If you are trying to improve your results on the phone, either telemarketing or telesales, you have a great opportunity to make a good impression and set yourself apart from every other telemarketer with this one good tip.
Don’t sound like a telemarketer!
Here are (4) good tips you can use to set yourself apart from the masses of BAD telemarketers.
1. Use a good script, but, practice the script to sound natural. Just like acting. A good actor doesn’t sound like they are acting, do they? Strive to make your calls sound like you are talking to a friend you’ve known for years. This is not always easy to do, but if you can sound natural, (with a script), you will build instant rapport over the phone to result in more appointments, sales, leads etc.
2. Overcome the common time objection FIRST, then proceed with your call. Make sure your prospect is in a frame of mind to listen to you. This means asking, “is this a good time to call?” This question alone, will tell the prospect you value their time, and will prepare the prospect for what you have to say. If it is NOT a good time, simply schedule a time and get a commitment from the prospect for a good time to reach them, and put their name in your follow-up file system.
3. Build rapport when you can. Take cues from things you might already know about the prospect and ask questions that get the prospect talking. You can interject rapport building questions into your script when needed to move the call forward. Questions about the person’s family, interests, local weather etc all are great questions to get your prospect involved in the call. The longer you can keep your prospects attention, the better. As long as you move the call toward your goal, anything that you can do to create a natural conversation will bring out the real “hot buttons” of your prospect.
4. Enthusiasm! A bad script can be overcome with enthusiasm! Be enthusiastic. This key element can be heard and felt over the phone. You have no doubt heard bad telemarketers use monotone downtrodden scripts in their calls. If you can inject enthusiasm, you will be far ahead of other telemarketers. Vary your pitch and tone, use your hands when you talk on the phone, and stand up while you call, this will help you make better, more enthusiastic calls.
These tips will help your telemarketing effort no matter what objectives you have. By “sticking out of the crowd” of telemarketers, you will gain the edge you need to achieve higher conversion rates, better call back rates and less rejection, making your calls easier.