovska @ 9:35 AM |
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Essence Of Telemarketing And Lead Generation
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Thursday, December 03, 2009 |
 Telemarketing is significant and one of the common ways of generating leads for any business. Telemarketing is a flexible, resourceful and multipurpose approach. Generating leads in telemarketing can be classified as inbound or outbound. This implies that systems can make use of the prerecorded messages and dial random numbers or numbers from the respective list.
Telemarketing is a process in which the lead generation technique is flexible enough to be adaptable to any new situation. The person handling telemarketing is known as a telemarketer and a telemarketer can answer any sort of query or also provide adequate information needed in reply to the prospective customer's comments. However, any prospective buyer has all the possibilities of ignoring advertisements or direct mail, but will never ignore a telephone ring. Once a person answers a phone, a good telemarketer can make it a prospective lead and generate it.
Core of Inbound lead
Inbound leads are comfortable in handling as the generation of inbound lead involves a call from the prospective customer or a company to know about your products or services. This is one of the best types of lead generation in telemarketing mainly because the potential buyer calls himself is an indication that he is a prospective customer. As the potential buyer expresses his interest by making a call, he will surely listen to all your services offered as it is in his interest. It is the telemarketer's choice now to say the right thing and to retain the buyer. Generally, inbound calls are for gathering information about a certain product or to check with sales or discount availability. Though the caller checks with minimal details, it is the telemarketer who should take responsibility in putting the details and giving all the facts that a caller demands.
Core of Outbound lead
Outbound leads are challenging as this type of telemarketing is less victorious than inbound calls. Outbound calls are challenging as they are called as cold calling. True to its name they mostly go cold making the telemarketer very cold. In an outbound call, no one on the other hand expects your call and so your call is hardly attended properly. Generating a lead from a cold call is difficult as it is an unsolicited call to a customer assuming him to be a potential customer. The person on the other end has no idea who is calling and the reason for calling him. This is one of the significant reasons that people react badly to cold calls. To generate an outbound call you need excellent communication skills and ability to deal with rejection is the true strength of a successful cold caller. These outbound calls also turn out as potential leads and then it becomes the duty of the telemarketer to verify the interest of the person and lure him in availing the product.
Prospects of Lead generation
Another viable option for generating lead is by using a lead generation system. This lead generation systems are the functions of machines. These machines are programmed to dial phone numbers and to deliver the recorded message, if the phone is answered at the other end. Many people keep a hold of these machines as they are cost effective method to generate leads. Some systems that generate lead are given a list of prospective leads and thereby increase the success rate. Lead generation telemarketing is flexible, great and is an adaptable way to acquire new customers. People with effective communication skills are often good at such work.Labels: tele selling, telemarketing, telemarketing making sales, telephone advice |
| posted by Natasha Atanasovska @ 10:38 AM |
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What Types of Telemarketing Calls Are Legal?
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 Not all telemarketing calls are illegal, because if they were they wouldn't exist. However, you need to know what makes certain telemarketing calls legal and what makes other phone solicitations against the law. The best way to find out this information is to read the rules that have been created for telemarketing companies by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which is outlined in their Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA).
To give you an idea of what you will learn with the TCPA, the following is when telemarketing calls made by companies and solicitors who are permitted to call you are considered legal. Note: This information does not apply to unsolicited calls, as they are automatically considered unlawful.
- Calls made between the hours of 8 am and 9 pm are legal
- Any company with whom you have established a business relationship (EBR) is allowed to solicit to you via the telephone unless you have specifically made the request for them to add your number to their internal do-not-call-list. You have an EBR with a company as soon as you make a purchase from them. Unless you have asked them to stop calling, this business can also continue with phone solicitations up to 18 months after your last purchase.
In addition, the company's affiliates that sell products or services relative to the item or service you initially purchased are also permitted to contact you once an EBR exists. You will be required to individually make requests to each company if you want to be added to their do not contact lists.
- Telemarketers are allowed to leave messages on your answering machine as long as they provide you with a number that you can call back if you want your number removed from their call list.
- Junk faxes and automated phone solicitations are allowed if you specifically gave the telemarketing company permission to contact you via these methods.
When you know what calls are legal and what calls are not, you'll have a better understanding of your own phone privacy rights, and will be more comfortable taking action to stop telemarketers and annoying calls when they are illegally made.Labels: telemarketing, telephone advice, telephone sales tips |
| posted by Natasha Atanasovska @ 10:37 AM |
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Improving Your Telemarketing Skills
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 Are you a telemarketer who gets frustrated because you are not achieving your goals? Telemarketing is very challenging and involves constant rejection. A word of caution: Do not take rejection personally. Having good telemarketing skills is essential to being a good telemarketer.
When calling prospects you need to have a positive attitude. If you are enthusiastic and confident on the telephone then it will come across in your voice... On the flip side, if you are boring and negative then you have already failed in attracting new prospects. Excitement sells and enthusiasms contagious. Turn negative statements given by the prospect into negative ones.
Before you actually pick up the telephone to call the prospect, how prepared are you? Preparation is vital in generating ore leads. If you know exactly what you are going to say when you call then your conversation will flow more smoothly and you will be more effective. Organization is also a vital part in the preparation process. It will be very helpful to have your leads organize so you know who you will call next and a time. Also having a thorough knowledge of your product or service will enable you to answer any question the prospect ct may have.
Another great telemarketing skill to develop is mirroring and matching the prospect. To do this you can ask the prospect a question and pay close attention to the response. If the tone is louder and the answer is short phrases then speak louder and keep your sentences short and you will establish rapport. Of note, is that people will often do business with someone who they perceive as being ‘just like them’. You can also establish rapport by listening and repeating the words you prospect uses (positive ones) and also adjusting your rhythm and rate of speech to theirs.
Other telemarketing skills to consider and develop include asking qualifying questions, listening actively and using strategic pauses. Qualifying questions are used to separate those prospects that meet specific criteria and will more likely say yes to an offer. The main advantage is time is not waste n unqualified prospects. Listening actively enables you to identify many buying signals and understand s the prospects’ needs and concerns.
Finally, whenever you ask a question or make a comment that is intended to get the prospect to respond-pause. This is an excellent use of strategic pausing as it creates effects, emphasis and allows the prospect to think before making final decision .Without strategic pauses you run the risk of talking yourself out of the sale.
Using these techniques and consistently developing your telemarketing skills will enable you to reach your goals and be more successful.Labels: techniques, telemarketing, telemarketing. making sales, Telephone sales |
| posted by Natasha Atanasovska @ 10:35 AM |
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Joke Of the Week
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Monday, November 23, 2009 |
 The Telemarketer Fun Game
Everyone has gotten a call from a telemarketer, the new Scourge of the Telephone System. Previously when the phone rang, you always wondered if it was someone you knew or another nimrod with something to sell.
Well, the time has come to turn the tables. We need to take control of our own phones. We need to take the "market" out of "telemarketing."
PREMISE
Telemarketers take the brute force approach to making sales. If you talk to a whole bunch of people, someone will buy what you're selling.
COUNTER-TACTIC
Waste as much of their time as you can. Each minute that you waste means several potential customers that will not be reached. Make telemarketing unprofitable. Hanging up only increases the chances for them to make a sale. Don't let this happen
HINTS
Most of the preliminary stuff is done by someone making minimum wage, reading from script. Let him/her finish. It's easy points (see SCORING below), and besides, you were watching "Star Trek" and weren't using your phone anyway. It's easy to keep a telemarketer interested using attentive grunting, similar to when your mother calls.
 SCORING
BASIC POINT SYSTEM
Each minute spent on the phone......................................10 pts/min
Getting transferred to someone who makes more than minimum wage.....15 pts
Each minute spent on the phone with person making more than
minimum wage........................................................25 pts/min
BONUS POINTS
Getting telemarketer to repeat part of the script....................5 pts ea.
Getting answers to stupid questions.................................15 pts ea.
Changing the subject................................................50 pts
Making the telemarketer angry......................................175 pts
Making the telemarketer hang up....................................750 pts
Call back, get his/her boss on the phone, and tell him/her
the telemarketer hung up on you..................................1,500 pts
Getting their 1-800 number..........................................10 pts
Checking the number a week later and it's busy or disconnected...5,000 pts
EXAMPLE
[phone rings]
You: Yes?
Them: Hi, I'm with Fly-By-Night Carpet Cleaning and we're in your area (...)
[start clock->]
Them: (...) would like to know if you're interested.
You: Sure.
Them: Well, we are currently offering (...) depending on the size of the rooms.
You: Well, how much for the whole house? [15 bonus pts]
Them: Let me transfer you to __XXX___
[transfer]
Them: Sir/Ma'am?
You: Yes? [25 pts/min]
Them: How large is your house?
You: Oh, about 2,000 square feet.
Them: [calculates amount] Well, that would be about $xxx.
You: [duh?] It won't hurt the floor, will it?
Them: Oh, no! We use a [...explanation--this usually takes some
time...] and is completely safe.
You: [duh?] Even with my pets?
Them: Oh, yes. The chemicals we use [...]
You: Do you have to pre-treat, since I have pets?
Them: Yes, and we do that with [...]
You: [getting a repeat] But the original offer was for $39.95, does
that include treating for pets?
Them: [...]
You: [subject change] Well, it *is* kind of dirty. The guys were
over for the game. Did you see the Cowboys vs. the Rams?
Them: Yes.
You: What a game! That last touchdown pass! Wasn't that a great play?
Them: Well, back to your house...
You: Oh, yes. Well, what about moving the furniture?
Them: [...]
You: [subject change] Do you clean furniture, too? Those guys
spilled some beer. Have you smelled old beer on furniture
before? But what a game, eh?! I couldn't believe they couldn't
move the ball in the second quarter... [...]
Them: [getting angry] Ahem...would you like us to come out?
You: Well, when could you come out?
Them: How about next week?
You: Hmmm... morning or afternoon?
Them: Either would be fine.
You: Do you have anything the week after?
Them: Sure. Can I put you down for Tuesday?
[Okay, let's try for those last big bonus points:]
You: Well, I don't think it matters, since I have all hardwood floors
here.
Them: [click!] [Yes! 750 points!] |
| posted by Natasha Atanasovska @ 2:05 PM |
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How to Gain Confidence in Speaking on the Telephone
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 Do you have a lack of confidence when speaking on the telephone? Do you fear speaking on the telephone? If you have answered any of these questions in the positive then you are certainly not on your own. There are many people up and down the country who really do not like talking on the phone and will even avoid doing so at all costs. In this article I am going to be providing free tips and advice which will hopefully enable people to overcome their fear of speaking on the telephone.
I went through a very worrying stage of my life when I was aged around seventeen. I could just not bring myself to answer the telephone, it was like I had a mental block and I did not have enough confidence to pick the phone up and speak. This was partly due to the fact that my speech was affected by the speech impediment commonly referred to as a stutter. Stuttering had impacted on my life since I had been a young four year old boy and had seriously damaged my overall self-confidence and self-esteem.
