I own a small business, and one of the things that most bugs me is getting cold calls from telesales people trying to persuade me to buy things I probably don't need.
This is our busiest time of year, and it also seems to be the time when the cold calls escalate the most. I guess the salespeople are desperate to hit their targets before the end of the year. Sadly, we're a micro-business, so it's just my wife and I, and that means it's me answering the phone. No receptionist as a first line of defence.
So rather than being negative about it, I thought instead of writing a post about all the ways telesales people annoy me I'd make it about how they can not annoy me, and thus have a better chance of getting the sale.
Image by Gregg Jackson from Pixabay
Here goes....
Don't call me on a Monday. I run an e-commerce business, and it is by far our busiest day of the week as we try to get through packing the weekend's orders. Calling me on a Monday means you either don't understand e-commerce (in which case your product isn't right for me), or you're trying to pick a time when I'm busy and will say "yes" just to get you off the phone. Nope, I'll say "no !" to get you off the phone.
When you call, tell me who you are and which company you're from as soon as the call starts, and do it really clearly. "Mmmfff from Mrburbleburble Limited" might mean something to you, but I want to be able to Google you as soon as we start speaking to know who I'm really dealing with.
Also tell me what you're selling early in the call. Then if it's not something I want, I'll tell you and you can end the call with a good grace and I'll remember your company as one that's decent to deal with.
Following on from 3 above, if I say "now isn't the right time, but email your info so I can keep it on file" I mean it. It means I'm interested in what you're selling, but maybe need to grow the business some more before it's cost effective for us. But don't try to plough on with your script.... there's a saying that if something has to be pushed that hard, there's either something wrong with the product, or something wrong with the price.
Be up-front with the pricing. If it's too complex to understand, or I think it's a "see how much can be squeezed for", I'll walk away. I'm not a cheapskate, a fair price is something I'm happy with, but I hate wondering if I've been ripped off.
If I say I'm interested but can we talk in a few days or weeks, again don't push on with your script. It just means now is not a great time. I've always got projects on the go, and like to clear my head of one project before I start filling my poor limited little brain with the next !
If I ask you to email me info, do it from an email address that matches your business name. If you email me from a Gmail or Hotmail address, I'm going to wonder if you really work for the company at all, or if it's all just a scam.
Give me some time to think about what you're selling, to consider how it fits into my current business, and to come back to you with any questions or concerns once I've done a bit of thinking and research. I'll never, ever, ever sign up for something on the first phone call, no matter how close it is to the time when you have to do your monthly performance report to your boss.
In a similar vein, if you respond with a cheaper price for signing up the same day, then I'll know the original price was just you being greedy. Give me a fair price first time around !
If I'm already using a product or service like the one you're offering, expect me to keep your details on file for a long time. Once I've found a good supplier, I stick with them until it's time to not stick with them. Be happy that if I come back you a year, two years, or five years later that I'll stick with you as well. There aren't enough hours in the day to be constantly hopping from one supplier to another !
So there you go. If you want to succeed with teleselling something to me, just be clear and honest, throw the script away, and accept that I'll buy if the product or service is right, and on my timescale not yours. Simple !
Getting me to buy something based on unsolicited emails is even harder....
Posted using The BBH Project
Woahhh this is an Interesting list of how to successfully make sales by telesales and not bugging people with calls at the wrong time.