One of the activities in sales that has been around forever is "working the phones". Basically telemarketing, it's the practice of calling prospects for follow-up, sales, and setting appointments. I absolutely hate the idea of calling someone out of the blue because I know that the rate of success is minimal at best.
In my practice, I only call people to follow-up (mostly underwriting issues) or setting appointments. My preferred method for the latter is to call people I've already met at networking events. Typically I will ask for their card and say something like, "I will give you a call next week to set an appointment. That way we can talk when it's more appropriate." The "appropriate" comment at the end implies that neither of us wants to talk with others standing around.
This method works for a few reasons. First, the prospect will be expecting my call. Secondly, they have met me and know I'm legit. Also, when I do meet them, I have had time to look them up on LinkedIn and see what they actually do.
One of my least favorite ways to use the phones is cold calling referrals. "Hey Joe, Bob gave me your name and said to give you a call." Odds are Joe is annoyed at the very least. Not just at me, but at Bob, who threw him under a bus. As much as I love referrals, I don't like having to put myself, Joe or Bob in that situation.
But if I ask Bob for an introduction, in which he calls Joe and gives him a warning I'm calling, it makes things much easier. See my book for more information on this technique.
I used to work for an insurance company that gave us a book of existing business. Unfortunately, for those of us at the body of the office totem pole, we got the clients that were two hours away. Our manager would have "smile and dial" parties one night a week where we would sit in cubicles and call these clients. The manager would purchase pizza on the hopes that an empty stomach would be the catalyst to make me want to drive to the office.
One idiot co-worker claimed that he needed to use the speaker feature of the phone to make his calls, so while the rest of us were trying to be discreet, you could him in the background yelling, "I'll be there next Thursday!"
The bottom line to all of this is that you'll have to use your phone. Pencil it into your schedule, do what you can with it and put it behind you. I suggest you mix it up a bit. It's hard to get people on the phone on Monday mornings, but Friday afternoon when they're just waiting to leave is easier. See what works for you. Good luck and good selling.
Chris Castanes is a professional speaker who helps sales people succeed through workshops and humorous presentations. For booking information, click here. He's also the president of Surf Financial Brokers selling life and disability insurance in several states.
In my practice, I only call people to follow-up (mostly underwriting issues) or setting appointments. My preferred method for the latter is to call people I've already met at networking events. Typically I will ask for their card and say something like, "I will give you a call next week to set an appointment. That way we can talk when it's more appropriate." The "appropriate" comment at the end implies that neither of us wants to talk with others standing around.
This method works for a few reasons. First, the prospect will be expecting my call. Secondly, they have met me and know I'm legit. Also, when I do meet them, I have had time to look them up on LinkedIn and see what they actually do.
One of my least favorite ways to use the phones is cold calling referrals. "Hey Joe, Bob gave me your name and said to give you a call." Odds are Joe is annoyed at the very least. Not just at me, but at Bob, who threw him under a bus. As much as I love referrals, I don't like having to put myself, Joe or Bob in that situation.
But if I ask Bob for an introduction, in which he calls Joe and gives him a warning I'm calling, it makes things much easier. See my book for more information on this technique.
I used to work for an insurance company that gave us a book of existing business. Unfortunately, for those of us at the body of the office totem pole, we got the clients that were two hours away. Our manager would have "smile and dial" parties one night a week where we would sit in cubicles and call these clients. The manager would purchase pizza on the hopes that an empty stomach would be the catalyst to make me want to drive to the office.
One idiot co-worker claimed that he needed to use the speaker feature of the phone to make his calls, so while the rest of us were trying to be discreet, you could him in the background yelling, "I'll be there next Thursday!"
The bottom line to all of this is that you'll have to use your phone. Pencil it into your schedule, do what you can with it and put it behind you. I suggest you mix it up a bit. It's hard to get people on the phone on Monday mornings, but Friday afternoon when they're just waiting to leave is easier. See what works for you. Good luck and good selling.
Chris Castanes is a professional speaker who helps sales people succeed through workshops and humorous presentations. For booking information, click here. He's also the president of Surf Financial Brokers selling life and disability insurance in several states.
Comments
Post a Comment