At the age of twenty-two I decided that enough was enough, I could no longer live my life with this constant fear of speaking which included talking on the telephone.
I started on a journey that would ultimately lead to me being able to achieve fluency, gain in confidence and also an ability to speak on the phone in a confident manner.
So how did I manage to achieve all of this? What were the techniques that I used? Well I realised that I needed to live life in a much more care-free manner, I had to stop worrying about what other people thought of me and I needed to think in a much more positive manner.
These things were not easy to do for somebody like myself but I was aware of the importance of being able to implement the changes and therefore worked extremely hard to do so.Labels: phone advice, phone call advice, phone habits, phone sales, Phone sales tips, phone techniques |
| posted by Natasha Atanasovska @ 8:36 AM |
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How to Communicate Confidence When making Collection Calls for your Business
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 It is essential to communicate confidence when you are speaking to past due customers or debtors. You must stay in control of the call and the only way to do this is by being confident and prepared.
Remember, everything you do represents your company. How you talk, collect money, send out invoices, and how you handle tough situations. Some tips I can share with you on how to appear more confident (even if your not!) when you make collection calls are:
• First impressions, come up with a greeting that says that you are happy, pleasant and confident. When your customer answers the phone and realizes you are calling about a past due invoice, they will not be happy. You must portray confidence, and not a dull boring message. Smile when you talk on the phone, it will be noticeable in your voice.
• Your voice should be loud enough to be heard and portray confidence, not to loud but not to soft. You want your debtor to hear you and understand what you are saying. Sit up straight in your chair and imagine the debtor is sitting across from you.
• Maintain "eye contact" by staying focused on the call. Don't check your email or watch the other people in your office. Stay focused!
• Relax! Sit up straight in your chair, don't play with paper clips or pens on your desk. Use your face, voice and posture to portray your confidence over the phone and in person.
If you put these techniques into effect you will collect more money and have better results from the collection calls you make. No one likes to make or recieve collection calls so take steps to ensure you make your calls in the most effective way the first time so you don't have to continue to make calls to people that you let get in control of the call! Good luck!Labels: phone call advice, phone habits, phone reasons, Phone sales tips |
| posted by Natasha Atanasovska @ 8:34 AM |
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Practical Advice on How to Eliminate Phone Fear
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 You want to be an entrepreneur and make some money, but you are a big chicken when it comes time to pick up the telephone and call someone.
Well, don't feel too bad because there are many entrepreneurs that used to stand in the very same shoes that you now wear. Phone fear is something that stops a great deal of would be business owners in their tracks, but it can be eliminated if you take the time to truly evaluate a few critical elements.
However, before we do that, we need to establish that your ability to make phone calls is vitally important to your business. Would you agree with that assessment? There are very few businesses, small or large, that can operate efficiently without the use of a telephone.
With that said, the two critical elements that need to be addressed in order for you to overcome your fear of the phone is "your attitude" and the actual "phone" itself. Let's talk about the phone first.
Are you really afraid of the phone? Does the phone have the ability to chase you, hurt you, yell at you? Those may seem like silly questions but that brings home the point. We already know that the phone is unable to hurt you.
In fact, you would have to be in some pretty awkward situations to get hurt by a phone. On the other hand, there are some pieces of required equipment that can hurt you if you aren't extremely careful with them, such as guns, chain saws, and high powered tools, just to name a few.
Does a telephone fall into the category of a dangerous piece of equipment? The simple answer is: no. Based on the example given, most people would agree that there is no logical reason to be afraid of the phone. Besides, the same fear that you might feel when calling a business contact or prospect is immediately erased if you call a friend or family member, and you probably didn't have to switch phones to develop that new found bravery? Therefore, it is obvious that there is no real reason to fear using a phone.
That brings us to the nitty-gritty of why you are afraid of the phone. You are more than likely afraid of the person that might answer the phone, and what he or she might say to you. In other words, your true fear has nothing to do with the phone but with people.
Consider this...can a cop be a cop without a gun? Can a lumberjack be a lumberjack without an ax? Can you be an effective entrepreneur without a phone? It would be very difficult, if not impossible.
Here are a few things that you should consider in order to be successful using the phone.
1. Your Attitude: If you can honestly admit that learning how to use the phone is not in your immediate future, then you probably need to find another way to make money. In realistic terms, you truly have to develop the attitude that I'm going to get over this phone issue, or you will have a tremendous struggle to succeed in your business. It all begins with you and a positive attitude.
2. Practice: We all know that confidence can erase fear in many situations and a good way to build confidence is to practice. You can practice what you want to say to specific kinds of people via the phone, and polish these skills until they become second nature. Try picking up the phone and pretending to actually speak with someone on the other end. Do that 5-10 times per day and you will be surprised at what it does for your overall confidence and phone skills. While practicing, you can also employ small, but proven, techniques such as looking into a mirror, smiling, and considering that the person on the other end of the phone is a friendly person.
3. Grow Thicker Skin: Learn to take a 'no' from someone and move on. There is a great story about two guys passing out free books inside an airport terminal and one of them stops a guy who is clearly running for his plane. He has his ticket in his teeth, coat over his shoulder and luggage in his hands. One of the young men politely stepped in front of this gentleman and commences to give him an unwanted presentation on the free book and its importance.
Well, the man became very irate and proceeded to verbally rip this young man to pieces. A professional salesman was watching this exchange and was waiting for the young man to turn to his partner and say "Hey, I need a break after that one." Instead, after the man finished yelling and stormed off, he immediately spun around and stopped the very next person walking by, without even thinking about it twice. That's what it means to "grow thicker skin" and ultimately what it means to be successful in many instances.
It's the learned skill and ability to separate the business side from the personal side and to keep charging ahead.
So, the next time you are sitting there pondering whether or not you should pick up the phone, just do it. Put a smile on your face, punch in the numbers, and dial for the dollars. Understand that your financial success and the success of your business depends on your ability to take action and initiate important contacts.
In the end, think about this...can making a few phone calls really hurt you? No, but failing to make them probably can.Labels: phone habits, Phone sales tips, Phone selling tips, pphone call advice |
| posted by Natasha Atanasovska @ 8:32 AM |
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How Telemarketing Can Improve Your Business
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 Generating new business is one of the constant problems for any company. It can be expensive, but most of all it takes a lot of time and a lot of effort. One of the ways of generating new business and which has become popular in the last few years is to use telemarketing. However, the problem is that setting up an in-house telemarketing team is extremely expensive, and for this reason many companies are looking to outsource their telemarketing activities. This article will look at the benefits of hiring a telemarketing agency.
One of the main things that a telemarketing company can do is to generate sales leads for your company. This helps your other salesmen since when they go to prospects they will be approaching people who are already prequalified, which means the sales appointment is much more likely to convert into a real sale. A good telemarketing service should be able to produce very decent sales leads for your company, which can easily add substantially to the bottom line.
But it isn't only making sales leads that a telemarketing company can do, since it can also make appointments directly for the salesmen to visit a prospect, or even for one of the salesmen to call the prospect by telephone himself. What this means is that the telemarketing services are doing a lot of the grunt work for your in-house sales staff, which can save a lot of time and result in more closed sales.
The cost of hiring a telemarketing agency can vary depending on the job, the market, and how long the telemarketing campaign will carry on. However hiring a telemarketing team is usually much less expensive than creating your own in-house telemarketing team since you will not have to spend money on all the infrastructure such as computers, phone lines, and call-center technology. Sometimes a telemarketing agency will work for commission only, something which could cut the actual costs even further. The costs of hiring a telemarketing agency is covered in more detail at http://www.telemarketingchoice.com
Generating new business will always be a struggle, but by using the services of a telemarketing agency to generate new leads, set appointments, and even make some direct sales on the phone, getting new business can be made much easier. Take time to research some of the things on offer from today's high-tech telemarketing agencies. You may be surprised at the effect that they can have on your bottom line.Labels: phone advice, tele selling, telemarketing, telemarketing. making sales |
| posted by Natasha Atanasovska @ 8:31 AM |
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The 2 Most Stupid Questions in Tele-Selling
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Wednesday, November 18, 2009 |
 Is there such a thing as a stupid question in tele-sales?
Absolutely!
Questions are not unlike tools. You select the right tool for the right job. The wrong tool can make a mess of things. For example, using pliers to hammer a nail is an exercise in futility and self destruction.
It's the same with questions. Use the wrong question and you can make a complete and utter mess of the sale. Here are the two stupidest questions to ask in tele-sales:
Stupid Question #1:Tell me what you like about your present supplier?
You might argue that this is a good question. Reps tell me that they learn what a client is looking for in a supplier. This is good information, they say.
Are you kidding me?!
Look at this question from another angle. When you ask a prospect what he or she likes about their present supplier, you get them to bask in the glow all the positives. In doing so, they are reminded of the good relationship they've established. They are reminded of all the benefits they get from doing business with this firm. In some cases, you remind the buyer of all the reason he used to justified the use of this supplier.
So how can you possible get a wedge in the door when you've helped them articulate how fantastic their supplier is? You can't. You've helped make them bullet proof. The best you can do is match them on benefits but in a 'tie', the incumbent always wins. Always.
Stupid Question #2: Is there anything you don't like about your present supplier?
The logic here is that the prospect is going to gift wrap a problem and place it on your lap.
Like that's going to happen!
It's not. In a prospecting situation, rarely- very rarely- will anyone open up and tell you about a problem they are having. Look at it this way, by admitting there's a problem with the current supplier, the prospect might be admitting a mistake that she or he made. Who wants to do that? By admitting there is a problem suggests they haven't done anything about it?
One more thing: no one wants to acknowledge warts and blemishes in their buying decisions or actions because it may reflect on them personally. Even if there are some problems, most clients will cover them up. And only in extreme cases will they raise their hand and tell you.
What to do Instead
To find out what the prospect might want in a supplier ask this simple question:
'Tell me, great what are you looking for in a supplier, apart from a competitive price?"
Deal with the price issue right up front by tossing it aside. Now you've got the client thinking about availability, delivery, guarantees, selection and other value items where you might have some comparative muscle. Other good questions include: who are you using; how long have you worked with them; and do they use alternative suppliers for other products of a similar nature?
Summary
There are many questions that will provide good information that can lend perspective. Think before you ask but above all, avoid asking these two stupid questions!Labels: phone etiquette, phone skills, tele selling, telesales tips |
| posted by Natasha Atanasovska @ 10:41 AM |
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Scenario Selling - How to Identify Needs Faster and Easier
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 Questioning prospects for key motivators like "points of pain" can be challenging and difficult from two perspectives.
First, in the early stages of selling, not all sales reps are comfortable asking sensitive questions about problems or concerns. They either ignore them or botch them completely.
Second, in the early stages of selling, not all prospects are comfortable about opening up their soul and revealing their areas of pain. They skirt the issue or dismiss it completely.
