_09.jpg)
{tab=Guerrilla TeleSelling}
{slide=Preface}
Preface
There is no one right way to approach your customers. What works for one person may not work for another, and practices that are considered acceptable in real estate may be inappropriate for selling industrial chemicals. What works for you works for you.
In our seminars all around the world, we’ve talked to tens of thousands of salespeople, working in thousands of different companies representing hundreds of industries. We’ve collected their favorite tactics, ideas, and war stories, and compiled them for you here. But you must choose what will work for you.
Guerrillas will deploy as many of these weapons and tactics as possible. Our job is to make you think about how you sell, and help you discover ways to improve. You may disagree with our advice, but either way we’ve made you think. If you think your way is better, you’re probably right.
Beware of the Outrageous
You may judge some of our suggestions outrageous, inappropriate, or even offensive. We will offer you this agreement; we will accept the risk of being controversial if you’ll accept the responsibility for selecting what’s appropriate for your personality, your industry, and your customers.
Know Selling First
This book isn’t designed to teach you how to sell. There are
many great books and courses on sales. This book is
designed to take your sales knowledge and tune it for teleselling, making your
presence felt when you can’t be there in person.
{/slide}
{slide=Introduction}
Introduction
A Guerrilla who works for a software company in San Jose, CA, sells an integrated accounting platform for medium-sized manufacturing companies. It’s not cheap. Sticker price is about a quarter of a million dollars. But it does everything: AP, AR, Payroll, Inventory, Job Cost, Forecasting, the works.
His target account was a rapidly-growing company in San Jose, where he secured an appointment to show the
product to their accounting department. Well, the accountants loved it! They said, “This is going save us so
much time, it’ll pay for itself in six months, but we can’t make the decision. You have to sell it to MIS, because they maintain the
platform.”
So he goes over to the MIS department, and shows them the product, and they fell in love
with it. “This is going save so much time, and it will run our existing hardware, but it’s not in the budget.”
Now, this is where most salespeople would give up, but not
this guy. He calls directly on the company President, and runs smack into
the President’s secretary, who had the personality of your average
Rottwieler. Very protective!
He phones, he faxes, he sends Federal Express;
desperation, he sends the CEO a box, about the size of a shoebox, by courier,
so he has to sign for it.
The CEO puts the box on his desk, opens it up, and inside,
is a live pigeon, and a note; “After exhausting every other means of
communication available to me I’ve resorted to this. I have a software
product will save your company a lot of money. I’d like to buy you
lunch. Put the name of your favorite restaurant on the pigeon’s leg
before you release it. I’ll be there.”
Well, what are you going to do? You’ve got this pigeon
pooping on your paperwork. So he picks up a post-it, puts it on the
pigeon’s leg, pitches it out the window.
The next day, curiosity gets the best of him. He can’t
resist the temptation to go the restaurant just to see if this guy is
for real. Sure enough, there’s a reservation in his name, and he’s
escorted to a table in the back where our Guerrilla is laying in wait.
They have a laugh about the carrier pigeon, the Guerrilla walks out of the restaurant
40 minutes later with a signed letter of intent authorizing the purchase of the
new software.
The Real Enemies are Time and Distance
Woody Allen said, “Ninety percent of sex is showing up.” Yet
competing in the global markets of the 21st Century requires
salespeople to project themselves to a constituency of customers, prospects,
influencers, decision-makers, and end-users scattered across six
continents.
The cost of an industrial sales call has skyrocketed, more
than doubling in the last decade. Out of an average 53-hour work
week, the typical salesperson spends less than eight hours a week
actually interacting with customers. They spend 37 percent of their time
traveling. The odds reaching your customer on the phone on the first
attempt are only one in five. How do you get your message across when you
can’t even get your call through? You must exercise the ingenuity and
boldness of a veteran commercial mercenary. You must become a Guerrilla.
The Future is TeleSelling
The future is TeleSelling, and salespeople of every stripe
will have to learn to create a telepresence. Telephone sales is
one of the fastest growing segments of the sales profession, but there’s a lot
more to it today than traditional telemarketing.
The modern sales Guerrilla will also have to deploy the
phone, fax, voice-mail, e-mail, audio and videotape, web sites, paging, cell
phones and PCS in order to maintain constant
contact with customers and give them the information they need to make informed
purchase decisions at the speed of light. Your telepresence includes
everything that touches your customer remotely, from your business card to your
e-mail address, that they will use to judge you. And today’s business
climate just changes too fast for them to wait for a salesperson to get around
to visit them.
Recently, while standing in line at the baggage-check line
in SFO, Orvel met Bill Yakes, VP of Sales for Synon, a software company that
produces applications-development engines for AS-400 and PC network
platforms. They struck up a conversation and by the time they had checked
their bags, Orvel had checked his calendar, and they had a hand-shake deal to
provide the company with four days of Guerrilla sales training for their
offices in Marin County,
CA and in London. On the way to the plane Orvel used his cell phone to call the lead into the
office. Our staff Fed-Exed Bill a packet of tapes and literature, then
called his office the next day to verify that he had received the
material.
Orvel found out later that Bill was also considering two
other sales training firms. When asked, “What won us the contract?”
Bill explained that he had visited our web site, and while he thought it was
“content rich, but graphically challenged,” he also checked the hot-links to
several of our client references. Everything together, telephone,
FedEx, and web site gave us the credibility he was looking for. For Bill,
it established us as a “player” in the industry. Our combined telepresence,
rather than just a barrage of personal follow-up calls, gave us the winning
edge.
Creating a TelePresence
The secret to getting the sale when you can’t be there in
person is creating an effective telepresence. It begins with the
concept for your product or service, and extends to everything that your
customer sees, hears, or feels that represents you or your firm. It’s how
and what your customers think of you, whenever and wherever
they think of you.
Your telepresence is a combination of all of the
marketing weapons in your arsenal. It should be consistent with
your image and your identity. When deployed effectively, your
telepresence creates an atmosphere of rapport and trust. When
ineffectively deployed, it can tarnish your reputation, damage your
credibility, and even destroy your business.
This book goes far beyond the boundaries of traditional
telephone sales. We will show you how to make outbound calls that get
through to the decision-maker. We’ll show you how to leave compelling
voice-mail messages that get your call returned, every time. We’ll show
you how to create fabulous faxes and exciting electronic presentations that
will win customers. We’ll share secret tips for saving money on your cell
phone, and new ways to make your pager a vital link to your customers.
We’ll also explore how modern technologies including computers, satellites,
fiber optics, microwaves, color printers, laser copiers and on-line
communications can combine to effectively project yourself far beyond the
boundaries of your current territory.
While the telephone has traditionally been the salesperson’s
ally, it has lately become our nemesis. With v-mail, e-mail, and
snail-mail standing between our customers and us, the modern sales Guerrilla
must mobilize unconventional weapons and tactics. This book was written
for the everyday salesperson taking care of customers, every day. It’s
for you if you’re being forced to manage more accounts in a bigger territory in
less time than ever before. It is not designed for the call center, yet
professional telemarketers can benefit greatly from its advice.
Who Will Get the Most from Guerrilla TeleSelling?
This book takes a solid,
“Here’s-what-you-do-to-be-successful” approach, with lots of real-life
examples. These concepts get results. This
information will help you make more money by serving more customers, in more
places, in more ways, than you ever dreamed possible. The net affect on
your productivity, and your net income, will be exponential.
Guerrilla TeleSelling is written for salespeople,
sales managers, marketing managers, and entrepreneurs who need to establish,
manage, or expand a new or existing telephone sales operation. For these
people, this book answers critical questions.
Sales Professionals
This material was developed for sales professionals at all levels who dread
making cold calls by phone. It’s also for the sales professional that
wants to be more effective on the phone. The tactics have been tested in
hundreds of training seminars conducted by the authors for client companies all
over the world, and proven effective in thousands of sales situations.
How to simultaneously conduct a presentation with a prospect in one
city, an engineering team in another, and a financier in a third, all at the
same time, without leaving home.
How to use teleselling to confirm appointments, and get ushered in past
the security desk, straight to the buyer.
How to most effectively use the telephone to help manage time,
territory, and client relationships.
How to use voice-mail as a sales tool, instead of a sales barrier.
How to get the prospect to review your literature and grant you an
appointment, on the spot.
How to save money on prime-time cellular service.
Sales Manager
Guerrilla TeleSelling is for the Sales Manager who’s been with
the company for a while, whose boss says, “We want you to set up a
telemarketing department. Round up half a dozen or so people and do what
you can. We’ve given you a budget of $10,000.”
How to avoid costly fines and judgments by understanding what the law
allows.
How to attract, screen, interview, and train effective telesales
personnel.
How to develop effective scripts.
How prepare your sales force to use teleselling effectively.
Where do you go for information on teleselling?
Marketing Manager
Telemarketing is a significant portion of this year’s marketing
allowance. How will you guarantee the program’s success?
How you can make sure this major investment will move the company
forward — and increase the value of your stock options?
Entrepreneurs
What kind of equipment will you need, from computers and software to
desks and headsets?
How can a small company compete with larger companies?
How can you use technology to bolster your teleselling efforts,
including e-mail, voice-mail, and fax-on demand.
{/slide}
{slide=Chapter 1: Why TeleSelling?}
Chapter 1: Why TeleSelling?
TeleSelling
is hot!
Every
week, over one hundred million sales calls are made by phone.
Every year, these calls generate $370 billion in sales. Effective
use of the telephone is critical to millions of people’s
livelihood. Today, over forty million Americans work formally or
informally at home. These modern telecommuters rely heavily on the
telephone for contact with clients, customers, and co-workers.
As
much as one third of the members of Chambers of Commerce are home-based
businesses. Major corporations are moving large numbers of staff to
working out of their home. Notable trendsetters: Xerox (with 5,000
home-based workers), and IBM (where most of
their sales staff are home-based.) In informal polls we’ve conducted of
sales professionals nation-wide, 40 percent office out of their home.
Over 80 percent of the workers in America
are employed by companies with fewer than 50 employees. These firms
depend on the telephone to conduct business efficiently.
The Telemarketing Backlash
The
owner of a major league ball club is suspended for off-hand racist
remarks. A candidate for Attorney General has her career cut short by an
obsolete tax law. GM is fined one hundred five million dollars for a
faulty design, then sues NBC for staging a fire for a news story. The new
liberal administration is clearly turning toward conservative values of home,
hearth, and family, calling for mandatory registration of lobbyists and major
campaign finance reform. A new energy tax will help reduce the federal
deficit while cutting CO2 emissions.
No
more “business as usual.” Managers in both the public and private sectors
are struggling to define new boundaries of what’s right and correct, fighting
to curb waste, fraud, and inefficiency.
A
credit repair agency in Denver
recently indicted for advertising more than it could deliver. The message
is clear: to function in the hyper-sensitive business climate of the
twenty-first century, professionals in all fields must conduct their
affairs under a new, more stringent set of moral, ethical, and social
standards.
Know the Law
The
newest revision to the Telephone Consumer Fraud Protection Act (TCFPA) [47 USC
227] of 1994 went into effect on January
1, 1996
title="">[1].
After this date, one mistake by a sales rep could cost your company up to
$10,000. American consumers have been victimized by fraudulent schemes,
mostly via phone, and Congress has responded by passing laws to protect
them. The legislation demands that sales organizations maintain a
“written policy, available upon demand, for maintaining a do-not-call
list.” And the law imposes a fine of $500 on an unwanted sales call by
phone. And, if it can be shown that the call was made willfully or
knowingly against the wishes of the consumer, a judge can impose up to triple
that amount. As a legitimate business that sells ethically, you still
must be cautious not to break the law.
The
Federal Trade Commission and your state’s Attorney General have a great deal of
power to prosecute fraudulent or abusive phone salespeople. In the past,
these agencies were lucky to get back even some of the money that
consumers lost. Under the new TCFPA guidelines, they can now impose fines
of $10,000 per violation. These rulings apply to
business-to-consumer, but not business-to-business calls. Check current
state and federal guidelines for business-to-business calls.
Angry
citizens are using the law to force telemarketers to pay them for the
inconvenience of unsolicited calls. The Privacy Journal, a monthly
newsletter dedicated to privacy issues, reports that dozens of recent lawsuits
for repeated telephone solicitations have been won or settled
out-of-court.
One
angry customer, when he orders a product or service, attaches his check to a
telemarketing agreement forbidding the company to call him or, to give out his
unlisted telephone number. By endorsing the check, the company signals
agreement with his terms, including the statement that his time and telephone
are available on a “for hire” basis of $500 per call, the amount stipulated in
the federal law. Have your accounting department watch for these
endorsements. Have them forward a copy to your sales manager.
Some of the rules you must follow:
week, over one hundred million sales calls are made by phone.
Every year, these calls generate $370 billion in sales. Effective
use of the telephone is critical to millions of people’s
livelihood. Today, over forty million Americans work formally or
informally at home. These modern telecommuters rely heavily on the
telephone for contact with clients, customers, and co-workers.
As
much as one third of the members of Chambers of Commerce are home-based
businesses. Major corporations are moving large numbers of staff to
working out of their home. Notable trendsetters: Xerox (with 5,000
home-based workers), and IBM (where most of
their sales staff are home-based.) In informal polls we’ve conducted of
sales professionals nation-wide, 40 percent office out of their home.
Over 80 percent of the workers in America
are employed by companies with fewer than 50 employees. These firms
depend on the telephone to conduct business efficiently.
The Telemarketing Backlash
The
owner of a major league ball club is suspended for off-hand racist
remarks. A candidate for Attorney General has her career cut short by an
obsolete tax law. GM is fined one hundred five million dollars for a
faulty design, then sues NBC for staging a fire for a news story. The new
liberal administration is clearly turning toward conservative values of home,
hearth, and family, calling for mandatory registration of lobbyists and major
campaign finance reform. A new energy tax will help reduce the federal
deficit while cutting CO2 emissions.
No
more “business as usual.” Managers in both the public and private sectors
are struggling to define new boundaries of what’s right and correct, fighting
to curb waste, fraud, and inefficiency.
A
credit repair agency in Denver
recently indicted for advertising more than it could deliver. The message
is clear: to function in the hyper-sensitive business climate of the
twenty-first century, professionals in all fields must conduct their
affairs under a new, more stringent set of moral, ethical, and social
standards.
Know the Law
The
newest revision to the Telephone Consumer Fraud Protection Act (TCFPA) [47 USC
227] of 1994 went into effect on January
1, 1996
title="">[1].
After this date, one mistake by a sales rep could cost your company up to
$10,000. American consumers have been victimized by fraudulent schemes,
mostly via phone, and Congress has responded by passing laws to protect
them. The legislation demands that sales organizations maintain a
“written policy, available upon demand, for maintaining a do-not-call
list.” And the law imposes a fine of $500 on an unwanted sales call by
phone. And, if it can be shown that the call was made willfully or
knowingly against the wishes of the consumer, a judge can impose up to triple
that amount. As a legitimate business that sells ethically, you still
must be cautious not to break the law.
The
Federal Trade Commission and your state’s Attorney General have a great deal of
power to prosecute fraudulent or abusive phone salespeople. In the past,
these agencies were lucky to get back even some of the money that
consumers lost. Under the new TCFPA guidelines, they can now impose fines
of $10,000 per violation. These rulings apply to
business-to-consumer, but not business-to-business calls. Check current
state and federal guidelines for business-to-business calls.
Angry
citizens are using the law to force telemarketers to pay them for the
inconvenience of unsolicited calls. The Privacy Journal, a monthly
newsletter dedicated to privacy issues, reports that dozens of recent lawsuits
for repeated telephone solicitations have been won or settled
out-of-court.
One
angry customer, when he orders a product or service, attaches his check to a
telemarketing agreement forbidding the company to call him or, to give out his
unlisted telephone number. By endorsing the check, the company signals
agreement with his terms, including the statement that his time and telephone
are available on a “for hire” basis of $500 per call, the amount stipulated in
the federal law. Have your accounting department watch for these
endorsements. Have them forward a copy to your sales manager.
Some of the rules you must follow:
owner of a major league ball club is suspended for off-hand racist
remarks. A candidate for Attorney General has her career cut short by an
obsolete tax law. GM is fined one hundred five million dollars for a
faulty design, then sues NBC for staging a fire for a news story. The new
liberal administration is clearly turning toward conservative values of home,
hearth, and family, calling for mandatory registration of lobbyists and major
campaign finance reform. A new energy tax will help reduce the federal
deficit while cutting CO2 emissions.
No
more “business as usual.” Managers in both the public and private sectors
are struggling to define new boundaries of what’s right and correct, fighting
to curb waste, fraud, and inefficiency.
A
credit repair agency in Denver
recently indicted for advertising more than it could deliver. The message
is clear: to function in the hyper-sensitive business climate of the
twenty-first century, professionals in all fields must conduct their
affairs under a new, more stringent set of moral, ethical, and social
standards.
Know the Law
The
newest revision to the Telephone Consumer Fraud Protection Act (TCFPA) [47 USC
227] of 1994 went into effect on January
1, 1996
title="">[1].
After this date, one mistake by a sales rep could cost your company up to
$10,000. American consumers have been victimized by fraudulent schemes,
mostly via phone, and Congress has responded by passing laws to protect
them. The legislation demands that sales organizations maintain a
“written policy, available upon demand, for maintaining a do-not-call
list.” And the law imposes a fine of $500 on an unwanted sales call by
phone. And, if it can be shown that the call was made willfully or
knowingly against the wishes of the consumer, a judge can impose up to triple
that amount. As a legitimate business that sells ethically, you still
must be cautious not to break the law.
The
Federal Trade Commission and your state’s Attorney General have a great deal of
power to prosecute fraudulent or abusive phone salespeople. In the past,
these agencies were lucky to get back even some of the money that
consumers lost. Under the new TCFPA guidelines, they can now impose fines
of $10,000 per violation. These rulings apply to
business-to-consumer, but not business-to-business calls. Check current
state and federal guidelines for business-to-business calls.
Angry
citizens are using the law to force telemarketers to pay them for the
inconvenience of unsolicited calls. The Privacy Journal, a monthly
newsletter dedicated to privacy issues, reports that dozens of recent lawsuits
for repeated telephone solicitations have been won or settled
out-of-court.
One
angry customer, when he orders a product or service, attaches his check to a
telemarketing agreement forbidding the company to call him or, to give out his
unlisted telephone number. By endorsing the check, the company signals
agreement with his terms, including the statement that his time and telephone
are available on a “for hire” basis of $500 per call, the amount stipulated in
the federal law. Have your accounting department watch for these
endorsements. Have them forward a copy to your sales manager.
Some of the rules you must follow:
credit repair agency in
recently indicted for advertising more than it could deliver. The message
is clear: to function in the hyper-sensitive business climate of the
twenty-first century, professionals in all fields must conduct their
affairs under a new, more stringent set of moral, ethical, and social
standards.
Know the Law
The
newest revision to the Telephone Consumer Fraud Protection Act (TCFPA) [47 USC
227] of 1994 went into effect on January
1, 1996
title="">[1].
After this date, one mistake by a sales rep could cost your company up to
$10,000. American consumers have been victimized by fraudulent schemes,
mostly via phone, and Congress has responded by passing laws to protect
them. The legislation demands that sales organizations maintain a
“written policy, available upon demand, for maintaining a do-not-call
list.” And the law imposes a fine of $500 on an unwanted sales call by
phone. And, if it can be shown that the call was made willfully or
knowingly against the wishes of the consumer, a judge can impose up to triple
that amount. As a legitimate business that sells ethically, you still
must be cautious not to break the law.
The
Federal Trade Commission and your state’s Attorney General have a great deal of
power to prosecute fraudulent or abusive phone salespeople. In the past,
these agencies were lucky to get back even some of the money that
consumers lost. Under the new TCFPA guidelines, they can now impose fines
of $10,000 per violation. These rulings apply to
business-to-consumer, but not business-to-business calls. Check current
state and federal guidelines for business-to-business calls.
Angry
citizens are using the law to force telemarketers to pay them for the
inconvenience of unsolicited calls. The Privacy Journal, a monthly
newsletter dedicated to privacy issues, reports that dozens of recent lawsuits
for repeated telephone solicitations have been won or settled
out-of-court.
One
angry customer, when he orders a product or service, attaches his check to a
telemarketing agreement forbidding the company to call him or, to give out his
unlisted telephone number. By endorsing the check, the company signals
agreement with his terms, including the statement that his time and telephone
are available on a “for hire” basis of $500 per call, the amount stipulated in
the federal law. Have your accounting department watch for these
endorsements. Have them forward a copy to your sales manager.
Some of the rules you must follow:
1, 1996
Federal Trade Commission and your state’s Attorney General have a great deal of
power to prosecute fraudulent or abusive phone salespeople. In the past,
these agencies were lucky to get back even some of the money that
consumers lost. Under the new TCFPA guidelines, they can now impose fines
of $10,000 per violation. These rulings apply to
business-to-consumer, but not business-to-business calls. Check current
state and federal guidelines for business-to-business calls.
Angry
citizens are using the law to force telemarketers to pay them for the
inconvenience of unsolicited calls. The Privacy Journal, a monthly
newsletter dedicated to privacy issues, reports that dozens of recent lawsuits
for repeated telephone solicitations have been won or settled
out-of-court.
One
angry customer, when he orders a product or service, attaches his check to a
telemarketing agreement forbidding the company to call him or, to give out his
unlisted telephone number. By endorsing the check, the company signals
agreement with his terms, including the statement that his time and telephone
are available on a “for hire” basis of $500 per call, the amount stipulated in
the federal law. Have your accounting department watch for these
endorsements. Have them forward a copy to your sales manager.
Some of the rules you must follow:
angry customer, when he orders a product or service, attaches his check to a
telemarketing agreement forbidding the company to call him or, to give out his
unlisted telephone number. By endorsing the check, the company signals
agreement with his terms, including the statement that his time and telephone
are available on a “for hire” basis of $500 per call, the amount stipulated in
the federal law. Have your accounting department watch for these
endorsements. Have them forward a copy to your sales manager.
Some of the rules you must follow:
1.
You must maintain a call log.
2.
You may not call consumers before
or after
3.
You may not call anyone on your do-not-call list.
4.
You must maintain a database of people who have asked you not to call
again.
5.
You are required to state up front that this is a sales call, and what
products or services are offered.
6.
For promotions or sweepstakes, you must clearly state that there is no
purchase necessary, and disclose the odds of winning.
7.
You must have a written policy on managing your do-not-call list
that you can send out on request.
The
written policy should include, but is not limited to:
mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol'>
How do-not-call requests will be captured.
mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol'>
How quickly these names and telephone numbers
will get into the database.
mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol'>
Where appropriate, how the do-not-call request
will be forwarded, in a timely manner, to the person, business, or entity on
whose behalf the call was made and its affiliated companies.
mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol'>
How the accuracy of the database will be
maintained.
Consult
your own legal counsel for more details on your written do-not-call list
policy.
It
may be difficult to avoid making sales calls to restricted
numbers. Some states and consumer organizations maintain databases of
phone numbers not to be called. For example, over 35,000 people have paid
$10 to be on Florida
list.
title="">
none'>[2]
maintains a Do-Not-Call list that is free for the asking
title="">
none'>[3]
Commission has been charged by Congress to watch the more than 5,000 securities
firms that have 500,000 employees. Securities dealers must keep a
centralized do-not-call list.
If
you feel this do-not-call provision does not apply to you because you have an
existing relationship with the individuals you call, think again.
Although the federal statute creates an exemption for established business
relationships, the FCC requires that the requests of established customers be
honored. Once an established customer requests not to be called, the
established business relationship exemption no longer applies.
To
stay on the safe side of the law, your company should maintain a written policy
on do not call requests. The written policy should include, but is
not limited to:
may be difficult to avoid making sales calls to restricted
numbers. Some states and consumer organizations maintain databases of
phone numbers not to be called. For example, over 35,000 people have paid
$10 to be on
list.
title="">
none'>[2]
maintains a Do-Not-Call list that is free for the asking
title="">
none'>[3]
Commission has been charged by Congress to watch the more than 5,000 securities
firms that have 500,000 employees. Securities dealers must keep a
centralized do-not-call list.
If
you feel this do-not-call provision does not apply to you because you have an
existing relationship with the individuals you call, think again.
Although the federal statute creates an exemption for established business
relationships, the FCC requires that the requests of established customers be
honored. Once an established customer requests not to be called, the
established business relationship exemption no longer applies.
To
stay on the safe side of the law, your company should maintain a written policy
on do not call requests. The written policy should include, but is
not limited to:
stay on the safe side of the law, your company should maintain a written policy
on do not call requests. The written policy should include, but is
not limited to:
1)
How "do not call" requests will be captured;
2)
How, and how quickly, these names and telephone numbers will get into
the database;
3)
How, where appropriate, the "do not call" request will be
forwarded, in a timely manner, to the person, business or entity on whose
behalf the call was made and its affiliated companies; and
4)
How the accuracy of the database will be maintained.
title="">
none'>[4]
You Must Become a Guerrilla
Sales
professionals are finding that they can’t reach home-based business with
face-to-face sales calls. They must use the telephone to make the initial
contact, or they don’t get a shot at this exploding market.
Because
of the way traditional telemarketing is conducted, those who are on the phones
burn out rapidly, so sales firms must constantly recruit and train new
people. The most frequent complaint of those who must sell via telephone
is the shortage of good people.
The telemarketing books we’ve reviewed agree that using the telephone effectively
is an essential part of doing business in the future. But these same
authors are still advocating many of the manipulative, high-pressure tactics of
the past. Even though this traditional approach burns people out, yields
low closing ratios, and alienates the public, many firms stick to the
telemarketing approaches of old. These managers must learn that telemarketing
doesn’t close the business, TeleSelling does.
TeleSelling
is getting the business when you can’t be there in person. Combined with
other marketing vectors, TeleSelling substantially increases your bottom
line.
TeleSelling
of the way traditional telemarketing is conducted, those who are on the phones
burn out rapidly, so sales firms must constantly recruit and train new
people. The most frequent complaint of those who must sell via telephone
is the shortage of good people.
The telemarketing books we’ve reviewed agree that using the telephone effectively
is an essential part of doing business in the future. But these same
authors are still advocating many of the manipulative, high-pressure tactics of
the past. Even though this traditional approach burns people out, yields
low closing ratios, and alienates the public, many firms stick to the
telemarketing approaches of old. These managers must learn that telemarketing
doesn’t close the business, TeleSelling does.
TeleSelling
is getting the business when you can’t be there in person. Combined with
other marketing vectors, TeleSelling substantially increases your bottom
line.
TeleSelling
is getting the business when you can’t be there in person. Combined with
other marketing vectors, TeleSelling substantially increases your bottom
line.
TeleSelling
can be a cost-effective way to close lots of new business. You can
personally reach thousands of far-flung customers. TeleSelling offers
person-to-person effectiveness at a fraction of the cost of an in-person sales
call. TeleSelling is unique in that it allows businesses to capture data
from buyers and non-buyers alike. You quickly gather important
information about your product, prospects, and your offer. With
TeleSelling, you can test a concept, product, offer, list, prospect pool or
demographic in a just a few hours. You can get accurate and measurable
results right away. You can make on-the-spot changes and try new
approaches with immediate response.
{/slide}
{slide=Chapter 2: What Makes Guerrilla TeleSelling Unique?}
Chapter 2: What Makes Guerrilla TeleSelling Unique?
“So I said, OK, Bob, you’re a Guerrilla… whatcha gonna do?”
- Bob
What’s a Guerrilla?
Just as a lightly armed, fast-moving band of rag-tags can
paralyze an army, the sales Guerrilla relies on information and surprise
to gain a tactical advantage.
Be Exceptional
No one today has resources to waste on inefficient selling
tactics like random cold-calling or half-hearted follow-up. Consumers
will no longer settle for shoddy quality or unresponsive service. They
have more choices than ever, and you have to be positively exceptional
to maintain their loyalty. To win the business in today’s brutal
battlefield, you must become a Guerrilla.
Guerrilla Selling is not so much a collection of techniques as it is an attitude, an approach, a
philosophy of doing business. Guerrillas build a constituency of
dedicated followers by consistently maintaining the highest standards of
quality, service, and business principles. The Guerrilla looks beyond the
commission to the greater good. They often do the very last thing
their competitors, or even their customers, expect. They tell the
truth at all times, at all costs.
Guerrillas rely on time, energy, and imagination
instead of the brute force of a big-budget marketing campaign. These are
the three arenas where no one can outspend you.
Set High Standards
To insure that decisions and dealings will stand the test of
time, Guerrilla managers apply the litmus test of fair-care-share.
Is it fair to all concerned? Do I really care about these
people, and have I demonstrated my caring? Have I done my share,
and a little bit more? Like the mountaineer’s motto, “Leave the campsite
cleaner than you found it, and always leave some wood for the next fire.”
Follow these principles consistently and you can’t go wrong.
Setting Yourself Up to Win
It’s been said that sales is the world’s second
oldest profession, but attitudes are changing. The classic view of the
won’t-take-no-for-an-answer pitch master is giving way to a new view of sales,
and a new breed of business professionals.
Old Way:
New Way: Sell smart.
Technologies like laptop computers, fax/modem boards, and
satellite-direct pagers make it easier than ever to be in the right place at
the right time. Never before has timing been such an important
part of the selling process. Customers want to deal with you at their convenience,
not yours, so Guerrillas meticulously manage their time, and expedite
everything. Reach for the phone instead of the fax, send a
hand-written fax instead of a letter. Use e-mail instead of snail-mail.
Old Way:
New Way: Effective selling requires the right
outlook.
