Telemarketing Expert UK

Over this weekend, one of my followers on Twitter asked if there were a way to cure phone phobia. She had been struggling to overcome the fear of using the telephone in business.

The only advice I could offer her was: Calling a stranger on the telephone is like asking a stranger for directions during a journey when you’re unsure of how to reach your destination.

Having sent that message out on Twitter, a handful of people replied or sent me a direct message saying that they liked the analogy and could relate to it.

What this article covers is the way we perceive things, and how to re-frame them when the labels we give them fail to support us. Most of us know that any great achievement or progress always begins in the mind. The better prepared the mind is for all eventualities then the better you’ll take the results you generate in your stride and become aware of the actions necessary to take that will alter those results.

In the end, on a call the bottom line is we’re looking for two things:

These words, unfortunately, sum up what a lot of people feel about the cold calling and telemarketing process they labour so painfully under.

If people buy for two main reasons, namely avoiding pain or attaining pleasure, then how will people ever consider talking to you, much less buying from you, if the calling you do represents these negative stereotypes?

This can be changed largely by ensuring that when you start a call your attitude and approach is based on honesty (how good do you feel about willfully deceiving people?), and that you will ask questions to continually assure yourself and the person you’re speaking with that you both understand each other and are comfortable discussing a given topic or situation. Nothing of mutual value can happen between two parties without agreement.

Yes, it’s one of those titles where two words look identical but are so different in their meaning.

The prompt for this came from celebrated Time Management Coach, Clare Evans. Having received multiple calls from the same company, it was obvious that for Clare, their telemarketing staff weren’t interested in the former (conversation), and largely as a result of that, wouldn’t realise the latter (conversion) in any case.

It seems that as the recession has deepened, there’s been a greater degree of polarisation in the way that people approach telemarketing and cold calling as a means of getting themselves in front of potential clients, suppliers and vendors with whom they can make agreements and conduct business. One the one hand, there are those who believe the telephone is the work of the devil, and take a “holier than thou” attitude to anyone who has the audacity to interrupt their day (business is full of those anyway, isn’t it?), and there are those that recognise that it’s a way of getting answers from decision makers, often without the need to meet in person, swallow up more time and incur the cost of travel.

A great deal of mis-conception and mis-information exists when dealing with outcomes by telephone.

If you’re calling for a purpose (to set an appointment, follow up a contact made at an event, marketing an event, obtain information, etc) then you’ll inevitably come into contact with people who are quizzical, sceptical, suspicious, and even hostile. They want to know who you are and why you’re asking the questions you’re asking.

All their reactions can be analysed to death at the alter of psychology, however at the root, fear of dealing with the unknown is in the driving seat here.

So why is getting a “No“ a good thing?

With the emphasis on a focused approach to a finite number of contacts at 10 selected companies, and without the need to be tied into a long contract, phoneforbusiness launches the Top 10 Targets Telemarketing Program.

Recognising that not every company can afford to outsource ongoing or large scale cold calling efforts, phoneforbusiness has developed a simple and short-term program with the emphasis on determining outcomes for companies that know who they want to speak with but haven’t the time or the core skills to put such a campaign into practice in-house.

Finally, for those of you that hate the object on your desk that makes a noise, phoneforbusiness has created PhoneMentor

For the first time, a comprehensive breakdown of every aspect of successfully using the phone for business can be delivered direct to you, in short sections by email for just £1.00 per day over 50 days. Yes, that’s £50

Ideal if you don’t want to spend time and money out of the office and are still committed to growing your effectiveness and confidence on the phone. Just think what the alternative will cost. Painful, isn’t it?

Recession, recession, recession! Have you heard much about anything else in the news these past months? The point of today’s article is to outline why cold calling (and telemarketing in general) shouldn’t be discounted as a means of starting and developing new business relationships.

While many businesses are laying off staff, cutting costs in some of the most dangerous areas and generally forecasting downturns in profit, other businesses whose marketing activities remained an important, constant part of the business plan are weathering the economic storm and some are actually thriving.

You’ve probably come across those companies that will treat you at reception like they’re your mother asking you lots of questions, but when it comes to them sharing information with you it’s off limits. All’s fair in love and war, as someone once said, but it leaves me wondering if companies that adopt this policy have something to hide or are in genuine fear that sharing names will somehow violate the company culture, standing, security or whatever. Hopefully they still print their names onto their business cards.

Whatever the case, it appears to be on the increase. How do you deal with it?