While both these challenges can be overcome with time and effort, there is technique that can speed up the process. It is called "scenario selling." It can help you get to the meatier issues of "pain" in less time which means more sales for you.
Why Prospects Don't Open Up Immediately
When you probe for needs the majority of prospects are usually reluctant to divulge areas of pain. This is understandable: the prospect does not know you and may not know your company. You are a stranger and there is a natural hesitancy for them to open up the flood gates and spill all their issues onto you lap.
At another level, some prospects don't really want to admit to anyone that they have a pressing problem. It's often seen as a private issue and some actually think it reflects on them personally. Consequently, they keep their problems (or opportunities) hidden; almost as if they are "embarrassed" to admit them.
Why Sales Reps Don't Ask Painful Questions
The problem with effective questioning is compounded by the sale reps themselves. Sales reps, particularly those who are new and inexperienced, are often reluctant to ask prospects 'tough' questions about problems or concerns. While they have been told to do so, many sales reps learn that the prospect shuts them down with curt answers. For example, I recently heard a rep pointedly ask a prospect, "So do you have any challenges in your business?" Not surprisingly, the prospect bluntly replied "no." Responses like this intimidate reps to the point that they avoid asking tougher questions and never get down to the heart of what concerns a prospect.
Of course, some sales reps are not intimidated in the least about asking sensitive questions. But unfortunately, some wield the questions like a club and smash the client with it. For instance, "So, Ms. Bessmer, to get started: do you have any cash problems?" Questions like this catch the prospect completely off guard.
Scenario Selling
Scenario selling is a process that makes it easier for sales reps to ask tougher questions and makes it easier for the prospect to respond. Scenario selling is nothing more than a method of questioning for areas of pain or gain by creating a "scenario" that describes a situation or event and then determining if it applies to the prospect. Here are a few examples that illustrate the point:
"Ms. Bessmer, much of our research with our clients shows that cash flow is sometimes an issue particularly with the fluctuating price of oil. Let me ask you, what has been your experience with cash flow over the last year or so?"
"Anne, sometimes at our seminars, we hear that collecting overdue accounts is sometimes a challenge particularly with clients who have been long time customers. Tell me, what has been your experience with collections over the last few months?"
"Mr. Edgeworthy, one of the things we've learned with new practices is that marketing their services is a challenge if only because the owners are doctors and not marketers. Let me ask: what has been your approach to marketing and what type of results have you been experiencing?"
"Scott, we are getting more and more feedback from IT Directors and managers from large corporations regarding the misuse licensing agreement. It's creating some concerns about compliance. Let me ask you: what has been your experience with this so far?"
"Chris, one of the things we are seeing in the market today is the growing frustration of investors to get a reasonable return on investment and this is impacting their retirement strategies. Let me ask, what has your experience been on ROI over the last year or two?"
How it Works: 2 Parts
You can see that scenario selling is formulaic and divided into two parts. First, in each of these examples, the sales rep broached the problem/concern/pain area by prefacing it with a statement or a story that describes a specific situation experience by other. In effect, the rep creates a scenario as a pre-text to asking a sensitive question.
Next, the rep uses an open ended trigger phrase (e.g., "what has been your experience") that invites the prospect to elaborate. This is important because a closed ended question can still shut down the prospect. Once the prospect begins to open up, the sales rep can probe further and deeper if required.
Why It Works
Scenario selling works at two levels. For the prospect, scenario selling works very well because it is based on the principle of "misery loves company." When you describe a situation that others are experiencing, the prospect doesn't feel quite so alone and conscious of his or her dilemma. This makes it easier for the prospect to open it because he doesn't feel 'on the spot'. Your scenario is almost hypothetical in nature so the prospect feels a bit removed and a bit more objective. In effect, it's "okay" to "sort of" acknowledge a similar pain.
For the sales rep, scenario selling makes broaching awkward topics a little easier. It is not such a blatant approach to dealing with topics that might be sensitive or delicate in the mind of the client. It eases the sales rep into deeper question; a wedge in the door
Summary
Scenario selling is not required for all situations. If you sell office products you probably don't have to create a scenario. However, the more complex and sensitive an issue, the more you should consider this technique.
Here's how you get started: sit down with your manager or fellow reps and identify the points of pain that your product or service can fix, solve, and reduce or whatever. Develop a scenario or two that highlights the points of pain. Script it so that it effective. Then practice it. Then practice it some more so that it flows naturally. Finally, deliver it and watch the impact it has on your sales results.Labels: phone sales, sales skills, tips and techniques, useful information |
| posted by Natasha Atanasovska @ 10:36 AM |
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8 Sales Questions You Can't Live (And Sell) Without
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 Make no mistake about it questions are the key to good selling. Good questions will get you good information. Good information helps you sell and sell more. But the real question is "what's a good question?
Here are ten great questions that you simply can't live and sell without. By no means are they the only questions you can ask but these will do you well in every selling situation.
1. The Who Question
Never, ever assume that the person you are speaking with is the decision maker i.e., the person that can ultimately say "yes" (and no) to your sale. Your contact might be only one of a number of individuals that can influence the sale. It is important you know the players so that you don't get blind sided and so that you can prepare strategies and tactics to deal with them.
The challenge however is to find out if there are other participants in the decision without putting your contact 'on the spot." If you're too blunt, the prospect might mislead you. Here is a simple, easy to use question that you can't live without. Use it every single time:
"Amanda, apart from yourself, who is involved in this decision?"
Or here's a variation: "Kevin, in purchases like these, there are usually several people involved. Apart from yourself, who else would have a vested interest in the decision?"
2. The When Question
I am amazed at how many reps ignore this powerful and insightful question:
"Kathy, when do you see the final decision being made and delivery taken?"
"Mr. Woods, if this were a go, when do you see it occurring?"
The 'when' questions is important because it helps assess urgency. A decision that will be made within a week has a little more impact than a decision that will be made in three months. Knowing when the sale might conclude helps you set priorities, determines the time and effort you devote and dictates your follow up strategy. All in all, the when question makes you a wiser sales rep.
3. The Scenario Question
Discovering a prospect's needs can be challenging in the early stages of selling. Because prospects don't know you they tend to be much more reserved in the information they provide. Many are not comfortable telling you about their "warts and blemishes" (i.e., their needs, challenges, weaknesses and concerns) until some rapport and comfort has been established.
One of the best ways around this hesitancy is with a scenario question. As the name implies, the scenario questions paints a scenario that addresses a problem or a concern but doesn't put the prospect on the spot. Here are a couple of examples:
"Ms. Bixby, much of our research with our clients shows that cash flow is sometimes an issue particularly with the fluctuating price of oil. Let me ask you, what has been your experience with cash flow over the last year or so?"
"Scott, we are getting more and more feedback from IT Directors and managers from large corporations regarding the misuse licensing agreement. It's creating some concerns about compliance. Let me ask you: what has been your experience with this so far?"
The scenario question is based on the premise that 'misery loves company.' You want the prospect to think "Gee, if others are experiencing the same thing then its okay for me to open up." Master the scenario question and you'll get to needs quicker which reduces the sales cycle which helps you convert more sales in less time.
4. The Net Impact Question
Even if you use a scenario question and the client opens up to you, it doesn't necessarily mean that the prospect's need is strong enough to act upon...at least in the client's mind. One of the best questions you can ask to determine the "depth and breadth" of a need is "net impact" question. Here are two versions:
"So what's the net impact on your firm when cash flow is tight?"
"What's the possible net impact if licensing agreements are abused in your branch offices?"
This "net impact" forces your prospect to think about the rippling effect of a problem. It gets them to do some analysis. In effect, you want them to say "Gee, I never thought of it like that." Suddenly, seemingly minor problems can be more significant.' Or, you'll learn the net impact is absolutely minor. That's good too because it means you should not waste your time here. Move on. Because the question is opened end it gets your client to expand and elaborate. You get information and information is power. You simply can't live without net impact questions.
5. The Explain Question
Do you want a versatile, 'catch all' question that can be used in many different scenarios?
If so, here it is. It is less a question and more of a directive. No matter how you slice it, it gets the client to open up. It enticingly invites your client to speak up, expand, pontificate, ruminate, elaborate and articulate. For instance, suppose the prospect tosses the classic price objection. Say this:
'Eric, could you 'explain' to me what you mean by too high?"
What a great question! You're asking for elaboration. Is the price too high relative to budget? Or relative to a competitive bid? Or is it a smokescreen? Regardless, the client must open up.
Suppose your client says "We're not all that happy with flux modulators."
"Wendi, could you explain to me why you're not happy?"
How easy it that. This is a buying signal. Exploit it. Suppose the prospect say, "Well, I'd have to go to committee with that proposal."
"I understand completely. Joel can explain to me how the committee operates and how they go about evaluating a proposal?"
Suppose you're probing for needs. Here's what you can say,
"Ms. Giuliani, explain to me the challenges you're experiencing in penetrating the Canadian market."
Dare I say you cannot possible sell without this question ready and waiting?
6. The Make Sense Question
You might want to call this a 'trial close.' Keep it handy because you've use it a lot. Use this simple, close ended question during and after pitch your product or after you've tackled an objection. So, for example, suppose you have presented a financial planning strategy regarding mutual funds. Just ask,
"Does that make sense to you so far?"
"Am I making sense to you right now?"
Now, this question does a couple of things. First of all, it tosses the conversation back into your prospect's lap. This creates 'give and take' dialog and forces you to relinquish control of the call. This is s a good thing because it stops you from rambling on.
The second thing is does it helps you gage if the client is on board or not. To make this happen you've got to listen to the words and the tone of your client. If your prospect says, "Ya sure, I guess" but with a vague and uncertain tone, clearly it does not make sense. You need to stop right here and reverse gears by saying, "It sounds like I may have confused things a bit and I sense some hesitancy. Can you explain to me what you're thinking?" (Notice the versatile "explain" question)
On the other hand, if the client gives you a positive and enthusiastic remark, "Ya, it makes total sense" they have, in effect, given you a buying signal which says, "Go on, I like what I hear?"
Don't be afraid to liberally pepper your sales call with "make sense" type of questions. Variation include, "do you follow?" "How does that sound to you?" "Am I on the right track?"
Does that make sense to you?
7. The Removal Question
Here's a question that every rep should keep in their hip pocket and use when dealing with objections and concerns. The Removal Question simply and efficiently 'removes' the issue at hand and asks the client their thoughts based on that scenario. Suppose a prospect says, "It's really great but it's just not in our budget." You reply:
"Fair enough Brandi. Let me ask, if budget was not an issue, would you proceed with the proposal as outlined."
If Brandi says yes, then you can negotiate or come up with terms or arrange financing or do whatever because her objection is not a smokescreen but the real thing. If she says, "Well, ya...but I am also a little concerned about maintenance program" you've discovered that it's not a budgetary issue or that budget is only part of a number of issues.
Suppose the client says, "Well, I have to go to the buying group on this one." You say, "I understand. Steve, suppose there wasn't a buying group, what would be your decision?" By removing the objection you can determine if Steve's on board or not.