For the Guerrilla, the customer is an ally, not an adversary.
Because every customer is unique, there is no one right way to
sell. Instead of trying to persuade the prospect to want what he has, the
Guerrilla tries to discover what the prospect already wants, then
sells to that.
Old Way: The salesperson helps
the customer make a decision.
New Way: The salesperson helps the customer solve a problem.
Guerrillas are problem solvers. They ask. They
listen. They take careful notes. They are creative, flexible, and
always on the move. By aligning with the values and goals to which the
prospect is already committed, the Guerrilla makes the best alternative
obvious.
Old Way:
New Way: People buy high value.
If your customer tells you that price is the only
consideration, or even the most important consideration, they’re being
less than totally frank. Guerrillas know that there is always an
underlying motivation behind every buying decision, so they try to isolate what
the prospect values, and sells to those criteria. The Guerrilla constantly
looks for ways to add value through quality, convenience, and
service. On the battleground of price, everyone gets bloodied, so the
Guerrilla moves the battle for business to the higher ground of value.
Old Way:
New Way: Never let an untruth get in the way
of the relationship.
Guerrillas know that the #1 reason people buy from them is confidence,
so they consistently under promise and over deliver.
Deception is futile. Prospects have more access to information about your
company and its services than ever before. The customer will ultimately
find out anyway. Even the tiniest white lie can undermine the
relationship, so Guerrillas are ruthlessly honest and openly disclose the
disadvantages, as well as the advantages of their offering.
Old Way: Prospect constantly
for new customers and new business.
New Way: Take care of your existing customers and new business will
flock to you.
These new boundaries are nothing new to the Guerrilla.
They have always known that the truth is one of the most powerful
weapons in their arsenal. They know that while the customer may not always be
right, they are always the customer. If someone is dissatisfied,
Guerrillas ferret out the cause and correct it. They guarantee everything
unconditionally. They recognize the fiduciary obligations they have to
their employer and their community as well, and conduct all of their affairs in
ways that are socially, economically, and environmentally responsible.
This sense of responsibility, that we’re all in this together, gives them
the advantage of credibility in their relationships with vendors and
customers. Instead of selling “what’s in it for me,” they sell “what’s in
it for us.” By stressing mutual benefit, Guerrillas create a
strong human bond that transcends commercial interests.
These new standards will change our definitions of quality
and service as well. In a Japanese factory, if someone spills coffee on
the floor, it’s counted as a quality fault, and is counted toward the team’s
TQM ratings. If someone is late for a meeting, it’s a quality
fault. Doing a good job is elevated to an ethical standard; a matter of
honor. This “count everything” approach to total quality management is an
important reason why Japanese companies have been able to out-gun American
manufacturers.
The same principle applies to service. That means that
no one should be left on hold for more than a few seconds, all orders should be
filled the same day, and every vendor gets paid immediately. Guerrillas
reward every customer by giving them more than they expect, more than
they paid for, or always charging slightly less than the original estimate, and
thereby building a loyal clientele.
Become Fanatical
The most powerful weapon in your selling arsenal is your own
excitement about what you’re doing. Guerrillas don’t just selling
bricks, they build a city! The Guerrilla has a good word for everyone,
and never complains.
TeleSelling is a Unique Environment
When you call your customer, you have no idea what’s going
on in their lives. You can’t see their facial expressions. It’s
difficult to assess if they’re happy, sad, lost, confused, angry, or
relaxed. Anyone at anytime can interrupt your conversation. You
don’t have the option of asking them to close their door or hold their
calls. Since all you have is the audio channel and less than one third of
their attention, you must work much harder to make your point.
Five Reasons Why the Skills that Usually Make a Salesperson Great Will Kill
Them Over the Phone
1.
call, you make a strong impression because you physically occupy their
attention for a period of time. With teleselling, you’ll get a few
seconds or minutes, and your impact diminishes substantially. To compete,
you must develop new skills and tools to create favorable impressions remotely.
2.
It’s more difficult to see
if your competitors have been calling. You can’t check the visitor
log. You can’t look around for signs of your competitor’s visit.
You must have your facts completely straight about your competitor’s products,
because you won’t get a second chance if you are proven wrong.
3.
are difficult or impossible. You can talk a prospect through a procedure
over the phone, but the impact is only a fraction of what it would have been if
you were there in person. If you’re a strong demonstrator-closer, without
new skills, you may have difficulty getting the business over the phone.
4.
in-person sales call, prospects will give you their attention for 30 minutes to
a few hours. You won’t have that much time on the phone. The
average telephone conversation lasts seven minutes, teenagers excluded.
You must learn how to compress your message.
5.
commercial businesses is team buying, where individuals bring their expertise
together in making decisions, usually for major capital equipment. Even
simple purchases, such as office supplies, involve an average of three people.
When you telesell, it can be difficult to talk to all of the players as you
would in an ordinary in-person call. You’ll work harder to get all the
names and contact all the influencers involved.
The 17 Things that Drive Callers Nuts, and How to Avoid Them
This data is based on surveys we’ve done during live
training sessions. Here’s what annoys callers most in roughly their order
of importance:
1.
canned pitch. Today, people view themselves as being unique and want
the goods and services they purchase to reflect that uniqueness. An
obviously canned and scripted pitch turns away savvy buyers. Instead,
Guerrillas ask lots of questions, and tell their story after determining the
caller’s concerns.
2.
don’t know the products. Prospects are underwhelmed when they’re
looking for answers and all they get is, “I don’t know.” Service
Intelligence used 15 mystery shoppers to call six major software
companies. Once they got through, they asked a question taken from the
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) list on the company’s web site. A
quarter of the time the technician gave the wrong answer or declared the
problem unsolvable. Guerrillas know that regular product training creates
a competitive edge. Make certain your staff is trained on what you sell
or can refer the caller to the right person for more details.
3.
interrupted. Let callers talk! Men are the worst offenders when
speaking to women, frequently interrupting the conversation. Let your
prospects complete what they’re saying and don’t try to second-guess what
they’ll say next. If you jump ahead, you’ll miss important information —
details that could mean the difference between you making a sale and your
competitor getting the business. This is tough to do when you’ve heard
the same question again and again, and already know the answer. Start
every conversation as though you have no idea what your customer wants.
4.
noise. “When I hear lots of other people speaking in the background,
I know I’ve just been called by a telemarketing company,” grouses a
friend. “I ask, how many other people are making calls, too?” When
they reply she says, “Then there are plenty of other people you can talk
to. Good bye.” Guerrillas call from a quiet place, knowing that
customers want to feel like they’re the only person in the world that your
calling.
5.
end the call. We have no idea why it’s popular for companies to end a
call with, “Well if you change your mind, call us at 1-800-. . .” And we
haven’t gotten anyone to admit that it increases sales. Guerrillas know
that when the caller has heard enough, they’ll either want to buy or want to
move on. Keeping customers on the line who are not interested is a waste
of your time, and it leaves them feeling uncomfortable about your company.
6.
pronunciation. There is a psychological connection between the
quality of the company and the quality of speech used by that company’s
representative. Guerrillas know that the deck is stacked against them
when they pick up the phone, so they stack the deck in their favor with careful
diction and pronunciation.
7.
throat clearing. Some people have a habit of clearing their throat
while others are speaking or just before they speak. This is very
distracting, and some people think it’s rude. Ask your colleagues if you
frequently clear your throat. Or listen for throat clearing when you
speak. If you have this problem, see your doctor. Continuous throat
clearing is also very hard on your voice, and it can indicate other problems as
well.
8.
behavior. “Could-you-hold-please-(click)” is one of the biggest
annoyances in this category. Others include, “He’s out, can you call
back?” and a cold, “I don’t know.” Similar is hanging up too soon when
the caller has an after thought. Guerrillas always wait for the caller to
hang up before disconnecting.
Guerrillas always assume that the caller can hear
them, even if they’re on hold. Dave called
for technical support and during the conversation had to get some information,
so muted his headset. The tech thought he had been put on hold and
proceeded to rant to a co-worker about “this idiot on the line,” complete with
expletives. Dave calmly took note of the
whole diatribe, returned and said, “May I speak to your boss please,
John. I just heard what you said about me, I was on mute – not
hold. And my goal is to make sure that you never refer to a customer that
way again.”
9.
off. Often, callers are transferred to the next department and have
to re-explain the situation. When this happens several times in a single
call, customers get irate. If they don’t get mad, they get even.
Guerrillas always hand off the phone conversation, preferably in a
three-way call, so the customer can hear the hand off procedure.
“Mr. Levinson, I need for you to talk to Lori in the
accounting department. With your permission, I’ll get her on the line
right now, introduce you, and fill her in on what’s happened. Will that
be alright?”
“Sure!”
“Lori, this is Suze. I’ve got Mr. Levinson on
the line with us.”
“Hello Mr. Levinson. I’m Lori.”
“Let me explain what’s happened so far…”
10.
menus. One of our clients in the health care field found that
even four menu choices caused confusion. The reason: ill people can only
concentrate on one or two things simultaneously. If you’re selling to a
group with less than perfect health, only offer one or two choices.
Guerrillas keep menu systems simple and easy to understand regardless of their
caller’s health.
11.
one is waiting by the phone, hoping it will ring, wishing it’s a
salesperson. Seventy percent of all inbound calls interrupt something
more important. Guerrillas remain sensitive to this and always test if
it’s a good time to speak before proceeding.
12.
it’s true that on one-shot telemarketing calls, objection responses lifts
sales, Guerrillas know that “no” doesn’t mean “forever,” just “no
for now.” Use the Guerrilla sales process described in this book, and
you’ll say no before they will.
13.
free. With the recent changes in telecommunications law, this is now
treading on dangerous territory. Guerrillas never use this tactic.
14.
should have called earlier, before the warrantee expired!” or “That wasn’t very
smart of you!” or “That’s not our policy.” Guerrillas understand the
customer’s view and work to a mutually satisfactory solution. Since one
in five dissatisfied customers will tell 20 people about it, make your customer
right and smart for buying.
15.
easier for your caller to hang up and call the next business in the phone
book. Guerrillas check every 20 seconds, since that’s the limit of the
caller’s patience.
16.
called a local car dealer checking on availability of a specific model.
He was placed on hold and found himself listening to a local radio
station. He heard an ad for a competing dealer, hung up, and called them
instead. Guerrillas never let some disk jockey decide what their
customers will hear. Choose a suitable on-hold message, and as a last
resort, choose music that reflects the identity of your business.
17.
guru, Wally Bock tells a story, “Some years ago I called a tech support
hotline. Usually what happens is you automatically get put on hold for a
long time. So, imagine my surprise when a real person answered on the
third ring. I outlined my problem and it quickly became clear that it was
well beyond the tech’s skill level.
“How long have you been in Tech Support?”
“Oh, I’m not in tech support, I’m in
accounting.”
“But you answered the phone.”
“Well, I was walking through. The phone was
ringing and no one else was here. I want to help our customers, so I
answered the phone.”
Think about the things that callers do that drive you
crazy. Ask your teleselling staff to do the same, and you’ll make sure
that you don’t drive your callers nuts. Being courteous, knowledgeable,
and polite to every caller is just the first step. Guerrillas know that excellence
is the price of admission in the new global economy.
{/slide}
{slide=Chapter 2: What Makes Guerrilla TeleSelling Unique?}
Chapter 2: What Makes Guerrilla TeleSelling Unique?
“So I said, OK, Bob, you’re a Guerrilla… whatcha gonna do?”
- Bob
What’s a Guerrilla?
Just as a lightly armed, fast-moving band of rag-tags can
paralyze an army, the sales Guerrilla relies on information and surprise
to gain a tactical advantage.
Be Exceptional
No one today has resources to waste on inefficient selling Guerrilla Selling Guerrillas rely on time, energy, and imagination Set High Standards
To insure that decisions and dealings will stand the test of It’s been said that sales is the world’s second Old Way: Sell hard. Technologies like laptop computers, fax/modem boards, and Old Way: Effective selling For the Guerrilla, the customer is an ally, not an Old Way: The salesperson Guerrillas are problem solvers. They ask. They Old Way: People buy low If your customer tells you that price is the only Old Way: Never let the truth Guerrillas know that the #1 reason people buy from them is confidence, Old Way: Prospect constantly These new boundaries are nothing new to the Guerrilla. These new standards will change our definitions of quality The same principle applies to service. That means that Become Fanatical
The most powerful weapon in your selling arsenal is your own When you call your customer, you have no idea what’s going
tactics like random cold-calling or half-hearted follow-up. Consumers
will no longer settle for shoddy quality or unresponsive service. They
have more choices than ever, and you have to be positively exceptional
to maintain their loyalty. To win the business in today’s brutal
battlefield, you must become a Guerrilla.
title="">[1] is not so much a collection of
techniques as it is an attitude, an approach, a philosophy of doing
business. Guerrillas build a constituency of dedicated followers by
consistently maintaining the highest standards of quality, service, and
business principles. The Guerrilla looks beyond the commission to the
greater good. They often do the very last thing their competitors,
or even their customers, expect. They tell the truth at all times,
at all costs.
instead of the brute force of a big-budget marketing campaign. These are
the three arenas where no one can outspend you.
time, Guerrilla managers apply the litmus test of fair-care-share.
Is it fair to all concerned? Do I really care about these
people, and have I demonstrated my caring? Have I done my share,
and a little bit more? Like the mountaineer’s motto, “Leave the campsite
cleaner than you found it, and always leave some wood for the next fire.”
Follow these principles consistently and you can’t go wrong.
Up to Win
oldest profession, but attitudes are changing. The classic view of the
won’t-take-no-for-an-answer pitch master is giving way to a new view of sales,
and a new breed of business professionals.
New Way: Sell smart.
satellite-direct pagers make it easier than ever to be in the right place at
the right time. Never before has timing been such an important
part of the selling process. Customers want to deal with you at their convenience,
not yours, so Guerrillas meticulously manage their time, and expedite
everything. Reach for the phone instead of the fax, send a
hand-written fax instead of a letter. Use e-mail instead of snail-mail.
requires the right technique.
New Way: Effective selling requires the right outlook.
adversary. Because every customer is unique, there is no one right way
to sell. Instead of trying to persuade the prospect to want what he has,
the Guerrilla tries to discover what the prospect already wants,
then sells to that.
helps the customer make a decision.
New Way: The salesperson helps the customer solve a problem.
listen. They take careful notes. They are creative, flexible, and
always on the move. By aligning with the values and goals to which the
prospect is already committed, the Guerrilla makes the best alternative
obvious.
price.
New Way: People buy high value.
consideration, or even the most important consideration, they’re being
less than totally frank. Guerrillas know that there is always an
underlying motivation behind every buying decision, so they try to isolate what
the prospect values, and sells to those criteria. The Guerrilla
constantly looks for ways to add value through quality, convenience, and
service. On the battleground of price, everyone gets bloodied, so the
Guerrilla moves the battle for business to the higher ground of value.
get in the way of the sale.
New Way: Never let an untruth get in the way of the relationship.
so they consistently under promise and over deliver.
Deception is futile. Prospects have more access to information about your
company and its services than ever before. The customer will ultimately
find out anyway. Even the tiniest white lie can undermine the
relationship, so Guerrillas are ruthlessly honest and openly disclose the
disadvantages, as well as the advantages of their offering.
for new customers and new business.
New Way: Take care of your existing customers and new business will
flock to you.
They have always known that the truth is one of the most powerful
weapons in their arsenal. They know that while the customer may not always be
right, they are always the customer. If someone is dissatisfied,
Guerrillas ferret out the cause and correct it. They guarantee everything
unconditionally. They recognize the fiduciary obligations they have to
their employer and their community as well, and conduct all of their affairs in
ways that are socially, economically, and environmentally responsible.
This sense of responsibility, that we’re all in this together, gives them
the advantage of credibility in their relationships with vendors and
customers. Instead of selling “what’s in it for me,” they sell “what’s in
it for us.” By stressing mutual benefit, Guerrillas create a strong
human bond that transcends commercial interests.
and service as well. In a Japanese factory, if someone spills coffee on
the floor, it’s counted as a quality fault, and is counted toward the team’s
TQM ratings. If someone is late for a meeting, it’s a quality
fault. Doing a good job is elevated to an ethical standard; a matter of
honor. This “count everything” approach to total quality management is an
important reason why Japanese companies have been able to out-gun American
manufacturers.
no one should be left on hold for more than a few seconds, all orders should be
filled the same day, and every vendor gets paid immediately. Guerrillas
reward every customer by giving them more than they expect, more than
they paid for, or always charging slightly less than the original estimate, and
thereby building a loyal clientele.
excitement about what you’re doing. Guerrillas don’t just selling
bricks, they build a city! The Guerrilla has a good word for everyone,
and never complains.
Unique Environment
on in their lives. You can’t see their facial expressions. It’s
difficult to assess if they’re happy, sad, lost, confused, angry, or
relaxed. Anyone at anytime can interrupt your conversation. You
don’t have the option of asking them to close their door or hold their
calls. Since all you have is the audio channel and less than one third of
their attention, you must work much harder to make your point.
the Skills that Usually Make a Salesperson Great Will Kill Them Over the Phone
1.
call, you make a strong impression because you physically occupy their
attention for a period of time. With teleselling, you’ll get a few
seconds or minutes, and your impact diminishes substantially. To compete,
you must develop new skills and tools to create favorable impressions remotely.
2.
difficult to see if your competitors have been calling. You can’t check
the visitor log. You can’t look around for signs of your competitor’s
visit. You must have your facts completely straight about your
competitor’s products, because you won’t get a second chance if you are proven
wrong.
3.
are difficult or impossible. You can talk a prospect through a procedure
over the phone, but the impact is only a fraction of what it would have been if
you were there in person. If you’re a strong demonstrator-closer, without
new skills, you may have difficulty getting the business over the phone.
4.
in-person sales call, prospects will give you their attention for 30 minutes to
a few hours. You won’t have that much time on the phone. The
average telephone conversation lasts seven minutes, teenagers excluded.
You must learn how to compress your message.
5.
commercial businesses is team buying, where individuals bring their expertise
together in making decisions, usually for major capital equipment. Even
simple purchases, such as office supplies, involve an average of three people.
When you telesell, it can be difficult to talk to all of the players as you
would in an ordinary in-person call. You’ll work harder to get all the
names and contact all the influencers involved.
Drive Callers Nuts, and How to Avoid Them
This data is based on surveys we’ve done during live
training sessions. Here’s what annoys callers most in roughly their order
of importance:
1.
canned pitch. Today, people view themselves as being unique and want
the goods and services they purchase to reflect that uniqueness. An
obviously canned and scripted pitch turns away savvy buyers. Instead,
Guerrillas ask lots of questions, and tell their story after determining the
caller’s concerns.
2.
don’t know the products. Prospects are underwhelmed when they’re
looking for answers and all they get is, “I don’t know.” Service
Intelligence used 15 mystery shoppers to call six major software
companies. Once they got through, they asked a question taken from the
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) list on the company’s web site. A
quarter of the time the technician gave the wrong answer or declared the
problem unsolvable. Guerrillas know that regular product training creates
a competitive edge. Make certain your staff is trained on what you sell
or can refer the caller to the right person for more details.
3.
interrupted. Let callers talk! Men are the worst offenders when
speaking to women, frequently interrupting the conversation. Let your
prospects complete what they’re saying and don’t try to second-guess what
they’ll say next. If you jump ahead, you’ll miss important information —
details that could mean the difference between you making a sale and your
competitor getting the business. This is tough to do when you’ve heard
the same question again and again, and already know the answer. Start
every conversation as though you have no idea what your customer wants.
4.
noise. “When I hear lots of other people speaking in the background,
I know I’ve just been called by a telemarketing company,” grouses a
friend. “I ask, how many other people are making calls, too?” When
they reply she says, “Then there are plenty of other people you can talk
to. Good bye.” Guerrillas call from a quiet place, knowing that
customers want to feel like they’re the only person in the world that your
calling.
5.
end the call. We have no idea why it’s popular for companies to end a
call with, “Well if you change your mind, call us at 1-800-. . .” And we
haven’t gotten anyone to admit that it increases sales. Guerrillas know
that when the caller has heard enough, they’ll either want to buy or want to
move on. Keeping customers on the line who are not interested is a waste
of your time, and it leaves them feeling uncomfortable about your company.
6.
pronunciation. There is a psychological connection between the
quality of the company and the quality of speech used by that company’s
representative. Guerrillas know that the deck is stacked against them
when they pick up the phone, so they stack the deck in their favor with careful
diction and pronunciation.
7.
throat clearing. Some people have a habit of clearing their throat
while others are speaking or just before they speak. This is very
distracting, and some people think it’s rude. Ask your colleagues if you
frequently clear your throat. Or listen for throat clearing when you
speak. If you have this problem, see your doctor. Continuous throat
clearing is also very hard on your voice, and it can indicate other problems as
well.
8.
behavior. “Could-you-hold-please-(click)” is one of the biggest
annoyances in this category. Others include, “He’s out, can you call
back?” and a cold, “I don’t know.” Similar is hanging up too soon when
the caller has an after thought. Guerrillas always wait for the caller to
hang up before disconnecting.
Guerrillas always assume that the
caller can hear them, even if they’re on hold. Dave
called for technical support and during the conversation had to get some
information, so muted his headset. The tech thought he had been put on
hold and proceeded to rant to a co-worker about “this idiot on the line,”
complete with expletives. Dave calmly
took note of the whole diatribe, returned and said, “May I speak to your boss
please, John. I just heard what you said about me, I was on mute – not
hold. And my goal is to make sure that you never refer to a customer that
way again.”
9.
off. Often, callers are transferred to the next department and have
to re-explain the situation. When this happens several times in a single
call, customers get irate. If they don’t get mad, they get even.
Guerrillas always hand off the phone conversation, preferably in a
three-way call, so the customer can hear the hand off procedure.
“Mr. Levinson, I need for you to
talk to Lori in the accounting department. With your permission, I’ll get
her on the line right now, introduce you, and fill her in on what’s
happened. Will that be alright?”
“Sure!”
“Lori, this is Suze. I’ve
got Mr. Levinson on the line with us.”
“Hello Mr. Levinson. I’m
Lori.”
“Let me explain what’s happened so
far…”
10.
menus. One of our clients in the health care field found that
even four menu choices caused confusion. The reason: ill people can only
concentrate on one or two things simultaneously. If you’re selling to a
group with less than perfect health, only offer one or two choices.
Guerrillas keep menu systems simple and easy to understand regardless of their
caller’s health.
11.
one is waiting by the phone, hoping it will ring, wishing it’s a
salesperson. Seventy percent of all inbound calls interrupt something
more important. Guerrillas remain sensitive to this and always test if
it’s a good time to speak before proceeding.
12.
it’s true that on one-shot telemarketing calls, objection responses lifts
sales, Guerrillas know that “no” doesn’t mean “forever,” just “no
for now.” Use the Guerrilla sales process described in this book, and
you’ll say no before they will.
13.
free. With the recent changes in telecommunications law, this is now
treading on dangerous territory. Guerrillas never use this tactic.
14.
should have called earlier, before the warrantee expired!” or “That wasn’t very
smart of you!” or “That’s not our policy.” Guerrillas understand the
customer’s view and work to a mutually satisfactory solution. Since one
in five dissatisfied customers will tell 20 people about it, make your customer
right and smart for buying.
15.
easier for your caller to hang up and call the next business in the phone
book. Guerrillas check every 20 seconds, since that’s the limit of the
caller’s patience.
16.
called a local car dealer checking on availability of a specific model.
He was placed on hold and found himself listening to a local radio
station. He heard an ad for a competing dealer, hung up, and called them
instead. Guerrillas never let some disk jockey decide what their customers
will hear. Choose a suitable on-hold message, and as a last resort,
choose music that reflects the identity of your business.
17.
guru, Wally Bock tells a story, “Some years ago I called a tech support
hotline. Usually what happens is you automatically get put on hold for a
long time. So, imagine my surprise when a real person answered on the
third ring. I outlined my problem and it quickly became clear that it was
well beyond the tech’s skill level.
“How long have you been in Tech Support?”
“Oh, I’m not in tech support, I’m
in accounting.”
“But you answered the
phone.”
“Well, I was walking
through. The phone was ringing and no one else was here. I want to
help our customers, so I answered the phone.”
Think about the things that callers do that drive you
crazy. Ask your teleselling staff to do the same, and you’ll make sure
that you don’t drive your callers nuts. Being courteous, knowledgeable,
and polite to every caller is just the first step. Guerrillas know that excellence
is the price of admission in the new global economy.
{/slide}
{slide=Chapter 3: Setting Goals and Objectives}
Chapter 3: Setting Goals and Objectives
“If you don’t know who you’re calling, any number will
connect you there.”
Why are you going to get on the telephone and contact
people? A strategy is an overall plan of action developed to accomplish clearly
stated objectives. The Guerrilla needs to be familiar with the main
telephone strategies.
Eleven Telephone Sales Strategies
In 1967, Eugene B. Kordahl and Donald Hoffman, two of the
original members of the Phone Power/Telemarketing Professionals with the old
Bell Telephone System, identified the first seven telemarketing strategies used
in the telemarketing industry. In The Annual Guide To Telemarketing,
Mr. Kordahl and Arnold L. Fishman found four more strategies for a total of
eleven as the ones most commonly used by companies today.
1.
handle existing accounts.
2.
accounts.
3.
on incoming calls.
4.
prospect list.
5.
Activating marginal, old,
and forgotten accounts.
6.
new products and services.
7.
using direct-response toll-free numbers.
8.
— business reply cards, coupons, and letters.
9.
direct-mail campaigns.
10.
territory, product, size.
11.
service procedures with marketing and telesales programs.
TeleSelling
You close a sale by being in the right place, at the right
time, with the right people, with the right offering, doing the right things
that make you the right choice, right now. Putting together your sales
objectives let’s you put together all of those ‘rights’.
Guerrillas create objectives designed to do the right thing
for the salespeople, the customers, and the company. The challenge in
teleselling is that you’re sight unseen. The first objective is the
correct positioning of your company. Guerrillas invest in positioning,
and do everything in their power to optimize their position. You want
your prospects to gladly accept your call.
What Are You Willing to Spend?
What is the allowable acquisition cost of a
customer? Given the value of a customer over their lifetime, what can you
afford to spend to capture that customer. If a prospect doesn’t buy, it
doesn’t mean they won’t provide quality referrals. Factor this into your
acquisition cost.
Calculate Your Customer’s Lifetime Value
Think about your average customer. How much do
they spend with you each time they buy? How often do they buy from
you? How many years will they do business with you? Multiply
out these numbers, and you’ll know how much money they’ll contribute to your business
over their lifetime. This is their lifetime value ( LTV ).
Another way to determine your company’s LTV
of a customer is to take your annual sales, divided by the number of active
accounts in Accounts Receivable, then multiply by five. Your average customer
will be with you for about five years.
Annual
Sales x 5
number of AR accounts = Life Time Value ( LTV )
For example, a gift boutique’s corporate client purchases an
average of $1,000 per quarter. Their average customer buys from them for
five years. So the LTV is $1,000 x 4 x
5, or $20,000.
The true business value of that customer is even
greater. If that boutique can get just one referral per year from that
corporate client, they will direct 5 x $20,000, or $100,000 worth of additional
business their way. Pretty amazing for a $1,000 a quarter customer.
Your assignment is to research these numbers for your firm,
calculate the LTV of your customers, and
make sure everyone knows what the numbers are.
Calculate Your Return on Investment
Divide the LTV
by the cost to acquire and manage that lead multiplied by your closing ratio.
Close % x LTV
($ lead Acquisition + $ lead management) = Return on Investment (ROI)
How Many People Should Staff Your Call
Center
Here’s how to calculate how many people should staff
your call center:
Determine the likely closing ratio from sales
history, and then check your predicted outcome against your sales goal.
$ sales goal
$ average sale =
New customers needed
You can estimate the quality of your list this by
reviewing the list demographics. Then test the list with your best
salesperson to get an idea of it’s value.
New customers needed
Closing
ratio =
Number of prospects needed
% callers interested x
total list size
100
= Number of prospects available
The number of calls per hour that your staff can make
effectively depends on the quality of the list and level of detail needed to
qualify and close prospects. You could make 12 contacts per hour, or one
contact a day. Guerrillas will optimize their numbers by role playing
likely sales scenarios with a stopwatch to determine the time required for an
average call. Remember to factor in break times.
Average calls per hour
Calls per
salesperson per hour = Number of salespeople needed
Guerrillas choose their battles. After running the
numbers, do they all add up? Will this plan deliver the profits
you need to make it worthwhile? If not, abandon your plan now. Does
the forecast suggest that you need more people, better offers, or more
prospects? If so, make the necessary adjustments to make certain that you
have enough people to handle the calls and enough calls to challenge your people.
11 Ways to Get Your Customers to Buy More from You
As you plan your sales goals, remember that your best source
of additional business is your current customers. You can increase your profits
by five to ten times when you just call on the people that already know
you. If you don’t have things to sell to them, starting looking!
Once the relationship is established and the Guerrilla has proven their
worthiness, customers will buy almost anything offered.
1. Ask Them for More
Ask your customers to buy more. “You know
Cathy, you’ve placed an order for 9 cases. If you add just one more case,
you’ll earn the ten-case discount.”
Ask your customers to buy more often. “I know
that sometimes you run out. Would it be convent for you if I called on you
a little more often?”
Send customers customized coupons. Create
coupons with your computer and printer especially for each customer, giving
them an incentive to buy a little more than normal.
