Voice Mail Gone Bad

No Comments »Uncategorizedtags: prospecting by telephone, telephone, telesales, voice mail

Jun 27

The other day I received one of the worst voice mail messages ever. While I don’t profess to be an expert on using the telephone for sales this person made some fatal blunders that hopefully, you will avoid.

The caller spoke so quickly I could barely understand her message let alone write down her telephone number. Her words ran together and it was difficult to decipher the company name even though I listened to the message twice. Although we hear information at two to three times the rate we speak (approximately 450 words per minute vs. 150 wpm), most people cannot actually process information that quickly especially if they need to write something down (see the next point). When you leave a voice mail message ensure that it is clear, articulate and easy to understand. Better yet, make sure you leave a compelling reason for your prospect to return your call.

This was obviously a sales call and the sales person wanted me to return her call. That didn’t happen because I didn’t want to listen to her message six or seven times simply to get her phone number. After all, it took two listens just to get the area code. If you make a lot of calls in a day, it’s easy to forget that rattling off your number in rapid-fire manner will make it difficult for the other person to record it. Slow down when you recite your telephone number. You may think that you are speaking too slowly but I can assure that your contact will appreciate. Better yet, leave your call-back number at the beginning AND at the end of the message.

She indicated that this was a follow-up call to a request I had made, but it was difficult to tell because her message was so difficult to understand. I think it was something about accepting credit cards for my business. However, because I already accept all major credit cards, I couldn’t think of a recent time when I may have requested information about this. This actually brings up a few points.

1. If I did make the request, the sales person should have referenced it by saying something like, “Mr. Robertson, on (insert date here) you requested information on our credit card solutions through our website and I’m contacting you to discuss the solutions we offer.” This would have caught my attention.

2. I don’t recall making a request which means if I did, it was several months ago. That means the timing of their follow-up calls needs improvement. How quickly do you respond to requests? I have found that there is serious lag or delay for companies to web forms and even voice mail requests.

3. If I didn’t make the request then the caller was using a deceptive approach. Never, under any circumstances, deceive a person in order to get a return call. Not only is it unethical, it’s highly unlikely that people will buy from you once they discover that you have taken this approach.

Here is another fatal mistake.

She couldn’t end the call quickly enough. As soon as she spewed out her phone number, she hung up. I suspect this person has a high number of calls to make every day and it is entirely possible that she simply makes them as quickly as she can to get them over with. It’s also possible that she was an inside sales rep and is paid a straight salary with little or no incentive to have her calls returned. If that was the case this person is not doing her company any favors. In fact, here approach is actually hurting their results.

In hindsight, I wish I hadn’t deleted the message so quickly—I’ll be the first to admit that patience is not one of my stronger suits. I would love to have played this message back to the person in charge of the sales team at this company and asked them if this how they really wanted their outbound calls handled.

If you own a business and rely on others to make outbound calls or sales calls, I strongly suggest that you record and audit their calls from time-to-time. If you make your own sales calls, take the time to record yourself and listen to your approach. You may be surprised what you hear.

A Refreshing Approach (Almost!)

No Comments »Uncategorizedtags: cold calling, prospecting, telephone, telesales

Apr 24

The delay of the other person to respond when I picked up the telephone told me immediately that it was a telemarketing call. However, the caller’s initial approach caught my attention and caused me to take a few minutes to speak with her.

After identifying that she was indeed talking to Kelley Robertson, the caller proceeded to say, “I’ll let you know right up front that this is marketing call. Is it okay if I get right to the point?” I was intrigued so I said yes. Unfortunately, the rest of her approach caused me to lose interest in about 6 seconds mostly due to the fact that it was obvious she was reciting from a script and most of what she said was corporate hyperbole.

This company is on the right track. Their initial opening is much different than most companies and I suspect this helps them increase the number of people they speak with. Their question, “Is it okay if I get right to the point?” almost commands a ‘yes’ reply without using pressure. They could improve by simplifying the description of what they do and teaching their callers how to sound more natural and less like they are reading from a script.

How can you change your approach so it is more refreshing to the people you’re calling?

“Uh, Hullo?”

No Comments »Uncategorizedtags: first impressions, telephone, telesales

Mar 22

The telephone is such a commonly used piece of technology that we barely think about it anymore. However, the way you answer a call could influence a prospect’s decision to do business with you. Allow me to share a personal example.

My wife recently called a moving company and the person who answered the telephone gave an unprofessional first impression by fumbling the handset and grunting their greeting. After being told that the company’s sole salesperson was unavailable the person said that he could take her information. However, it appeared that this person was hard of hearing because my wife had to repeat her telephone three times before he got it right.

As she hung up after the call, she turned to me and said, “Call them back later today and cancel the appointment. There’s no way they’re moving my furniture!”

You only have one opportunity to make a great first impression and if you fail to achieve this during an initial call, then you run the risk of losing the sale. While it sounds simple, here’s the catch; people often answer the telephone without thinking about the message they deliver.

When you answer the telephone what message do YOUR prospects/customers hear?

Slow Down!

No Comments »Uncategorizedtags: prospecting, sales, selling, telephone, voice mail

Nov 30

This past week, I received calls from a variety of people including salespeople, prospects, and colleagues. In each situation, a voice mail message was left since I was unavailable to take the call directly. However, in every single situation, the person leaving the message spoke so quickly that it was next to impossible to get the telephone number on the first listen. While that didn’t matter for my prospect or colleagues, it certainly did for the sales people calling.

Let’s look at this from a prospect or customer’s perspective. Most business people are extremely busy and they don’t have the time to listen to a voice mail message several times. That also means they likely won’t return your call.

Slow down when you leave a voice mail message. Make sure your message is focused, brief, clear and concise. Make it easy for your customers and prospects by writing your telephone number on a piece of paper as you recite it so you use the appropriate pace. And, repeat your number once more before you end your message.

This may seem like a trivial matter but it is one way that you can stand out from your competition.