Either way, you are well on the way to handling the client's issue.
8. The "Give it a Shot" Question
It's time to close the sale. One of ABSOLUTE THE best questions to close the sale is this:
"So, Angie, would you like to give it a shot?" or
"Why not give it a shot?"
Giving it a shot is a very colloquial phrase and because it seems so 'off the cuff' and casual it seems less like a close to your client. This type of close feels temporary in the client's mind; it feel reversible. There is a sense that the client can back out; an 'escape' clause. So, psychologically, the close doesn't seem to be as big a deal as a more formal close.
It's brilliant and it works!. Give it a shot. You'll like it. (Sorry, couldn't resist)
Summary
These are eight of the best selling questions of all time. This is not because I say so but because millions of sales reps have gone before you and tried these. They are classic and they work. You will sell better and sell more when you use them.Labels: better selling, phone selling skills and tips to improve, sales questions |
| posted by Natasha Atanasovska @ 10:31 AM |
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Monday, November 16, 2009 |
This video shows the basics of cold calling secrets and techniques that you can apply to your calls to become more successful in the way you sell and present your speech to customers on the other end. Take a look at how Frank Furnez helps
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| posted by Natasha Atanasovska @ 10:24 AM |
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Making the Sale And Making it Fun!
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 A day at work can be a joy rather than a drudge when you like what you're doing and are able to realize some success doing it. In our travel business, success equals sales. We have aggressive sales goals which everyone is obligated to meet. I would like to share some ideas on making the sale - and having fun while you're at it.
The sale is the justification for your existence.
Selling travel is really selling a dream. It is this dream that has brought your client in... don't ever lose sight of the dream you are helping them find. The trip you sell could change their life, and is something that will never be forgotten.
Have you ever told your client the tour includes luggage handling, round-trip transfers, half-day sightseeing? Those sure aren't the words that paint the picture of a dream. Why not paint a picture, sell the benefits, sell the dream?
You know about the only thing you don't get on this tour is someone to pack for you. From the moment you check your bag at the airport, the fun begins.
Get out the paintbrush when you are talking. Paint that picture. Say to your client, "If you will for just a moment, picture yourself in Hawaii awaking at sunrise.. the warm gentle breeze.. the never-ending ocean waves gently rolling. Watch the world slowly wake up."
Create that mental picture, and let your client's imagination wander. Let them see what's in it for them. You are helping them to enjoy the end result before they even leave your office!
Look at TV advertising. They make toilet paper seem like a luxury item. Start to listen to commercials. Pick up some of the words they use to paint a picture and put them in your bag of tricks.
Fulfill their dreams. Don't take someone else's dreams for granted. After all, you'll ring up the profits by satisfying their dreams. Remember, you aren't selling just a trip. If it appears your client isn't interested, you probably didn't paint an interesting enough picture. Dip back into your work paints and start painting that vacation dream masterpiece.Labels: better selling, telemarketing. making sales |
| posted by Natasha Atanasovska @ 9:13 AM |
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Up-selling Sales Tips
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 Here are some up-selling sales tips to help you grow your business.
There are not too many entrepreneurs and salespeople who can boast a sales increase of 25+% this year.
So you would think, everybody is doing everything imaginable to increase his sales.
If I had to guess, I estimate 81.5% of all entrepreneurs and salespeople leave money on the table every single day.
And here's how they do it! They make no attempt at up-selling at every opportunity.
I was reminded of this just two weeks ago.
You might even want to call this a viral example.
Got a telephone call at 10:15 AM from a company who is washing my neighbor's windows - inside and out. This is an excellent example of intelligent marketing.
The caller said they were washing my neighbor's windows and while they're on the block would I mind having them quote on doing our windows?
Later that morning they looked at our home and gave us a written proposal for doing our windows. It was reasonable and our windows needed washing - ca ching!
Ten days later the husband/wife team came back and washed our windows and they did a very good job.
Before leaving Hugo said he also details cars on the weekends and gave me his card.
Now I had been thinking about getting our cars detailed for the last three months - and just never got around to doing it - so his timing was perfect.
I asked him how much he charged if he detailed two cars and he said $200 and that's for detailing the interior and exterior of both cars.
Up-selling, when you think about it, is really soft selling. This guy didn't push me to do anything.
Here's another example. A couple of weeks ago I was watching the golf Channel and saw an advertisement for a Medicus doubled hinged driver. And so I went on-line to place my order.
Before I could hit the "Submit" button, they made six attempts at trying to sell me something else. I declined. But I bet a lot of their customers don't.
The day after I placed the order, Medicus called me to confirm and thank me for my order. The woman, in customer service, also told me to look for the CDs that would be taped to the inside the box - a nice touch.
And then came the up-sell. She said, "People like you who purchased the driver also purchased the five iron for an additional $$$ - can I add this to your order?"
Have you ever been to a McDonald's restaurant, placed your order, and had someone ask you if you want to supersize your number seven meal?
I remember being at Starbucks at the Tampa airport ordering a tall coffee of the day, and the cashier asked, "Would you like one of our homemade chocolate chip cookies to go with that?"
Classic up-selling examples.
Imagine being a server at a restaurant. Your customer says, "I like to order a martini on the rocks." The server responds, "We carry Tanqueray and Bombay gin - which do you prefer?"
In another restaurant the customer orders the Veal Piccata entrée. The server then asks, "Would you like to add a soup or a salad to your entrée? Today's homemade soup is lobster bisque?"
Please don't think this up-selling sales tip won't work in your business - because it can work in every business. Just because you're not doing it, doesn't mean your competitors aren't going to the bank with the money you're leaving on the table.
If a part of your product line includes selling supplies you can end every sales call by saying something this.
"Before I leave, what low inventory supplies can I help you restock while I'm here?"
Depending on the specific situation, this could be considered either cross-selling or up-selling.
This sure beats saying, "Before I go, are there any other problems I can help you with?" Duh!
You can apply these up-selling sales tips to any business. In fact, I could employ up selling strategies if I were selling single ply toilet tissue.
"Our basic roll of toilet tissue comes with a plain white wrapper. For a view pennies more, you could add one of three colors along with your logo. Which color do you like best?"
Up selling is really a win-win for you and your customers. Your customers get everything they want and you walk away with a bigger sale.
One final thought to make this work you. Prepare your up-selling strategy in writing and then practice it a few times before you try it on your customers.
These up-selling sales tips will help you increase your sales and when that happens you increase your income too.
Jim Meisenheimer is the creator of the new Sales Trailblazer V.I.P. Selling Club for entrepreneurs and professional salespeople.
The focus is on common sense sales tips and proven selling strategies. 24 lessons spread over 24 weeks - pure gold.Labels: advice, improvemnets, phone skills, phone techniques |
| posted by Natasha Atanasovska @ 9:11 AM |
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How to Answer, "It's Too Expensive"
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 You've given the prospect all your product or service features, every reason to buy that you can think of, and testimonials from raving customers but as she shakes her head side to side she says the dreaded words, "It's just too expensive".
This is perhaps the most common objection of them all. And the myth that I wish to dispel is that this objection has anything to do with the balance of your prospect's bank account.
If you ask me if I'd like to buy a pack of gum, I'm likely to say no-think-you. But, I could also say that it's too expensive. WHAT? I can't afford a pack of gum? Well, I don't like gum. I don't know what it says about a former professional trombone player who can't seem to avoid biting his tongue and straining his jaw muscles when he chews gum, but the fact is, gum and I don't get along. So any price for gum is too much for me.
I just spent $250 for Apple TV. I couldn't give the store clerk my money fast enough! Considering how much I love my new online access to movies, I consider it a bargain. Too expensive? I would have gladly paid more.
Here's the point: Unless we're talking about things clearly out of our spending ability (for me, it might be a McLaren sports car or a 96′ Hargrave Sky Lounge-to name but a few), the objection of being too expensive is simply a cover for the real reason: I don't see enough benefit in it for me.
So what do you do when you hear, "It's too expensive" or "We don't have the budget" or "I can get it cheaper elsewhere"? You regroup and determine if this person is truly a good prospect for your product or service, and if so, how to help them reach that conclusion. In my opinion, the worst thing you can do at this point is try to convince them that it is not too expensive. "Yes, but 9 out of 10 of our satisfied customers find that it is a bargain, so you should therefore..."
Do you know what a trial close is? It is a question that asks the other person's opinion regarding the value of your product or service. It does NOT ask them for a decision to buy. It just identifies their reception to buying. So, you might ask, "For the moment, let's take price out of the picture. Do you see any value at all in an extra $1MM in liability protection?" Then listen. Do you hear a "Yes, but..."? Focus on what follows the "but". Be open to the fact that they may not be a good prospect for what you are selling. If so, move on to the next person.
If they see value in what you are offering, listen to them in order to understand how much value they perceive. After all, the value must correlate to the price. If you get just a lukewarm recognition of value, don't be surprised if they're unwilling to pay your full price. If they fail to see ANY value, expect it to be too expensive, or not in their budget.
The selling process is meant to explain benefits of ownership, so by all means, help your prospect understand the product or service and how she will benefit. Ask questions along the way to measure her enthusiasm and the value she perceives. If you trial close at the right moments and are being told that she sees a great deal of benefit from owning your product or service, you shouldn't hear the price objection. The price objection will only come when she doesn't clearly see enough benefit to her life coming from owning your product or service. Help her understand the value, don't just convince her the price is low.Labels: how to sell, phone advice, Phone selling tips, values and attitudes |
| posted by Natasha Atanasovska @ 9:06 AM |
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Do You Have "Natural" Direct Sales Skills?
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 When you purchase something... a car, a boat, clothes, new electronics, or anything else along those lines, do you tell everyone about them? Do you call your friends or family members or go visit them just to tell about your purchase and show them? Do you try to sell them on the same features that helped make the decision for you to purchase? Has anyone bought something because you told them about it or talked them into it?
If you answered yes to any of those questions, then you have natural direct selling skills. These are the same skills that a good direct sales representative or consultant have and use everyday in their business. To simply the role of a good direct selling rep, the above is how you make sales. You talk to people about the product or service, and tell them why you own it and why they should own it. You bring your excitement with you into the conversation and you send that excitement to your customer or client.
Direct sales is really that simple. Of course, there are some nuances of conversing with clients and customers, but it comes with time and will work it's way into your own sales skills over time. The battle is learning your skills, your limits, and your goals.
If you answered no to the questions in the first paragraph, well, don't worry. If you are interested in direct sales, you can learn these skills. They are very easy to learn but it could take more time if you are an intravert. But don't let this discourage you, hard work will pay off in the end! A natural instinct to sell will always help, but you can also overcome not having this natural ability with hard work and dedication to your goals. Don't let something simple like this stand in your way of controlling your income from direct sales and the future your business could bring to you.Labels: phone selling skills and tips to improve, phone skills |
| posted by Natasha Atanasovska @ 9:04 AM |
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Distinctive Advantages Salespeople Get by Using the Telephone
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Friday, November 13, 2009 |
 Using the telephone is an excellent way for a salesperson to plan her time and use her talents to be more productive and have a better tomorrow.