Ask customers to pay more. Informal surveys of
our audiences show that 70% feel that they are undercharging by at least
10%. If your gross margin is 30%, and you raised your prices by 10%,
you’d have to lose 33% of your customers before you’d lose a penny of your
current profits. Work less, make more.
2. Find Out What Else They’re Buying
What do your other customers usually buy that this customer
is not buying from you? They may assume that you don’t offer what they’re
looking for. What else is your customer buying that you could sell to
them? Guerrillas look for opportunities to cross sell.
Create fusion marketing partnerships. You can
increase the number of salespeople looking for business without increasing your
payroll. Find non-competing companies who also sell to your
customers. They’ll have relationships with customers you want, and vice
versa. For example, a lawn service provider finds customers for a
sprinkler installer by asking his customers, “Gee, what’s the biggest problem
you have with your sprinkler? Would you like my partner to stop by and fix
that?” And the sprinkler installer says, “Wow this is a beautiful
lawn! What’s your biggest problem keeping it looking good? Would you like
my partner to stop by and do that for you?” They practically close the
sale for each other.
What kind of tools, supplies, accessories, training,
consumables, or disposables do they need? What about maintenance,
security, repairs? Do they need design services, consulting, printing?
3. Become Sole Supplier
One Guerrilla calls his best customers and asks, “What would
you need to feel comfortable with me being your sole supplier?” Buyers
are often shocked by the question. After closer examination of his
performance, they grant him the business to take advantage of quantity
discounts.
Yet they sometimes respond with, “You already are!”
“Great! Why?” This gives him lots of great ideas
for talking to those who aren’t buying everything from him.
4. Invite Them to Come Back
It’s as easy as saying, “See you tomorrow!” or including a
coupon good for a purchase the next day, week, or month.
Make a return appointment. While flying home
for the holidays, Mark passed the airport shoeshine stand.
“Shine Mister?”
“Nope, I’m off the road for three weeks!”
“See you in three weeks!”
Remind your customers that you’re ready when they’re
ready. Send them a postcard with a reminder or special offer. The
best offers are for added value instead of a discount. “Call us and ask
for the Spring Deal, and you’ll get a bonus gift with your purchase.”
5. Order Things Just for Them
A compact disc store in
makes an unusual offer: if they don’t have the title you’re looking for,
they’ll special order it, and send it to you within two days. They’ll
even give you a 10% discount for your trouble. Very
Guerrilla. Most stores charge full retail, and many charge extra
for special orders, but these Guerrillas realize that they actually save money.
This small store has to order stock every couple of days anyway, and
they’ve leveraged that fact into a reputation for outstanding service. It
also means less capital tied up in inventory, making made them competitive with
the bigger, better-stocked stores down the street.
6. Don’t Become Attached to What You Sell
What you sell may no longer be appropriate or desirable for
your customers. Even if you love what you’re selling, get comfortable
with the changing desires and tastes of your customers. They love doing
business with you because you stock what they want.
7. Do More For Them
Find out what they do with what you sell and do it
for them. How do they augment it? How do the improve it? The secret
to increased profits is increased service and increased value. Can you
put components together into a sub-assembly? Then do those things for them and
charge for the privilege.
8. Increase Your Convenience
Look for ways to increase your customer’s convenience every
way possible. Even the slightest increase can encourage larger and
more frequent purchases.
Make packaging easier to use, easier to dispose of, easier
to recycle. Make packaging do double duty when it’s empty, such as
plastic pails or glass canning jars.
Offer delivery for a fee, or build it into your price.
Many customers are tickled when vendors bring goods and services to them
directly, either at work or at home.
Consider an automatic shipment program, replenishing
customer stock. Adjust shipments as needed for weather, seasonal issues,
or process changes.
9. Let Them Do Multiple Things at Once
What do your customers do or buy before and after doing
business with you? Can they do those tasks or make those purchases with
you? Examples include offering postal services at grocery stores, banks
with stockbrokers, printers who manufacture envelopes and stuff them with
statements.
10. Do Everything Immediately
If customers perceive that you respond to their request
instantly, 95% of the time they’ll do business with you again. The secret
to repeat business is to never make your customer wait.
Many businesses feel it’s impractical to offer immediate
service because of the increased costs for inventory, personnel, and
accounting, yet customers are quite willing to pay extra for immediate
service. You can charge more and customers will pay more. Consider
a multiple-tier pricing structure based on delivery, more expensive when done
this instant, less expensive when done later.
11. Be More Fun
In a recent survey, 70.9 percent of people polled would
switch vendors if the new company was more fun to do business with.
Xerox found that 2 percent of their dissatisfied customers would do business
with them again, 6 percent of their satisfied customers would do business with
them again, and 66 percent of their extremely satisfied customers would do
business with them again. If your competition has satisfied customers,
Guerrillas will take them away by making them extremely satisfied!
The average American watches over six hours of TV daily
because they’re bored and want more fun in their lives. When you add
entertainment to your sales process, you’ll capture the imagination and buying
power of your customers. Witness the explosive growth of theme
restaurants like Rainforest Café or the popularity of kid’s play area at
McDonalds restaurants.
Before investing in a teleselling operation, be clear about
your business’s goals and objectives. Do you want to expand your market
share, expand your territory, or just improve service.
{/slide}
{slide=Chapter 4: How to Stay Motivated}
Chapter 4: How to Stay Motivated
“If I lose my money, I lose a lot. If I lose my friends,
I lose even more. If I lose my courage, I’ve lost it all.” —
Cervantes
The Most Common Cause of Failure
Most salespeople give up too soon. The typical
salesperson’s greatest fear is being seen as stupid or wrong. When
customers say “no,” it’s uncomfortable. But no one’s ever died from being
uncomfortable.
Lands End mails an average of 11 catalogs to a new address
before they get the first order from a new customer. Salespeople need to
understand that even good prospects will say “no” several times before they say
“Yes.”
Most salespeople quit too soon:
48% quit after the first contact
20% quit after the second contact
7% quit after the third contact
5% quit after the forth contact
4% quit after the fifth contact
Yet 80% of customers say yes after the sixth call
The Biggest Weakness of Salespeople
Assuming that salespeople really understand their product,
most don’t really understand their customer. Today, you have to do
a lot more reconnaissance. They have to know who all the potential
influencers are, all the way down to the janitor or outside consultant.
And they have to focus on solving the customer’s problem, rather than pitching
their technology. Guerrillas always focus on solving the problem
rather than the pushing the purchase.
We recently interviewed Shawn Haynes, Manager of the
Associates Program for the world’s largest on-line bookstore, Amazon.com
title="">[1].
He explained that, “Everyone is out there putting content on the on the
Internet and trying to figure out how to get paid for it, without considering
the value equation of the transaction. We offer 2.4 million titles
on-line, while a B. Dalton or Walden’s store might offer 140,000. We
offer discounts of 20%, 40%, and more, just like the big stores, but we also
give you the capability to electronically browse through all those
books. We include many hard-to-find and out-of-print books. We ship
same-day or next-day. We can give you automatic e-mail notification of
new releases by topic, title, or author. That’s the value we offer, and
that’s why people are flocking to us to buy their books.”
What Holds People Back from Success
Some people consider selling to be
too much work. It’s true. Selling is hard work with potentially
substantial rewards. If you think selling is hard work, we advise that
you get another job. Here are some reasons why people fail at sales.
They Don’t Want to Sell
Do you approve of selling?
When you hear a sales presentation, do you feel uncomfortable? Do you want
to sell? Does what you’re selling excite you? For how long
do you want to sell? If you feel that selling is a temporary job until you get
a real job, you may not really want to sell.
Do you hang out with people who
don’t approve of selling? Does your boss approve of selling? Does your
family approve of selling? Do your friends approve of selling?
If you realize that you have a
lack of support for your sales career you need to decide how you’ll deal with
it.
They Feel They Don’t Deserve Success
We see this from time to
time. Some salespeople don’t feel that they deserve the success they’ve
earned. They create convoluted procedures and take needless steps to feel
like they get what they deserve. If this is the case, we recommend
professional help.
I’m Going to Be Yelled at
Most salespeople have had bad
experiences. They were yelled at, lied to, or told in no uncertain terms
what a miserable person they are for selling that stuff. That comes with
the territory. One percent of the public will hate you no matter what you
do. What was your worst experience? What are the odds of it
happening again? What would you do if it did happen again?
What you say to yourself about
prospecting has a powerful impact upon what you feel when prospecting.
What you feel when prospecting has a powerful impact on what you do about
prospecting.
title="">[2]
We Don’t Have What They Want
Sell to people who obviously
need you. Our colleague, Van Carpenter points out, “Solution Selling
means Sell Our Line Unto Those In Obvious
Need.” There’s plenty of business, all you need to do is find it.
It’s Got to Be Perfect
Customers don’t necessarily demand
perfection, but they do demand excellence. You create relationships when
you admit that you’re human. Acknowledge your foibles and your positive claims
become that much more credible.
I Get Stuck
Some salespeople want success, it
but don’t want the pain or discomfort associated with achieving success.
Part of their desire drives them forward and another part of their brain holds
them back. They oscillate. They’re stuck.
How to Get Un-stuck
When you feel stuck: can’t get on
the phone, can’t make that call, can’t start writing, here’s a process to get
unstuck.
title="">[3]
Release
Let go of the stuck feeling.
Sit back in your chair. Take a breath, and exhale to let go of your
stress and tension. Realize that you’re not doing what you want to be
doing or something is missing that prevents you from moving forward.
Notice
As you sit back, take notice,
what’s happening? What are your feelings? What’s in your
mind? What’s on your desk? Become a reporter of your
surroundings. Do this with no emotion or judgement, just observe what’s
happening.
Respond
Based on what you’ve just
observed, make a choice. What choice you make isn’t as important as
making a choice. Just do it.
Witness
Now witness what’s happening
because of your new choice. Look at it from your perspective, then from
your customer’s perspective, and from a third party’s perspective. If you
need to, sit back and witness what’s happening. Do this without
judgment. Witness what things about your choice worked and what didn’t.
Repeat
If you’re still stuck, repeat the process. The key to
success is to have no emotional attachment or response. This is
business. Your job is to get the task done.
27 Ways to Get Dialing
You’re no worse off. Right now you have
no sales. Start dialing. If someone tells you no, you’re no worse
off than you are right now. And you could be much better off just by
asking.
Just ask. The magic in selling is that
if you ask, you get. Melissa Swett, VP of operations for Easy Spirit
Shoes gives this advice to her sales staff: “Don’t say no for your
customer. If you don’t ask them if they’d like to see the matching purse,
you’ve said no for them. Ask, and let them decide.”
Match your demographics. Who do you find
the easiest to do business with? Sell to them. Perhaps you’ve had
experience in that industry or training that makes you an expert.
Guerrillas go after the low-hanging fruit.
Say no first. Guerrillas ask questions,
and lots of them! (See the 37 Magic Selling Questions in chapter
17.) Ask questions until you know whether you can help them or not.
If you can’t, tell them so. Reject prospects you can’t help.
Swallow a frog. Mark Twain said, “When
one is about to swallow a frog, it doesn’t do to look at it for very
long.” Call your most difficult prospect first thing and get it out of
the way.
Get a coach. A coach can get you pumped
up for the game. Find someone who can cheer you on. Someone you’ll
never let down. Someone for whom you’re willing to go out and win the big
one.
Dream big. Imagine increasing your sales
by a factor of 10! Can’t do it? Right now you’re selling at least 10,000
times more than you’ve sold in the past. Remember the first time you sold
something: it was probably band candy, or scout cookies, or garden seeds.
Remember how hard it was to sell $10 worth? And the person who could sell
$100 worth was a sales god, or had a rich daddy. The difference between
then and now is that today you have a different view of what’s possible, and
better tools and skills. For you to increase your sales by 10, you need a
different view of what’s possible, and different tools and skills. Start
with a big dream, and then you can determine the tools and skills you need.
Expect the sale. You don’t always get
what you want, but you almost always get what you expect. Guerrillas know
that someone, somewhere needs what’s being offered. And they expect to
find them.
No excuses. The biggest excuse we
observe is, “I need a cup of coffee.” If you haven’t had your coffee and
breakfast before you show up to work, you’re not ready to work.
day. How many dials, how many conversations, how may sales. When
you get stuck, looking at your goals can get you going again. Your
written goals are a commitment to yourself.
to a customer you’ve served well in the past month. Ask them, “How’s it
going?” “Great!” They’ll pump you up, letting you know that you can
serve another just like them today. If you don’t have a customer you can
dial, call Mom.
the first two morning calls into your speed dial memory. When you arrive,
hit your chair, pick up the handset, and push speed dial to get off to a speedy
start.
Miller, puts a belt around his chair and waist. When he’s tempted to get
up, he can’t, and he makes another call.
that you’re cold calling. You’re using the ultimate Guerrilla weapon, the
truth, which is the last thing people expect from a salesperson on
the phone.
makes your hands get sweaty, your stomach churn, and your knees weak, then
don’t cold call. Ask your customers for referrals, or use some of the
other warm-up approaches we suggest in this book.
special reports gives you a reason to talk with people and get introduced
without the pressure of selling them. When you’ve completed the research,
call later with a copy of the results, and ask about how you could serve them.
you’re on tape, you’ll tend to perform better. Make a habit of taping and
listening to yourself every week. You’ll be astounded at how well you do.
or two extension phones to play tag team. Alternate dials and
discussions, debriefing with your partner between calls. The secret:
focus on positive behavior, forget the negative. This is a fast way to
transfer the best skills between salespeople.
19.
area: Quite, 70 dials in progress. Ask me how I’m doing later.
20.
your phone, counting the number of dials, number of conversations, number of
deals. Compare scores at breaks and at the end of the day.
who have to set their own appointments find that fifty new conversations a week
will work well. They dial until they’ve had 13 conversations on Monday,
13 conversations on Tuesday, 12 conversations on Wednesday, 12 conversations on
Thursday. You can often do this in two or three hours in the
morning. Make your follow-up calls and sales calls in the
afternoon. Fridays are left open for follow up and reports.
to head. The most conversations between now and lunch gets treated to
lunch by the other. Or the most dials gets free coffee from the
others. Keep the stakes low and the competitions short.
Everyone! From the president down to the janitor. All lines lit up,
everyone dialing. If you’re not on the phone, you better be in the
bathroom. The blitz can last an hour or all week. We’ve seen
companies double their sales during a slump with an all-hands blitz.
24.
or chime in your work area. When anyone closes one, celebrate with some
noise! Take your congratulations, and hit the phones while everyone’s
excited.
hitting a target. After 10 dials, you can have coffee. When you
close a sale, treat yourself to a 10-minute walk outside. At 110% of your
targets, you buy a new watch.
26.
not illegal to be a jerk, they’ll be a part of life. Dial until you talk
with some one who’s a real jerk.
27.
on. It’s been a long day. Time to blow one, just for fun.
“Hello, does someone there speak Vietnamese? We’re doing a survey but
only with those who speak Vietnamese.”
“We’re selling securities specifically designed for
two year olds. Can I speak to your two year-old please?”
Guerrilla Incentives
“I want you to put together an incentive program to get our
new product line going ballistic,” your boss tells you. “And I want
results. None of this spend-a-bunch-of-cash-and-get-no-payoff garbage,
either. Oh, and make it interesting.”
Your boss leaves your office and now you have one more
complex project to add to your overloaded schedule. Where do you
start? How can you make sure the program works? How can you make it
interesting? Start by thinking about what would be the ideal incentive
program for you, personally. Then ask your people what they find motivating.
Why Incentive Programs Fail
Many incentive programs reward the wrong behavior, or reward
behavior that is likely to happen without an incentive. Or worst of all,
the “reward” creates negative reinforcement. It’s less effective to offer
sports tickets to someone whose spouse hates sports than to offer a romantic
evening meal. Often prizes are selected based on the desires and tastes
of the boss supervising the program. Yet not every employee shares the
same affinity for modern art prints or golf accessories.
Any Behavior That is Rewarded Tends to Be Repeated
Virtually every study on human motivation shows positive
reinforcement of a behavior tends to increase the frequency of that behavior in
the future. Conversely, negative reinforcement of a behavior tends to
discourage that behavior.
The secret to a successful incentive program is to make the
prize a positive reinforcement. One can learn a lot by watching animals
in training, a child learning a new skill, or an executive negotiating the first
few weeks of a new position. In every case, new behavior is quickly
learned and reinforced with small, often subtle rewards. For a dog, a
tidbit for a trick; for a child, a hug and a smile for trying to walk; for an
executive, access to information for following corporate protocol.
What’s Their Motivation?
You’ve probably noticed that no matter what you offer, your
incentive program doesn’t influence some people. About 40 percent of
North Americans are primarily internally motivated. They know they’ve
done a good job when they feel like they’ve done their best. You
can recognize internally motivated people because they are less interested in
what other people think or do. They tend to be independent thinkers, not
as interested in what you’ve done for others, but more interested in what you
can do for them. They make choices based on personal ethics and
morals.
The most effective incentive programs for internally
motivated people align with what they’re already committed to. A powerful
reward could be a donation to their favorite charity in their name.
Externally motivated people are motivated to “look good” or
do things because other people tell them they should. They seek
acceptance and an incentive program delivers tangible proof of
acceptance.
Most salespeople are externally motivated. Sales
positions attract externally motivated people – they’re motivated by quotas and
rewarded with commissions and sales contests. Salespeople will work night
and day for a $35.00 plaque and a pat on the back. They tend to quit
working hard once they’ve reached their goals.
Externally motivated managers insist that commission is the
only way to motivate a salesperson. They would be right if they hired
only externally motivated people.
Create a Powerful Incentive Program
So you begin designing your incentive program by answering
three questions: Whose behavior do you wish to influence? What
behavior do you want to have repeated? And when and where
do you want that behavior repeated?
Who Do You Reward?
You can reward employees for meeting production and safety
goals, or sales staff for reaching sales and profit goals. You can reward
superiors for their support of the staff or innovation in increasing
profits. You can reward your friends for helping you move to a new house
or for taking care of a pet. You can reward customers for their loyalty,
for purchasing more product, more often, or for referring new business.
You can reward prospects for paying attention to your sales message or for
directing other prospects to your business.
The most successful incentive programs include rewards for
people who are influencers or who are important to the program
participants. For example, selecting prizes that spouses will find
attractive increases their support. Prizes for the team increases morale.
How Do You Know You’ll Be Successful?
Here are the elements of successful programs. Use this
as a checklist to make sure your program works.
Successful incentive programs result in measurable
results. If you can’t measure your desired behavior change, you’ll never
know if your program was a success. Build a measurement phase into your
program.
Aim for permanent behavior change. You not only
want a customer to try to your brand, you want them to switch to
your brand. Price-based incentives tend to attract price-sensitive
buyers. You don’t want people who aren’t loyal, they’ll always switch to
the next vendor with the lowest price.
Create programs that increase profits. Be
careful that your people are not going to give away the store to make sales
goals. The only true measure of success in business is profit. Know
how much this program can bring to your bottom line.
The promotion must be easy to run and require little or no
staff training. If you need a complex document spelling out the rules and
exceptions, your program is doomed to failure. A successful promotion can
be described to a 12 year-old in 30 seconds.
The most effective promotions use multiple influence
agents. These are the factors that motivate people to do things.
Isn’t that why you’re launching an incentive program. More on these influence
agents in Chapter 18.
Align with a commitment your participants have already
made. The most effective programs let people meet multiple commitments.
For example, when Total Petroleum ran “Total Thursday’s,” in selected markets,
you could simultaneously fuel up your car, get a free drink, and donate a few
cents per gallon to your choice of charities. The brilliance of this
incentive program is it let people give to charity – something most people want
to do – while filling up their gas tank – something to which most people are
committed if they’re going to drive to work. The program broke all sales
records.
Reward Your Employees for Profits
Most progressive companies offer profit sharing, most often
by creating a cash pool and dividing that pool by a formula that gives more to
the higher wage earners. In three studies for his graduate degree, TAFA (
Sampson discovered that the most effective profit sharing plan split the pot equally
among all employees. When the president gets the same share as the
janitor, the president will listen to the janitor’s money-saving
suggestions. Relatively large gains in profitability occur when you
reward saving money and increasing profits at all levels.
When you’re creating an incentive program to promote
other behaviors, such as quality control, waste reduction, safe behavior, let
the participants decide on the reward. You’ll discover they’ll usually
pick prizes smaller than you had in mind, and may select social events, like a
keg party or pizza night, over other prizes.
Reward Your Sales Force for Knowledge
Perhaps you want your sales force to sell more profitably.
The problem with most sales incentives is that they reward behaviors that
people are already supposed to exhibit: selling things. Savvy sales
managers reward behavior that goes beyond the job description. For
example: for your next sales contest, reward competitive knowledge.
Have your salespeople learn about your competitors, their products, and their
customers. Have pop quizzes, and hand out prizes on the spot for correct
answers. You reward behavior that is proven to improve sales.
There’s no better way to increase confidence in your product, and your
salespeople will be more aware of the competition long after the contest ends.
Reward Your Customers for Loyalty
It’s more profitable to sell to an existing customer than to
find a new customer. So why not reward your existing customers for their
business.
Marketing programs often encourage new customers to buy at
the exclusion of existing customers. The offer giveth: “Sign up for a
year’s subscription at the trade show, and we’ll give you a free leather
briefcase.” The small print taketh away, “Not valid for renewals.”
Oh, great! Tell your customers that they don’t deserve a leather
briefcase for their loyalty. It’s enough to make them cancel their
subscription and sign up anew.
An unconventional approach is to give your customers a better
reward for renewing on the spot, and offer new customers a lesser reward.
New customers learn that you appreciate loyalty. When your incentive
program focuses on profits, you’ll work hard at keeping customers. Your
cost of acquiring a customer plummets, and your profits soar.
Instead of giving a customer a restaurant gift certificate
as a reward, tell them to take their spouse to dinner, and send you the
bill. The secret here is to not set a spending limit. The
gift is your trust in them to spend what they’d like. You’ll find they’ll
often spend less than you had in mind.
Reward New Customers for Saying Yes
Often, marketing managers create incentive programs so new customers
purchase sooner rather than later. When you understand the psychology of
a buyer, you’ll better understand how to influence them to buy sooner.
People buy to satisfy a personal urge or desire and to fulfill a commitment
they’ve made to someone important or influential in their lives. They
won’t buy unless there is a compelling deadline to move forward. Pain or
hunger, a project deadline imposed by a superior, or the desire to have new
shoes for the party tonight could drive that deadline. New customer
incentive programs work best when they move up the deadline.
Many salespeople use a discount to impose a
deadline. “I can give you a 10% discount if you buy now!” Putting a
item “on sale” rewards customers for buying during the campaign.
A better approach is offering an added-value reward.
Estee Lauder beauty products never go on sale. But you’ll often receive,
“$25.00 value gift when you buy today,” and the gift is more of their
product. The gift turns a sample into a reward and drives sales.
Kick Off Your Event
Now that you understand what behavior you want to encourage
and you’ve researched the rewards that are meaningful to your group, you plan a
kick-off party to let everyone know about the program. At the party,
people make and accept challenges. You stimulate and encourage statements
like, “I’ll hit my quota in 10 months,” or “I’m going to beat your number,
George.” Using the power of public commitments, you not only guarantee a
program that works, but you’re boss is overwhelmed by the success of the
program before you’ve handed out a single prize.
{/slide}
{slide=Chapter 5: Preparing Your TeleSelling Workspace}
Chapter 5: Preparing Your TeleSelling Workspace
Create a location that you use solely for making phone
calls. You don’t open your mail there, you don’t eat lunch there, you
don’t write letters there. You only make calls. This trains your
body and your brain that when you’re there, you’re on the phone and dialing.
There are no other distractions.
The location should be quiet, uncluttered, clean, and
stocked with reference materials and everything else you’ll need to answer all
of the questions you’ll be asked. You don’t want to get up between calls
to get what you need.
The best background noise is no background noise. When
customers hear the chatter of others in the background, they think – mass
telemarketing operation – and you’ve lost your advantage.
For some Guerrillas, the best location would be at home, in
a spare bedroom. For others it might be a special corner of their
cubicle.
Headset Phones
Increase your energy and effectiveness by using a You will be much more comfortable for long client interviews Select a binaural head seat with two earpieces. If you do use a single earpiece set, wear the earpiece in When people stick their head in your office to interrupt Your caller will also hear you better when you use a Look for models with automatic level sensing. Some Most headset models offer a mute switch. By pressing Select a high quality, professional unit Desk
Select a desk that is large enough to comfortably hold all Ergonomic Chair
Select a chair that supports your back and has adjustable Mirror Image
Put a mirror next to your phone. Not a little mirror, And put a sticker in the corner of your mirror that says, Get Up and Boogie
Put an extra-long cord on your headset that lets you roam Stand while you are speaking on the phone. Give your Light
Good lighting is essential to your productivity. If Temperature
The best working temperature for making calls is between Water
Keep bottled water available in your work area at all times,
headset. A telephone headset leaves your hands free to take great notes,
select materials to create a customized information kit, review reference
materials, or type at your computer keyboard.
and “telethon” sessions. Since your not hunched over holding the phone,
you voice will sound richer, and will have more authority. No more stiff
neck and shoulders.
You’ll hear much better, and cut surrounding distractions and noise that can
limit your concentration.
your right ear. A survey of 500,000 people found that humans
process language more accurately with their right ear, and process music more
accurately with their left ear.
title="">[1]
It’s due to our left brain – right brain construction. Since most people
are right handed, they hold the phone to their less-accurate left ear.
Guerrillas take the advantage by using the most effective ear.
you, with your headset on they’ll assume you’re on the phone. When they
say, “You on the phone?” you get to decide how you’ll answer.
headset. Since the microphone is positioned in front of your mouth, your
voice won’t fade away or be too loud. You’ll hear your caller
better. Select a headset that lets you set the correct volume for your
call. No longer will you have strain to hear or have to ask your caller
to speak up, you just turn them up.
models will automatically limit the volume when a loud noise is on the line,
such as when you accidentally mis-dial a fax machine (ouch!).
this button, you can cough, confer privately with others in your office, or say
what you really think at that moment.
title="">[2].
Expect to pay several hundred dollars for a high-end unit.
of the things you will need to call your customers. You’ll need shelves
for reference materials, and file cabinets for customer records. Select a
surface of the correct height for your body structure.
height. Plan to invest several hundred dollars in a good, ergonomic
chair. Good chairs are one of the best investments you can make in office
productivity.
a BIG mirror, big enough that you can see your head and shoulders in it.
Watch yourself in the mirror while you’re on the phone with clients and
customers. Even though it may sound a bit narcissistic, this tactic will
give you a face to interact with, and help focus your attention.
“SMILE?” Remind yourself to smile while you’re speaking.
your office. Better still, consider using one of the new wireless
headsets that give you complete freedom of movement.
title="">[3] You will
be much more efficient when you’re not tied to your telephone. You don’t
have to put your caller on hold to look something up, get their records, or
look out the window.
caller a sample of your energy and excitement when speaking to them. Walking
around keeps you awake and alert. When you
gesture as you speak, your voice changes ever so slightly, yet your customer
subconsciously detects these changes. They’ll feel that you’re more
excited and more confident about what you sell, yet they won’t quite know why.
you have a choice, natural light from windows or skylights is best.
Install wide-spectrum or Natural Light fluorescent lamps, or supplement fluorescent
lighting with incandescent light.
seventy and seventy-two degrees. Invest in a small digital thermometer
(available at Radio Shack for about $10) to monitor the temperature in your
work area.
and drink frequently. Don’t worry about having to go to the bathroom, you
lose a pint of water through your breath every hour that you talk.
Advanced training for your teleselling sales team can make a
tremendous difference in effectiveness. Training can take many forms:
books, audiotapes, videotapes, competitive reconnaissance, classroom
instruction, one-on-one coaching, peer review, even tag-team selling with a
veteran. A thorough treatment of advanced sales skills is covered in our
previous book, Guerrilla Selling – Unconventional Weapons and Tactics for
Increasing Your Sales.
title="">[4]
Books
Assign required reading before hitting the phones. Use Magazines
Guerrillas regularly subscribe to the magazines, journals
the bibliography in the back of this book as a shopping list. With
paperback books you can practice razor reading, or cutting the book
apart at the spine, and distributing chapters or sections to your team
members. Instruct them to review the material and do a verbal book report
at your next sales meeting.
and newsletters that serve professional selling. These include Sel!ing
magazine, Personal Selling Power, Sales & Marketing Management,
Potentials in Marketing,
title="">[5]
the Guerrilla Marketing Newsletter.
title="">[6]
for examples. Many of the associations listed in the Appendix publish
articles and newsletters on sales skills.
Audiotape Training
The average commute in
is 22 minutes. Provide skill-sharpening audiotapes for your sales team to
review while driving to and from work.
title="">[7]
Videotape Training
Nine out of ten homes in
have a VCR , and many now have two. If
you make training videos available to borrow, your salespeople are more likely
to take them home and study them on their own time.
title="">[8]
Outside Consultants
If you are inexperienced in managing a teleselling team,
consider using an outside expert to facilitate your preparations. Preview
their work whenever possible to be sure they’re delivering training that
matches your company’s values. A reliable source for sales trainers is
the National Speakers Association
title="">[9]
ask your speakers bureau for recommendations.
