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.
Whenever economic uncertainty arrives, decision making seems to become a more laborious task for many people.
This article on trusting gut instinct rings true for both sides of the sales equation, and is especially relevant in telemarketing where your ears must compensate for a lack of visual cues.
So, if the ability to make quality decisions is being hampered at your own end or the prospects you’re speaking with don’t seem to be able to decide what to have for lunch, much less which business issues need taking care of first, ask yourself how much it could be costing you all in bottom line terms.
For many people, sounds something like this:
I can’t call, I won’t call, I don’t have the time,
I’m scared of rejection, I’m sure it’s a crime
To interrupt someone when they are at work,
And ask them a question, they’ll just go berserk!
Where will all the new clients come from I wonder,
If I use the phone I just know that I’ll blunder
My way through the call, make a poor first impression
But if no-one does, will we beat the recession?
“There can be only one!”
You may recognise this “immortal” phrase from the film “Highlander” (1986) starring Sean Connery and Christopher Lambert. However, when applying this phrase to people’s attitudes to sales within an organisation, there can be only disaster (or at the very least, painful awareness of the “mortal” nature of the organisation).
Allow me to explain: It’s come to my attention that there is still a great deal of silo mentality within companies, even in small organisations. The “that’s not my job” attitude, where sales is simply not their concern. The lengths that some people will go to in order to avoid helping make a sale for their company beggars belief.
