Trends and Profile NEWS
Telesales can still generate substantial business!
By Amarendra Bhushan for CEOWORLD Magazine Updated:July 6, 2009
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We now have e-mail, texting, various forms of chat such as Twitter, snail mail and more. So why would anyone still bother to sell over the phone?
The secret of those marketers who use telephone sales in their contact mix is simple: It’s all about conversion.
A successful telemarketing program can convert prospects at 10 times the rate of a mail program and 100 times the success rate of an e-mail program! No marketing tool can replace the dynamic of a live person-to-person conversation.
One of the reasons many companies do not put telemarketing in their mix any more is voicemail. Whether a call goes directly into voicemail or a secretary or administrative assistant directs you into the prospects voicemail, the chances of receiving a response are minimal.
If your job is to find new prospects or to rekindle a relationship with a past customer, voicemail can be difficult to overcome. But there are various solutions to this challenge. Reviewing a number of marketing strategies from some experts around the internet has lead me to present you with these tips to dealing with voicemail -
1. Sometimes the best way to get through voicemail is to go around voicemail. When calling a prospect, never start by leaving a message the first time you hear a voicemail prompt. There are a few options to test that can lead directly to a live conversation.
First, listen to the message — often you will hear another extension or name of an assistant to speak with. Better to speak with an alternate live person than a machine.
2. Most people are happy to help with a simple inquiry of “I was trying to reach xxx, is he/she in today?” The answer to that may suggest when to try again — the next day or a later time in the day.
3. You may also be able to confirm a key detail or gain some insight into the current state of activity at the location by asking a simple “Is he/she always this hard to reach?” or “Are you folks extra crazy today?” Any information you glean can help you tailor your approach to the first contact and, if need be, leave a more effective message later on.
4. If the voicemail greeting does not offer another live option, try hitting “0” for the operator and ask for assistance finding your target. When you reach an operator or receptionist, the same concepts apply as with a referral or assistant — ask for help and information.
5. You may also inquire if there is another contact in that department who is more easily available. A simple, confident request of “Does xxx have a colleague or assistant I can speak with?” is much more effective than “Can you connect me with the person responsible for purchasing XYZ?”
6. The second inquiry establishes you as the human equivalent of junk mail. And then, no matter how relevant your call may be, you will be unceremoniously dumped into voicemail.
At this stage, you may find your go-between acting as a human voicemail system, looking to screen your call on behalf of your contact. If so, be sure to highlight a relationship with the contact.
For instance, try “John suggested I speak with xxx” or “I was told to speak with xxx, is there a time when he/she will be free?” as opposed to trying to have the actual conversation through an intermediary. Don’t say “Tell him I’m calling to see if he needs any ABC widgets …” — disaster!
7. Having a hard time getting connected or reaching an automated system with no live operator? You still have options to try before resorting to a message.
Timing is often the secret to reaching people at their desk. Establish a cycle to follow if you don’t reach your prospect on the first call.
Try early in the morning, before normal business hours, or late in the day after business hours. Usually these are times you can reach people at their desks as they are getting started or wrapping up.
This helps when you are trying to reach a high-level executive with both human and technological screens operating throughout the day. You may also try just after lunch — people are more relaxed (assuming they’ve had lunch) and this can lead to a longer conversation opportunity than an early call.
It’s usually easier to reach someone in the last 15 minutes of the hour. Most meetings are scheduled on the hour, and therefore people tend to have more free time planned before a meeting starts.
Track the time and day of your prior attempts when trying to reach an elusive contact. Some techniques work best with large companies, some with small, all both have value and tend to hold true over time for a specific contact.
8. So you’ve tried all the techniques to avoid voicemail and reach your prospect directly, but to no avail. What now? What message should you leave?
First, remember that the goal of a good prospecting voicemail is to generate a callback. Not close a sale. Not build a relationship. Just to generate a callback.
The golden rule of voicemail success is: Keep it short. A simple message that asks for a callback works twice as well as a message that over explains why you are hoping for a call. Save your questions for the callback, don’t waste them on a message.
We all receive poorly crafted messages that give us enough information to ensure we will never call back. You know the messages I mean: “Hi, Mr. xxx. I’m calling on behalf of ABC Company to offer you a special 10% discount on your bundle of widgets if you order by next Tuesday. If you want to order, you can call back at 800-321-4321 and speak to a representative.”
This kind of message works only when your prospect is already planning to order. In this case, you have done nothing more than offer a free discount.