Competitive Reconnaissance
What you don’t know can hurt you. Consider There are good reasons why otherwise savvy companies don’t Gathering competitive intelligence is actually fun, easy to {/slide} {slide=Chapter 6: Controlling Interruptions} If making outbound sales calls represents only a part of If you live in the world of partitions and cubicles and Use a single 10-minute meeting to collaborate with staff and Set aside a single hour a day, such as from A company in If you have a door, close it. People will Open-door policies have killed productivity. Having access Set aside a clinic time when all are welcome to come When people drop in, say, “I’m working against a Track interruptions with a simple log. Record when These interruptions are self-inflicted. You glance up When you take a break for biological needs, if you’re {/slide} {slide=Chapter 7: Managing Pressure and Stress} Chapter 7: Managing Pressure and Stress Most people have about four good hours of telephone work in
this: What if you spent weeks with your R&D, marketing, and sales staff,
creating your next product introduction, and one month later, you read in the
trade press about a similar announcement from your competition? How would
you feel? What would your boss say? What would your customers think?
Why didn’t you know about the competition?
know enough about their competitors. Most people assigned the task of
gathering competitive intelligence don’t look forward to the job. They
feel it’s a painful, long, drawn-out pointless process. They don’t know
how to start, where to go, who to call, or what to ask. Or they may be
concerned about the ethics of posing as a potential customer.
do, and can make you a hero in your own company. Call each of your
competitors and simply ask the receptionist, “I was wondering if you could help
me with some information? Could you send me a copy of your (catalogue,
brochure, price list, presentation materials, samples, etc.) Collect
these materials in a ring binder, and use it to review your competitors.
You’ll avoid common mistakes, and you won’t be doomed to repeating the failures
of your predecessors. Your well-thought-out plan won’t be shot down since
you can demonstrate you know what the competition is up to.Chapter 6: Controlling Interruptions
your work day, you must discipline yourself and others not to interrupt you
during this business-critical activity. Guerrillas control their interruptions
to maximize work output. Interruptions take several forms. Here’s how to
manage them.Face the Wall
don’t have a door, arrange your workspace to face away from the door.Standing Morning Meetings
colleagues, distribute tasks, update company news, and set the schedule for the
day. Everyone stands for the meeting.Sacred Hour
where no meetings, visits, or conversations are permitted. This is your
sacred hour to plan your day, prepare your work, and accomplish critical tasks.
instituted this policy, and the union leadership went ballistic. “How dare
they try to impose an hour of silence on our members.” By the time the
protest came up for arbitration, the rank-and-file were saying, “We love
this! We’re getting more done in that one hour than the whole rest of the
day!” Of course, the protest was hastily withdrawn.Close the Door
assume you’re either busy or out. Schedule a time when you’re off-line to
have your door open for people to visit you.Clinic Time
to managers creates team spirit, yet always having access to
managers creates chaos.
visit and discuss their issues. “You’re welcome to come visit me and talk
about anything you want, at any time, as long as it’s between
p.m.
will resolve themselves before clinic time rolls around.By Appointment Only
deadline. Could you come see me at
today?” Interruption Log
you’re interrupted, who interrupts you, and the nature of the
interruption. You’ll quickly identify your key interrupters, and then can
create a strategy for reducing or eliminating the interruptions.Blurting
when someone walks by your door and say, “Hihowareya.” And they stop and
tell you. And you’ve lost five minutes just listening to prattle about
last night’s TV shows. Resist the temptation to glance up when someone
walks by your desk. Wait until they demand your attention before granting
attention.Bio Breaks
stopped in the hall, say, “I’ve got to get back to a call. Can we talk
this afternoon?”
them a day. Guerrillas maximize their effectiveness by managing the
pressure and stress of responding to customers or making outbound calls.
Music can help manage your mood, boosting you up when you’re
feeling down. What’s the best music to listen to while you work?
Whatever you like, be it Bach, Beatles, or
enough so that your customer can’t hear. Headset adapters are available
that let you listen to music while you’re not on line and automatically switch
off when you’re on a call.
Water has healing properties. Drink lots of pure
water. You lose a pint of water through your breath every hour that you
talk. With that level of dehydration, you’ll quickly fatigue, and also
run the risk of losing your voice after several hours. Other ways that
water can reduce stress: wash your hands and face, moisten and comb your hair,
take a hot bath or shower (usually after you’re done at work). The sound
of water helps you relax: sit by a fountain or stream, watch an aquarium,
listen to a recording of the ocean.
Walk, run, dance, stretch, move! Exercise is most
beneficial in the morning, when it revs up your metabolism for the whole
day. Stress builds up muscle tension, particularly in the neck, shoulders
and lower back. Stand, and do this series of stretches: reach your hands
up to the ceiling, up, up, up. OK, now reach out to the walls, out, out,
out, OK now bend and touch your toes, bend, bend, bend. There.
Doesn’t that feel better! During your break, don’t sit, walk!
Trade shoulder rubs with a co-worker. Relax calves and
legs by working them against a foot roller or a bag of marbles on the
floor. Treat yourself to a massage after a particularly stressful week.
Sit quietly and reflect. Recall a favorite beach or
mountain meadow. Take your mind off work and re-charge your spirit.
Take quiet time to reflect, think and stare out the window, and consciously
coast for a while. Close the door, re-direct the calls, and take a
cat-nap. A rest as short as 10 or 15 minutes can be very
refreshing.
Be aware of what you eat. Two items in most diets that
compound stress are caffeine and refined sugar. Caffeine triggers the
release of adrenaline into your blood stream. If you’re tense, a cup of
coffee may increase the sense of stress. Refined sugar tends to drive
your insulin levels up. In a short while, your blood sugar will fall,
making your feel uncomfortable, adding to your stress levels. Your body
depends on what you feed it. When you select quality foods, there’s no
stress in digestion. When you choose over-refined foods, your body is
under stress to extract the nourishment. If you have a stressful
position, the better the quality of food that you eat, the easier it will be
for you to manage stress.
Read the comics. Have fun. Laugh. It
releases powerful brain chemicals that stimulate creativity, relaxation, and
regeneration. Check the internet for the joke of the day. Fax
cartoons to co-workers. Swap “the funniest customer of the day” stories.
{/slide}
{slide=Chapter 8: Your TeleSelling Voice}
Chapter 8: Your TeleSelling Voice
“Think as the wise men do, but speak as the common
man.” Aristotle
Day, and Still Sound Great
“A properly produced voice should not tire or lose volume or
intelligibility however much it is used, except in circumstances that interfere
with proper voice usage, such as mental or physical exhaustion, emotional
trauma, or the type of severe cold caused by virus that attacks the vocal
cords.” Dr. Morton Cooper
title="">[1]
A well produced, great-sounding voice is not deep, but
resonant. A voice that’s forced deep damages the vocal cords and creates
the subconscious impression that the speaker is a phony.
title="">[2]
The secret is to speak in your natural range. The best
way to do this is to say “Umm-hummm, one.” Your pitch when you say,
“one,” is at your natural resonance. Other words to test your natural
resonance are: hello, really, beautiful, right, ready, no, go, do.
title="">[3]
Here’s an exercise that lets you use your entire oral
anatomy: tongue, teeth, jaw, and lips. The fun part of this exercise is
that you get to open a bottle of wine. Place the wine cork between your
teeth. Then practice exaggerating your mouth movements by speaking as
clearly as you can while holding the cork between your teeth. Do this for five
minutes. Now remove the cork and notice your increased articulation.
title="">[4]
No Put-on
When speaking on the phone, people sometimes put on a Breathy vs. Too-Tight
Avoid the breathy, Marilyn Monroe voice. While it may A breathy voice can damage your vocal cords. With the air At the opposite end of the spectrum from a breathy voice is Nasal vs. Denasal
A nasal sound such as “ing” is important for clearly Frontal vs. Throaty
A frontal voice produces the sound at tip of the tongue and Muffled vs. Orotund
People who speak with a muffled voice don’t move their Up Pitch vs. Down Pitch
Traditionally, English speakers end a questioning sentence Shouting doesn’t have to do with volume as much as it has to For maximum comfort and vocal variety, start a sentence with Flat vs. Thin
A flat voice is low pitched with little variation. Rate
Speak at a speed of 150 to 180 words per minute, with 160 words Pauses
When you listen to the radio, notice that disc jockeys hate Vocal Energy
Guerrillas match the energy of their customers, and then Dynamic range is the change in volume available to you, and Let the Phone Do the Work
Don’t shout or strain your voice on the phone. Let the Drink Water
When you speak, you lose a pint of water an hour. With Wash Your Hands
Wash your hands before your start your shift. The most Avoid Throat Clearing
Throat clearing causes your vocal cords to bang together, Never Scream
You can do permanent damage to your voice by Don’t Compete with Loud Noises
If you’re talking to someone and a jet flies over, stop, No Smoking
Smoking irritates your vocal cords and increases the Diaphragm Breathing
Breath from your diaphragm instead of your shoulders. Danger Signs
If you have excessive throat clearing, coughing, regular Just as an athlete warms up before they play, Guerrillas The Cat and the Lion
This exercise simultaneously loosens up your face and vocal The Motorboat
With this exercise, you bring blood to your lips and warm up AEIOU
The exaggerated vowels warm up the muscles of your face so A Good Yawn
A couple of good yawns warm up your jaw muscles. Jiggle Your Jaw
Let your jaw hang slack and move it around with you hand for Stick Out Your Tongue
Limber up your tongue. Stick it out and wiggle it for Get your body ready to work, too. Here’s some Tense and Relax
Tense and then relax your muscles to get warmed up. Shake It!
Shake your hands for 10 seconds. Give them a good Tai Chi
This Eastern martial art is wonderful for getting your body Here’s a list of the words most people commonly Mispronounced Words
Commonly mispronounced words include: Axe for ask Faks for facts Gimme for give me Hep for help Nuc-u-ler for nuclear Pit-shur for picture Wanna for want to Dropping Plosives
A plosive is any sound that causes air to forcefully leave b – pro’ly for probably d – ol’ for old g – runnin’ for running k – dar’ for dark p – lam’ for lamp t – liddle for little or hones’ for honest Sliding Glides
A glide is a verbal sound that you dwell on longer than the l – fi’m for film, he’p for help, E’vis for r – wate’ for water, fou’ for four w – oo-ell for well Speaking Naturally
Use contractions naturally. Contractions have an easy, For example say these words at listen to the difference: I am I’m You are you’re We will we’ll They are they’re Let us let’s Being informal does not mean being sloppy. And just because Avoid Slang
While contractions add to the naturalness and comfort of the {/slide} {slide=Chapter 9: Greeting Inbound Calls} Chapter 9: Greeting Inbound Calls Have you ever called your own office, and the voice that A well-know chain of muffler shops discovered that nearly Many companies spend thousands on marketing to get prospects Orvel was standing at the front desk of a hotel recently and After listening to this greeting three or four times, and Whoever wrote that copy didn’t realize what a tongue-twister Our advice is to keep it simple. Let your caller know Scripted greetings are repeated until they become rushed and “Good morning, American Amalgamated, this is Debbie.” “Hi, this is Debbie at American Amalgamated.” “This is American Amalgamated. My name is “Good afternoon. You’ve reached the central By changing up the time of day, company name, receptionist’s The tone and attitude projected should be, above all else, If this is a concern for you, call your own office and One of the things that drive customers nuts is being In an ideal world, the same person who answers the phone When you do have to hand off a customer, ask permission to Always ask permission before putting a caller on People will normally wait about 20 seconds on hold before If they’re going to be holding for more than a couple of When speaking with international callers, you need to really
special phone voice. Don’t! Talk to your customer the same way you would
over a cup of coffee. A put-on voice creates a barrier.
sound sexy, it flattens the voice and weakens your authority. A breathy
voice sometimes becomes unintelligible. Your customer can hear that
you’re speaking, but they may not understand what you say. When your customers
don’t understand you, they subconsciously devalue who you are.
escaping through them, the vocal cords are loose and out of control. With
this loss of control, the cords bang together and become irritated. Even
a few minutes of breathy voice can cause damage that will take 36 to 48 hours
to heal.
the too-tense voice. Think drill sergeant screaming. Yes, you can
be loud all day, but a too-tense voice is rough and grating, sounds pushy, and
creates distance. Guerrillas want a relaxed-sounding voice that’s not
overly tense.
pronouncing words containing n, m, or ng. If nasal
sounds are used for pronouncing other syllables, the speaker appears less
intelligent, whiny, and irritating. Think country music singer. At
the opposite spectrum is the completely denasal voice. Think Rocky
Balboa. Guerrillas who use a mostly-denasal voice sound intelligent and
interesting.
teeth.
prissy. A throaty voice uses the back of the throat instead of teeth and
tongue. This sounds like a local hick and reduces credibility.
Think Goofy or Gomer Pyle. Guerrillas select a voice that uses your
entire mouth, teeth, and tongue.
lips. They’re hard to understand, and are judged to be imprecise or
lazy. An orotund speaker uses their entire oral cavity to create a rich
and resonant sound. Consider the highly resonant voice of Orson Wells,
Richard Burton, or James Earl Jones.
by raising the pitch. Recently, it’s become popular to end all sentences
with the pitch up. This unconsciously signals uncertainty and
insecurity. Guerrillas end sentences with the pitch down to convey confidence
and knowledge. You can also increase your sense of authority by asking
questions ending with pitch down.
do with raised pitch. When you raise the pitch of your voice, you’ll
sound like you’re shouting.
your pitch down, move the pitch up at the most important words, and decline
pitch until reaching the end of the sentence.
Think Eeore from Winnie the Pooh. It conveys the impression that
the speaker is depressed, unexcited, and bored. A thin voice is high
pitched, like Betty Boop. It conveys the impression that the speaker is
flighty, uneducated, and powerless. Select the right pitch for your
physiology.
title="">[5]
per minute being ideal.
title="">[6]
Measure this by recording your conversation and counting the words spoken in
one minute. People can think at speeds of 400 to 500 words per minute, so
you’ll have to say things that prospects find interesting or they’ll start
mentally working on their vacation plans.
title="">[7]
dead air: they never let a second go by with out saying something.
Well, you’re not a disk jocky. Pauses are powerful teleselling weapons. Pause
to let your customer think. Pause to underscore an important point.
Pause to add drama and heighten suspense. Your pauses will sound much
shorter than they feel, so let them go on for a bit longer than you think they
should.
move it up just one step. Here’s how to practice. Have a normal
conversation with a friend. On an energy scale of one to ten, calibrate
that at five. Now, move that energy up to a six. Feel the difference
a slight increase in energy delivers? Guerrillas are sensitive to
their customers and always deliver the appropriate vocal energy.
can swing from the quietest whisper to the loudest shout. Guerrillas
understand the wide range available and they use that range to create the
greatest impact. Some telephone trainers teach that you should start the
conversation with excitement and enthusiasm. If one comes on strong at
the beginning of the conversation, the only way the energy level can go is
down. Start out near the middle of your dynamic range, and move up and
down though it. Move up to emphasize, move down to transfer control to your
customer.
Healthy
microphone do the work for you. If you aren’t being heard, adjust the
headset mic closer to your mouth or turn up the sensitivity. Or hang up
and call back, this time with a better connection.
that kind of fluid loss, you’ll become fatigued and develop a hoarse voice
within a few hours. Avoid caffeinated beverages such as coffee, tea or
colas which tend to dry out your voice. Avoid carbonated beverages as
well. You don’t need the sugar, and the carbonation will make you
burp. Keep sipping at water throughout the day. For optimum health
and extra flavor, add a little fresh lemon juice.
common source of viral and bacterial infection comes from your hands.
You’ll be touching your face, rubbing your eyes, licking your fingers to turn
pages.
reduce your chance of getting sick or affecting your voice.
bruising them and causing damage. To avoid damage, hum before clearing
your throat. Sipping water with lemon can help, too.
screaming. This is most likely to happen at sporting events, concerts, or
nightclubs. When you go to the ballgame, let the other fans scream and
shout. Save your voice for work. Learn to whistle loudly instead.
point up, and wait for it to pass. Save your voice for your customers.
likelihood that you’ll cough and clear your throat. If you make your
living with your voice, don’t smoke.
Try this. Put one hand on your stomach, the other on your shoulders, and
breathe in. Your hand should move out and your shoulders shouldn’t move
at all. Breathing with your diaphragm gives you the best vocal control,
range, and variety.
voice fatigue, or chronic hoarseness, see your doctor. These could indicate
something that, left unchecked, could result in the loss of your voice.
Your Voice
warm up their voice and body before hitting the phone. Here’s some
exercises that do the trick.
cords. Make a tight prune face and squeak out high-pitched cat-like
sounds. “Mew-mew-mew-mew.” Now make a large lion face and make low
lion-type sounds. “Grrowelllll.” Alternate five times.
title="">[8]
your vocal cords. Make the sound of a motorboat with your lips and voice,
just like you did when you were a kid playing in the sandbox. Alternate
between the low engine-idle sound and high revving sounds. Continue
revving for 30 seconds.
you can speak with distinctness and clarity. Say the vowels while really
exaggerating your mouth. Repeat five times.
10 seconds.
15 seconds. Be careful who’s watching!
exercises to get you in peak condition.
Hold the tension for a five count, relax for a five count. Start with
your face, then shoulders, then stomach, then arms, then hands, legs, and feet.
shake, yet not so hard that you get hurt. Now shake your feet, one at a
time. Shake your legs one at a time. Now the blood is flowing!
warmed up and under control. Check out an instructional video from your
library to learn more.
mumble. Guerrillas pronounce them with extra care to avoid
misunderstanding.
the mouth. Without the plosives, language becomes hard to understand and
the speaker sounds uneducated and unsophisticated. Avoid these!
others. Dropping a glide sounds uneducated and unsophisticated.
Elvis
flowing, informal sound that’s important to the Guerrilla approach.
informal speech doesn’t follow all the rules of grammar, it doesn’t mean that
you can make mistakes.
telephone conversation, slang does not. In general, slang is
irritating; using it detracts from your presentation. Avoid careless
replies such as “Yeah,” “Yep,” or “Uh-huh,” when what you want to say is “Yes.”
title="">[1]
Morton, Dr. Change Your Voice Change Your Life.
title="">[2]
V. How to Sound Like a Million Dollars.
title="">[3]
title="">[4]
about developing a fine actor’s voice, contact our acting coach, Sarah Reeves,
at 1-800-REEVES1.
title="">[5]
tape of this section, The Guerrilla’s Power Selling Voice, illustrating
the voices and exercises, call 1-800-247-9145. We’ll send it to you as
our gift.
title="">[6]
Grant, Voice and Articulation Drillbook.
title="">[7]
W., Creative Training Techniques Handbook,
Books, 1989. P. 34. Reach him at 1-612-829-1954.
title="">[8]
Lynn, Speech, 1994. Contact her at 1-303-331-2737.
answers sounds like, “Hello, what the hell do YOU want?!” They don’t say
that, but that’s the message that’s transmitted.
half of the customers who had called for an appointment were not showing
up. Suspicion fell on the mechanics, and the way they were answering the
telephone. After all, they were busy, and the call was an interruption of
their work in the shop, and their hands were dirty and they really didn’t want
to take this call. The company invested in a four-hour telephone skills
training for every mechanic. In fact, today you are not allowed to answer
the phone unless you’ve completed this training. The no-show rate on
appointments fell to just 17 percent.
to call, and thousands on equipment and training to deliver their goods and
services. And every call is filtered through the least trained, least paid,
least respected person in the company, the receptionist. Guerrillas know that
the person answering the phone is the first sales person a prospect contacts.
So Guerrillas train, motivate, and compensate the receptionist appropriately.
listened in as the night-shift clerk answered the phone in a clipped, rushed
breath, “Itsa flock duster day ud win um hardens odel this is on hold speed
king ow mayai hell-poo?”
reading the promo card on the countertop, Orvel finally worked out a
translation. The clerk was saying, “It’s a Blockbuster day (referring to
the free-video-rental-with-room-stay promotion) at
hotel). This is Ronald speaking (I got this off his nametag). How
may I help you.”
it was (just try, just try to say it three times fast!) and heaven help the poor
customer who didn’t have the slightest clue.
where they’ve called and who they’re speaking with. This is the classic,
“American Amalgamated, this is Debbie.”
Twice
robotic. Encourage your staff to change the script around from call to
call.
Debbie. How may I be of service.”
switchboard at American Amalgamated. I’m Debbie. How may I direct your
call?”
name, and the offer to serve, you keep the greeting fresh and natural-sounding,
projecting a more friendly, professional atmosphere for the call.
friendly and helpful. Put a smile in your voice. It’s easier for a
prospect to hang up and call the next number in the rolodex or yellow pages
than to put up with a surly service provider.
tape-record the conversation, then sit down with the offending individual and
play the tape, giving them the benefit of a customer’s perspective.
handed off from one person to another. This is especially true if they’ve
just told their whole story, and then have to start all over again with someone
else.
would handle the call all the way through. But things are seldom ideal.
put them on hold, get the person you need on the line, and bring them up to
speed, saving the customer the frustration of telling their story again and
again.
hold. And wait until they have a chance to respond. You
don’t want to treat them to, “Hold please! (click!!)” Tell them how
long they can expect to hold. Avoiding phrases like, “Would
you hold just a second?” These things always take longer than “a
second.”
becoming impatient, unless you tell them that “it will be a minute or
two,” in which case, they will wait up to two minutes.
minutes, offer to call them back instead. “This may take several
minutes. Would you like to hold, or is there a convenient number where I
can call you right back?”
Callers
focus your attention. They may speak with an unfamiliar accent, or use
words that you don’t understand, and they could respond differently than you
expect.
title="">[1]
The key is to speak slowly and pronounce your words clearly. Give them
time to understand what you’re saying. A common mistake is raising the
voice, as if shouting would somehow make the message more intelligible.
Instead, slow down, rephrase and simplify the sentence. And don’t make
jokes. Humor seldom translates as intended.
title="">[1] A great
resource for understanding international behavior is the book, Kiss, Bow, or
Shake Hands, by Terri Morrison, Wayne A. Conaway, and George A. Borden,
Adams Pub. 1994.
{/slide}
{slide=Chapter 10: Increase Your Caller’s Satisfaction}
Chapter 10: Increase Your Caller’s Satisfaction
Several years ago, we were hired to develop a sales training
program for Customer Service Representatives
(CSRs) for one of the “Baby Bell” companies. These are the people who
answer when you call the phone company regarding new service, a change of service,
or billing questions.
Since they were answering more than eight million inbound
calls a year, senior management decided that these inbound calls were a sales
opportunity, and in January, they put the whole group through a sales training
program offered by another vendor. The session taught them to pitch
ancillary services, like call waiting and caller ID, using traditional
high-pressure sales methods.
It backfired. Sales actually decreased, and by May, the unit was 28 percent short of their goals for the year.
This makes perfect sense when you consider that these
Customer Service Representatives had a very
high level of technical knowledge, and an average seniority of 15
years. They were very good at serving customers, yet they did not
see themselves as salespeople, and resented being re-cast into that
role. The resulting Role Rejection
title="">[1]
actually caused them to shy away from sales opportunities.
The approach we took was contrary. Instead of telling
the CSRs how we thought they should do it, we modeled the best
practices of their top performers.
We divided the group of 65 CSRs into three sub-groups
according to sales performance: The Sales Stars, The Sales Duds, and Everyone
Else. Our premise was, “Let’s document what the Stars do that is different
from what the Duds do, then train Everyone Else to handle calls more like
the Stars.”
Next, we used the office’s isolated observation room, which
is designed for “eavesdropping” by supervisors to evaluate the performance of
the operators. We then listened to over a hundred hours of calls being
handled by The Stars and The Duds, (ignoring Everyone Else). We looked
for the contrast between the behaviors of the two groups. As a
result, we isolated behaviors observed to be customer’s satisfiers and dissatisfiers.
For example, The Stars frequently used the customer’s name in the conversation;
Duds did not. Stars routinely reported on their progress, while the Duds
hung silently on the line while searching computer records or updating
information, leaving the customer in limbo. Conversely, the Duds would
frequently leave a customer on hold for extended periods while performing tasks
off-line, while the Stars used their three-way-calling capability to let the
customer listen in while they worked out technical details with central
switching.
Next, we re-designed the evaluation criteria used to
evaluate the CSR’s performance. Our goal: let’s encourage the satisfier
behaviors, and discourage the dissatisfiers in five areas: Courtesy,
Problem Solving, Sales Attempt, Clerical Accuracy, and Apparent Customer
Satisfaction with the call outcome.
We created a new Contact Evaluation form that the
Supervisors would use to evaluate calls. We told everyone the plan, and
gave every CSR a copy of the form to post next to their computer. The
game became, “Score as many points as possible on every call.”
The Supervisor awarded 5 points for every occurrence of each
behavior, then totaled the points, subtracting dissatisfiers from
satisfiers. The strategy was to drive the net score as high as
possible. This avoided making people wrong, while gently introducing and
encouraging the desired skills and behaviors.
On a simple, short call, a CSR might only score 15 points,
while a long, involved call might score well over 100. The supervisor
then granted a separate subjective evaluation, together with suggestions
for improvement, and would debrief the call with the CSR.
Supervisors observed randomly selected calls over the next
few months. The objective and subjective measurements reinforced the
effective sales behaviors that we had isolated, and by October, the office had
not only caught up the deficit, but had achieved 128 percent of its total
sales goal for the year.
To control against the Hawthorn Effect
title="">[2]
we then installed the new system of observation and evaluation in a second
office, not involved in the original study group. Within two months,
sales at the second office more than doubled.
This method of evaluating and training Customer Service
Representatives to sell ancillary services was subsequently adopted by the
company system-wide.
Contact Evaluation
Customer
Name__________________ Rep_______________________________
Observed
by_____________________ Date_____________ Time____________
Check as many
items as possible. Award 5 points for each occurrence.
Courtesy
Uses customer’s name
Unnecessary HOLD
Avoids HOLD
No
explanation of
HOLD
Asks permission to leave the line
Acknowledges and thanks on return
10
second silent pause
Reports on progress
Uses
company terms or
jargon
Clear, direct explanation
Over
explaining (specify)
Problem
Solving
Isolates problem quickly
Blame or
excuse
Accepts responsibility
Demonstrates active listening
Sales
Attempt
No sales
attempt
Increases customer awareness of products
Assumes
need
Asks a qualifying question
Asks for opinion of product
Suggests additional products or services
Offers to send demos
Inappropriate example
used
Relates benefits to individual customer
Attempts to answer objection
Asks for the order
Clerical
No file
update (6
mo.)
Customer file updated (6 mo.)
Poor
notation
Complete notation
Uses off-line time productively
Satisfaction
Avoidable callback
required
Recaps contact and action commitments
Customer offers gratuitous commendation
Customer
mistreat
(specify)
Closes properly
_____
Total
don’ts
______ Total do’s
_____ x -
5
______ x 5
Subjective
Rating___________________________________ Net Score:_________
Suggestions:
Evaluating Your Salespeople
Dissatisfiers
These behaviors clearly created distance between the CSR and
the customer. They are listed on the left side of the Call Evaluation
form, and in effect, generate penalty points.
Courtesy
Unnecessary HOLD. Puts the customer on HOLD
when it could have been avoided, or to avoid being distracted by the customer’s
conversation.
No explanation of HOLD. Puts the customer on
HOLD without explaining why it was required.
10-second silent pause. Lets the conversation
stall, allowing more than 10 seconds of “dead air.”
Uses company terms or jargon. Uses unspecified
acronyms or insider terminology that the customer is not likely to understand.
Over explaining (specify). Offers the customer
background details that are not relevant to solving their problem. Document
the example.
Problem Solving
Blame or excuse. Blames another department, or
worse yet, the customer, for the problem. Using phrases like, “that’s not
my department,” or “We have no control over the weather,” or “You should have
called us sooner.”
Sales Attempt
No sales attempt. CSR didn’t even try,
conceding that in some cases, it may not be appropriate to attempt a sale.
Assumes need. Selling blind. Suggesting
products or services without asking lifestyle questions to establish that this
customer has an application for this product.
Inappropriate example used. Illustrates an
application for a business customer using a residential example or vice
versa.
Clerical
No file update (6 mo.). Customer records that
are more than 6 months old should be updated while the customer is on the
phone.
Poor notation. Uses acronyms or uncommon
abbreviations in customer records. If the supervisor can’t make sense of
the notation, the neither will the next CSR who works with this customer.
Satisfaction
Avoidable callback required. CSR has to call
the customer back to complete the transaction because something was missed the
first time around.
Customer mistreat (specify). Anything
interpreted as rude, brusque, or condescending to the customer.
Supervisor must specify verbatim what was said, and explain why they felt it
was inappropriate.
Satisfiers
Courtesy
Uses customer’s name, as in, “Thank you for calling,
Jane,” or “Yes, Bill, I can help you with that.”
Avoids HOLD. Completes the call without putting
the customer on hold.
Asks permission to leave the line. Before
putting the customer on hold, asks, “May I put you on hold?” or “Would you mind
holding for a minute while I check on that?” Waits for a response before
proceeding. Better still, gives the customer the option, “Would you like
to hold, or would you prefer for me to call you right back?”
Acknowledges and thanks on return. When
returning to the line, says, “Thank you for holding,” or “Thank you for your
patience.”
Reports on progress. Avoids “dead-air time” by
frequently commenting on the action currently being taken, as in, “I’m
reviewing your billing history now. . . OK, now the next page. . .”
Clear, direct explanation. Uses common terms
that the customer understands.
Problem Solving
Isolates problem quickly. Probes and questions
customer to isolate what needs to be done. Only proceeds to the next step
after verifying what the customer wants.
Accepts responsibility. Uses “I” or “we,”
instead of “they,” “them,” “those,” “they’re,” or phrases like, “I’m
sorry. I apologize for the error. I won’t be able to get a crew out
there until Tuesday.”
Demonstrates active listening. Accurately
reflects, repeats, or rephrases the customer’s request, “So if I understand you
correctly. . .” or “So what you really need is. . .” or “So you
were told that. . .”