It is quick - You can telephone several people in the time it takes to go get a cup of coffee or peel a grape. ( The grape is a line from a Mae West movie. Mae West was, well Mae West).
It is Flexible- If the prospect you are calling is not available you can quickly contact someone else.
It is Convenient- Your prospect is as close to you as your telephone or cell phone. It helps eliminate waiting periods that are unproductive, and that includes e mails where you need to wait for a reply.
It is Economical- contacting prospects by phone rather than by any other means needs no supporting arguments.
It is Productive- Telephone activity can be used productively during spare moments which might otherwise be wasted.
Using the telephone properly can avoid those long waits in reception rooms. Using the telephone properly helps you qualify prospects quickly and saves time.
Proper use of the telephone gives you an immediate two way conversation and provides instant understanding. It is profitable in time savings, and it helps you gather information, and most importantly it helps you to qualify prospects in the easiest way possible.
Other than a letter it is still about as effective and personal a way as you can get to contact a prospect without being in front of them.Labels: phone advice, phone call advice, phone selling skills and tips to improve, telephone advice |
| posted by Natasha Atanasovska @ 11:22 AM |
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Lead Generation Tips - Prospects Will Call You When You Use Effective Voice Broadcasting Methods
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 Voice broadcasting provides a unique type of lead generation that gets prospects calling you instead of you making cold calls. If you've always been nervous about making cold calls for business-to-business sales, voice broadcasting empowers you to phone thousands of potential customers within moments without speaking directly to the recipient. It is the preferred method of many successful businesses to generate leads by phone. Let's explore lead generation through voice broadcasting and see how it can benefit you.
Choose Prospects
A great feature of phone leads software is you can target your market. Many voice broadcasting services offer targeting to narrow your calls to those who might be interested in your services. For instance, if you want to offer staffing services to those in the business office environment, you can target these phone numbers. If you wish to reach executives who travel by plane or bus often, you can create a targeted list to offer your travel agency services. If you want to target certain industries to help with their marketing campaigns, it's easy to do so with phone leads software.
The more targeted your audience, the better results you'll reap from your voice broadcasting message. That's why lead generation by phone is well worth the investment even if you have to pay more to target your calls. Once you choose a target of potential buyers, you can tailor your broadcast message to grab their attention.
Create Your Own Message
You have the option to record your own message or use a voice talent if you prefer. Reading your own message will personalize your offer if that's your goal. You might begin your message with, "Hi, I'm ___ with the Widget Company, and I'd like to briefly explain why your business needs ___." Of course, you fill in the blanks and add or change the words as needed. Whether you're the owner of the company or a sales representative, you'll notice that most prospects are excited when they realize you're the same person that was speaking on the recording.
Your message should be carefully thought out and written down. Practice a few times before recording, and be sure to record with enthusiasm....but not overkill. Your voice broadcasting message should not sound like a "broadcast" but you should talk as if you're actually speaking with an individual. Talk slowly and confidently without pressuring. Your goal should be to get a response - stir curiosity just enough for an inquiry. Make a short, simple offer they can't refuse!
Choose a Method of Response
Another major advantage of voice broadcasting is you can choose the method of response offered to your recipients. Perhaps you'd like them to call you back at a certain number to hear further instructions or to speak to a sales representative. Or, maybe you'd like them to respond by pressing a certain button on their phone that will transfer them to a salesperson or voice mail. Getting a response is the key to successful lead generation campaigns. Make it as easy as possible for them to learn more about your offer.
Keep in mind that there are challenges you'll face. Many companies have secretaries that screen all calls. The secretary may or may not listen to your offer or even tell the boss about it. If you can phone the owner directly, great. If not, develop your message to intrigue the secretary so he/she will at least pass on the information to the owner.
Whatever phone leads software you choose, be sure to abide by the laws concerning telemarketing and voice broadcasting. New laws are now in place that prohibit certain types of calls to homes. Thankfully, you can still make business-to-business calls through voice broadcasting. It's a great way to fine tune your marketing campaigns and lead generation efforts while reaching a greater audience.Labels: effective voice broadcasting, phone call advice, useful methods |
| posted by Natasha Atanasovska @ 11:18 AM |
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6 Reasons Why Sales Prospects DO NOT Call You Back!
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 Your Offer is not Compelling
What this means is that your prospect has determined that your voice mail message carries no value to them. There is no overt benefit or solid reason that motivates a return telephone call. To receive an immediate callback from your sales prospect you need to create enough interest and you do so through answering the one question in every prospect's mind which is: "What's in it for me?"
Sound of Your Voice
In 1967, communication researcher Albert Mehrabian, found that 93% of our communication is non-verbal (body language and the tone of your voice) and only 7% of our communication is verbal (the actual spoken word). What does this mean when you're leaving messages for your sales prospects? This means that you need to consciously place more emphasis on how you sound over the telephone.
Length of Your Voice Mail Message
Remember that your message is just one of many "other" messages. Any voice mail message greater than 30 seconds puts you at risk of message deletion. In this case, less really means more so make sure that your messages are short and to the point.
Misplaced Your Phone Number or Incorrectly Wrote It Down Wrong
As a result of not expecting your cold call, your prospect may just write down your information on a piece of paper for a future callback. In time, the paper they detailed your information on becomes part of another stack of cluttered papers and a return call is less likely. The other possible reason for not returning your telephone call could be that your prospect may have inverted your telephone number OR they may written your number down wrong because you did not repeat your telephone number.
Wrong Decision-Maker
One of the most common problems that salespeople face when telephone prospecting is they're contacting the wrong decision-maker. Your best rule of thumb is always the following: "Always begin your prospecting efforts at the top of the executive chain."
Lowest-Level of Priority
Let's face it, you're not the highest priority on your prospect's "To do list." Your voice mail message may get deleted just because they have another more important task OR because they are expecting a message from someone more important (in their eyes) than you. How do you become a priority? One way is through something called PERSISTENCE.Labels: phone advice, phone reasons, phone selling skills and tips to improve |
| posted by Natasha Atanasovska @ 11:15 AM |
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The Number One Secret to Successful Selling Over the Phone
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 We are more attractive when we are BEE-ing AVAILABLE
Does this sound familiar to you? One of our perfect customers commented that he had been making many sales calls by phone without reaching anyone and no one was returning the voice mail messages he had left.
He said that he was very frustrated with each call because all he heard was a voice mail on the other end.
The question we asked him was: 'Are YOU BEE-ing available when you are making the calls?'
He considered the question and then said, 'No, I don't believe I am!'
Often, when we are not getting the results that we want, the tendency can be to look outside of ourselves. We may justify the situation by saying that 'it was a bad time of day to call'.
You can console yourself by saying the other person 'does not have the courtesy to return a call.' Or you can state a 'sales rule' that when you make calls you never get more than 30% answering.
However, you know that looking outside of yourself will not change the circumstances. Here is the number one secret to successful selling and producing extraordinary results over the phone: Whoever you are BEE-ing on this end of the phone is who will be showing up on the other end of the phone.
If you notice that your customers are not returning your calls or you are not connecting, where to place your focus is on yourself. Consider that perhaps you are the one that is NOT being available.
Do whatever it takes for you to BEE available, do the money dance, meditate, do some deep breathing, look in the mirror, connect with yourself and grab a smile, then pick up the phone and notice what happens.
The laws of the universe are responding to the vibrational core so these are the prerequisites for you doing really well with the offering of something:
You must adore it yourself and you must believe completely in the value of it and the benefit to others.
And when you are there, then those that are looking for the benefit that it offers will flock to it and you'll be right there to welcome them." - Abraham-Hicks
Now that's attractive!Labels: phone advice, phone selling skills and tips to improve, phone skills |
| posted by Natasha Atanasovska @ 11:08 AM |
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The Secrets to Effectively Using Voicemail to Get Call Backs and Make More Sales
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 Voicemail is the scourge of many salespeople and yet the number 1 prospecting tool for some of the worlds most successful salespeople. Where does it sit in your sales prospecting armory?
I really am surprised that even the most experienced sale people have never, ever taken the time to work out and develop strategies for using voice mail to make your sales life easier.
First thing you have to do is prepare. Like every element of successful selling, the voicemail can be prepared for. How often do you sit down to make telesales calls and are utterly surprised when you encounter the voicemail. You then stammer and stutter out something like:
"Oooooh, ah, Hi John, Its...um...John Smith of Big Widgets Inc, we are running a special offer at the moment and think you might benefit. Call me back on 068768768687 and we can chat"
Leaving a voice mail like this is a complete waste of time. It comes across as unprepared and unprofessional. The reason i.e special offer is not adding any value and no busy business person is going to call you back 'for a chat'.
Make sure you prepare your voicemail message in advance so that it is clear, punchy and has a big impact.
Try including some of the following in your voicemail messages to make the maximum impact and position yourself as someone the other person will want to call back or take your next call.
Mention something of value you can add such as:
-Competitive Information
-A free report or white paper
-Research on their target market
-A solution to a business problem they may have
-A free ...........
If you are aiming to get a call back then you have to raise the curiosity level of the other person so high that they just have to call you back. The top tips is to leave a short message that eludes to something of value for them.Labels: phone advice, phone habits, phone techniques, voicemail tips |
| posted by Natasha Atanasovska @ 10:15 AM |
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Planning the Sequence of Your Daily Calls is of Utmost Importance
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 Planning your call sequence is not only a good sales practice but a logical way to work your territory. Not enough time in the day to accomplish what needs to be done? Need to make that one additional call that might put you over the top and beat that quota. be a quota? You are tired at days end because you covered one end of your area to the other. Planning your call sequence is the logical way to remedy all of the above.
It is smart and important to plan your calls in the proper sequence. Granted sometimes customers' have to be called on at certain times and on certain days. If this is the case then you must adhere to this. There is no getting around it. It is the rest of the time when this is not a factor that you must handle your sales call sequence correctly. Start out calling on the furthest customer first and work your way back. When you are finished you are near your starting point and the time you save can be used for more advantageous pursuits related to your selling effort ( writing proposals, going over records, preparing presentations, etc.)
Preparing a sequence of calls will enable you to see as many customers as possible in the least amount of time.
Doing this will also leave you time to accomplish the following:
A- You should make sure your call sequence leaves you time to call on new customers that have just moved in to your area, or new new businesses that were started.
B-You should also try to find new customers to replace customers you lost or that have left your area.
C- Your sequence of calls can be upset by vacations, construction, holidays, and other unforeseen problems over which you have no control.
Make sure you handle your sequence of calls so that you have time to handle special developments that come up, like informing customers of price changes, changes in delivery, product changes. There is always a multitude of things that can come up that is why salespeople always have to be flexible.
