Saturday, February 07, 2009
Doing telemarketing right – part 2
By Mike Lake
In part one, we discussed qualifying the person you’re calling in order to determine if you have a prospect for your product or service. In my opinion, a mistake many salespeople make is trying to convince their prospect that they have the problem their product or service will fix, rather than spending the time finding people aware of their problem who genuinely want to fix it.
So, you’ve got someone on the other end of the phone who’s answered the qualifying question we discussed in part one in a manner that identifies a possible need for your product or service. At this point you might tell them a bit more about your product, but your emphasis should be on learning more about the problem they wish to solve and their level of interest in finding a solution like yours. Restrain yourself from going into the big pitch.
This article is much more focused on telemarketing as a means to set an appointment or take a next step of some sort. If you are selling a product directly over the phone, once you’ve found someone who admits wanting to solve the problem your product solves, it’s time to close and ask for payment. Simply put, it means asking a question, the answer to which provides you with a sign that they may buy. Typical questions of this sort include asking how many units the prospect wishes to own, what color, when she wants it delivered, etc. Talk less. Ask questions and close more.
Back to calling for an appointment: Let’s say, for example, you are an investment adviser. Your qualifying question (again, from part one) is…
Read the rest »