Sales Attempt
Increases customer awareness of products. “Did
you know that we also offer. . .?” or “Were you aware that you could. .
.”
Asks a qualifying question. Examples might
include, “Do you have teenagers at home?” “Do you ever work out of your
house?” “Do you have a computer or fax machine?”
Asks for opinion of product. “What did you
think about. . .” or “What has been your experience with. . .”
Suggests additional products or services. For
example, “With two teenage boys in the house, you might want to consider
installing a ‘Teen Link.’ This is an extra line with Call Waiting and Toll
Restriction.”
Offers to send demos. “Can I send you some
literature about that?” or “We have a booklet that clearly explains how to use
those features. Would that be useful?”
Relates benefits to individual customer. As in,
“Since you sell real estate, being able to get your business calls at home
after hours could be very valuable.”
Attempts to answer objection. Creates new value
in contrast to conceding the objection. Instead of saying, “Yes, it’s
annoying to have your conversations interrupted by Call Waiting.” Saying
something like, “Some people do find Call Waiting annoying, until they get
accustomed to it. You always have the option of ignoring the incoming
call, and most customers like being able to make a call while waiting for
another important call.”
Asks for the order. Any attempt, no matter how
feeble, to ask the customer to buy. “Would you like to try that
today? Can I activate that service for you?
Clerical
Customer file updated (6 mo.). Reviews and
updates customer information if it’s more than six months old.
Complete notation. Notes make it clear to
another CSR what was said and what was done.
Uses off-line time productively. Completes
required clerical housekeeping between calls rather than at the end of the day.
Satisfaction
Recaps contact and action commitments. Reviews
with the customer what has been done and what will happen next.
Customer offers gratuitous commendation. Award
these points if the customer compliments the way the call was handled. “I
really appreciate what you’re doing for me,” or “You have been very helpful!”
Closes properly. Says, “Thank you for
calling.”
Putting the Customer in Control
People love to buy, but hate to be sold. Salespeople
know how we love to wander through a new store, or browse the pages of a new
mail order catalogue. And when we make a purchase, we’d all like to think
that we’re the savvy ones who decided to buy. We don’t want to feel
pushed, cajoled, or bamboozled by an overpowering salesperson. This feeling
comes from our need to be clever and in control of our decisions.
“Have it your way.”
Shopping malls, supermarkets, and hamburger restaurants
cater to this very human need to do it my way, at my own speed. A
Guerrilla never forgets how much people need to be in control, and how much
customers want to take credit themselves for making the purchase. It can
be argued that some stores have gone too far by not providing enough competent
people to help customers.
Guerrillas give control back by letting customers set their
own agenda. In the first telephone contact, Guerrillas use phrases like:
“I’m not really sure if you could use our product. . .” or “I’m not sure
why my boss asked me to give you a call; perhaps you could help me out?”
In the initial sales meeting they might say: “Now, let’s see, what were we
going to talk about today?” or “What exactly did I say on the phone that got me
this appointment?” By acting naive, the Guerrilla puts the
prospect in a helping mode, feeling they are in full control.
“Are we done?”
A Guerrilla offers to end the discussion whenever it appears
that the product doesn’t match the customer’s wants, needs, or budget. A
Guerrilla might say: “I’m sorry, our best guaranteed delivery is 20 days,
although I’ve often seen 10 day deliveries in your area. Can we work this
out, or should I be on my way?” Put in those terms, the prospect’s
objection more often leads to compromise.
“What’s next?”
When a presentation is completed, Guerrillas ask: “What
would you like me to do now?” or “What do you see as our next step?”
Because the Guerrilla gives the customer the opportunity to ask for the
order, the prospect gets all the purchasing credit, preempting buyer’s remorse.
Are You Being Politically Correct?
We were entertaining neighbors for an evening of pizza and
TV when one of those awful ads came on. You know the ones with the
fast-talking pitchman and those knives that will slice up a brick. “Call
now,” he said. “Operators are standing by.”
I turned to my friend Gail and joked, “Standing
by? Why are they ‘standing’? Why don’t they give these women
chairs?” She glared at me and asked, “So what makes you think they’re women?”
The next day I heard about a listener who wrote to National
Public Radio in response to their story about
St. Patrick ’s Day parade. The
correspondent informed them that the term “paddy wagon” was based on the
turn-of-the-century slang “paddy,” a pejorative for “Irish.” I’m sure the
editors meant no offense, and from the letter’s tone, I’d judge that none was
taken, but the message is clear. There is a growing public sensitivity to
the use of language in the portrayal of women, ethnic groups, and even the aged
(or should I say, “chronologically challenged”?)
As industry leaders, Guerrillas must reflect this new
sensitivity, and pay close attention to these issues in our publications,
newsletters, and particularly our marketing materials.
When our language does not reflect social realities, we risk
driving away potential clients, customers, and members. While you may not
even notice the occasional slip, it can send a subtle sting. Worse yet,
it reinforces obsolete attitudes. It would be far better to use socially
(and linguistically) correct forms in the first place, such as “seniors”
instead of “the aged”.
My offense was perhaps the most common, often made
unconsciously, of reinforcing sex-role stereotypes. Write to show women
participating equally with men. Women are computer programmers and
engineers, and men are nurses, receptionists, and even operators-standing-by.
Avoid occupational terms containing the suffix “man” when the job could be held
by either gender, A “businessman” is referred to as an executive, entrepreneur
or manager. The “fireman,” “mailman,” and the “policeman” become the
“firefighter,” “mail carrier,” and “police officer.” Instead of being
approached by a “salesman,” you’ll buy from an “agent,” “sales representative,”
or “sales clerk.” And Guerrillas never use “chairperson” or
similar forced compounds. The “chairman” is replaced by “the chair,” the
“coordinator,” “moderator,” or “presiding officer.”
Also watch for the semantic exclusion of women when the
intent is to mean adult human, male or female. In place of “mankind,”
refer to “humanity,” “human beings,” or just plain “people.” The “best
man for the job” may not be a man at all, but the “best person for the
job.” “Manmade” products are “synthetic,” “manufactured,” or
“artificial.” These differences may seem trivial to the “common man” but
“ordinary people” will often take notice.
Another common trap is the use of the masculine pronoun when
referring generally to a member of a mixed-gender group. Because of the
shortage of common-gender singular pronouns, writers often make this mistake by
referring to students, executives, authors, etc. as “he.” For
example, your conference brochure might say, “A delegate can take advantage of
many hotel amenities. He can enjoy golf, swimming or tennis. .
.” Some writers resort to “he/she” or “s/he” but Guerrillas avoid these
artificial and awkward contrivances. One solution is to pluralize these
references: “Delegates can enjoy golf, swimming or tennis. . .They. .
.” Better yet, restructure the sentence to avoid the situation:
“Golf, swimming and tennis are all available right at the conference
hotel.”
Avoid demeaning references such as “lady lawyer.” If
the adjective specifying gender is inconsequential, leave it out. Use
“attorney” or “counselor” instead. Never say, “I’ll have my girl do
it.” Delegating to a “secretary” or an “assistant” is far more appropriate.
Men, remember that women prefer the word “woman” to “lady,” “female,”
“gal,” or other slang. Even when trying to be polite, referring to a
group of “ladies” can sound condescending. Use “women” instead, except in
the context, “ladies and gentlemen.”
Finally, give some of your characters ethnic identities by
using Hispanic or Asian names, but even here, avoid racial stereotypes like
Jose the janitor, Vladimier the cab driver, or Ahmed the convenience-store
clerk. Portray both women and minorities in positions of authority,
responsibility and power. Follow these guidelines and your marketing
materials will be more believable and more convincing. And you’re
right. It should have been “announcer” not “pitchman.” No offense.
The Communication Gap Between Men and Women
Men and women live in the same world, but when then try to
communicate, it seems as if they’re from different planets.
title="">[3]
Guerrillas are sensitive to these differences.
Women make suggestions indirectly, while men make direct
commands. Perhaps you’ve been in a situation where the woman says, “Are
you hungry?” and the man responds with, “No.” He interprets her question
literally, and responds by directly answering the question. But what
she’s really saying is, “I’m hungry. Can we please stop and eat?”
but the man didn’t interpret it that way. That’s why women frequently
complain, “He just doesn’t listen to me.”
Men focus on report talk: news, sports scores,
factual data. When men introduce themselves, they talk about their
accomplishments and credentials. Women focus on rapport talk, are
more likely to share family, relationships, and personal matters. They
tend to be more reserved about discussing personal achievements.
Guerrillas use this awareness to read between the lines and pick up subtle
implications when speaking with prospects.
title="">[1]
For more information on the psychology of call reluctance, read Earning What
You’re Worth? By George W. Dudley & Shannon L. Goodson, with David K.
Barnett.
Behavioral Sciences Research Press, 1986. 1-800-343-4659.
title="">[2]
The psychological principle that any behavior which is being observed will tend
to increase in frequency.
title="">[3]
For more on this topic, read Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus, by
John Grey.
Collins, 1992.
{/slide}
{slide=Chapter 11: Developing an Effective Script}
Chapter 11: Developing an Effective Script
The simple Guerrilla formula for developing effective
scripts is… use what works!
Developing Scripted Presentations
The Right Words
When developing scripted presentations for use on the phone,
or in face-to-face sales calls, Guerrilla managers never argue with
results. They study the people on their
team that are producing the most results, and model presentations around them
1.
are your top three salespeople, based on production.
2.
an audiocassette of those top three people in action, and transcribe the tape.
It matters not if they are selling over the phone or in person. Effective words
will be similar.
3.
a script, using the words, phrases and voice inflections of the top three.
stressed by these top producers.
4.
copies of script to each of your other salespeople.
5.
those sales reps to memorize the script, rehearsing until it sounds as though
it’s delivered straight from the heart.
It’s okay for them to eliminate words that seem
uncomfortable, substituting equivalent words.
But they should not edit words and phrases that are used by all three
top producers.
The Guerrilla approach to a teleselling script includes the
actual words and phrases that will be used.
It’s 20% of your success equation.
A powerful script has three parts; the introduction, the
body, and the close. The introduction is
where you introduce yourself by name and begin to establish rapport.
(for the left-brained callers) and the emotional (for the right-brained callers)
reasons that they should buy right now.
respond positively to your offer. When
creating your script, be sure that you know:
What the caller should know, do, or feel after
hearing your message.
Whether the caller could order using a credit
card or charge to their account.
Whether the caller should ask for your
brochure.
People are more motivated by their need for security than
almost anything else. In direct selling,
you create that feeling of security by offering a guarantee or a trial
offer. In teleselling, elimination of
risk becomes even more crucial.
Your introduction is the most important part of your script,
it’s the first impression that you will personally make.
headline of a news story, it captures your caller’s interest and makes them
want to learn more. Write your close
next because it’s your final goal.
Create the body last — so that it leads right into the close.
every word and phrase adds to the effectiveness of your introduction.
Yes, you should ask questions.
and see if it would excite you as a caller.
Questions you might ask at the close include:
Are these the results you want for yourself or
your company?
Shall we get started?
May I sign you up now?
We know that it’s tough to operate from a script if
you’re a free spirit. But we also know
that free spirits frequently fail dismally at teleselling.
versus outlines and the scripts win every time.
The winning combination for Guerrillas is a potent script with coupled
with potent training. What they win is
sales, relationships, customers’ hearts, and profits.
Keep Testing
Watch your top producers. They will instinctively make
changes when the script doesn’t work as well as they know it can. Test those
changes with a sampling of other sales reps.
Have one or two of your super stars testing variations of
the script to see if they can do better. The change of several words can mean
sales increases of 10 percent or more.
The Right Words Work
Killer Words and Hidden Meanings
Some common words and phrases actually transmit hidden
messages that undermine your authority and destroy your credibility.
of habit, the affect is subtle and pernicious.
Forewarned is forearmed.
Purge these from your telepresence, both on the phone and in
your correspondence with customers.
Am I right? You’re not certain that
you’re right.
You’re
trying to get me to agree with you.
Hopefully. . .
pessimistic about the outcome.
This is what we call. . .
it’s called.
I’m
so stupid I don’t know what it’s called.
The point is. . .
uncertain what the point really is.
If
you have to recap, you didn’t make it clear.
I think. . .
I believe. . . You don’t
I wasn’t going to say this, but. .
. Well, what made you change your
mind?
What I’d like to do is. . .
cooperate.
Telegraphs
Telegraphs are preamble phrases
commonly used to give your listener a preview of what you’re about to say.
they weaken your authority.
This is funny. . .
I won’t find it amusing.
What a great story. . .
I might add. . .
not, it’s not that important.
This is important. . .
your message is not important.
Rules of Power Talking
The specific words we use shape the vision that people have
of us. They affect how people will
cooperate or not. The words that come
out of your mouth also go into your
ears, and thereby shape your internal image of yourself as well.
Simple word substitutions can have a major impact on your
sales, your personality, and even your business.
href="#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title="">
Change from, “I’ll have
to. . .” to “I’d be glad to. . .”
Don’t waste people’s time by telling them what you
Tell yourself and everyone what you will do, not what you’ll try
to do.
Drop preamble phrases like, “Let me be honest with you,” or “Candidly.
. .” or “Truthfully. . .” that
undermine your integrity.
Instead of saying, “I was wondering if you
Substitute the word “challenge” or “opportunity” for the
word “problem,” and concentrate on exploring opportunities.
Substitute the word “invest” for “spend” when talking to
someone about how you’ll use your money, or theirs.
“But” is a conflict word that discounts whatever it
precedes, as in, “I love you, but. . .”
Use “and” instead.
“Disagree” is also a conflict word.
When you want people to cooperate, don’t ask yes/no
questions, use multiple choice questions instead.
Routine sounding phrases can communicate implicit sub-text
messages that may make your prospect feel pressured or uncomfortable.
Talk To vs. Talk With
“Talk to” implies talking down to someone. Instead of saying
you will “talk to” someone, say you will “talk with” them.
I Will Call vs. I’ll Be Giving a Call
“I will call. . .”
implies that the prospect has no choice, and takes away their feeling of
control. “I’ll be giving you a call. . .” makes them a willing recipient.
Tell vs. Let You Know
The word “tell” can trigger a defensive reaction.
letting them in on a secret.
Inform You vs. Share Some Ideas
Avoid saying, “I’m calling to inform you. . .” implying that they have done something wrong, or
something tragic has occurred. A better
choice would be, “I’m calling to share
some ideas about . . .” People have been taught since childhood that
sharing is good.
See If You’re In The Market vs. Touch Base
When arranging to make a future contact, it is not helpful
to ask, “May I call you again in three months to see whether you’re in the market then?”
uncomfortable. Better simply to ask,
“May I give you a call in three months or so just to touch base?” This
soft-sell approach is almost never turned down.
What I. . . vs. Let’s
When you say, “What I want to do. . .” the listener’s
subconscious is likely to scream, “I don’t care
what this person wants; it’s what I
want that counts.” Instead, use the
inclusive form, “Let’s go over this.
. .” implying cooperation instead of competition.
What You Must Do vs. What You Might Want To Do
When you say, “What you must do. . .”
negative reactions. The person thinks,
“I don’t have to do
You are more effective when
you make suggestions, such as, “What you might
want to do is. . .” or “Perhaps you may want to. . .” or “Might I suggest that.
. .” These Guerrilla suggestions allow
for a choice, and relieve the pressure.
Allows vs. Makes It Possible
It is unwise to say that a product or service
allow suggests that permission is required.
You’ll obtain better results when you say that a product or service
words that indicate that doors are being opened.
Change Your Mind vs. Reach Another Conclusion
You face a touchy situation whenever you impart information
that might make people change their minds.
Generally, people are admired for sticking with decisions.
to change their minds without feeling wishy-washy.
If you want to give them a graceful way to reconsider, avoid
saying, “Here is some information that will make you change your mind.”
perhaps you might reach another decision.”
Or, “You might draw another conclusion.”
Scheduling Appointments vs. Arrange a Meeting
Do not say to prospect that you wish to “schedule an
appointment.” The word
the doctor, dentist, or lawyer. The word
schedule may remind people how busy
they already are, and they may react negatively to adding to an already full
calendar.
Instead, suggest arranging
the time to meet or
pressuring.
Use Words that Sound Positive
Some words with particularly positive connotations can fit
easily and naturally into informal, conversational approach.
connotations according to study by the psychology department of a major
university. You can affect a customer’s
mood and attitude when you use such words.
Discovery
News
Guarantee
Health
You
New
Save
Easy
Money
Safety
Proven
Secret
Love
Results
Free
Special
Help
Avoid Superlatives
Think of words like “beautiful” and “exciting.”
often they’ve lost their impact. We’re
conditioned to tune them out. Another
example would be superlatives, words expressing extremes, “best,” “highest,” “fastest,” “newest” (any word that
ends in “-est” is a superlative), as are words like “perfect,” “fantastic,” and
“outstanding.”
Instead, convey what is appealing
about your product or service. Is it
efficient? Spacious?
What makes it that way? If it is
beautiful, what makes it beautiful?
Shape? Color?
Use Evocative Language
You can create vivid, enticing pictures in your prospect’s
mind by using evocative words. These are words that evoke, or draw out the
appealing qualities of your subject. By
using evocative, descriptive language to complement factual information, you
stimulate people’s imaginations, and therefore their desire for your product,
service, or idea.
The exciting thing about using evocative language is that it
allows for flexibility and individuality.
There is no right or wrong way — there are just different ways.
with words, which means that the particular descriptive language you use will
always be a little different from what anyone else might choose.
Keep Customers Motivated
Sometimes, words or phrases we use increase the distance
between our prospects and ourselves and decreases their motivation to
listen. Avoid these common mistakes:
Make them stupid
feel clever
Criticize them
them
Tell them what to do
think they should do
Make them feel threatened
Make them feel intimidated
Use unclear language
case clearly
Unfamiliar words
their language
Your Call Guide
A call guide is a carefully prepared computerized
script. It focuses on a step-by-step
approach to dealing with eventualities that might occur during the call.
call guides.
A call guide can help less-experienced salespeople be
instantly successful. Computerized call
guides are highly sophisticated sales tools because they permit sales reps to
stay with the caller, no matter which way the conversation goes.
Your call guide provides clear and concise answers to normal
questions and concerns, yet is flexible enough to deal with the
unexpected. A prospect might say,
“You’re too expensive.” This opens a
window of opportunity for the Guerrilla, who may respond to such an objection
by saying: “We can show you how the product will pay for itself in two
months.” Many objections are actually
buying signals. When answered in the
correct manner, these can lead directly to sales.
Objection Buster
The best time to answer an objection is before it arises, the preemptive strike.
your team to develop a list of your top ten most frequent objections, and then
collaborate with your sales veterans to develop scripted answers, solutions,
and resources that everyone can use.
Include these branch responses in your script.
complaints and problems that callers are likely to bring up.
Buy a flip-up page photo album, the kind with individual
picture sleeves that can flip up and down to reveal the photos, that has a 1/8th
of an inch showing across the bottom of each individual picture sleeve.
across the bottom edge of a 3 x 5 card, so that when you slide it into one of
the picture sleeves you’ll be able to see it.
Put the answer to that objection on the rest of the card.
diagram or picture, place another card it the sleeve right before, so you’re
looking at two cards at once. Now, when
a prospect raises an objection, you simply scan the edges of the picture
sleeves, find the right card, flip it up, and read the answer.
sales staff and watch sales soar.
This tactic instantly cures call reluctance.
because they’ll have the answers to the hard questions.
{/slide}
{slide=Chapter 12: Lead Management Systems}
avoid;mso-outline-level:1′>Chapter 12: Lead Management Systems
We said earlier that less than 4% of sales are closed on the
first call. It takes an average of nine impressions to take a prospect
from total apathy to purchase readiness. That’s why “follow-up” is a
critical part of the selling process. Guerrillas use a systematic and
organized approach that lets them make the sale.
Since there are so many approaches to follow-up systems,
find one that works for you.
Systems
For the most effective sales follow-up system, a computer is
the best choice. Computers free you to take care of sales without the
concern of remembering commitments.
Worth the Money?
Sales and Marketing Management’s seventh annual “Survey of
PC Users and Sales,” reports that almost two-thirds of the survey respondents
say that they recoup their investment in sales force automation in only
eight months. Firms with fewer than ten salespeople had the fastest
payback, and firms with more than 100 sales reps had the slowest payback.
Twenty-three percent say they don’t see the need to develop quantifiable
measurements. Some used PCs to keep up with competitors and others use
them to give salespeople a more professional look. MIT’s Sloan School of
Management’s survey of 400 of the Fortune 500 companies found an average 54
percent return on investment on computer purchases.
title="">[1]
Inc. magazine conducted a fax poll as a follow-up to
their “Guide to Office Technology” issue. Most readers reported that they
depend on their computers, faxes, and other high-tech office equipment.
Seventy-three percent asserted that their investments in new office
technologies have “absolutely” paid for themselves in increased productivity,
while another 21 percent acknowledged at least some productivity payoff.
We recommend a personal computer, preferably a laptop.
Guerrillas buy their own, knowing that owning their own tools is part of their
commitment to the sales profession.
There are a number of great contact management systems
available. These programs allow you to create and manage a database of
your customers and prospects. You’ll track the important details such as your
prospect’s name, address, all their phone numbers, secretary’s name, birthday,
important events, how to pronounce their name, and their e-mail address.
You can track where the lead came from, so you can thank those who refer
business. You’ll be able to identify if they don’t want to be called by
phone, so you can mail them instead.
Contact managers offer call tickler reminders, mail merge, broadcast
fax, call reporting, forecasting, performance measurement, call statistics, and
hundreds of other features to measure your success.
The difference between these programs will be how
user-friendly they are, which features are most important to you, how much they
can be customized. Also consider the local availability of training and
support. Most contact managers, like ACT! and Telemagic, automatically
dial the number through the computer’s modem. Others, like Relationship
Manager, have a custom-built library of letters that can print automatically
for mailing to prospects and customers.
One hot trend is to have a full contact manager on your
desktop or laptop computer, and a PDA (personal digital assistant) with the
records and information you need for the current day and week. A docking
station automatically transfers the data back and forth, keeping the two
systems synchronized. We like the US Robotics PalmPilot
title="">[2].
It fits in your shirt pocket and allows you to stay on top of activities and
eliminates the large, bulky paper-based system. And it’s easy to take
notes with this pen-based entry system. Most importantly, it lets our
entire staff stay up-to-date without lengthy meetings to synchronize paper
records. Over 3,000 companies are writing custom applications for the
PalmPilot.
Daily planners, such as DayTimer®
title="">[3] and
FranklinCovey®,
title="">[4] are very
popular.
Your planner should include daily planning sheets used in
conjunction with a monthly planner to track appointments and other selling
commitments. Guerrillas keep at least two to four weeks of daily sheets
in their planner at all times. When they add another set of daily sheets,
they transfer needed information from the monthly planner onto the correct
daily planner sheet. Create a customer and prospect section of your
planner. This section allows you to keep important notes and dates as
well as names, addresses and phone numbers.
This system works well if you have a limited budget and have
to get going right away. For a few dollars at your office supply store,
you can get started with your first follow-up system. Buy 3×5 or 5×8
index cards, a file box, and two sets of tabs; a set for the months of the year
and a second set numbered 1 through 31. Staple your prospect’s business
card to an index card, stapling more cards as your records on the firm
grows. Place the prospect’s card behind the month or day corresponding to
the date you want to call. A week before the first of the next month,
transfer cards out of that month’s section into the day cards.
While an index card file is the easiest system to develop,
it’s the most difficult to keep up-to-date and cumbersome to use. The
problem with this system is that the information is limited and it is easily
neglected if not maintained daily.
Three-ring binders will work to keep up with clients and prospects.
File sheets alphabetically with all of the vital information required for that
particular account and notes taken during conversations. This system
works best if you are working with less than 100 prospects at a time. Use
a page of detailed to do lists to complete commitments you’ve made.
Create preprinted blank client information sheets with your
computer printer or at Kinko’s. You’ll manage telephone inquiries easily,
comprehensively, and professionally. Include a room for name, address and
various phones, a series of questions
title="">[5] and lots
of room for notes. Leave space for follow-up information. You’ll
have an “at a glance” look at what the prospect or client wants, what
commitments you’ve made, and when to take the next step.
If you are not using a follow-up system that works, we
suggest that you start right away. Remember, if your prospects recognize
that you can’t follow-up to sell them, they will be certain you can’t follow-up
to serve them once they are customers.
title="">[1] Thayer
C.
Marketing Management, September 1993, p. 22.
title="">[2]
http://www.3com.com/palm
title="">[3]
http://www.daytimer.com
title="">[4]
http://www.franklincovey.com
title="">[5] See the
37 Magic Selling Questions in Chapter 17.
{/slide}
{slide=Chapter 13: Who to Call?}
Chapter 13: Who to Call?
The people that you call will be the people you need to stay
in contact with, or the people that you wish to make contact with.
When you speak with your customers or prospects with which
you have a relationship, ask them, “What’s the best way for me to stay in
contact with you? Would you prefer e-mail, fax, regular mail, or an occasional
phone call?” Then ask them, “What’s the best number for me to reach
you?” Often times you’ll get a back line, or lab extension, home phone,
cell phone, or pager.
Your best list is your customer list. Call the people
who already know and love you. It’s five to ten times more cost effective
to resell to an existing customer than to find and sell to a new customer.
the Decision
Guerrillas understand that few purchase decisions are made
in a vacuum without the decision-maker consulting others. You’ve got to
identify the players and contact them or you’ll be left out in the cold.
Here’s the people involved in a decision-making process, either directly or
indirectly.
Gatekeeper
The gatekeeper is the receptionist, secretary, nurse,
administrative assistant, spouse, or voicemail. The gatekeeper answers
the phone and guards the door to the rest of the organization. They are
trained to say, “no,” and don’t have the authority to say, “yes.”
Sales people usually treat gatekeepers with disguised
contempt. Sure, reps are nice to their face, yet many sales people do
everything they can to minimize the gatekeepers power.
Yet gatekeepers have great influence on the decision making
process because they decide who gets consideration. More that one
gatekeeper has killed a deal by mentioning, “They’re real jerks. Are you
sure you want them working with our customers?”
Guerrillas treat gatekeepers with deference and
respect. Treat them as if they run the company; because they do.
So, sell to them first. Let them know what you can do for their
organization, what problem that you can solve, and how you can make their
headaches go away. Ask them for a favor, “Will you help me? I know that
you know who’s the best person for me to speak with. What’s the best way
for me to approach them? What drives them crazy?” Ask them when is the
best time to call. Ask them when other sales people usually call, so you
can avoid those times. Ask them if you can call in advance to see what
the decision-maker’s schedule looks like that day.
The gatekeeper is an incredibly valuable resource.
They know the politics and will tell you things that no one else will.
Influencer
The influencer is someone who has technical or financial
knowledge about what is being purchased. An influencer can be someone who
has successfully used your product, or has read good reviews about your products,
or is skilled at analyzing your type products. They influence because of
their respected knowledge and wisdom.
The influencer can be a nurse, a technician, an engineer, a
CFO, a consultant, a spouse. You find influencers by asking, “Who else, besides
yourself, is involved in making this decision?” Even if you think you’ve
found the decision-maker, continue to ask everyone else this question.
Once you’ve found the influencers, ask them, “What process
do you use to make your decision?” or “How will you know who’s the best
vendor?” or “What criteria do you use to make your recommendation?” Once
you know their decision process and criteria, you’ll know exactly what to show
them, do, and say for a favorable decision.
Economic Buyer
The economic buyer places the order, sends out bids, issues
a purchase order, or is the end user. This could be a buyer, purchasing
agent, CFO, owner, or spouse.
The economic buyer may be charged with getting the best
possible price for what you sell, so they may bid you against your
competition. All things being equal, the economic buyer chooses lowest
cost vendor. Guerrillas ensure that nothing is equal. Buyers will
almost always choose reliable delivery over lowest price. Win them over
by illustrating that you’ll deliver at a fair price.
Decision-maker
This is the person who ultimately makes the final decision
and is responsible for the choice made. They can say “no” when everyone
else says “yes,” and vice versa. Most sales people are taught to find the
decision-maker and sell to them. Yet most decision-makers are not
influenced by sales people. Decision-makers are influenced by their staff
– willingly or unwittingly. The decision-maker will be most influenced by
you when they regard you as a professional colleague.
Approach the decision-maker with a summary of what their
staff suggests. “Your staff has reviewed this product and here are their
comments.” Review your product and ask for their commitment. When the
staff is on your side, the decision-maker will almost always give you the nod.
User
The user is the ultimate decision-maker. Users can
sabotage the purchase decision. Guerrillas invest time with users to
understand their concerns. They then offer the decision-maker solutions
that preempt user issues and instill confidence in the ultimate success of the
purchase decision.
Spy
The spy is someone who, for reasons of their own, wants to
see you suceed. The best spies are people who you have served well at one
place and have moved to a new location. They want you to serve them like
you did before.
Guerrillas recruit a spy by seeking the advice of a
non-decision-maker. These people are flattered by your attention, and
will tell you things that no one else can or will.
The Decision-making Team
When you get all of the team pulling your direction, the
purchase decision will go your way. If you miss even one member of the
team, you can lose to a better-prepared sales person.
of New Prospects
First, write your Guerrilla TeleSelling Plan and set your
objectives. How will you know when you’re successful? What will be
your allowable cost per lead? What will be your allowable cost per closed
sale? What will be your profits from the campaign?