Having time to handle unforeseen developments is a must. Planning your time and sequence of calls enables you to do this.Labels: phone advice, phone habits, Phone sales tips, phone techniques, phone tips |
| posted by Natasha Atanasovska @ 10:11 AM |
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Tips To Eliminate Phone Fear
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 The fear of the phone is a common problem many business people face every day but it is absolutely essential to overcome this if you want to move your business forward. I know firsthand how this fear can cripple you and prevent you from conducting your daily operations.
Let's really think this through logically. A phone does not have the ability to hurt you in any way so it's obviously not the phone itself you're afraid of but the person on the other end of the line. So, where are these fears coming from? Many people won't pick up that phone simply because they fear rejection but if you change the way you react to rejection than that's when you will start seeing changes in your business as well as yourself. Here are some tips that have helped me conquer this.
Learn to accept NO and move on. If you can't accept this you are going to be a very unhappy person in business and you may want to rethink your career. Let's face it. No one likes the word no but there's no way around it. Remember that rejection is a normal part of selling. You must not take it personal when someone says no. Focus on the yes's that you are getting and forget the no's!!Learn to separate the business from the personal and keep on keeping on.
Don't try to be Perfect. It's natural to want to give a great presentation but don't analyze every word you're going to say or follow a script word for word. Be yourself and be natural. Pretend like you're talking to an old friend. If you put the focus on the person you're talking to as opposed to thinking about yourself and what they may be thinking about you, the conversation will go much smoother. You want to address your client's needs first and then decide whether they can benefit from your company and vice-versa. It's a lot easier to speak naturally when you're not trying to force an outcome. Have the "how can I help you today" approach and you will see a big difference in your conversations with people as well as an increase in your paycheck.
Practice over and over. Practice will build your self confidence and self confidence is an absolute must when picking up the phone. Even if you have to "fake it til you make it" that will help you learn how to act like a confident person and changing your actions does really change how you feel.
Just do it! When I was trying to conquer this problem, I would set a goal for that day as to how many prospects I would call. My main goal was to call say 20 prospects that day with the concentration being on making the call. I would pay no attention to the result. I would then make separate piles to show how many prospects I left messages for, how many I gave a full presentation to and how many may have said no. I was surprised to learn that I had much more success than I anticipated. Remember fears are created in your mind and the more you give in to them the more they grow. Also, try not to prejudge anyone. Prejudging is like setting yourself up for the negative.Labels: phone advice, Phone selling tips, phone tips |
| posted by Natasha Atanasovska @ 10:09 AM |
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Overcoming the Fear of Telemarketing to Become a Cold Calling Superstar!
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Monday, November 02, 2009 |
 Sometimes fear stops us from making cold calls to prospects. After picking up the phone and putting the receiver down- again and again - it seems sometimes that all hope might be lost! Fear not! The good news is that you have a brand new beginning on every new call. Meaning failure is not the process of "falling down". Instead, failure is the act of "staying down".
It's not that easy to sell and convince clients to buy your product or service over the phone - especially if you're calling them cold and out of the blue. Of course, any sensible customer would have the inclination to mistrust strangers.
Getting calls from people you don't know can be scary, after all.
However, as a telesales professional, your goal is to get your client to trust you. To get that trust, you have to build rapport and execute good conversational skills to make that rapport work to your advantage.
Most people are uncomfortable with cold calling. Telemarketers can sometimes feel that sense of fear when calling prospects. Telemarketers also get fearful of customers hanging up on them, or hearing the immortal "NO!". The secret in making your telesales calling successful is to simply "make the call". Its a fact that you will lose 100% of the sales that you don't go after!
Real telemarketers possess that confidence when saying that first "Hello" on the phone. Run through your script with as much confidence and as naturally as possible. Make sure you know everything about your product because you just can't comfortably talk about or sell something that you don't know like the back of your hand! So when those objections do come along, and you KNOW they will, lets face it, you can answer quickly and confidently.
If you fail on your first call, don't lose hope. You can make a second call. People who want to succeed keep on moving. When these people commit mistakes, they don't quit the game, they just carry on learning all the rules and make sure that they practice harder.
Remember, the way to BE nothing is to DO nothing!
Lets face it, selling is the oldest profession know to man, and every company on the planet is selling either some kind of product or service to everyone every day. Meaning, people like to buy. They don't like to get sold though! Use that little tip is creating your all-out fully digestible pitch!
Successful cold calling is the outcome of the effectiveness of methods and techniques and essentially relies on your own attitude towards cold calling. Read, learn and then go out there and conquer! Good luck.Labels: cold calling, overcoming fear, phone advice, phone techniques, phone tips |
| posted by ThirstyFish @ 10:43 AM |
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Want to get rid of Acne? Eat foods that have low glycemic index
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 Acne is the word every teen hates but faces this nightmare at one point or the other during her growing years. There are as many numbers of creams and lotions available as the number of teens with acne! New research suggests that a diet with foods containing low glycemic loads could help people suffering from acne to get rid of their acne.
Scientists from th RMIT university in Melbourne studied the effect of food on about forty three patients aged between 15 and 25 years. They were randomly assigned a normal diet and a low glycemic load diet for 12 weeks. The diet consisted of 25 percent energy from protein and 45 percent from low-glycemic-index carbohydrates.
It was found that people whose diet consisted of low-glycemic-index carbohydrates had a significant reduction in the total acne when compared to people on a normal diet.
What is Glycemic index?
The Glycemic Index (GI) relates to the way your body’s sugar levels respond to certain foods. Foods are given a rating from 0 -100 on the glycemic index with glucose in the highest position. High Glycemic Index foods (such as simple carbohydrates) will increase the body’s sugar levels rapidly whereas low glycemic index foods will increase the body’s sugar levels slowly according to HWF.
The new findings suggest that diets that contain low glycemic loads may not only improve insulin sensitivity and helps reduce weight but clears up acne as well.
So, if you want to get rid of acne and have a blemish free skin, foods that have high glycemic index like white bread, sugar, potatoes are a strict NO. However you can eat low-glycemic foods like whole grains, vegetables, fish and lean meat as these foods are kinder to your skin and say good bye to acne forever |
| posted by ThirstyFish @ 10:36 AM |
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How to Stop Struggling with the Sales Conversation
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 For loads of small business owners in helping/healing professions, selling is a HUGE obstacle in growing their businesses. ("I just want to be of service. I don't want to market or sell!")
The problem is they see sales and marketing as separate from the transformation they provide. Which means they constantly struggle with what to say to potential clients that won't conflict with their values of service, compassion and authenticity.
Take my client, Ritamarie, for example. She's a nutrition practitioner and had a strong aversion to coming off as "sales-y." It just didn't fit her style or her audience. Even when she tried to "make the sale," it often didn't pan out because there was a disconnect between her passion for what she does and her dispassion for selling.
Unfortunately, the end result was people weren't hiring her in the numbers she wanted.
We spent a private day working together virtually, constructing a "conversation template" that was comfortable for her and conveyed the value she had to offer. Since then, she's reported a record number of "yes!" responses (and at a much higher dollar figure than before). Happy day!
Because I know many other heart-centered entrepreneurs struggle with what to say (like Ritamarie used to), I want to give you .3 ultra-simple tips for how to confidently "talk turkey" with clients in a way that's comfortable - and always in alignment with your values.
1) Reframe the meaning of "selling."
The idea of selling has been given a bad rap by those who've used it only as a means to put money in their own pockets, customer be damned. The truth is, selling isn't about forcing something down another person's throat (unless you choose to view it that way). Selling, at its essence, is a transaction between two people, for the mutual benefit of both.
And if you know in your heart that your special brand of transformation is exactly what the person you're speaking with needs, presenting your offer is the first step in being of service.
2) Clarify your offer so you can present it clearly and easily.
The simplest way to get a yes answer is to create a compelling picture in your prospective client's mind. A picture that makes them say, "I gotta have that!" Take some time before you begin a "selling conversation" to get really clear about the specific details of your product, program or service, as well as the specific results your client can expect. Once you've got those on the tip of your tongue, painting that enticing picture is a piece of cake.
3) Integrate your values into the conversation.
Don't leave your values back in the car when you talk with someone about what you can do for them. In a service-based business like yours (and mine), your clients are buying you, not some impersonal product. Asking about their beliefs and values, and sharing your own, is an excellent way to build rapport and know that what you're offering is a match for what they need.
You Can't Help Them Until They Say 'YES.'
Marketing, at its heart, is about connecting with others so you can create your special brand of transformation in their lives. And the final step in the marketing sequence is asking for the sale. Without that, you can't work your magic. Knowing how to speak about your services in a way that blends your marketing message with your values means both you and your potential client come out winners!Labels: phone sales, sales, sales techniques, telephone sales tips |
| posted by ThirstyFish @ 10:33 AM |
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Ten Top Tips for Terminating Telephone Terrors
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 1. Make telephone calls Few things are more terrifying than the unknown. The fear you create for yourself is far worse than the reality of cold calling. Once you start making telephone calls and continue making telephone calls, it gets easier. You overcome fear by doing.
2. Make a lot of telephone calls If you have only one prospect to pursue, that prospect becomes overwhelmingly important. If you have hundreds of leads, no one prospect can make or break you. The more calls you make, the more success you will have.
3. Prepare Prepare for cold calling the way you would for any major presentation. Know what you want to say, how you want to say it and how you want to represent yourself, your company, your product or service. And know the goal of your telephone call.
4. Practice If you are new to cold calling or uncomfortable with cold calling, practice your pitch out loud. Role-play with friends or colleagues. Practice various sales scenarios. This way, you will not have to worry about what you are going to say. You will be prepared, and you can focus in on your prospect.
5. Start with less important leads It will be good practice and less stressful. Once you feel more comfortable, start working on the more important leads.
6. Stay calm You will, for the most part, be talking to people who will appreciate your call. If a prospect is rude, remember: This is not personal. They may just be having a bad day. Move on.
7. Your priorities and your prospect’s priorities are different You want an immediate “yes”; your prospect may want to finish a report, finish a conversation, start their vacation… Be very careful not to read negative or extra meaning into early conversations with your prospect or prospect’s secretary. If, for example, your prospect’s secretary says that your prospect is “on the phone,” “in a meeting” or “out of the office,” that does not translate to, “My prospect knows that I am calling and is avoiding me.”
8. Some things are out of your control If a prospect does say “no,” ultimately, that is out of your control—but what is within your control is continuing to prospect and continuing to make calls. It is also withi n your control to improve your cold calling skills, take seminars, read books or hire a coach—then, fewer prospects will say “no.”
9. Arlene’s Game The object of Arlene’s game is to focus on rejection. The goal is to reach 100 points. You get 1 point for every rejection. Give yourself 1 point for every “no” answer. If your prospect says “yes,” that’s a bonus! Focus on acquiring points. The more calls you make, the more points you acquire. When you reach 100—You Win! Give yourself a prize!
