Tel-E Sales Tip of the Week
April 16, 2008

Published By Art Sobczak, Business By Phone Inc.
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This Week's Tip: 
Avoid the Mistakes This Clueless
Caller Made
 
Greetings!

I picked up the phone and the sounding-
too-cocky sales rep mispronounced my
name and immediately launched into a pitch:

“I’m Pete Johnson with Nationwide Internet
and I’d like to tell you about how we could
speed up your internet connection. I’d like to
stop by next Tuesday and show you how we
could do this. Would one or four in the afternoon
be better for you?”

Obviously not a reader of this newsletter, the
guy made every mistake he could in the short
time he had his mouth open. He,

-didn’t take the time to find out about my office
from the person who answered the phone here
including what type of connection we have now
(He actually could not speed up my connection,
and I knew that for sure.)

-butchered my name (it's Sob'-check)

-made a bold assumptive statement about what
he mistakenly felt he could do, which signified
his ineptitude.

-asked for an appointment without asking questions
and giving me a reason why I should even continue
speaking with him on the phone. Meet in person?
Are you kidding me?

For the purposes of this Tip, I’ll focus on just one
mistake: Being too assumptive or bold in an opening.

Don't Be Assumptive In the Opening
My premise here is quite simple. If you call someone
cold and they don’t know you or your company, and
the first thing they hear is how you “would” do something
for them, the first natural reaction is the fight or flight
tendency. It causes the natural resistance to kick in.
Stated simply, their reaction is, “You don’t know me.
How in the world could you say that? I’m going to
argue with you and get rid of you.”

Granted, maybe you CAN do something for them.
What’s important to realize is that THEY have not
yet bought into that idea.

Here are words in an opening statement that
trigger the resistance:

“… want to show you how we could help you …”

“ … I know we can save you time and money …”

“ … we can improve your …”

“ … we can eliminate your problems in the area of …”

All of these statements make the assumption that
something is wrong. Again, maybe something is,
but if someone you don’t know or respect tells
you that you’re doing something wrong, what’s
your response? Naturally you resent it. Same
is true on the phone.

Ok, so what should we say?

“Weasel Words”

Use “weasel” or contingency words. For example,
“might,” “maybe,” “perhaps,” and “depending on”
are all good choices. As in,

“ ... the reason for the call is that depending on
your satisfaction with the speed and downtime of
your internet connection, we might be able to
help you cut down on the time you spend waiting
for pages to load, and your download time for email
and other files...”

And notice how this leads right into questioning.

“... and if I've caught you at a good time, I'd like to
ask a few questions about your internet service...”

Plus, if he would ask questions of whomever answers
the phone before getting to a decision maker, he might
uncover some problems in advance.

To be the best salesperson around, you have to try
and not sound like a salesperson.

Want to avoid the mistakes this guy made, and many
others I didn't list that salespeople use every day as
bullets to shoot themselves in the foot?

And, would you like a step-by-step process with proven
examples to create your own interest-creating opening?

And, how about if I offer to take a look at it after you
create it and give you my suggestions?

You can get all of that in my "How to Easily Create
Telephone Call Openings that Stimulate Interest, and
Avoid Resistance" 60-minute seminar on audio CD.

Check it out, and actually hear a sample at
 
http://www.businessbyphone.com/teleseminar.htm

QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"We can do anything we want as long as we stick
to it long enough."
Helen Keller

 

——————————————————

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For more info, go to http://businessbyphone.com/art.htm, or
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me at (402)895-9399. (Special incentive for Scottsdale/Phoenix
programs) 
 

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Reprint These Tips In Your Own Publication
We encourage you to reprint these Tips in your own email, online, or conventionally-
printed publications. It's free, as long as credit is given. Reply with your
request. Contact: Art Sobczak, President, Business By Phone Inc. 13254 Stevens St.,
Omaha, NE 68137, (402) 895-9399.  Or, email:arts@businessbyphone.com