Define your target prospects. Who do you want to call
on? If you’ve sold this product before, what are the characteristics of
the buyers of this product? What are the demographics? Where do
they live? What type of sale approach was successful in selling to these
customers?
If you haven’t sold this product before, what similar
product have you sold? What success secrets can you borrow from that
previous campaign? If you haven’t sold anything like this before, ask
yourself, who is most likely to want to buy this and can afford to buy this and
can be motivated to buy this.
List Brokers
Call two or three list brokers to obtain lists covering your
target prospects. You can find list brokers in the yellow pages.
The best list brokers are experts at specific types of markets. You don’t pay
extra for your broker’s services, since the company who owns the list pays them
a commission. A good list broker will make you money, because they
will steer you towards lists that have a high success rate.
Pay top dollar for your lists. When is comes to lists,
the more expensive the lists are, the better they tend to be. Lists of
top decision-makers that are clean and current are expensive when compared with
lists compiled from the yellow pages. Most expensive of all are
hot lists, lists of people who have just purchased products or services
similar to what you sell. Your list will be the least expensive part of
your campaign. Spend what you need to get the best possible list.
If list brokers are unable to provide the names of
decision-makers in your target market, you’ll need to make calls into the
company and learn who you should talk with. Successful teleselling
depends on speaking to the right people. Sure it costs more to find out
who they are, but the results are always consistently better and always more
profitable.
Associations
Consider using association membership lists. Birds of
a feather flock together. Find out what flocks your customers belong to
and use that association’s list to find more customers like them.
Although many associations will rent out their lists, you may have to join the
association to use the list. Check Gail’s Encyclopedia of Associations at
your local library reference section for more information on associations.
Wait Until the Last Minute
Get your list only when you’re ready to begin dialing, and
only get as many names as you can call in the next 30 days. Business
lists go bad at the rate of one percent per week. At the end of the
month, four percent of the people on that list have moved on.
to Sell
A database is a collection of information organized
especially for rapid search and retrieval. A database management system
manages the way in which a database is maintained and the method in which data
is made available to computer operators. You can search the data fields to
select market segments and succinctly target prospects. For instance, you
can call prospects whose purchases exceeded a certain dollar amount last
year. You can use the database to mail to customers in certain locations
or industries. Database management converts your prized prospect and
customer list into a gold mine that you can use to get more business.
And database management can go much further. All types
of details about your buyers can be recorded and integrated with layers of
demographic, financial, and lifestyle data from outside information
brokers. This is called data enhancement. Knowing who received
which mailing when, which prospect received a raise or promotion or got
married, the right time to follow-up calls, who knows about company
announcements has impact on your sales success.
This information can then be used to understand your
customers’ buying habits. Guerrillas know it’s profitable to truly
understand how a certain prospect buys so that they can tailor their sales presentations
accordingly.
Bank of America, one of the fastest growing banks in the
country, extracts customer data from bankcard, checking, and savings
accounts. The information is then used to target mail, or telesell, new
products and services.
Lists
Quality databases are accurate. All names should be
spelled right, all corporate titles exact. Addresses should be checked,
and account information continually verified. Ask your list broker for a
sample of the list for you to test. Request an “n” sampling, where every
“nth” name is selected. For example, if there are 50,000 names
on the list, and you only want to test 500 names, you’d ask for every 100th
name – n equals 100.
Call the list and test to see if the people you’ve selected
are responsive to your offer. If not, choose a different list
sample. Some Guerrillas will take samples of four or five lists and will
test them simultaneously, moving to the best list as soon as it’s identified.
Keep track of the number of nixies, the phone numbers
that are disconnected or where the person is no longer there. Most list
brokers will refund nixies.
Mary Pekas found a substantially increased success rate with
cold calls when sending out a pre-call letter. She sent out hand-written
notes to prospects (she paid housewives and senior citizens by
piecework). The note simply stated that she would be calling them to ask
a few questions. “If you do not want the phone call, please call and let
us know, we’ll honor your request,” the note continued. Ninety-nine
percent of the people called said that the note increased their willingness to
take her call.
{/slide}
{slide=Chapter 14: Opening Moves}
avoid;mso-outline-level:1′>Chapter 14: Opening Moves
Meeting
Set aside 15 minutes before you hit the phones to review
your teleselling goals and objectives with your team. Let them know exactly
what is expected of them, and what you consider acceptable daily sales
performance. Take time to refresh and review critical teleselling skills
and procedures for lead management. Use a quiz-show game or other device
to make the review fun and interesting. Award prizes for right answers.
Immediately after the close of the sales day, call a team
meeting to discuss and review the day’s progress. Measure performance by
tallying that day’s number of leads gathered, contacts made, and dollars
closed. Discuss new information gleaned about competitors. Announce
any changes in your strategy. Finally, select a salesperson of the day.
They get a traveling trophy or a small gift.
Your Telephoning for Appointments
1. Set a specific time to call each day; preferably
from
2. Plan to call at least 30 people a day. Make a
tally mark for each person you call so you know when you reach 30. If a
person isn’t in or even hangs up on you, it still counts as one of the
30. Thirty calls should result in reaching 15 people, which should yield
8 set appointments. Make 30 calls daily and you will get many solid
appointments. The more practice you get, and the more you master these
techniques, the more your ratio of appointments to calls will increase.
Don’t just call 3 people, stop and think that you can’t get an
appointment. No one can succeed on a few calls.
3. Once you start your 30 calls, don’t stop until all
are done. These calls go fast if you don’t stop to talk or go for coffee
in between. When you get an appointment, dial another number
immediately. There’s power in calling for the next appointment
immediately after closing one.
4. Always have preset appointments for the next
day. If you always have appointments, then, when you’re tired or
unmotivated, you can’t make excuses and spend the day at your desk. You
have an appointment—you have to go on. After you start talking to the
prospect, you’ll get energized.
5. Call back at the end of the day to reach all the
people you couldn’t get in the morning. Maybe they were in morning
meetings or take their calls in the afternoon. Call after the secretaries
go home, between
6. Don’t call during your peak selling time.
call. Be with of clients then.
Calls a Year
Before you get out of the car at night, program the first
two calls of your next day into the memory of your cell phone. Do the
same when you arrive at the office, programming the last two calls of the day
so you can make them on the way home.
This is a particularly effective tactic for motivating you
to make calls that you’ve been reluctant to make. By making them an
automatic part of your commute, you’ll make the time more productive, and talk
to people you otherwise wouldn’t reach. That’s four calls a day, 250
business days a year, and you’ll make 1,000 extra sales calls a year!
First
Your first call of the day should
be to a customer you’ve served well in the past 30 days. Ask them who
they’ve talked to about what they’ve just bought. Remember when you
bought your last new car? For the next month, you drove the gang to
lunch, showing your new prize to anyone who would pay attention. And some
of your envious friends said, “That’s nice! I need to get me one!”
If your salesperson had placed one call, they could have sold another car.
Guerrillas go back within a month
to pick up that easy business that’s there for the asking, “Who has mentioned
to you that they’d be interested in something like this?”
Selling Hour”
Call between
and
time. According to the American Telemarketing Association, you are five
times as likely to reach your prospect on the first attempt than at any
other time of day. Remember to adjust when calling across time zones.
Guerrilla sales managers never hold meetings between nine
and ten, since this is the prime, golden selling time.
If you call a prospect at
a.m.
most likely to answer. The top officers are getting a jump-start on the
day before the rest of the crew shows up.
Friday afternoon, most salespeople are off playing golf,
giving up on the rest of the week. Yet the boss, the CEO, or the owner is
still at their desk, knocking off that last project before heading home for the
weekend. Their secretary is gone, leaving them exposed and unprotected
from your call.
We’ve found Friday afternoons to be a great time to reach
top officers since there’s no other salespeople competing for their time.
Reach Your Prospects
Accountants: Standard business hours, except between
January 15th in April 15th.
Bankers: Before 10 in the morning and after three in
the afternoon, Monday through Friday.
Clergy: Between Tuesday and Friday.
Dentists: Between nine and eleven in the morning,
Monday through Friday.
Doctors: Before nine-thirty in the morning or after
one-thirty in the afternoon, Monday through Friday.
Engineers: Between one and five in the afternoon,
Monday through Friday.
Executives: Before nine in the morning, during the
lunch hour, and after one-thirty in the afternoon, Monday through Friday.
Farmers: Between
and one in the afternoon.
General contractors: Before nine in the morning,
during the lunch hour, and after five in the afternoon, Monday through Friday.
Grocers: Between one in three in the afternoon.
Heads of businesses: Before nine in the morning,
during the lunch hour, and after five in the afternoon, Monday through Friday.
Homemakers: Between ten and eleven-thirty in the
morning, between two and four in the afternoon.
Lawyers: Between eleven in the morning and two in the
afternoon, and between four and five in the afternoon.
Nurses: During the half-hour before or after
scheduled duty hours; (usually 11-7, 7-3 and 3-11, these will vary from person
to person. You might want to call hospital to get more details on the
shift schedules.)
Pharmacists: Between one and three in the afternoon.
Teachers: Between two in the afternoon and six in the
evening, Monday through Friday.
title="">[1]
Stupid Questions
Secretaries and receptionists often attend half-baked
half-day seminars on telephone skills where they’re taught to ask certain
questions. Here’s some answers to make your day.
Guerrilla: “May I please
speak to Ms. Murphy?”
Secretary: “Can I ask who’s
calling?”
Guerrilla: “Certainly!”
Secretary: “Who shall I say
is calling.”
Guerrilla: “I am.”
Secretary: “Who are you
with?”
Guerrilla: “Uh, actually
right now, I’m alone.”
Secretary: “You’re a real
comedian.”
Guerrilla: “Yes I am.
That’s why my associates love doing business with me.”
Secretary: “And what do you
want?”
Guerrilla: “I want to talk
with Ms. Murphy.”
Secretary: “And where are you
from?”
Guerrilla: “Originally,
Secretary: “What is the
nature of your call?”
Guerrilla: “It’s my
job.”
Secretary: “May I tell her
why you’re calling?”
Guerrilla: “Sure. You
already know?”
Secretary: “Will she know
what this is regarding?”
Guerrilla: “Absolutely not!
Can she read minds?”
Secretary: “And this is
regarding…”
Guerrilla: “It sure
is.”
Secretary: “Ms. Murphy isn’t
available. Is there someone else you could speak with?”
Guerrilla: “OK. Who
else is there?”
Secretary: “What was
your name?”
Guerrilla: “Well, it used
to be (maiden name) but then I got married and. . . that’s a long story.”
Secretary: “Can you spell
that?”
Guerrilla: “Yes, T H A
T.”
Secretary: “Can your spell
your name?”
Guerrilla: “Since first
grade!”
Secretary: “May I leave her a
message?”
Guerrilla: “Sure. What
do you want to tell her?”
Secretary: “And why exactly
are you calling?”
Guerrilla: “It’s about her
order.”
Secretary: “What order?”
Guerrilla: “My question exactly!”
Secretary: “Please tell me
your name.”
Guerrilla: “You first.”
Secretary: “Would you like to
leave a message?”
Guerrilla: “Would she like to
call back?”
Secretary: “Are you always
this difficult?”
Guerrilla: “All I did was
call for Ms. Murphy! Is that difficult?”
Unlisted Addresses
If your prospect has registered to vote, their address is a
matter of public record. Check your voter’s registration office.
Calls
Guerrillas know that cold calls are made for two reasons; to
find people that are ready to purchase, but haven’t make the decision, and to
start a relationship with a prospect, so they know you’re ready when their
ready. Finding someone who’s ready on the first call will happen less
than 4% of the time. So a Guerrilla knows that closing sales with a
single cold call is a bonus, not the goal.
Guerrilla Prospecting
Guerrillas do thorough reconnaissance before calling a
decision-maker. Instead of calling and asking for an interview, they
might call Customer Service and ask for
help. The CS people can tell you about their biggest headaches, and
they’ll be more forthcoming than the Purchasing Agent.
Make friends in low places. The only person in the
building with a set of keys that will open every door in the place is the janitor.
Ask about what’s happening, what’s changing, and who’s shaking. Ask how a
company like yours might be able to help. And always ask “Who else,
besides yourself, will be involved in making the decision?” Sell
end-users first, then work you way up.
Add Value in Advance
A Guerrilla in
clips articles that may be of interest to executives of prospect companies; he
sends them a clipping as part of a three-step prospecting system. “Enclosed
is an article about opportunities in (topic). I hope you find it
useful.”
He follows up a week later with a letter and another
article, “I hope you found the article about (last topic) of interest.
Enclosed is a related item that you might find useful.”
The third week he sends a third letter that says, “I’ll be
in your area on Thursday, and would like to introduce myself and my firm.
I’ll be calling to arrange a mutually convenient appointment.” Eight out
of ten executives he calls agree to meet their one-way pen pal face-to-face.
Words
Openers to avoid when you’re
talking with people you don’t know:
title="">[2]
How are things?
How goes it?
How is the world treating you?
What’s going on today?
What irons do you have in the fire today?
What’s new?
What’s the good word?
What’s up?
How are you?
What’s new in your world?
These openers can be used with people you call on regularly.
When you know someone, you can genuinely care about how they are or what’s
new. If you don’t, these phrases create a feeling of insincerity.
Unfortunately, people have built up a strong resistance to
sales calls. As soon as they recognize the caller as a telemarketer, they
are likely to hang up. There are two exceptions: if the person calling
doesn’t act like a telemarketer, and if the person or the company they
represent has a right to be calling.
Guerrillas seek to dis-qualify prospects. You should
only spend time with people who are likely to do business with you, and who are
receptive to listening to your message right now.
No one is sitting by the telephone, waiting for it to ring,
hoping it’s a salesperson. Seventy percent of all inbound calls interrupt
something that’s more important. Which is why people screen their
calls. The first step is to find out of they are psychologically
receptive to your call.
Match Them
When they answer the phone, match their rate of speech and
tone of voice. This will instantly reflect their state of mind.
You’ll know if they’re pressured or relaxed, of they’re angry or calm, if
they’re hurried or methodical.
“Is this a good time to speak?”
Next open the conversation with, “Is this a good time to
speak?” Don’t offer your name, and don’t offer your company name.
Just check to see if they can take your call.
You’ll get one of three answers. The first could be a
terse, “No!”
Reply, “When would be a better time?” Do not try to
push the call through. You can’t lose what you ain’t got, and you really
don’t want to talk to them if they’re unreceptive. Better to take another
shot at them another time.
If they blurt, “Tomorrow!” say, “Thank you,” and hang
up. Don’t even ask if morning or afternoon would be better, they don’t
have time to give you that information. If they’re more relaxed, you
could ask for a specific time.
You might be thinking, what if I say, “When should I call
back?” they say, “Never!” First, that’s unlikely to happen. Second,
no matter how brilliant your offer, the odds of you getting that
business is low. Next!
When you call back you can ask, “Is this a better time to
speak?” They’ll remember you, even though they don’t yet know who you
are.
Most likely, the response to “Is this a good time to speak”
will be, “Well, I don’t know. What’s this about?” This is
good! You know they’re busy. Guerrillas know that busy people buy
things to make their life less demanding.
The third response might be, “Sure, what do you want?”
Now you’ve got about 15 seconds of their attention.
Tell Them Where You’re Calling From
Let people know the town and state you’re calling
from. Some will have been to your town, others know someone from that
town. “This is Susanna Smith with the Guerrilla Group calling from
accept calls that are long-distance. Immediately continue to the next
step.
The Nature of Your Call
Next step: disqualify those that don’t buy things over the
phone. Tell them why you’re calling. Say, “This is a sales
call.”
title="">[3] Guerrillas use the
ultimate sales weapon, the truth. The last thing people expect from a
salesperson is for them to admit that it’s a sales call.
Once you admit your calling to sell, one reply you might hear is, “I’m not
interested!” These people aren’t rejecting you; they just don’t do
business over the phone. Next dial. Most likely they’ll say, “What
are you selling?” You just got 10 seconds of their attention.
Your 10-Second Commercial
Now disqualify them for your goods or services.
Give them a 10-second overview of the common problems and headaches that you
solve for your customers. This starts with the words, “We’re the
people who help organizations/companies/families like yours. . .”
Then fill in the blank with the solutions to the biggest headaches you solve
for your customer. Focus on the problem you solve, not the product you deliver.
Guerrillas deliver solutions, not stuff. End the question with “Who is
most interested or is responsible for this?”
For example, at The Guerrilla Group, “We’re the people who
help organizations, like yours, increase their sales and profits with
unconventional sales and marketing weapons and tactics. Who in your
organization is most responsible for developing your sales team?”
If you were a lawyer, you might say, “We’re the people who
help companies, like yours, keep more of their money, reduce their legal risks,
and get what’s rightly theirs. Who in your company is most interested in
that?”
If you were selling insurance, you might say, “We’re the
people who help families, like yours, make sure that there’s enough money to
pay the bills and keep the family together, in the event of a disaster or
emergency. Who in your family should I be speaking with?”
If you’re collecting donations, “We’re the people who help
flood victims rebuild their lives faster, so they can get back to work as proud
and productive citizens. Who should I talk to about helping us with
that?”
Ask for Help
Call and ask, “I understand that you’re the person who can
help me with information about your company.” Most people are willing to
help when asked.
One Guerrilla who recycles laser toner cartridges calls and
says, “I’m not calling to sell you anything. I’m calling to buy your old,
used-up laser toner cartridges. Who do I talk to about that?” The
gatekeeper puts him right through to the right person, who is so intrigued that
they agree to see him. In the meeting, he finds out how many toner
cartridges they go through every month, and how much they’re paying, and if
they would be willing to try a couple of his recycled cartridges in trade for
their empty ones. They quickly become a customer.
Gatekeepers
A gatekeeper is the first person an outsider contacts.
They’re one who cannot say yes, and is trained to say, “No!” Gatekeepers can be
an executive assistant, receptionist, security guard, spouse, or voice
mail. Many people ask us to teach them how to get around the
gatekeepers. Yet Guerrillas treat the secretaries and administrative
assistants as if they run the company, because they do! By controlling access
to the decision-makers, they can stop you cold. And they can be
tremendously helpful if you treat them right.
Deliver Respect
Treat them with deference and respect. Sell to them first.
Instead of telling them who you want to see or what you’re selling, let them
know the problem that you can solve for their company. Ask the
magic question, “Perhaps you can help me?”
Get Their Name
“Hello, this is Christina Smith with the Guerrilla Group,
I’m sorry I didn’t catch your name? Lori? Hello Lori, I’m a
specialist at helping companies like yours increase their cash flow and
profits. I have some creative ideas for your company. Now, Lori, I
don’t know who is best for me to give these to, but I’ll bet you do!
Who’s the best person for me to speak with?”
Call Back to Say “Thanks”
“Hi Lori, this is Christina Smith again. I just wanted
to call and say thank you! You got me through to exactly the right
person. They were happy to hear from me, and I wanted to tell you that
I’m grateful for your help!”
Send Them Stuff
Send flowers, candy, birthday cards, and thank-you
faxes. Treat them as if they are the most important people in the
world. Show up for an appointment at the beginning of their workday with
a box of cookies in hand. Say, “I got here early to beat the traffic.
I guess I did! Here, these cookies are for you and the staff.” Then
strike up a conversation as you wait for your appointment. “Gee, there’s
an awful lot of construction going on around here. What’s
happening?” They’ll tell you things the boss may not want you to hear.
Seven Things to Do When You Can’t
Get Through
1.
their boss a fax complimenting the gatekeeper on their efficiency. “Your
assistant, Lori is incredible! I wish that I had someone that able, bright, and
tenacious working for me! Whatever you’re paying her, it isn’t
enough. By the way, I have an idea that I think you’ll find
valuable. Would you allow me two minutes to offer you several ideas?”
2.
early or late in the day. If you call at
in the morning, or
whoever answers the phone is likely to be a senior player. The boss will
be there starting or wrapping up their day before the staff comes on duty.
3.
during lunch hours. Often a less-protective staff member will
answer. This is also a good time to deliberately drop into someone’s
voice-mail.
4.
if they would pass on a present to the boss. Guerrillas understand and
use the influence principle of reciprocity.
title="">[4] When you give something to
someone, they feel compelled to give you something in return.
5.
calling until someone else answers, then make your request. Gatekeepers
get sick, go on vacation, or have to run errands. When they say, “I’ll
put you though,” interrupt and say, “Before you do, what is their direct-dial
number so that I don’t have to bother you again?”
6.
asking for information on the company. “I need to find out some
information about your company. Who do I speak with about investor
relations?”
7.
and ask for Accounts Receivable. Accounts Receivable wants to talk with everybody.
Once they answer, say, “I’m sorry, I need to speak with Ms. Taylor. Do I
have the right department? Would you please transfer me?”
Decision-maker
There’s nothing more frustrating than trying to get to the
person who has the authority to make a decision today. We stress today
because you’ll never become successful in sales unless you are able to get
buying decisions, even small ones, from your clients on the day you’re making
the call.
The problem with finding the decision-maker often is because
many people like to feel important, especially prospects operating out of an
Ego-driven personality phase. They will often wait until the very last
minute to explain that they can’t give you the go-ahead until they’ve talked to
their boss. Or, you’ve run into a potential customer operating out
of a Pleaser mode who simply avoids making any decisions without checking with
others on the team. Perhaps you’ve just met an Authority prospect who is
compelled to strictly follow the rulebook, and who has a company acquisition
cycle of 30 days with approval by the VP of Purchasing, even for inexpensive
office supplies.
title="">[5]
What’s a Guerrilla to do? The answer is espionage!
Who Was that Masked Man?
Check to see if the company has a web site. Some
organizations post an organizational chart. Check the date that the org
chart was updated. It could be woefully out of date.
When you first contact any organization, ask whoever answers
the phone, “Who’s in charge of. . .” the operation or department you
want. When the person says, “Mrs. Mary Smith is in charge of that,” then
ask, “And who does Mrs. Smith report to?”
“Tom Riley,” and so on up the corporate ladder. Take
careful notes, checking name spellings as you go. Now ask who is in
charge of buying your product or service. If you don’t hear a name
that’s on your list, ask who this person reports to, and so until you hear a
name from your first list.
Now that you have a fair understanding of the company
hierarchy, start at the top. Remember that the boss can always refer you
to the right person. “Hello, Mr. Riley? I’m not sure if I have the
right person, but who in your organization is responsible for your print advertising?
Who should I talk to?”
“That would be Mary Smith.”
“Thank you; sorry for the interruption. Could you
transfer me please?”
Then you can talk with Mary Smith and say, “I was just
speaking with Mr. Riley, and he told me you were responsible for print
advertising and that I should talk to you. Have I reached you at a good
time?” Of course you have!
Imagine this scene: you are in your office working on a
project your boss asked you to complete by the end of the day. It’s
taking longer than you expected, and there have been so many
distractions. Your phone rings. It is a salesperson following up on
some literature you requested. Your first reaction is to think of the
call as an interruption and end it as soon as possible.
A Guerrilla overcomes this natural resistance by following
these simple guidelines:
1. Go Slowly
“Good Morning, Mr. Johnson. This is Janice Dallas
calling from Top Dog Security Systems.” This opening gives the person you
are calling a chance to switch their brains from what they were doing to
participating in the conversation.
Words like “Good Morning” and “This is” are fillers to help
you slow down. Since the prospect’s mind was elsewhere, their full
attention is not on you. They need this slow pace in order to comprehend
what you are saying. Breaking the opening into 2 or 3 sentences serves
the same purpose.
2. Give the Prospect a
Headline
After your opening greeting, the headline helps grab the
prospect’s interest. Tell them the purpose of your call: “I’m calling to
make sure you received the literature you requested on the office security
system your looking for. It should have arrived yesterday in an orange
envelope.” Tell them what the package looked like. Notice that this
headline recaps that they’ve asked for your information and assumes that they
want to make a purchase.
3. Let Them Think About It
Give the prospect a moment to think about the literature (or
other actions they may have taken towards considering your products).
You’ll be tempted to fill the dead space in the conversation by talking, but
you’re more likely to get the prospect involved in the conversation if you give
him or her a few seconds to think about what you have said and then respond.
About half the time, the prospect will say, “Yes, I got it!”
The other half of the time, they haven’t gotten to it in their stack of
mail.
If they haven’t gotten to it, ask them, “Would you like to
see if it’s in your in tray, or would you like me to send you another
package?” You’re illustrating your responsiveness, even when it’s not
your fault. Almost all will volunteer to look for it. Ask them when
they’d like for you to check back with them. Better yet, ask them about
their decision deadline. Or remind them of the special offer that expires
soon.
4. Ask a Series of Open-ended
Questions
If they have received the package and didn’t have to hunt
for it, assume that they’ve looked at the literature. “What did you like best
about what you saw?” If they didn’t look at it, they’ll tell you
so. Ask them when they’d like for you to check back with them.
Better yet, ask them about their decision deadline. Or remind them of the
special offer that expires soon.
If they did look at it and like what they saw, you’re on
your way to making the sale. Use a series of open-ended questions that
focus on the prospect’s needs, not on your product:
“How do you handle security now?”
“What do you like best about your current system?”
“What do you like least about your current system?’’
For details on questions to ask, see 37 Magic Selling
Questions in Chapter 17.
5. Present Your Solutions
When you understand the prospect’s needs, and the prospect
is totally involved in the conversation, it is time for you to present your
company and your products as the solutions: “I see, Mr. Johnson. The big
issue in your company is inventory shrinkage in the evening when the guard is
off duty. Let me tell you how the Top Dog Security model 1000 addresses
that problem.”
You now have everything you need to lead this customer to a
close:
1. You got the conversation going by using an
effective greeting and then giving a headline that told the prospect what your
call was about.
2. You asked many open-ended questions focused on the
prospect’s needs, which expressed your interest in the prospect and gave you
insights into the prospect’s needs.
3. You offered a solution which specifically addresses
one of the prospect’s stated needs.
Use the person’s name during the conversation to control
attention, increase rapport, and acknowledge the caller’s identity. That
doesn’t mean you use their name in every sentence. But use it two or
three times during your conversation, and again when you part company.
Feel free to use caller’s first names if they are your age
or younger, unless local culture dictates otherwise. If your caller is
obviously older than you, or if you’re uncertain of their age, use the last
name along with the courtesy title Mr. or Ms. until they invite you to use
their first name.
If name is tough to pronounce, take some time to find out
exactly how to say it, and how to spell it. Work together to make sure
it’s right. Your caller will be flattered.
On your notes, include a phonetic version of your caller’s
name. For example, if your caller’s name is Stein, you could say STYne
or STEEn. Write it out, and you’ll be able to ask for the right
person when you follow up. Some contact management software includes a
special “Say:” field for this purpose. If yours doesn’t, then add
one.
If there is a sudden distraction such as a loud noise, or if
you hear a baby crying or a phone ring in the background, stop and comment on
it. You may ignore the distraction, but your customer will not and you
will lose their attention. Comment on the distraction, “Wow, what was
that?” or “Do you need to look after your child?” or “Do you need to answer
that line?” Acknowledge it, showing your respect and concern. Then
you can both return to your discussion.
Listener
Listening is a process of hearing, understanding,
remembering, and observing what people are telling you.
Hearing
Hearing is the physical process of having the sound waves
reach your ears with enough loudness for you to recognize what your caller is
saying. Make sure your environment is quiet enough, and that the phone
connection is clean and the sound is clear so your caller can hear you
well. If not, say, “This line isn’t clear. May I call you right
back? Is that better now?”
Understanding
Understanding is the mental process of grasping the ideas
your caller is trying to communicate. The key is never assume that you
know what the caller will say. Although you may have asked the same
question, and heard the same answer a thousand times, you never know when it
might be different. You may know your answer, and you may have
heard nine others answer the same way, but you don’t know their answer.
Don’t assume anything. Repeat what they said to make sure you understand
them correctly. Ask further questions to clarify important
points.
Your caller doesn’t feel understood until they
know you understand. Demonstrate your understanding with questions
that clarify what they’ve asked and by paraphrasing back what you’ve
heard in your own words.
Remembering
With all the activity going on and all the people you’ll
talk with, remembering details can be difficult. You intend to
remember an important detail, and then you speak with someone interesting, your
attention is redirected, and you forget that detail.
The dullest pencil works better than the sharpest
memory. It’s critical to remember what your caller says so you can make
the appropriate recommendation and take the correct follow-up action. You
don’t have to take extremely detailed notes, but you need enough documentation
so that if another person picked up the caller’s file, they could understand
what happened.
Taking notes signals your prospect that you care,
that you are attentive to detail, and that the information they’re
sharing is important. Always ask permission before taking
notes, particular if the topic is sensitive. Ask, “Do you mind if I take
notes?” This demonstrates that you respect that this may be an
off-the-record discussion. If you use a computer terminal, draw attention
to your note-taking. “You can probably hear me clattering away here; I
want to get this information in my notes.” Or “Would you
slow down a bit, you can hear I’m typing notes.” Later, draw attention to
them by asking, “According to my notes. . .”
Taking notes accomplishes five things:
1.
your attention on what the caller is saying. Humans can’t simultaneously take
notes and think up snappy answers. Guerrillas know the snappiest answers will
come from their notes.
2.
you’re paying attention and listening.
3.
details that you can use to resume the next call. (“Looking at the notes
I took during our discussion at the last time…”).
4.
record of the conversation, your prospect is less likely to change their
mind. “Let’s review our notes from our last conversation to see if
anything has changed.” Their review of your notes re-commits them to you.
5.
they’re going on record, they tend to speak with higher integrity. One of
our clients had “customer mistakes” and cancellations decline to almost zero
when they added a pre-CSR-connection recorded message: “Your conversation may
be recorded for quality control purposes.” Although they didn’t actually
record the conversations, customers assumed that tapes could be used as
evidence if they were less than honest.
