Don’t Hide the Purpose for the Call
Don’t Hide the Purpose for the Call
The caller greeted me with,
“Mr. Soba-E-zack?”
ME: “It’s pronounced Sub-check. What do you need?”
“Oh, uh, sorry. I’m Pat Jones with Trojan Golf. You’re still a golfer, aren’t you?”
(I’ll normally listen to ANYTHING golf-related, even if it is a telemarketer reading from a script, as this person was. At least their target marketing was good.)
ME: “Yeah, I golf quite a bit.”
“Well, good news! As an avid golf fanatic, you’ve been selected to try out our new titanium irons. We’re looking for feedback from golfers on these revolutionary new irons. These new irons …”
ME: “Stop. I know the routine. You send out the clubs, and then I get an invoice after a trial period. You’re not looking for feedback on your clubs–this is how you sell them, right?”
“Uh, sure we offer the
opportunity to buy them after a free trial period. But there’s no obligation.”
ME: “I understand, but again, the purpose of this call is to sell golf clubs, not get feedback on them, right?”
“Welllll, again, you are under no obligation, and even if you nicked or scuffed them, you wouldn’t have to pay for them.”
Lucky me. How kind of them.
I had enough and ended the call.
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DON’T MISREPRESENT SALES CALLS TO TRY AND GET IN This is the problem with some sales calls, both to consumers and businesses. Callers misrepresent themselves to get and keep someone on the phone. They use such guises as,
… we’re taking a survey …
… we want to update our information …
… we’re doing an opinion study …
… we’re updating our records …
…
we’re conducting some marketing research …
… and then later in the call, they inform the person about their “offer,” or that they’d like a salesperson to visit.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying surveys and marketing research do not have a useful function–they do. Just don’t mask a lead generation or sales call as something that it’s not. After all, if a company must use less-than-upfront tactics to get you to buy, wouldn’t it justifiably make someone leery about its product and character?
OK, so what is the suggested alternative?
It’s no different than what I always suggest:
Have a good opening, generate interest, ask questions, make a recommendation, then ask for commitment.
For example, the golf club salesperson could have said,
“Art, the reason for the call is that we have introduced a line
of irons that have been designed to help high handicappers eliminate hooks and slices, and help better golfers shave those last few strokes off their scores. You still golf, right?
Great! Because we don’t spend millions on advertising, and market these directly to golfers on a free trial, no-risk basis, we’re able to give wholesale prices for custom-fitted clubs as good as what the pros use. I’d simply like to ask a few questions about your game, and your satisfaction with the equipment you use to see if you’d like more information on these clubs.”
Granted, that might seem a bit long when you read it on a computer screen. But, delivered in a conversational way, to the right audience, (as all openings should be anyway) most people would be at least interested enough to continue, and not be skeptical about the call. With well-planned and executed questions
based upon the prospect’s answers, reps could make persuasive, tailored recommendations and then ask for commitment.
Art Sobczak, President of Business By Phone, provides proven ideas, tips, and processes to help salespeople use the phone to prospect, sell and service without morale-killing rejection. To see word-for-word phrases you can use right now to get to and sell more buyers, and other resources such as books, audios, and seminars, and to get his FREE weekly TelE-Sales Tips, and access to back issues, go to: http://www.BusinessByPhone.com
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