Four Simple Tips for Selling Products by Phone

I’ve been housebound for about 3 weeks, suffering from Gastro, Severe Vertigo, and Tinnitus.

Consequently, I have had to deal with the 3 or 4 telephone calls each day that, according to the person ringing, are not selling anything. Yet, ultimately, they are.

What has rattled me today is not that they call me – but they fail to sell themselves properly, if at all.

If the people employed are done so for the communication skills, then someone is failing to realise that communication is not just about speaking, it is about listening.

After the last phone call, I was so angry with the caller that I wrote these 4 important points in less than 5 minutes. I can only hope that someone out there who runs a call-centre reads and installs these ideas into the telephonists:

Dear perpetrator of the telephone centres that call households oh-s0-many times each day, here are few tips that MAY keep the house-bound on the line.

1. Ask questions, don’t assume.
Rather than jumping straight into your spiel, ask if the home-bound is actually applicable to receive your product. This will save both of us a lot of time.

2. Explain yourself.
Whilst you might think your standard regimented spiel is perfectly written, I will ask questions of you. Particularly who you are, who you represent, why you are calling me, and how the frak you got my number. If you cannot explain these few facts, you have failed representing the business you are trying to sell.

3. Have alternative spiels.
How I hate your spiels, your pre-written script, your incredibly non-descrip description of your product. When I interrupt (and, oh, I will!), have an answer – don’t keep repeating yourself. If you cannot talk, I won’t bother.

4. Listen!
When I have a question, listen to my question. Don’t repeat yourself. Don’t repeat yourself. Don’t repeat yourself. Stop, Breathe, Listen. Listening to voice mannerisms, for huffing in exasperation, for nothing (because I will be silent while you rant through your spiel), and for dial-tone. If you don’t listen, neither do I.

The next time one of you call me, I trust you are listening.

Oh, You know what I really should do? Once they state who they are (which they amazingly rarely do!), stop and say…

“Before you go any further, I should let you know that I am recording this call so I may go through it again later.
I am doing this because as a human I cannot retain that much information all at once.
Proceed…“