10. Have fun This is not life or death—it’s only a cold call. The fate of the world does not rest on you and your telephone. You will not destroy your company or ruin your life if a prospect says “no.” Loosen up, be creative, have some fun!Labels: phone advice, phone techniques, telephone sales tips, telephone tips |
| posted by ThirstyFish @ 10:24 AM |
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How to Overcome the Fear of making a Phone Call
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We spend almost every waking moment on the phone. We're on
the phone in the car and in the grocery store, sitting in
meetings and standing in line, at ball games and concerts.
We cannot tolerate being out of the loop or spending time
quietly with ourselves. Yet the cry continues from small
business owners, sales associates, and customer service
representatives that they hate to make calls.
Here are a few of their reasons and a suggestion of how to
overcome the fear.
The fear of being rejected- With so many sales gurus out
there, we really believe that the buyer has to say NO six
times before they will buy. Their great plan is for us to
make so many calls that we have to average a couple of
Yes's a day.
The fear of being interrupted- Nothing has impacted how we
treat sales calls more than the telemarketing industry. The
number one complaint I hear is that they want to read the
entire script, with appropriate pauses for emphasis,
without taking a breath. Interrupting them will only make
them start over.
So don't read to your prospects. You don't get interrupted
in a conversation. Get the buyer involved in the dialogue
early. And don't think those cleverly crafted questions
that can only be answered YES count. Identify the real
decision maker, the need, the timing, and the budget by
sharing information. Give your prospect permission to add
to the conversation. When you aren't doing all the talking,
you may find time to listen. Remember, though, listening is
more than waiting for your turn to talk.
The fear of seeming unorganized- Do you dial a number
without having the file open on your computer or on your
desk? Have you taken a moment to familiarize yourself with
the account, the last purchase, or the last requested
action? If there was a previous misunderstanding or error,
have you verified the outcome and the customer's
satisfaction?
The person who makes the call controls the call. Don't ask
prospects to call you back. They may catch you at an
inopportune time when your mind is on something else. You
may not be able to fight back the urge to put them on hold
while you locate the information that you were calling
about earlier. Or worse, you could confuse them with
another buyer. Organize your thoughts and information
before the contact is made.
The fear of not knowing the answer- No one has to know
everything about everything. Have you ever watched a
computer genius? There is more button pushing and screen
hopping and cable repositioning than one can bear to watch.
Afterwards, I don't have any idea what he did and I'm not
sure that he does, either. But now it works.
You have permission to learn something new every day. How
you stall for time is what separates the professionals from
the fearfuls. "That's a good question. Do you have a minute
to hold while I verify that for you?" "I may need to
research that. Are you able to hold or may I call you
back?" "No one has ever asked me that before. Would you
give me the opportunity to look into this on your behalf?"
Prospects, customers, patients, and clients would much
rather give you time to check on their questions than have
you simply hazard a guess. Know It All - not at all.
The fear of taking it personally- Do you think that
problems go away if you ignore them? Recently, I arrived to
view the proofs of our family photographs. The clerk
greeted me with, "They're not in, yet." What do you mean
they are not in? This is my appointed time. "Well, they
were held up yesterday and they're not in, yet. It isn't my
fault." When did you know the pictures were going to be
late? "Yesterday, but I was still hoping they'd be here.
Yours aren't the only ones. Is there a number I can call
when they get in?" Wouldn't yesterday have been the
appropriate time to make the call?
No one wants to be the bearer of bad news. However, letting
the customer know what is happening and what you're doing
about it before it becomes an inconvenience gets you huge
payback in loyalty.Labels: confidence, phone advice, Phone sales tips, phone techniques, phone tips |
| posted by ThirstyFish @ 10:05 AM |
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Top Ten Reasons to Outsource your Telemarketing Needs
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 For businesses that need the opportunity to generate potential leads via the telephone, it's often a massive drain on human, financial and physical resources to conduct this work for themselves. Furthermore, inexperienced telemarketers could damage your reputation and your credibility. By outsourcing your demands to a specialized telemarketing service, you can benefit from the best in skilled industry professionals using proven techniques derived from results-driven environments, with the latest technology, top quality target data and all at an impressive investment to revenue ratio.
#1: INEXPERIENCE SELLS ITSELF:
When you use current staff members to perform your telemarketing, you are usually placing an inexperienced individual into a stressful and demoralising position. Those emotions of stress and dispiritedness soon transfer to the call's recipient who unconsciously sense's their distress and rather than feeling confident about your product or service, they want to terminate the call quickly. Inexperienced staff, often working without a script or well-written guide, quickly becomes ineffective and even counterproductive.
#2: YOUR OFFICE ENVIRONMENT:
Leading on from #1, your office environment is not the most conducive to conduct a successful telemarketing campaign. With other staff around, your telemarketer feels self-conscious and censors themselves. By focusing on limiting social embarrassment, your telemarketer stops listening to the call recipient and successfully responding to their signals. Furthermore, the environment is often noisy and distracting.
#3: DATA SUPPLY:
Where do you get your potential leads from? A professional telemarketing company provides leads that are based on strategically selected data. Developing your own data supply is costly, both in terms of money and time. Outsourcing this to a telemarketing specialist saves you both time and money by having the professionals provide the right data to supply the telemarketers making the calls. Weak, cheap data provides poor leads, occasional low-level sales, broken contracts and meager investment to revenue ratios.
#4: DON'T BE TEMPTED BY TEMPS:
It's all too easy to pay the price of getting in some 'temporary staff' to perform your telemarketing. These are reasonably low paid workers whose agency takes a good cut of their worth and who are likely to work well for you but are not really going to be fully invested in getting the results that your business needs. What and where's their incentive? They get paid hourly. Temps don't know your company, your products or services well enough to deliver effective results. By outsourcing to professionals, you receive the support of dedicated and experienced telemarketing staff that effectively integrates their own skills with your company's message, products and services.
#5: TALK THE TALK:
Effective talk guides or scripts are essential to strategically turning leads into sales. Telemarketing scripts should be professionally researched and written, weak scripts lead to loopholes, silences, and closed questioning. If you don't feel confident to write a strong telemarketer's script, you need to outsource to save wasting valuable time and money on calls that go nowhere.
#6: FLEXIBILITY 1:
Truly effective telemarketing requires the flexibility to change your volume of approach from hour to hour, day to day or project to project. One day you need a single marketer calling select contacts, the next; you need dozens of staff canvassing a wide range of potential leads. This flexibility is difficult, if not impossible to manage and achieve with your own in-house staff.
#7: FLEXIBILITY 2:
Following on from #6 - you need to be able to use your telemarketers at hours that might not suit your own staff. Will your 9-5'ers want to change their hours to those needed to gain maximum capacity from a telemarketing campaign? Would they be happy to come into work on a Saturday afternoon or a Sunday morning to cold call your potential leads? Consider the over-time implications of this and you'll soon see that the cost outweighs the potential benefit. This dovetails nicely into #8
#8: COST:
One of the most compelling reasons to outsource your telemarketing requirements is the cost associated with setting up your own telemarketing. Cost comes in two forms, time and money. Consider the cost of training your staff in telemarketing techniques, in advertising for new staff, over time costs, the cost of equipment, diallers, software, scripts, the morale costs on staff working unsociable hours and finally the cost of the calls. Good telemarketers don't want to be constrained by limited talk time limits. These costs are all included in the provision provided by your professional telemarketing service.
#9: EQUIPMENT:
Closely related to cost is the issue of telemarketing equipment. First off, you need a quiet separate room where your telemarketers can work. They need separate desks so that your potential clients are listening to others working at the same time. Furthermore, you need computers, software, automated diallers, additional phone lines, call monitoring equipment, cables, telephones, headsets - these have the double cost of first purchase and then the constant updating required to keep up with the speed of telemarketing technology. Equipment also requires maintenance, technical support, care and hygienic cleaning. Outsourcing your telemarketing needs removes these costs from your project's budget.
#10: MAKE THE WORDS WORK FOR YOU:
It's not just about having a good script or talk guide, it's about being able to express yourself clearly, confidently and persuasively under pressure. Experienced telemarketers improvise based on the direction the call recipient takes; do you own staff have this quality in abundance? When a telemarketer uses certain well-honed phrases naturally, it captures the recipient's attention, they use the script to draw further interest before skilfully leading them to take action and get the results that you need. The very words that professional telemarketers use are directly related to the needs of your potential customers. Rather than selling a product, they offer the recipient solutions, chances and opportunities that encourage the customer to connect without the traditional fear of tele-sales/marketing callers.
It's obvious to see why some businesses make the mistake of doing their own telemarketing. It's seems simple enough to set up their own telemarketing campaign and get the results that they need to help business improve. Buy a few good leads, rent a few phones and persuade some of your sales team to do a bit of over-time. It seems to be little output with maximum gain. However, from the tips outlined above, it's clear to see that the value you will get from professionally outsourcing your telemarketing requirements will massively outweigh the potential costs and problems of DIY telemarketing.Labels: reasons, techniques, telemarketing, useful advice on selling |
| posted by ThirstyFish @ 9:48 AM |
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Become an Expert in Telephone Selling
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Wednesday, October 28, 2009 |
 Have you have experienced the absolute pleasure of listening to a true professional salesperson closing a sale on the telephone.
There is nothing like it and it really is something you must aspire to.
There is no stress or anxiety in his voice, just a smooth confident flow which you just know will lead to a sale.
So, I know what you are thinking, How do I obtain these skills and come across as an expert in my field when I am on the telephone.
You will be pleased to know that with practice and preparation, you too can master the skill required to get to this level.
Lets look at an example to give you an idea what I'm talking about.
Thank you for calling ABCD, my name is John, How can I help you today?
Yes, we have that product in stock and the price is $500
I'm sorry, we could not accept an offer that low on a product of this quality, would you be in a position to offer $450
$400 is a little on the low side, I could go to $430 if you are able to purchase right now over the phone.
OK, I'll just check with my manager.
Yes that is fine, we can go with $430 if you are in a position to purchase now, which credit card do you want to use.
OK, I'll stay on the line to make sure everything goes through smoothly.
Great, everything has gone through, can I do anything else for you today.
So, lets have a look at what our salesperson had to say.
To start with, the introduction.
You must always start with your name and the company name because the prospect then knows they have reached the correct person and in their eyes they have got through to someone in authority.
You will then see that our salesperson actually said 'no' (shock, horror)
This was put across in a caring but assertive way which showed the prospect that he wanted to move forward but on his terms.
If someone comes in with a low offer, don't get angry and don't take it personally, just politely explain the value of the product and move on from there.
If there is room for negotiation on the price, and there usually is, and you can agree to a lower price make sure that the prospect knows you have dome them a big favour, and in return for that favour they must be ready to make the purchase now!
At this stage of the process you must follow it through, ask your prospect which credit card they wish to use, a simple question which leads them to make the sale 'right here, right now'
All of this was carried out in an honest and friendly manner and the prospect will not feel that he has been ripped off in any way, which he most definitely hasn't.
