Does this sound familiar?
A young man you’ve never spoken to before calls you at work. After a quick introduction, he launches into the reason for his call, and it soon becomes obvious that he’s not the least bit concerned about what you want or having interrupted your workday.
Permission-based email marketing has been standard for years now, but many companies have not applied the same thoughtful concept of asking for permission to their outbound calling.
If your telephone sales strategy is “talk as quickly as possible so the prospect doesn’t have time to object to the call,” you may want to 1) re-examine the value you claim to provide, and 2) consider the negative experience you’re creating and how that may immediately turn off the people you’re trying to convert into customers.
Before we begin an on-site or telephone meeting in our offices, we open with what we call an upfront agreement. The person running the meeting reminds the attendees why we’ve come together, how long the meeting will take, and what we hope to achieve during our time together. Anyone who has their own goals for the meeting can add them to the agenda at that time.
Upfront agreements are a courtesy you can also extend any time you’re cold calling an existing or potential customer.
Don’t steamroll the people you call. Find ways to pique their interest legitimately, and build a relationship based on mutual interest and – at the very least – basic respect. Your polite and considerate approach will make you all the more memorable.