When asking qualifying questions like, “What do you want in
a ________?” write down the caller’s criteria words verbatim. You
will want to use this exact vocabulary later when you do your
presentation. Guerrillas understand that every prospect feels that “these
ears believe most what this mouth says.” When you truly
understand your prospect’s needs and can describe your offer in familiar terms,
your offer becomes irresistible.
Sensitive Subjects
It’s imperative that all salespeople have a single message
when asked sensitive questions. These answers are your party line.
This list will give you an overview of some of these topics. Training by
management on the company platform will help keep the message consistent, and
help fend off bad press. Feel free to use this list of out-of-bounds
topics for your company.
Financial projections. Forecasts of orders, shipments, earnings
and related internal data should never be disclosed over the phone. (When
asked, “How’s business?” the response should be, “Business is great!”)
Operating results. Don’t divulge any sales or profit
figures (past or projected) for the company, a product line, or a specific
product.
Market share. Don’t estimate market share. Obvious
generalizations are all right (“Our technology positions us as the
leader in the web-printing marketplace”) but avoid dollar estimates,
percentages, or expressions such as “We dominate the market,” unless you have
irrefutable proof.
Marketing strategy. This includes projected marketing plans
and expenditures, sales force information, advertising plans, and other
information that could aid competitors.
Legal matters. Patent information, tax matters, and other
legal matters shouldn’t be given comment.
Impending changes. This means changes in structure,
expansion, staffing levels, and the like. If you’re in the know, it’s
tempting to build your ego by dropping hints or leaking information. It’s
better to play dumb and suggest that the person talk to a corporate
officer. Your ego may suffer, but the company won’t.
Products under development. Until a product is officially
introduced, it shouldn’t be discussed — either directly or by
implication. Any such discussion should be covered by a written
non-disclosure agreement, and then only with a bona fide customer or prospect.
If necessary, keep copies of your nondisclosure agreement on hand.
Here are some deflecting replies to these questions —
“I’m sorry, but I don’t have the authority to discuss that.” Refer
the questioner to the right person in your organization.
“That’s a good question. What makes you ask?”
“Our company considers that proprietary. What makes you ask?”
“Good question. Is that important to our doing business?”
title="">[1] Pekas, Mary D., Basic
Telemarketing – Skills for Sales and
Prairie
1-605-785-3971.
title="">[2] Ibid
title="">[3] The FTC now requires that
certain businesses identify the type of call, or face stiff fines. See
the whole text of The Federal Trade Commission Telemarketer Guidelines at
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/telemark/out.htm.
title="">[4] Cialdini, Robert B., Ph.D. Influence:
The Psychology of Persuasion.
title="">[5] For more information on the Ego,
Pleaser, Authority, and the other four personality phases of The Mind Map,
check out Guerrilla Selling.
{/slide}
{slide=Chapter 15: Getting Through Voice Mail}
avoid;mso-outline-level:1′>Chapter 15: Getting Through Voice Mail
The first step in using voice mail effectively is realizing why
customers have voice mail in the first place. They want to more
effectively communicate with the world. They want to receive messages
from important clients, customers, and vendors. They may also want
to screen unwanted calls that would waste their time. So the basis
of all of your Guerrilla teleselling tactics is to make yours one of
those important messages. You’re going to learn how you can create
messages that do not waste their time, that stimulate their interest, and
motivate them to return your call, already receptive to your offer.
State Your Business
First, state your business. Let them know right
up front who you are, who you work for, and how you can be reached.
If you name is unusual, spell it out.
“We’re the
people who. . .”
Voice mail is a great place to use the phrase, “We’re the
people who. . . “This is Harrison Smith, calling from Nextel, in
nationwide cellular service, with no roaming charges. This is saving
cellular users, like you, thousands of dollars when they travel. If you
or your colleagues travel out of your home area, I’ve got some ideas that can
let you use your cell phone more often without concern for the cost. Call
me and I’ll tell you all about it.”
Promise an answer to problems that most customers
experience. Use the word, “I have some ideas. . .” instead of “I
have some solutions. . ..” Prospects know solutions cost money, while
ideas are free, so they’re more likely to call back.
“I’d
appreciate the courtesy of. . .”
Preface your phone number with the phrase, “I’d appreciate
the courtesy of a return call at (number).” This tactic communicates
confidence, and appeals to your prospect’s sense of civility. Since you
are direct and courteous in your message, this magic phrase will make them
three times as likely to respond. But be very careful of the tone
you use. Never emphasize one word over another, such as, “I’d appreciate
the courtesy of. . .” or, “I’d appreciate the courtesy of. .
.” or your message will sound condescending.
Good News
Promise some good news. Give them the top three
reasons why they should be interested in returning your call. Because
we hear so much bad news, we are often motivated to listen to news when it’s
good. Perhaps the good news is that you can offer them a special price on
your product or service. “Hello, Mr. Prospect. This is Christina
Smith calling, and I have some really good news I’d like to share with
you. You can return my call at. . .”
Offer a Gift
“I have two extra tickets to the ball game and I thought you
might be interested. Please call right away, even if you can’t go, so I
can give them to someone else.”
Incomplete
Message
If a gift doesn’t work, Guerrillas have to get a little bit
more aggressive, and leave an incomplete message. This is when you
disconnect the call yourself in the middle of a word or phrase. “Hi
John. This is Pam Tucker calling again from
Francisco
number). I need to speak to you no later than Tuesday because…” (click!…
silence.)
Curiosity is a powerful motivator, and your prospect will
often return the call just to find out what the rest of the message would
have been if they had gotten it. Two caveats: hit the switch hook with
your finger to disconnect, versus hanging up the receiver, and leave your phone
number before you disconnect.
Some alternatives:
“Your name came up today with John… (click)”
“They were talking about you and said… (click)”
“I have an opportunity that would make you a hund… (click)”
“I’m interested in getting more information about your…
(click)”
“I was talking to your competition today and they said…
(click)”
Make an Appointment
If your prospect sits at their desk and lets the phone ring
though to voice mail anyway, try setting an appointment for your call
back. The script is, “Hi, I know you’re very busy today, yet I’ve got
some great news for you! All I need is a few minutes and I can tell you all
about it. I’ll call back at
If you’re at you desk, will you please pick up? Talk to you at three!” When
they’ll know it’s you, and if they want to speak with you, they’ll pick up the
phone.
You can also make an appointment for them to call you.
The script is, “I’m very busy to day, yet I’ve got some great news for you! All
I need is a few minutes and I can tell you all about it. I’ll be in the
office this morning between
between
office and available to receive their call all day, but because it feels
like an appointment, they are more likely to call at the time you
specify. By setting different appointment times for different people,
you’ll greatly lessen phone tag.
Step One
What if you receive the outbound response of, “The voice
mail box you’ve reached is now full. (Click.)” Try to step one.
For many companies, extensions are physically located close to each other, and
extension 341 is likely to be the next desk over from extension 342. So,
instead of dialing extension 341, the Guerrilla will deliberately mis-dial
extension 342 (adding one to the number of the original telephone extension)
and leave the message in a colleague’s voice mailbox. When they get this
message, (which is obviously for their co-worker next door) they will either
forward it, or transcribe it and pass it on. Now your prospect has a
paper message that he is more likely to return.
If you’re really lucky, the owner of extension 342 will be
sitting there and transfer the call to their colleague.
Call Another Department
Call the sales department – they’ll tell you everything if
they think you can buy from them. In a larger company, call the publicity
or public relations department – it’s their job to give out information.
Call accounts receivable. They’ll talk to anyone!
Follow Up with the FAX
Write your prospect a note with a large marker, “Check your
voice mail for an important message.” Fax it to them.
If you need to leave a detailed message, and someone answers
the phone and offers to take a message, ask them, “It would be easier if I faxed
it to you? Would you please see that (prospect) gets it right away?” Your
message will stand out among the others on the desk, and you’ll make sure
that the correct information was delivered rather than relying on the
receptionist’s shorthand.
Fax your schedule to the person who you want to call on with
open dates and times circled. This really gets their attention especially
when they see that you have appointments with their competitors.
Fax a joke or cartoon. WinFax Pro includes a
hysterical collection of cartoon cover-sheets with their fax software that you
can customize with your own captions.
Fax a referral letter from a satisfied customer, with a
cover sheet that says, “FYI.” You’ll really get their attention when the
referral letter is from a company in the same industry as the person you want
to contact.
“Please fix your voice mail”
Fax an urgent request: “Please fix your voice mail.
I’ve left several messages and apparently they’re not getting through, so I can
only assume that it’s not working properly!”
“Where can I reach him today?”
Push zero and ask the receptionist the question, “Were I
reach Mrs. Olson today?” or “Where are they hiding?”
“Well, he’s working at home today.” Or, “She’s in the
Diego
“Could I call her there, today?” Often the
assistant will give you the number where your prospect can be contacted.
Ask for the prospect’s normal arrival and departure
times. Or ask their assistant to book a tentative appointment.
The Next to the Last Thing to Leave
The next to the last thing to leave is your phone number.
Repeat the phone number again at the end of the message so that your prospect
doesn’t have to rewind the whole message to verify that they have transcribed
it correctly.
Write down the number as you dictate it so that you
know you’re not going too fast. Repeat your number again at the end of
the message, this time a little faster, so that they can verify that they’ve
transcribed it correctly. Say it a different way the second time, using
teens and hundreds. “One eight-hundred, two four seven, ninety-one
forty-five.” People tend to remember the number better when grouped this
way.
It’s important to repeat your number if you’re delivering a
message by cell phone where there might be a signal dropout while you’re
leaving the number.
The Last Thing They Should Hear
This is voice mail, so your prospect will know when the
message is over. Never close your message with something stupid-sounding
phrase like, “Buh-bye.” The last thing they should hear is their
name, what Dale Carnegie called “the sweetest sounding word in any
language.”
So now your voice mail message sounds like, “Hello
John. This is Orvel Ray Wilson, calling from The Guerrilla Group
in
I’d appreciate the courtesy of a return call at, one, …eight hundred,
…two, four, seven, … nine, one, four, five. We’re the people who
conduct the Guerrilla Selling and Guerrilla Marketing seminars all over the
world. The reason I’m calling is that I have some really good
news I’d like to share with you. I’d like to send you some
information about our new Guerrilla TeleSelling program, and invite you to a
special preview session we’re conducting in your area. You can reach me
at 1-800-247-9145 anytime today. That’s one eight hundred, two four seven,
ninety-one forty-five. I look forward to hearing from you then, John.”
to Sell
Guerrillas see voice mail as a golden opportunity to reach
people when you otherwise couldn’t. You’ll never get a call back if they don’t
get your message, so Guerrillas always leave a voice mail message, no matter
what they’re selling. Just create a message that is so compelling that
people will call you back.
Get Voice
Mail
If your customer can’t reach you, they may be forced to call
your competitor. If you don’t already have voice mail in your
office, and at home, get it. Your customer should never
hear or a busy signal. The busy signal labels you as an amateur, and it
says that you’re too busy to take their call, or that you don’t care enough to
receive their message.
When it comes to your voice mail system, the human touch is
always best. The receptionist answers, rings their extension and monitors
the result. If they are not in, the she returns and says, “Ms. Jellison
is not in. Perhaps I can help you? If you prefer, I can take
your message, or would you like to leave a detailed message on her voice mail?”
A
Three-minute Commercial
Use your in-bound after-hours voice-mail recording to
broadcast a three-minute commercial about your business. Callers
will listen to up to three minutes of your outbound recorded message before
hanging up. Write a three-minute radio-style commercial that lets your
customers know who you are, what you sell, and why they should buy it from you.
Answer Common Questions
This carefully prepared script includes your days and hours
of operation, street address and directions, mailing address, shipping address,
fax number, web address, and any other pertinent information your prospect may
need to reach you.
Early in the message give them the opportunity to break out
and leave a message, “You’ve reached XYZ Company. You can enter the
extension of the party you are calling, or press the pound key to begin
recording a message at anytime.”
Include Your Web Address
“If you’d like full information about our company right now,
you can find us on the World Wide Web at www.guerrillagroup.com.” Savvy
callers can get your full color information immediately.
Narrow, Deep Menus
If your voice mail system is menu-driven, set it up with
narrow, deep menus. Give your prospect no more than four options to
choose from before dropping them into a sub-menu. People hate sitting
through the explanation of nine different options, then they can’t remember
which one they wanted, and have to start over.
Specify Your Response Time
Change your outbound message frequently. Three times a
day is about right. If that sounds excessive, here’s why. Savvy
buyers do business with busy salespeople because they’re obviously doing something
right. You want your prospects to know you’re busy.
Your message should sound like, “Good morning, this is Orvel
Ray Wilson. It’s
I’ll be in a staff meeting until nine this morning. If you let me know
what you need at the tone, I’ll get back to you before lunch.”
“This is Orvel Ray. I’ll be out to lunch with client
until
you leave a message at the tone, on get back you before
“This is Orvel Ray. This week to I’ll be in
Francisco
York
so if you’ll leave message at the tone, it may be a week before I get back to
you. If the like, you can come by my office and haul away all my
furniture.”
Let them know what to expect from you in the way of response
time. And ask them to let you know what they need, so you can call back
with a response, saving everyone time and energy.
Screening Cycle
When you have to work on proposals or other projects against
a deadline, you might use a screening cycle. In this outbound
message, you say, “This is Orvel Ray Wilson. I’m working against a
deadline today. I’m checking messages at the top of the hour. Let
me know what you need and when you need it, I’ll call you back later today.”
Let them know when to expect your return call.
After Hours
When you’re unable to return calls until late in the day,
ask for an after-hours phone number. “I’ll be traveling to
York
please include your home number, and I can get back to you tonight. And please
tell me when it would be too late to accept my call.”
Alternate
Access
Always include alternate access. As hard as it
might be to imagine, some people still don’t have touch tone phones.
Always allow a caller to automatically get to a live person without pushing
buttons. Give your prospect some other way to get through to you if the
need is urgent. If they can’t reach you, they’ll call your
competitor. Other alternate access options:
“Press zero and an operator will come on the line and
re-route your call.”
“My a pager number is. . .”
“My home phone number is. . .”
“My cell phone number is. . .”
“My assistant’s extension is. . .”
Returned
Guerrillas put their own special spin on every aspect of the
selling process, out-thinking and out-flanking the competition, turning their
disadvantages into advantages. Because they are fighting with a
muzzleloader, they will wait patiently, calling again and again until they get
a clear shot at the order. Here’s some Guerrilla tactics to get people to
return your calls. These ideas have come from our seminar attendees and
our colleagues.
title="">[1]
The Insomnia
Call
Since most voice mail has a time stamp, you can leave
messages at odd hours to make a strong impression. “Hi, it’s Ted Wilson
calling. It’s
was just thinking about your account with us, and I couldn’t sleep, so I
decided to leave you this message. . .”
“I’m calling
from the plane. . .”
Next time you’re on a plane, use the onboard phone to place
calls to people that you wish to reach, “Hi, I’m calling from 37,000 feet on my
way to
thinking about you and just had to call.” It’s well worth the high price
to leave an impression. If they’re in the office, tell the secretary that
you’re calling from the airplane, and you’ll be put right through.
Take Stock
Buy a few shares of your prospect’s stock. Then call
and introduce yourself as a concerned stockholder.
Let’s Make a
Deal
“Look, John, I’ll make a deal with you. I won’t call
unless it’s important, but I want you to agree to return my call when I
do. Is that fair?”
Talk Sex
When the gatekeeper asks, “Who shall I say is calling?”
“Just say his sex therapist is on the phone.”
Who You’re
Not
“Hi. I’m not with the IRS ,
I’m not selling insurance, I’m not looking for a job, and I don’t
want to borrow money, but I do want to talk to Mr. Smith.”
I’m Not
Hanging Up!
“Look, this is the fifth call I’ve made at the times Mr.
Smith has suggested. Please put my call through, and tell him I’m not
going to hang up until he comes to the phone.”
I’m Just Doing
My Job
“It’s my job to talk with you, and so sooner or later we’ll
talk. And I know that you prefer doing business with a company that gets
the job done.”
You’re
Getting an Award!
Ask the gatekeeper, “I need to know the correct spelling of
Mr. Danajewski’s full name. I’m having a plaque engraved with his name
for an award.”
She carefully spells the name, then asks, “What’s the award
for?”
“It’s the award for the most un-returned phone calls during
the past six months.”
Will You
Call?
“Hello, I was just updating my will, and decided to give you
a call.”
Dan Asked Me
to Talk With You
One superstar Guerrilla had a mentor — on his deathbed —
tell him, “What you do is so important to the world, I want you to talk to
everyone possible about it. Tell them Dan asked you to call them.”
Disregard
That
The first message you leave is, “Hi Jane. Please
disregard that last message. If you need anything else, please call me
at…” Last message? What last message?
File a
Missing Persons Report
“Hello Debbie, Your staff doesn’t seem to know where you
are, and frankly I’m concerned. I just wanted to let you know that I’ve
filed a missing persons report.”
I’m Using
Your Toll-free Number
“Hi Jack. This is the last call I’m going to pay
for. If you don’t call back, I’ll start using your toll-free
number. So if you don’t return my call, you’ll pay for it.”
Persistent or
line'>?
Our colleague, Larry Winget uses this one. “There’s a
fine line between being persistent and being a pest. I want to serve you
well, yet never be a pest. Will you please call and tell me how best to
serve you?”
Back to
Basics Fax
Send a fax with a simple message. “It’s imperative
that we speak now. Please call me at…” Expect a 90 percent plus success
rate.
Checklist
Fax this checklist for them to return:
o I don’t buy
things. I’ve got enough rubbish already.
o I don’t work
here anymore.
o I’m not
interested.
o I’m out of
town.
o I’m
sorry. I’ll call you!
o I’m working
against a deadline. Call me after _______ o’clock.
o I’ve lost your
other message. Call me.
o If it takes
less than 5 minutes, call me now.
o This is a power
play. Beg some more and I’ll call.
o You’re a
jerk. Go away!
Find a Minute
One Guerrilla sends a box of food, including Minute Rice
instant coffee, instant tea, instant oatmeal, instant pudding, instant mashed
potatoes, etc., along with a note. “When you use these items, perhaps
you’ll find a minute to give me a call.”
Send a
Subpoena
Our colleague, Jeff Slutsky, had a phony subpoena delivered
ordering the prospect to appear in his office. A friend delivered it
dressed in his SWAT team uniform. Blank forms are available at your
office supply store.
Send Them a
Telephone
Send them a telephone with important preprogrammed speed-dial
numbers, such as the White House, Disney Studios, CNN, your office, etc.
Or program every speed dial number to be yours.
Balloons
Our colleague, Sarah Reeves, sends customers a helium-filled
mylar balloon in a cardboard box. She attaches a note to the ribbon with
her message. Weeks later the balloons are still floating around.
Kiddy Call
Have your kid make a call. “My daddy is going crazy
waiting for you to call him back. Would you please call? As soon as
you do, he can take me for ice cream.”
This is a Cold Call
Our colleague, Ron Gabrielsen
title="">[2] has
created a reputation as being “The Cold Call
When he calls a prospect, he says, “Hello, this is Ron Gabrielsen from
I’d like to speak with Mr. Jenks. This is a cold call.”
The receptionist replies, “Does he know what this is about?”
“Absolutely not! This is a cold
call.”
“Can I tell him what this is about?”
“Well if you did, it wouldn’t be a cold call, would
it. Just tell him he’s got a cold call waiting for him.”
Happy Birthday!
Guerrillas use Who’s Who
title="">[3]
to look up personal details. Get the gang to gather around the
speakerphone and sing “Happy Birthday” into their voice-mail.
Congratulations
Or call with congratulations on their alma mater’s win of an
important game.
Just Show Up
A Guerrilla in
was having trouble getting an appointment with an important prospect. She
told the secretary that she “had a little surprise for him,” and asked what
time he usually arrived for work, and where he parked his car. She showed
up early with two folding chairs, a thermos of coffee, and fresh pastry.
When he tried to park in his reserved space, she was sitting there
waiting. In the time it took to ride up the elevator, she got the contract.
title="">[1] Shook,
Robert L. and Eric Yaverbaum. I’ll Get Back to You.
title="">[2] Contact
Ron at 1-414-784-6669.
title="">[3]
http://www.whoswho-online.com
{/slide}
{slide=Chapter 16: Questioning and Qualifying}
avoid;mso-outline-level:1′>Chapter 16: Questioning and Qualifying
Guerrillas focus on the problem,
instead of the purchase. You’ll sell more when you fully understand
your customer’s problems.
A customer calls to buy a fax
machine, and says, “I’ve got $500.00 in my budget.” Most salespeople would
launch into a presentation of $400 – $600 fax machines. Not the
Guerrilla!
“Tell me how you plan to use this
machine; what problem are you trying to solve?”
“Well, customers send us orders
via fax,” replies the prospect.
“And then what happens to that
order?” queries the Guerrilla.
“The order is typed into our
accounting system and that work is audited by a second person.”
“Are mistakes ever made during
this transcription?”
“Sure. Mistakes cost us a
lot of money.”
“Yes, in our business, too!
And how long does it take from the time you receive the fax from the customer
to the time you can confidently ship?”
“About a day and a half.”
“I’ve got an idea. What if
your customers could fax directly into the computer, and smart software
would automatically enter the order into your accounting system, and you had
one person doing an on-screen side-by-side comparison of the computer’s work as
a double check. How would that speed up the process?”
“We’d cut order entry by at least
a day!”
“And based on twenty working days
a month what would that do to your cash flow?”
“Increase that by five percent!”
“The good news is I think we can
do that for you. My concern is that you can’t do it that way for
$500. It’s closer to $15,000.”
“We’ll we could pay for that in a
couple of weeks.”
“What about the people that you
don’t need for order entry?” points out the Guerrilla.
“We need them other places in the
company right now!”
“Well, what should we do next?”
Low Hanging Fruit
It’s easier to find people who already want and need
your product or service than it is to persuade those who do not. And
you’ll have virtually no problems with returns or cancellations.
Keep asking diagnostic questions until their need is
clear. Ask open-ended, naive questions. “What are you using
now? What do you like most about it? What do you like least about
it?” These answers give the Guerrilla the performance
specifications for their product or service, revealing the criteria
most important in the decision.
Translate generalities into specifics by using the about
face. Repeat the key word in the prospect’s statement in the form of
a question.
“We never use your brand?”
“Never?”
“We want something cozy.”
“Cozy? What does ‘cozy’ look like to you?”
“Your price is too high.”
“Too high? Relative to what?”
By demonstrating a sincere fascination with the prospect’s
concerns you become a confidante, and arm yourself with inside
information.
Guerrilla Style
Guerrillas know that time
is the currency of their career. So they guard their time just
like their customers guard their cash. When Guerrillas prospect, they
seek to dis-qualify. If someone can’t buy, next dial. They
actively seek out a reason to end the conversation and move on to the next
prospect. Guerrilla’s look for people who:
1) Have a need.
2) Have a budget.
3) Have the authority to
make a commitment.
4) Have a motivation to act
now.
Most salespeople miss the fourth
point, motivation. There are many more people who have a need, budget,
and authority yet aren’t motivated. The job of the Guerrilla is to
actively seek out those who are motivated.
Dis-qualify
When Guerrillas sense that
something is missing from the sale, they say “Based on what you’ve told me, I
don’t think I can help you now. What should we do next?”
“Based on what you’ve told
me. . .” tells them that you’ve listened, and your decision to move on is
solely based on the information they’ve provided. The underlying message
is, “Tell me more, or I’m gone!”
“I don’t think I can help
you now. . .” leaves the door open for future contact.
“What should we do next?” lets your
prospect decide the plan of action. They might want to be called in a few
weeks, or have you send information for their files, or refer you to the right
person, or ask if you know anyone who can help them, or they might say, “You’re
right! Thank you. Good bye!” Regardless of their answer,
you’ll always be welcome back because of your courteous approach and honest
methods.
Buyers tell us that these
Guerrillas are their favorite to do business with. “They don’t waste my
time, and take great care of me when I need them.”
Cover Money Matters Early
People shy away from discussing finances, but not the
Guerrilla. Ask frankly, “How much have you budgeted to solve this
problem, in round numbers?” By asking for an approximate figure, the
Guerrilla broaches this sensitive topic. Whenever possible, quote exact
prices. Help the prospect de-mystify the money matters and you make it
easier for them to buy from you. Discussing their budget, purchasing
priorities and required payback up front eliminates sticker shock and most
price objections.
Get an Early Commitment
Raise an objection yourself, and volunteer to end the
meeting. “We have a problem. You said you wanted maple and we only
have this in oak. Are we done?”
The client will almost certainly stop and ask about
alternatives. More importantly, you’ve demonstrated that you put their
needs above your own. You’ve also given back control of the
interview. The prospect will be more likely to proceed because they’ve
committed to continue the conversation. The roles have been reversed,
with the customer now doing the selling.
Referrals
Even if they do not have a need, Guerrillas always ask, “Who
else do you know who might have an interest in this? Could you give me their
number please?” Prospects who do not buy from you are more
likely to give you qualified referrals. Many business people don’t want their
competition to have the edge you’re offering.
“Asked. . . Promised. . .”
When calling the referral, introduce yourself with, “Dan
Johnson asked me to give you a call, and I promised him I would.” You’ll get a
warm reception.
The Special List
You can triple your response rate from any list from any
source, if you start at the end of the list and work backwards.
Everyone calls on the people at ABC Company and Aaron Anderson &
Associates. The people at Zizivivitz Corporation or Xaxatron
Instruments haven’t seen a salesman since the Truman Administration.
When you call and say, “I’m selling. . .” they’ll interrupt,
“Great! Come on over.”
“But you don’t even know what it is.”
“That’s OK. We need everything!”
Keep the Appointment
You may need to make sales calls by appointment. You
have set up several appointments only to have the prospects cancel. How
can you get them to follow through?
“I’m running 10 minutes early…”
Call your prospect en route from the car phone or a phone
booth. Tell them you’re on your way, and that you’re running a few
minutes early. “Is that
okay?”
Then ask a favor. “Could you please tell me where’s
the best place to park? Let security know I’m coming. Which
door should I come in? And where will you meet me?”
This fifteen-second call accomplishes several objectives.
Confirmation of appointment
By agreeing to the minor change,
the prospect confirms the appointment, and the courtesy call sends the message
that you value their time as
much as your own. This Guerrilla tactic is particularly useful if the
appointment has been set for you by telephone. Since you’re already in
the neighborhood, “I’m calling from just down the street. . .” or “I’m on my
way. . .” the prospect will feel guilty canceling the meeting.
If the appointment is going to fall through, you want
to know that while you’re still in your car. There are two reasons why
appointments are canceled; either they don’t want to see you, or there’s
an emergency and they can’t see you. If they don’t want to see
you, no matter how brilliant your sales presentation, the odds of closing that
business are low. If they have an emergency, it’s a golden opportunity
for you to come through as a hero. Ask how you can help.
Begin building a relationship before you arrive
This on-the-run courtesy call is a golden opportunity to
build advance rapport with the new prospect by asking a favor. Asking for their help changes the
dynamics of the sales call from salesperson vs. buyer to guest
greeted by host. They’ve said “yes” to you twice even before the sale
call begins.
The advance introduction by phone means you’re no longer
walking into a “cold” call.
Choice parking
Have you ever parked in what you assumed was the right
place, only to make someone mad, or have your car towed? You’ll park in
the right spot every time, and often get a prime parking place. The
prospect says, “Oh, Charlie Smith is out today, just park in his reserved
space.”
Demonstrate that you’ll deliver
The greatest fear buyers have is not getting what
they need when they need it. By showing up early, you’re demonstrating
that not only do you keep your appointments, you keep them early. You can
deliver.
Change the rules
While other salespeople do show up early, Guerrillas
let their prospects know that they show up early. The Guerrilla
gets the credit and changes the rules of the game on the other salespeople.
Get 10 minutes others won’t
You’ll get ten more minutes of face time that your
competition won’t. Guerrillas create every advantage possible to win the
battle.
They’ll meet you promptly
Have you ever had your prospect keep you waiting in the
lobby with the other salespeople who look like they’re going to have a root
canal, so that they know that you know that they’re in
control? This phone call kills that behavior, since you’ve just let them
demonstrate that they’re in charge.
{/slide}
{slide=Chapter 17: The 37 Magic Selling Questions}
avoid;mso-outline-level:1′>Chapter 17: The 37 Magic Selling Questions
Asking good questions is an art form. Salespeople
usually do all the talking, and seldom ask enough questions, so we’ve developed
a list of the 37 most powerful questions Guerrillas can ask. Here is a
list of questions that will automatically take a prospect all the way through
the buying process. Your team members should memorize them until they can
recall on demand, “What’s question number 10?”
These questions really work magic. We’ve italicized
the magic words in each question with an explanation of the strategy behind
each one.
1. What is your main objective?
When you understand what your customer is trying to achieve,
you can align your proposal with their intent.
2. How do you plan to achieve that goal?
You may already fit into their plan and not even know
it. If you’re part of their plan, your customer will close themselves.
3. What is the biggest problem you
currently face?
If you can help them solve their biggest problem, you will
be a big hero.
4. What other problems do you
experience?
You may not be able to solve their biggest problem, so what
other problems do they have that you can solve.
5.
What are you doing currently to deal with this?
6. What is your strategy for the future?
These two questions, together, give you an outline of the
current trajectory they are on. These questions tend to accelerate the
decision-making process.
7. What other ideas do you have?
This fills in the blanks and lets you uncover their other
thoughts with which you can align.
