Phoning and Telemarketing: 10 Ways to Fail Your Call in 10 Seconds
18 July 2008
Read by 3853 persons
Have you ever had the opportunity to prospect by phone? Yes? So you know how sometimes, you miss your phoning sessions. Poor word choice when the person answers, and the telemarketing call falls flat. How to improve phoning? This article offers 10 ways to fail your prospecting call... in 10 seconds.
In phoning and phone calls, sometimes telemarketing backfires. Let's set the scene: a good company, a good product, a well-identified prospect with lots of information about them. Ideal for a good phone sale!
However, after saying a few words, the prospect hangs up. Duration of the telemarketing call: 10 seconds.
How does this happen? How is it possible to get hung up on after only 10 seconds of phoning?
In this phoning and telemarketing article, I offer 10 ways to fail your prospecting phone call… in 10 seconds.
“I'm not calling to sell, but to do a survey”
“Sure,” says the person on the other end… “I've heard this line dozens of times. Each time the survey took 20 minutes of my precious time. And each time at the end of the survey I was offered a choice of 3 solutions, all costing a fortune.”
You may not have intended to sell, but to conduct a telephone survey. That's legitimate. But it's a shame because other telesalespeople have already tried this approach, to sell.
“Can I speak to the person who… ?”
This could be the person who manages the budget, who handles recruitment, training, [choose the person you want to reach].
Whoever you are looking for, the person you have on the line will immediately take you for a telesalesperson. They will think they are number 34 on your prospect list, the 34th person you'll tell your sales pitch to.
After all, with the internet and social networks, people say to themselves, “why don't you already know who you should be calling?” Result: missed phoning call.
“Hello, I am…”
So what? The recipients don't know who you are and have never heard of you.
Since you haven't established a link to your company's credibility, the best way to get by is to mention someone who referred you. Why not start with: “Martin Durand from Société Générale suggested I contact you”. You already have a better chance of getting somewhere now.
If the recipient would have tended to hang up because they don't know you, they are more likely to listen to someone sent by Martin Durand.
You make your call when there is noise around you
The immediate thought is that you are calling from a call center, and that you are surrounded by people also making prospecting calls. But in reality, you are simply in a busy office.
However, it's the call center stereotype that prevails. In doing so, it is possible that the person hangs up before you have had time to say more than 5 words.
The noises around suggest you are working from home
There is no problem working from home, quite the contrary. All home-based companies and those working remotely are legitimate, respectable, and do work equal to companies with their own offices.
However, in terms of phoning and telemarketing, it cannot be said that it is necessary to show that you work from home. Some consider it amateurish.
When you make your prospecting calls, make sure the person won't hear a crying baby, a barking dog, or your best guinguette music.
Waiting 3-4 seconds before responding to the recipient's “hello”
In telephone prospecting, this is often done to make sure you are talking to a person, not an answering machine.
In this world of automated or semi-automated work, this approach is legitimate. However, if the recipient of the phone call who says hello doesn't hear you immediately, it's over. They think they have a telesalesperson on the line and that they are next on your call list. Premature telemarketing call.
“Hello, this is Stephanie from Ouistiti et compagnie”
If the company or the person your phoning is intended for has never heard of you personally, your telemarketing session ends here.
Stephanie wouldn't have a last name, by any chance? Obviously yes.
So why didn't Stephanie mention it? The “first name only” telemarketing strategy places you - at best - in the category of second-rate telesalespeople… or interns.
Speaking in a flat and monotonous tone
The worst-case scenario in telemarketing would be reading a script during your phoning session. The second would be appearing depressed, monotonous, platonic during your phone call.
If you're not excited (I mean excited) while you're selling, why would anyone be enthusiastic about listening to you?
When I recruited my two salespeople, we worked side-by-side for at least a week at the start. This wasn't to spy, but to listen to each person with a view to improving their speech and voice tone in particular.
If you can, do it; or record yourself. Listening to your phoning calls is a great way to improve. Try to do it until, when listening to you, you feel energy, animation, desire. Until, when listening to you, you hear THE voice you would like to hear when you are prospected by others.
From experience, it is necessary to renew the experience every 3 to 6 months in order not to lose good habits.
“Yes Mrs. Bron, well Mrs. Bron, I know Mrs. Bron, …”
“Mrs. Bron” being a 20-year-old young lady who has no desire to be called “Mrs.” for the next 10 years.
Another example: butchering the person's first or last name during the phoning session.
This shows a lack of preparation on your part for the phoning session.
Calling from a hidden number (hidden calls)
More and more of us are using hidden numbers. And more and more of us have the caller's number. As a result, many people have gotten into the habit of not answering when the call is masked.
This way, we lose prospecting calls before we even get the person on the phone!
Since everyone has started calling with masked numbers, it becomes much easier to get people on the phone without masking the number.
In conclusion: you have 10 ways to improve in telemarketing
Most of the phoning mistakes mentioned above are shared by many telesalespeople and salespeople.
By improving them, you greatly increase your chances of success in your phoning prospecting. It should also be noted that the first 10 seconds of a phone call set the tone for the entire call.
That's why, by doing them well, not only do you get past the 10-second mark, but you further increase your chances of conversion.