He will feel that he has a good deal and will most likely be a customer for many years.Labels: telephone selling, telephone techniques, telephone tips, useful advice on selling |
| posted by ThirstyFish @ 9:46 AM |
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Telephone Sales Tips to Stop Those Early Sales Objections on Telesales and Sales Appointment Calls
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 Telephone sales tips can stop your sales appointment and telesales calls being stopped early by sales objections from the prospect. You can avoid those early illogical objections that prevent you from gaining the appointment or sale. The early call stoppers are usually, I'm not interested, not thinking of buying, or a, no thanks don't want anything.
Don't you feel like asking the prospect what it is they are not interested in as they don't know why you are calling yet? If you could stop these objections from happening how many more appointments or sales would you make, and how much more money would you earn? Many of the objections and negative responses that stop your call will be caused by the prospect thinking they are receiving a sales call.
They see a sales call as something that benefits the caller not them. They think that you want to make a sale or a sales appointment, and that is going to cost them something. They perceive your call as a typical win for you and a loss to them. Whether it's their money or their time you are trying to gain it is still seen as a loss to them.
Telephone sales tips to stop these call stoppers, and inoculate your telesales calls against them, are based on disguising your real reason for calling and your title or position. The idea is to stop the prospect perceiving your call as a telesales or sales appointment call. So in the introduction stage of the call you do not introduce yourself as a sales representative, a sales appointment maker, or a sales assistant. You don't give your reason for calling as wanting to make a sales appointment or to tell the prospect about the products you are selling. This will stop the reflex and illogical sales call objections that stop your calls in their early stages.
To get the best from these telephone sales tips you want to find a really positive reason for your call. A great reason is one that is viewed as positive from the prospect's point of view. Where possible change your introduction stage of your call and give something to the prospect. This could be: a free sample to try, a trial of your service, a real way to save money or gain money, or some other real benefit for the prospect. Take some time and look for how you could give a reason for calling that will benefit the listener. You could include a survey in return for a free sample. This give you a chance to ask some sales questions that will help you qualify the prospect as someone that could you could sell to.
To add to the customer benefit image you want your telesales or sales appointment call to project, give yourself a new title. Use these telephone sales tips and choose a title or position for yourself that sounds like it could be a benefit for the prospect. You want to disguise the fact that you are a sales person or an appointment maker. Think about what you could be, or what you could tell the prospect you are, that would grab their attention and keep them listening.
Product development manager sounds good if used with a free trial and a call back after they have used the product to get feedback, and then try and sell to them. Customer care sounds better than sales executive. Avoid marketing, sales, or appointment in your title. Give these ideas some consideration and see what you can come up with. Then the most important part of these telephone sales tips is to take some action and use them.Labels: phone sales, Telephone sales, telephone techniques, telephone tips |
| posted by ThirstyFish @ 9:40 AM |
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Call Tracking For Telemarketing
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 Call tracking has many useful features that telemarketing firms can utilize in their day to day operations. Not only can marketers track multiple campaigns, but you can perform quality control and calculate your closing ratios. This web based application is a great asset for the experienced and novice marketer in that it helps with crunching the numbers and gives you a snapshot of how your campaign efforts are performing. Let's explore tracking systems and dive into the fine features this tracking software has to offer your telemarketing business.
Call tracking is great for tracking your telemarketers' performances. One way to do this is by having your telemarketers call out and leaving your tracking number out for potential customers to call back on and see who is receiving those call backs. Most, if not all, tracking applications have recording capabilities which records any incoming calls. Any campaigns placed by the telemarketing company, in addition to the outbound calls, may yield customers calling in using that tracking number which is sent to your sales team and read for review as well.
What's great about the recording feature is that you can query recorded calls by date, length of call, or by campaign name. As many calls come in through the phone lines, it's important to keep track of your company's integrity. You want to perform quality control on your telemarketing team and this software allows you to do just that. Some applications will even send you an SMS notification in regards to any call that was under one minute and find out what happened and why that particular call was that short. If your representatives are not taking the work serious or blowing customers off, you can immediately download the recording into an mp3 file and take proper action. The more advanced this technology becomes the better reporting it offers and more companies are beginning to utilize this software.
Some things to take note about your telemarketing business are when are the heaviest call times, the average call length, and keep a log of missed calls. Call tracking developers should have had all these features in mind when designing their application. What makes this tracking software better than getting an 800 number from the phone company is that it reports important statistics that you would have to call the phone company for and possibly wouldn't even get as much useful data as with call tracking. Try a tracking system and discover the many great benefits of using this application and grow your business today.Labels: call tracking, techniques, telemarketing, tips |
| posted by ThirstyFish @ 9:38 AM |
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Telemarketing Tactics to Improve Your Business
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 Telemarketing tactics have been in use for many years to enhance the profit of many companies, whether a newly started business enterprise or an established one. This is a great way to get in direct touch with a client base to announce the launch of a new business or a new product if the company is an already established one.
All it takes is to call up a prospective buyer one does not know from Adam, and do a sales pitch. If the person at the end of the telephone is interested the order is taken, if not another number is dialed.
When telemarketing established itself as an innovative way to do business, most telemarketers simply opened the local telephone directory and dialed numbers at random. This way the success rate of targeting prospective clients was pretty much low.
Things have evolved now. That is because enough research has been carried to create what is now called a telemarketing list. This is a list of those clients who are willing to buy products or services through telemarketing. There is no denying that telemarketing is an effective business strategy. The reason for this is that you get an immediate response. You are actually talking to a live person at the other end and are able to allay his fears, clear his doubts and overcome objections. It builds a very strong customer base and the reliability factor is far higher. The success of telemarketing is on hitting the right target. You must call a person who is willing to buy and not a person who loves to hurl abuses at you. While there are many people who find telemarketers annoying and have registered themselves with the National Do Not Call Registry, there are many thousands who welcome telemarketing. So the next step would be to buy a telemarketing list.
There are many companies who compile this list for business enterprises. It would be a good idea to buy a telemarketing list from one of these companies to begin your telemarketing strategy. The list contains relevant information about a prospective client that could include the likes and dislikes of the buyer, annual income, buying strategies, information about the family, the number of consumers in the family, geographic location and other material that a seller would find useful. A word of caution though - before one buys a telemarketing list from any seller it is absolutely essential to buy one that suits your target group.
The company that sells you this list should be reputable. You can ask around and find out for yourself if the company has a high track record of success among its various buyers. It is also imperative that this list is matched against the National Do Not Call Registry so that you do not waste your precious time in calling people who do not want you to call them.
Telemarketing lists are now becoming increasingly sought after as the success rate of telemarketing with the right list in hand and with right telemarketing tactics and persuasion is continuing to play a very important role in marketing strategies for both new business and established ones.Labels: phone tips, telemarketing, Telephone sales, telephone sales tips |
| posted by ThirstyFish @ 9:36 AM |
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10 Tips for Telephone Success
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 The telephone is an often under-appreciated and much maligned piece of office equipment. Have you stopped to consider how much business you conduct over the telephone? These 10 tips will help you improve your telephone presence and presentations.
1. You are the “Manager of First Impressions” for your business. Whenever you pick up the telephone, put a smile on your face first. It will enhance your vocal quality and you will sound pleasant and relaxed.
2. Listen attentively to the person you are speaking with. Recall why your dog is such a good listener: listen actively and in the moment. Multi-tasking is the enemy of effective listening.
3. Let other people talk! Make sure your caller has completely finished speaking before responding. Remember: sometimes they aren’t done talking; they are just coming up for air.
4. Use open-ended questions to get people to speak more freely. You should always talk less than the person you have called. It makes others feel more comfortable, particularly if you are asking them to make a decision. The more they talk, the easier it is for them to “buy into” what you are proposing.
5. To create affinity with your callers, speed up or slow down your speaking voice to better match theirs. They won’t realize why they feel comfortable, they just will.
6. Use your words for best results. Keep in mind you can phrase anything positively, negatively or neutrally. Phrasing your words positively will help you get better results more easily.
7. Voice mail can be your friend. Avoid leaving voice mail messages but if you must, think of it as a 30 second commercial on a highly rated radio program. You have the opportunity to get your message into the “ears” of your most desired audience. Your message should reflect this.
8. Plan your telephone presentations in advance. Think out all the various scenarios you might be faced with and write it out. This is called pre-call planning.
9. Tape yourself for self-improvement. Listen to yourself carefully and decide what areas you want to improve.
10. Make an action plan. Focus on only one area at a time. When you feel comfortable, move to your next area and repeat.
We use the telephone as our primary form of personal communication. People who are good with this medium increase their opportunities for success.Labels: Phone sales tips, Phone selling tips, phone techniques, phone tips, sales |
| posted by ThirstyFish @ 9:33 AM |
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Telemarketing As A Career
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Monday, October 12, 2009 |
There are many telemarketers who are script readers and offer detailed information about a new product or service. Charity organizations, political bodies and other fundraising organizations utilize the strategy of telemarketing. Public opinion polls can be conducted with the help of telemarketers.
Dealing With Rejection 
Most people pursue telemarketing as a career because they want to break into the sales field. Unfortunately, the rejection and the abuse that is a large part of this career, puts an end to most career options. It is said that the fastest way to get your self-confidence bruised and battered is to become a telemarketer. This is one of the biggest reasons why the industry turnover of employees is so high. As salespeople, telemarketers are underpaid and hardly receive any form of training. Unfortunately, telemarketers are not trained to handle personal abuse or to deal with rejection, which they encounter at some point or the other, during their careers.
Pursuing The Career
If you are aiming to pursue a career in telemarketing, you should ask yourself why you want to be underpaid and how you propose to deal with the abuse. Selling can be a very lucrative career prospect and a rewarding one too. On the other hand, it can batter your self-esteem. However, it can also build and develop your self-esteem and confidence and provide you with all the monetary gain you seek. It is rewarding only if you learn all the skills properly. No one is born a great salesperson, selling is an art that needs to be learned. With the appropriate practical experience, you will be equipped with all the knowledge required to become a good salesperson. The best part is that a telemarketing career is not a costly investment.
However, the downside to telemarketing is that a major part of it deals with marketing consumer goods and products over the phone. A recent survey indicates that goods and services sold via telemarketing have amounted to billions of dollars every year. Over the years, the consumers have developed a certain degree of antipathy and antagonism, which is directed towards telemarketers and telemarketing as a whole. Telemarketers have been criticized for using unethical sales techniques and for making unwelcome phone calls.
All this has led to the implementation of certain strict legislative and regulatory control. The Federal Communications Commission, The Federal Trade Commission and many other agencies are now controlling telemarketing. The Direct Marketing Association is now maintaining a "do-not-call" list for all those people who do not wish to be disturbed by telemarketing calls.
However, if you truly wish to pursue this difficult yet highly satisfying career, you should not let any of this stop you. There are various books and training programs accessible, to help you in effective telemarketing. Acquiring the necessary skills will ensure a position any time, at any one of the telemarketing services.
Source:Articlesbase Labels: Phone sales tips |
| posted by Editor @ 11:15 AM |
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