We now have e-mail, texting, various forms of chat such as Twitter, snail mail and more. So why would anyone still bother to sell over the phone?
The secret of those marketers who use telephone sales in their contact mix is simple: It’s all about conversion.
A successful telemarketing program can convert prospects at 10 times the rate of a mail program and 100 times the success rate of an e-mail program! No marketing tool can replace the dynamic of a live person-to-person conversation.
One of the reasons many companies do not put telemarketing in their mix any more is voicemail. Whether a call goes directly into
voicemail or a secretary or administrative assistant directs you into the prospects
voicemail, the chances of receiving a response are minimal.
If your job is to find new prospects or to rekindle a relationship with a past customer,
voicemail can be difficult to overcome. But there are various solutions to this challenge. Reviewing a number of marketing strategies from some experts around the internet has lead me to present you with these tips to dealing with
voicemail -
1. Sometimes the best way to get through
voicemail is to go around
voicemail. When calling a prospect, never start by leaving a message the first time you hear a
voicemail prompt. There are a few options to test that can lead directly to a live conversation.
First, listen to the message — often you will hear another extension or name of an assistant to speak with. Better to speak with an alternate live person than a machine.
2. Most people are happy to help with a simple inquiry of “I was trying to reach xxx, is he/she in today?” The answer to that may suggest when to try again — the next day or a later time in the day.
3. You may also be able to confirm a key detail or gain some insight into the current state of activity at the location by asking a simple “Is he/she always this hard to reach?” or “Are you folks extra crazy today?” Any information you glean can help you tailor your approach to the first
contact and, if need be, leave a more effective message later on.
4. If the
voicemail greeting does not offer another live option, try hitting “0” for the operator and ask for assistance finding your target. When you reach an operator or receptionist, the same concepts apply as with a referral or assistant — ask for help and information.
5. You may also inquire if there is another
contact in that department who is more easily available. A simple, confident request of “Does xxx have a colleague or assistant I can speak with?” is much more effective than “Can you connect me with the person responsible for purchasing XYZ?”
6. The second inquiry establishes you as the human equivalent of junk mail. And then, no matter how relevant your call may be, you will be unceremoniously dumped into
voicemail.
At this stage, you may find your go-between acting as a human
voicemail system, looking to screen your call on behalf of your
contact. If so, be sure to highlight a relationship with the
contact.
For instance, try “John suggested I speak with xxx” or “I was told to speak with xxx, is there a time when he/she will be free?” as opposed to trying to have the actual conversation through an intermediary. Don’t say “Tell him I’m calling to see if he needs any ABC widgets …” — disaster!
7. Having a hard time getting connected or reaching an automated system with no live operator? You still have options to try before resorting to a message.
Timing is often
the secret to reaching people at their desk. Establish a cycle to follow if you don’t reach your prospect on the first call.
Try early in the morning, before normal
business hours, or late in the day after
business hours. Usually these are times you can reach people at their desks as they are getting started or wrapping up.
This helps when you are trying to reach a high-level executive with both human and technological screens operating throughout the day. You may also try just after lunch — people are more relaxed (assuming they’ve had lunch) and this can lead to a longer conversation opportunity than an early call.
It’s usually easier to reach someone in the last 15 minutes of the hour. Most meetings are scheduled on the hour, and therefore people tend to have more free time planned before a meeting starts.
Track the time and day of your prior attempts when trying to reach an elusive
contact. Some techniques work best with large companies, some with small, all both have value and tend to hold true over time for a specific
contact.
8. So you’ve tried all the techniques to avoid
voicemail and reach your prospect directly, but to no avail. What now? What message should you leave?
First, remember that the goal of a good prospecting
voicemail is to generate a callback. Not close a sale. Not build a relationship. Just to generate a callback.
The golden rule of
voicemail success is: Keep it short. A simple message that asks for a callback works twice as well as a message that over explains why you are hoping for a call. Save your questions for the callback, don’t waste them on a message.
We all receive poorly crafted messages that give us enough information to ensure we will never call back. You know the messages I mean: “Hi, Mr. xxx. I’m calling on behalf of ABC Company to offer you a special 10% discount on your bundle of widgets if you order by next Tuesday. If you want to order, you can call back at 800-321-4321 and speak to a representative.”
This kind of message works only when your prospect is already planning to order. In this case, you have done nothing more than offer a free discount.
Oftentimes, the shortest message of all works best: “Hi, xxxx. It’s Joe Smith, Acme Company. I have a quick question for you. Call me back at 603-321-4321. That’s 603-321-4321.”
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