I wish you good sessions and good sales! If you know of other ways to get hung up on before 10 seconds, feel free to react.
Published June 27, 2008
Posted online July 18, 2008
gautier-girard.com
In phoning and phone calls, sometimes telemarketing backfires. Let's set the scene: a good company, a good product, a well-identified prospect with lots of information about them. Ideal for a good phone sale!
However, after saying a few words, the prospect hangs up. Duration of the telemarketing call: 10 seconds.
How does this happen? How is it possible to get hung up on after only 10 seconds of phoning?
In this phoning and telemarketing article, I offer 10 ways to fail your prospecting phone call… in 10 seconds.
“I'm not calling to sell, but to do a survey”
“Sure,” says the person on the other end… “I've heard this line dozens of times. Each time the survey took 20 minutes of my precious time. And each time at the end of the survey I was offered a choice of 3 solutions, all costing a fortune.”
You may not have intended to sell, but to conduct a telephone survey. That's legitimate. But it's a shame because other telesalespeople have already tried this approach, to sell.
“Can I speak to the person who… ?”
This could be the person who manages the budget, who handles recruitment, training, [choose the person you want to reach].
Whoever you are looking for, the person you have on the line will immediately take you for a telesalesperson. They will think they are number 34 on your prospect list, the 34th person you'll tell your sales pitch to.
After all, with the internet and social networks, people say to themselves, “why don't you already know who you should be calling?” Result: missed phoning call.
“Hello, I am…”
So what? The recipients don't know who you are and have never heard of you.
Since you haven't established a link to your company's credibility, the best way to get by is to mention someone who referred you. Why not start with: “Martin Durand from Société Générale suggested I contact you”. You already have a better chance of getting somewhere now.
If the recipient would have tended to hang up because they don't know you, they are more likely to listen to someone sent by Martin Durand.
You make your call when there is noise around you
The immediate thought is that you are calling from a call center, and that you are surrounded by people also making prospecting calls. But in reality, you are simply in a busy office.
However, it's the call center stereotype that prevails. In doing so, it is possible that the person hangs up before you have had time to say more than 5 words.
The noises around suggest you are working from home
There is no problem working from home, quite the contrary. All home-based companies and those working remotely are legitimate, respectable, and do work equal to companies with their own offices.
However, in terms of phoning and telemarketing, it cannot be said that it is necessary to show that you work from home. Some consider it amateurish.
When you make your prospecting calls, make sure the person won't hear a crying baby, a barking dog, or your best guinguette music.
Waiting 3-4 seconds before responding to the recipient's “hello”
In telephone prospecting, this is often done to make sure you are talking to a person, not an answering machine.
In this world of automated or semi-automated work, this approach is legitimate. However, if the recipient of the phone call who says hello doesn't hear you immediately, it's over. They think they have a telesalesperson on the line and that they are next on your call list. Premature telemarketing call.
“Hello, this is Stephanie from Ouistiti et compagnie”
If the company or the person your phoning is intended for has never heard of you personally, your telemarketing session ends here.
Stephanie wouldn't have a last name, by any chance? Obviously yes.
So why didn't Stephanie mention it? The “first name only” telemarketing strategy places you - at best - in the category of second-rate telesalespeople… or interns.
Speaking in a flat and monotonous tone
The worst-case scenario in telemarketing would be reading a script during your phoning session. The second would be appearing depressed, monotonous, platonic during your phone call.
If you're not excited (I mean excited) while you're selling, why would anyone be enthusiastic about listening to you?
When I recruited my two salespeople, we worked side-by-side for at least a week at the start. This wasn't to spy, but to listen to each person with a view to improving their speech and voice tone in particular.
If you can, do it; or record yourself. Listening to your phoning calls is a great way to improve. Try to do it until, when listening to you, you feel energy, animation, desire. Until, when listening to you, you hear THE voice you would like to hear when you are prospected by others.
From experience, it is necessary to renew the experience every 3 to 6 months in order not to lose good habits.
“Yes Mrs. Bron, well Mrs. Bron, I know Mrs. Bron, …”
“Mrs. Bron” being a 20-year-old young lady who has no desire to be called “Mrs.” for the next 10 years.
Another example: butchering the person's first or last name during the phoning session.
This shows a lack of preparation on your part for the phoning session.
Calling from a hidden number (hidden calls)
More and more of us are using hidden numbers. And more and more of us have the caller's number. As a result, many people have gotten into the habit of not answering when the call is masked.
This way, we lose prospecting calls before we even get the person on the phone!
Since everyone has started calling with masked numbers, it becomes much easier to get people on the phone without masking the number.
In conclusion: you have 10 ways to improve in telemarketing
Most of the phoning mistakes mentioned above are shared by many telesalespeople and salespeople.
By improving them, you greatly increase your chances of success in your phoning prospecting. It should also be noted that the first 10 seconds of a phone call set the tone for the entire call.
That's why, by doing them well, not only do you get past the 10-second mark, but you further increase your chances of conversion.
I wish you good sessions and good sales! If you know of other ways to get hung up on before 10 seconds, feel free to react.
Published June 27, 2008
Posted online July 18, 2008
gautier-girard.com