8. What role do others play in creating this
situation?
Anyone who is contributing to the problem is a potential
adversary. Find out who they are.
9. Who else is affected?
Anyone who is affected by the problem is a potential ally.
10. What are you using now?
11. What do you like most about it?
12. What do you like least about it?
Always use these three as a group. Question 10 tells
you what they’re buying, from whom, and for how much, revealing both the need
and the budget. Question 11 gives you their critical buying
criteria. A replacement vendor must be equivalent in these areas to even
be considered. This also tells you the thought process they went
through to purchase last time. Question 12 tells you where the competitor
is vulnerable. If you can offer them everything they like most, and fix
the things they like least, now they have a justification to change.
13. If you could have things any way you wanted,
what would you change?
People are naturally resistant to change. “Better the
devil you know than one you don’t.” This question inoculates the issue of
change. It also allows them to dream and explore possibilities.
About half of the things they wish for you can probably do for them.
There’s something special about making a person’s dream come true.
14. What affect would this have on the
present situation?
This question brings the dream to reality.
15. What would motivate you to change?
This question creates the rationale they will use to justify
the change, reducing their resistance later.
16. Do you have a preference?
If they do, you need to know what it is, and what it’s based
on.
17. What has been your experience?
If they have had an unfavorable experience with the
competitor, you may be able to exploit it. If they’ve had an unfavorable
experience with your company, you better fix it.
18. How do you know?
Sometimes they really don’t know. You want to know
where they got their information. Be very careful with the tone; you
don’t want it to sound accusatory.
19. Is there anything else you’d like to
see?
This open-ended question encourages them to brainstorm
additional options and may reveal additional opportunities for the Guerrilla.
20. How much would it be worth to you to
solve this problem?
21. What would it cost, ultimately, if
things remained as they are?
These two questions set up the cost-justification for
the investment you’ll ask them to make. Question 20 tells you the most
they should be willing to pay, and question 21 tells you the least they should
be willing to pay. If they didn’t have a budget before, they have a
budget range now. Always ask both questions because some people are
motivated toward some positive outcome or reward, while others are
motivated away from some consequence or penalty. Whichever
question they answer most completely reveals the strategy you should pursue
when preparing a return-on-investment presentation.
22. Are you working within a budget?
If so, they should reveal it here. If not, you have
the necessary data to create one. A budget is the best indicator of
commitment.
23. How do you plan to finance it?
Where is the money going to come from? Can you offer
alternative financing?
24. What alternatives have you considered?
Don’t be naive. They’re talking to the
competition. It is perfectly appropriate to ask a prospect who you’re
going up against. You’ll know how to present your offering in the best
light against that competitor.
25. What benefit would you personally
realize as a result?
People do things for their reasons, no matter how good your
reasons might be.
26. How would others benefit?
The answer to this question creates a justification for what
may ultimately be a selfish decision.
27. How can I help?
Easily the most powerful sales close in the book.
28. Is there anything I’ve overlooked?
This gives you a chance to tie up any loose ends that might
tangle and trip you up later on.
29. Are there any questions you’d like to
ask?
Encourage your prospect to get all their questions answered
here and now.
30. What do you see as the next step?
The prospect will tell you what you need to do to advance
the sale; write up an order, check on a specification, make a presentation to a
committee, or nothing.
31. Who else, besides yourself, will be
involved in making the decision?
Even if you’re meeting with the janitor, always assume they
may be a behind-the-scenes influence. Even if you think you’ve found the
decision-maker, keep asking this question of everyone else.
32. On a scale of one to ten, how confident
do you feel about doing business with us? What would it take to
get that up to a ten?
This two-part question will tell you exactly what
incremental evidence they need, and what form of proof they will require.
If they say, “8”, then say, “What would it take to get to a 9?” If they
say “10” then proceed to writing the order.
33. Are you working against a particular deadline?
34. How soon would you like to start?
35. When would you like to take delivery?
These are all time frame questions. Remember, if
they’re not motivated by some time frame, they probably will not buy, at least
for a while.
36. When should we get together to discuss this again?
You usually will not be able to close the sale on the first
contact, or even the second or third. Let them define the time frame for
the next meeting. If they resist, ask “How about if I call again within
90 days?”
If you ask, “May I call again in 30 days?” 15% will
agree.
If you ask, “May I call again in 60 days?” 45% will
agree.
If you ask, “May I call again in 90 days?” 66% will agree,
but extending the follow-up beyond that point is actually
counter-productive. Only 67% will agree for you to call again after 120
days. These statistics suggest that you should be contacting every
active, qualified prospect at least quarterly.
title="">[1]
37. Is there anything else you’d like for me
to take care of?
We leave far too much money on the table because we do not
ask this simple parting question.
title="">[1] Pekas,
Mary D. Conversational Soft Sell Telemarketing. Telemarketing
Institute, Inc.
Norden
{/slide}
{slide=Chapter 18: Presenting Your Proposal}
avoid;mso-outline-level:1′>Chapter 18: Presenting Your Proposal
Here are the secrets to getting your proposal noticed,
agreed to, and acted upon.
Getting things done quickly is one of the most effective
tactics Guerrillas use for gaining a competitive edge. Reach for the
phone instead of the fax. Send e-mail instead of snail-mail. Fax
that letter or proposal. Send sales materials overnight. Give your
customers a choice; “I can have that on your desk tomorrow morning by
Follow up the same day. “Did you receive the
packet I sent? Well, what did you like best?”
Give them an opportunity to say “yes” to you before they
even get a chance to say “no” to anyone else.
Influence Prospects and Customers
Professor Robert Cialdini, in his book Influence: The
Power of Persuasion, identifies six factors or influence agents that
substantially influence people.
title="">[1]
When you use any of these influence agents, you will increase your teleselling
success. You’ll have the most impact when you use as many as possible.
Consistency
People tend to act in ways that are consistent with their
public statements. Taking notes is one way to gain consistency in your
prospect’s behavior. For double impact, fax or e-mail your notes to your
prospect.
Referral programs are one of the most powerful ways to get
customers to stay with you. The secret: when a person who is referred
buys, the referring person’s good judgement is re-enforced. Someone who
offers advice seldom acts contrary to their own council, especially when others
follow the advice.
Reciprocation
In every culture, granting a favor obligates the recipient
to return a favor. So Guerrillas look for ways to give to their
prospects first, then convert them to customers.
The customer handed the shopkeeper a $20 bill to pay for a
$10.25 purchase. The shopkeeper returned a $10 bill in change, and said,
“I didn’t want to break your ten.” For a mere 25 cents, this Guerrilla created a
lasting impression that he may not have gotten from a more expensive program.
I’ll go out of my way to patronize the little Kwik Mart in
the mountain canyon where I live, because of the way I was treated by a clerk
one day, years ago. It was one of those
honey-would-you-please-pick-up-bread-and-milk-on-the-way-home-from-work stops,
and I was running late. The cash in my pocket was forty cents short, but
when I offered to write a check, the clerk said, “Oh, don’t bother. Just
catch me next time.” I swear I went out of my way the next day to
stop and buy something, so that I could repay that forty cents.
Social Proof
If everyone’s doing it, it must be OK. Forty thousand
Frenchmen can’t be wrong. Referral programs encourage participants to use
social proof to our advantage.
a natural, since the holiday is part of our social psychology. Trade-in’s
allow you to get the old products out of circulation, increasing the proof that
your new product is superior. Testimonials harness the ultimate power of
social proof. Microsoft took advantage of this principle when they
introduced model-year branding to software, with the introduction of Windows
’95 (and ’98, and on and on). Gotta get the newest model; everyone’s
using it.
Authority
Most cultures are trained to respect certain authority, and
respond to their influence almost without question. Deadlines are created
and followed. An official product is often more desirable than an
unsanctioned one. If you are calling on behalf of their bank, or a
well-known charitable organization, or other authority, you’ll gain an
advantage.
Liking
When a person likes you, they are more easily influenced by
you. Sending a gift or valuable information in advance of your call
increases your success rate. Allying with associations is an easy way to
transfer the existing relationship with the association to your company.
Associating with sports teams often creates instant affiliation with fans.
Scarcity
Anything that is perceived as being scarce is also perceived
as being more valuable, even though it may not function any better. If
what you offer is perceived to be scarce, you’ll increase you success.
Styles
People have different styles of communicating, just as they
have preferences for styles of clothing or styles of music. Communicating
with your customer effectively requires that you recognize and adapt
to their preferred communication metastrategies. Like tuning in a
radio, the structure of the presentation must be properly aligned with the
prospect in order for them to hear and understand your message clearly.
You adjust your communication style in each of four
categories, Need for Information and Detail, Organization of Tasks, Locus of
Motivation, and Level of Initiative.
Information and Detail
The first of these categories describes your prospect’s need
for information and detail, and describes the need for explanation and
tolerance for specifics. It can be thought of as a continuum that ranges
from the General communicator at one extreme, to the Specific communicator
at the other. People can fall anywhere along this scale; some have
already made up their mind and would rather not be confused with the facts,
while others need lots of information in order to make a decision.
General. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.Specific
This spectrum is one of the easiest to recognize. As
you listen, pay attention to the level of detail that your prospect uses in the
conversation and contract or expand the detail of your presentation accordingly.
Test yourself; you may be a specific communicator if right
now, without looking, you know exactly how much money you have in your
checking account.
On the other hand, if you haven’t balanced your checkbook
since 1973, or perhaps you rely on the ATM method (when the automatic teller
machine stops giving you cash, you know you’re overdrawn) then you are more
likely to be a general.
General Communication Style
You can recognize the general communicators because these
people are most comfortable talking in sweeping generalities. They prefer
the big picture, the overview, the executive summary. They are impatient
with minutia. Getting any real information from generals can be like
pulling teeth. General communicators tend to fill in the blanks. They are
notorious for making assumptions, because in the absence of hard data they will
fill in the details based on their general understanding. If Conclusion
Jumping were an Olympic event, these people would be gold-medallists.
They will offer monosyllabic answers to questions, like, “You’ve been out of
the office for a while?”
“Yes!”
“Traveling on business?”
“Vacation.”
“Where did you go?”
“Nowhere.”
“What did you do?”
“Nothing.”
“So you just stayed home and
relaxed?”
“Yeah.”
“How was it?”
“Great!”
Generals have a tendency to think big, without
consideration of potentially limiting practical details. They have big
dreams, and big goals. They think long-term, and may have a ten-year plan
and a five-year plan, but they don’t have plans for lunch.
When outlining their needs to salespeople, general
communicators are often vague. Be careful when dealing with general
prospects because in their haste to make a deal, important details may be
overlooked. Above all, they hate paperwork, preferring verbal or
telephone communication to paper or electronic correspondence.
Specific Communication Style
The opposite extreme of this scale is the specific
communicator. You can recognize this style because they have a very high
capacity for and need for detail, and are very precise in their
communication. Their conversation is peppered with particular references
like place names, proper nouns, dates, times, and statistics, like percentages,
quantities, or distances. They have a tendency to think in the short
term, the close up, and have difficulty understanding the big picture or seeing
the overview. You have to be absolutely accurate because they’re alert to
the tiniest omission or contradiction. And you better always be
exactly on time.
Be very careful when dealing with specifics because the
intent of their communication can get lost in all this “detail fog.”
General vs. Specific
You run into problems when you put a specific communicator
and a general communicator together. The general prospect will simply
stop listening and daydream if their need for detail is exceeded. The
opposite is true for the specific; unless they have every little bit of
information filled in, they have trouble arriving at a conclusion.
The Most Effective Approach with
Generals
To communicate with the general, be direct. One of the
most frequent mistakes salespeople make is overloading this prospect with
irrelevant detail. Start with the bottom line. If they need more
information, they will ask for it.
To persuade the general, summarize using charts, graphs, or
maps. Look for forms of proof that you mail or fax to them.
For generals, a picture is worth a thousand words, and the more concisely you
present your case, the easier it is for them to understand.
To motivate the general, align your proposition with their
long-term plan. Show them how it fits into the big picture. These
people enjoy making decisions, especially big decisions.
The Most Effective Approach with
Specifics
To communicate with the specific, be thorough, complete and
precise. They need all of the salient facts and then some. Explain
your reasoning and the evidence that supports it before drawing a
conclusion. Show them how your product will perform in exact terms, using
dollars, percentages, and dates.
To persuade the specifics, break your proposition down into
incremental commitments. These people hate to make decisions, especially
big decisions, so give them a series of little decisions to make. Confirm
your agreement point-by-point on the color, then the quantity, then the
shipping method, and finally the delivery date.
To motivate the specifics, include all the supporting
documentation you can get your hands on: computer printouts, brochures,
specifications, blueprints, everything. The specific may not read
it all, but has an emotional need to feel like he’s getting the whole story.
We’ve studied the work habits of hundreds of professional
salespeople, and we’ve learned that one of the hallmarks of successful
Guerrillas is the ability to shift from the general to the specific in
their presentation. They take the general needs of their prospect, and
apply them to the specific priorities and criteria that are most
relevant. Then they translate them into general terms a prospect can
understand. Because the Guerrilla’s communication fits the prospect like
an old shoe, prospects are comfortable making the required decisions and
commitments.
Tasks
Another dimension the Guerrilla must consider is the need
for order and structure. How your customer organizes their world will be
a reflection of how they tackle problems. By matching the process they
use, you are more likely to arrive at a favorable outcome.
Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.Procedures
Think in terms of a scale with options at one end, and
procedures at the other. Keep in mind that a person can fall anywhere
along this scale, and their position on one scale may be completely unrelated
to their position on the other scales.
Test yourself. If you prefer to do things
step-by-step, in routine, repetitive procedures, you may be a procedural
communicator. You keep a neat desk, taking out one file
folder at a time, working on it until you’re finished, then putting it
carefully away. What drives you nuts are messes.
On the other hand, if you have the messy desk, piled
high with books, papers and file folders, 14 different projects underway all at
the same time, you are more likely to be an options communicator. And if
some well-meaning colleague cleaned your desk for you, you’d have to
kill ’em. This might actually be justifiable homicide in
your state.
Options Communication
You can recognize the options prospect as soon as you talk
to them. This prospect is talking on the telephone, writing a letter,
eating a snack, and carrying on a conversation with someone else, all at the
same time! These folks are multi-modal, and are often good at handling
multiple demands and simultaneous tasks. They organize their work as a
set of alternatives. If they’ve got five things on their to-do
list, they may start with item number three and work on that for a while, then
jump to number one, make a dent in that, then go on to number five, and so on.
They are notorious for starting projects and not finishing, so you have
to follow up carefully on any commitments they make.
Procedural Communication
The procedural prospect, on the other hand, organizes tasks
sequentially, or as a checklist. They’ll often numerate their
conversations, start with item number one, and discuss it till it’s
resolved. Then and only then will they go on to item number
two. If you interrupt them by changing the subject, it is very
stressful, and they may have to start all over again to regain their train of
thought. Perhaps you know someone or have worked with someone like
this. They’ll say things like, “Look, I can only do one thing at a
time!”
Options vs. Procedures
An individual’s communication styles can be either a
resource or a liability, depending on the circumstances. A highly
procedural secretary will be irritated if your call interrupts her while she’s
typing a letter. So the Guerrilla has to listen carefully to background
noises, and if the voice sounds stressed ask, “Have I reached you at a bad
time?” or “Do you have to answer that other line?”
The Most Effective Approach with
Options
Guerrillas will adapt the presentation to follow the
organizational strategy of the prospect. To communicate with the options
prospect, be flexible. This customer may interrupt you with
questions or comments, and you must give them free reign in the conversation
and follow their lead. No canned pitch. Be prepared to follow them
on a joy ride around the issues. A carefully planned presentation is of
particular value here, even if you don’t follow it sequentially, because like a
roadmap, it helps you get the conversation to the desired destination.
To persuade the options prospect, spell out an array
of alternatives, outlining the advantages and disadvantages of each. This
prospect must see the alternatives in order to make a choice.
To motivate options prospects, giving them a set of alternatives
to choose from, and ask them to make a choice. Be careful not to give
them too many possibilities, particularly if they are also general. You
can overload them with too many alternatives.
The Most Effective Approach for
Procedures
Procedural communicators are not pioneers. They follow
the beaten path. They avoid change. There is one right way
to do everything: their way, and any deviation violates their need for
order and correctness. To communicate with these people, stay on track,
and numerate your carefully prepared presentation step-by-step. If you
digress, use an, “as I was saying. . .” transition to get back into your
outline. It helps if you can give your prospect a copy of your
notes. Fax them an outline in advance so they can check off each issue as
you cover it.
To persuade the procedural, structure your case as the only
logical choice, given the evidence. If you can lead the procedural
to a logical conclusion, based on the facts, it’s easy for them to go along
with your deal.
To motivate the procedural, do a demonstration or offer
before-and-after pictures. If they follow some structured routine, find
out exactly what it is. If they re-order on some regular schedule, make
sure you call on exactly the same day each month to take their
order. Whatever you do, be consistent.
This dimension indicates where your prospect looks for
evidence to confirm that they have made the right choices. Do they look
for it internally or do they look for it externally? Prospects differ in
the strategies they use to maintain their motivation, and one of the most
important dimensions is the locus of the feedback they depend on for their
decisions.
Internal. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.External
Some people look inside themselves for internal confirmation
of their decision-making, while other’s look outside themselves to the external
world for praise and feedback. This distinction will help you communicate
in a way that will build powerful motivation.
The basic form of the question that reveals this metastrategy
is, “How do you know when what you are doing is working?” or “How do you know
when what you have bought is doing a good job for you?” For example, a
Guerrilla might ask a prospect, “Based on your experience, how do you know when
you’ve found the right vendor?”
Test yourself: you might be externally motivated if you work
your butt off for a year to earn a $35 plaque at the sales meeting.
Externally motivated prospects will decorate their offices with trophies,
awards, and dead animals.
Internal Frame of Reference
Someone who is internally motivated references their gut
reaction, their conscience, or their intuition to validate their
decision-making. They base their choices on factors inside
themselves, a vision, a feeling, or a voice inside their head.
The internally motivated prospect might respond to the
question by saying, “You just know when it’s right. You get a
feeling when you first talk with them. Are they knowledgeable? Is
the company’s reputation solid? If I’m going to spend five or ten years
with a vendor, the relationship has to be comfortable.” This prospect
might be interested in the same vendor as the externally motivated buyer, but
for very different reasons. Their relationship with the sales
person will be different as well.
External Frame of Reference
Externally motivated prospects tend
to respond to the same question with something like, “I want a vendor where I
don’t have to be embarrassed if something goes wrong.” These prospects
are fixing their frame of reference externally, on the outside world, depending
on what others might say or feel about their choice.
Most Effective Approach for
Internals
Internally motivated prospects may be motivated independent
of what’s going on in the real world. These people really don’t care what
you think, (or anyone else, for that matter). Communicate with the
internal by asking questions, and listening actively to the
answers. Persuade the internal communicator by soliciting their advice,
asking for their opinions, feelings and values. “What do you think
of this capability?”
Use questions to help them access their own internal
judgment, because that’s the scale they’ll use for weighing the evidence
and for making the decision. Their ears believe most what their own mouth
says. It makes them uneasy if you try to load them up with rave
reviews. Not only do they ignore it, they resent it.
Motivate the internal communicator by aligning with their
personal vision, by saying, “Well, I’m sure that you understand your company’s
needs better than I do, and I’m really counting on your feedback as we discuss
different options. I’d like to help you, yet ultimately you have to live
with your decision.”
Most Effective Approach for
Externals
This is important, because people who are externally
motivated, are dependent on your input, statistics, and testimonials;
they have to have that input in order to make a decision.
Communicate with the external by offering opinions,
recommendations, and testimonials. They want you to tell them
about your proposal, make suggestions, perhaps even prescribing a
particular course of action. They expect you to use external forms
of proof, including third party references, testimonial letters,
demonstrations, referrals, and more.
Persuade the externally motivated prospect, by appealing to
what other people are going to think. The Guerrilla could make
comments like, “This is the most popular model on the market”, and “I can just
see your friends green with envy when you take delivery.” To sell
the external, tell your story and offer third party testimonials.
Motivate the external by providing constant praise,
especially public recognition. They want the sales person to say,
“You are a very savvy customer. Most of my clients aren’t nearly as
knowledgeable.” Send them a “Customer of the Month Award.”
Managing Motivation
As a manager, it’s also very useful to be aware of your own
motivational style, and those of your subordinates. Externally motivated
salespeople often mistake a rejection of their product for a rejection of
themselves. They may be overly focused on external evidence, and take it
personally when a prospect says “no.”
Internally motivated salespeople may think they’re doing a great
job when they’ve actually missed the boat with the prospect. They’re
preoccupied with their own thoughts and judgments, an may insist on
doing things their own way, even when their performance is
sub-standard. They interpret instructions as information.
Externally motivated salespeople need regular praise,
recognition, and short-term feedback about their work, and will ask for
coaching even when their productivity is stellar. They will be the ones
who strive to win the contests and the awards. They interpret information
as instructions. They want participation and input from others on their
work. They will work hard to achieve goals set for them, or to earn
recognition or awards. They will bust their chops to make a customer
happy, or to get their name painted on a parking space.
Internally motivated salespeople will let the weekly sales
figures speak for themselves when it comes to recognition. They require
careful coaching in the beginning, but once they decide that they know what to
do, they may become unteachable. They are somewhat self-managing.
After a careful training period, they need to be given a free reign with only
periodic checkups. They do not want to be told how they’re doing; for
them, you’re just restating the obvious. They are not as interested in
recognition or awards, but they will work very hard to meet standards and
goals, particularly those that they’ve set for themselves.
Which are you? Are you motivated by what others say or
think, or by your own gut feeling? Guerrilla teleselling requires adapting
to the motivational needs of your prospects, and striving to appreciate their
feelings and intuition as well as the external feedback on the tote
board. Over-reliance on one at the expense of the other can lead to
disaster.
Another dimension to watch for is your prospects’ level of
initiative. Do they take the initiative to make things happen, or do they
wait for others to get things started?
Proactive. . . . . . . . . . . . .
. .Reactive
Proactive prospects like to be in control and make
things happen. They tend to jump in with both feet. They have a
bias for experimentation over analysis, and tend to act first and ask questions
later. Reactive prospects prefer for someone else to do the
driving, and take them along for the ride. They have a bias for analysis
over experimentation, and tend to relentlessly ask questions rather than
act.
Test yourself: what do you do when you approach a yellow
traffic light? Reactives stop. Proactives gun it!
The Proactive Style
The proactive prospect wants to take the lead, to be in
control, and in severe cases, may resist the initiative of others, including
you. Inaction makes them uncomfortable. They prefer to try your
product out, but if it doesn’t work the way they expect it to the first time,
that’s enough. They’re ready to deal with someone else. They have a
bias for products that are “new,” “improved,” “state-of-the-art,” and “leading
edge” technology. They hate to be kept waiting. You may be
proactive if you’ve ever found yourself standing in front of the microwave
saying, “Come on! Come ON!!!”
Most Effective Approach with
Proactives
Communicate with the proactive by following their lead and
treat everything as if it were their idea. These people are
go-getters. If you promise to send a brochure or catalog, get it out the
same day.
Persuade the proactive by offering something that they can
say “yes” to. Fill out the order blank or write up the contract in
advance.
Motivate the proactive by initiating, and expedite
everything. Once they’ve made up their mind, they want it delivered yesterday.
With proactives, any actions on your part will be well
received. They respect people of like mind and are happy to push things
along. They make great allies within an organization because they tend to
ferret out any resistance to a project they’ve started. Be careful if you
meet one of these who is also internally motivated. He may make
commitments he can’t keep.
The Reactive Style
At the other end of the scale we have the reactives.
These prospects are not motivated to start things, but instead rely on the
initiatives of others, so take the lead and make suggestions and
recommendations. They have a bias for products that are “proven,”
“old-fashioned,” and “guaranteed.” Reactives are afraid to rock the boat;
they prefer the status quo and may be resistant to change. You may be
reactive if you are still waiting for them to work the bugs out of color
TV.
Most Effective approach with
Reactives
Be prepared to sell the reactive prospects with facts,
figures, and test results, and take the initiative to offer samples, do a trial
run, or in some other way get the ball rolling.
Communicate with reactives by advising, suggesting, and
taking small initiatives. Also keep in mind that these prospects resist
change, so describe your product in terms of “progression,” “evolution,” and
“improvement,” rather than “new,” “revolutionary,” or “breakthrough.”
Persuade the reactive by soliciting the opinions and
recommendations of others. Be prepared to prescribe a solution or get the
spouse involved.
Motivate the reactive by pushing gently, and involving
others. Go over their head for approval if necessary. They may
interpret your initiative as being pushy, but they will react to it, either
positively or negatively. They require constant attention, checking back,
and prodding along, or the momentum of the sale will be lost.
Styles
Guerrillas carefully analyze the constellations of needs
when developing their presentation. For the C.E.O. who is general, options,
proactive, and internal, the Guerrilla may fax off a quick-deal memo
immediately after the phone call. For the Production Manager of the same
company who is specific, procedural, reactive, and externally motivated, the
Guerrilla takes the time to write a carefully worded cost/benefit analysis.
A Thank You card goes to the Division Manager who is specific,
reactive, and internally motivated, itemizing all the little things done to
facilitate the demonstration. Another short note is sent to the Sales
Manager who is specific, options, proactive, and externally motivated,
congratulating him on the success of his idea. In this way, Guerrillas
cultivate a favorable motivational environment for their product or service
throughout the organization.
Intangible Tangible
People in our seminars often comment, “But what I sell is different.
I sell a service, and because it’s intangible, traditional
presentation methods won’t work. How do I adjust?”
Keep in mind that all products have both tangible
and intangible aspects. An automobile is a tangible bundle of
steel and glass and electronics, but it is also an intangible bundle of
prestige, freedom, and safety.
When selling a service, the challenge is to solidify the
intangible aspects into tangible forms that the customer can see, touch, and
feel. Use presentation aides like faxed information or
videoconferences. Invite your prospect to tour your office or plant where
they can get close to the action. One of our clients, a linen service,
brings customers into their cleaning plant where you could hear the noise of
the machinery and feel the heat of the steam-presses.
Intangible
The opposite is true when selling tangible products. Because
the tangible aspects are somewhat self-evident, salespeople typically emphasize
these features. The challenge is to get the prospect to feel the
intangible benefits associated with the tangible features.
The Guerrilla tactic is to emphasize these intangible
aspects in your presentation, through testimonials, test results, or consumer
reports. The heated leather seats in the car are more comfortable
in the winter. This mutual fund will not only provide a generous rate of
return, but will give you a sense of security as it builds equity for
your retirement.
Your Presentation Irresistible
1.
benefits your caller would gain that would allow them to meet the needs they’ve
discussed. Customers do things for their reasons, not yours.
You might have a hundred good reasons for them to buy from you; their decision
will hinge on the three or four reasons that they think are
important. Present proof that you can fulfill these few criteria,
and you can safely ignore everything else.
2.
or superior features. Don’t waste time on basics. Discuss what your
competition can’t do, but only if it’s important to your caller. Use the
magic word, only. “We are the only supplier that has a
warehouse within same-day shipping radius of your plant.”
3.
company is a reliable vendor. You do this with your
professionalism and a positive approach to selling. Negative remarks
about your competition imply you don’t really have a superior product and
erodes your credibility.
4.
sell as having the right price. Make sure your caller understands
the value you provide for the price you ask. And that doesn’t mean
the lowest price (more on this in Chapter 20).
5.
the time is right to buy now. Do this through special
this-week-only pricing or promotions, or by immediately solving one of your
caller’s problems.
6.
statements, based on your notes, to match your benefits to the prospect’s
needs using. “You mentioned that saving time is important to you.
With this new technology, our product takes less time to do the job than what
you’re using now, saving you hundreds of dollars.”
7.
with visual aids. Yes, you can do visuals. Guerrillas use
their web site or the fax machine to deliver instant visuals. “I’ll fax
you a chart that shows your savings over the next three months.” “Go to
our web site, and I’ll talk you through our catalog to help you find exactly
what you’re looking for.”
8.
emotional appeal. Emotion puts the motion in motivation.
Explain not only the features and advantages, but also put the prospect in the
picture. Demonstrate how they will personally benefit. Put
them in the action. Help them imagine themselves using the product,
benefiting from it, and enjoying it.
9.
with success stories. These are especially effective when they’re
from your caller’s industry or location. “Widgets Inc., has slashed its
production costs by 10 percent with this product.”
10.
a picture’s worth a thousand words, then a demonstration’s worth a thousand
pictures. Arrange for a demonstration: have them come to your location,
by go visit their home or office, or send them a video tape.
If you’re explaining processes or procedures, use your web
site or a faxed diagram to preview what you’ll be describing. For some
callers, this verbal description will be enough.
There are three parts to a quick verbal overview:
1.
operations, highlighting the areas that are of most benefit to your caller.
2.
major point to check and make sure your caller is satisfied with what they’ve
heard so far.
3.
after pointing out the key features.
If the caller agrees that the product is attractive,
schedule a follow-up visit to do a complete demonstration in the office.
Adults retain only 10 percent of what they hear.
Within two weeks of your call, your prospect will have forgotten 90 percent of
what you told them. If you can get them to take notes or to jot down
numbers, their retention increases to about 50 percent. If you can get
them to discuss their needs with you, their retention increases to 75
percent or better.
title="">[2]
This is why Guerrillas always engage in a discussion with prospects after they
find someone they can serve.
Customer Remember
Recognition is when the prospect will remember you if
they’re reminded. “Mark Smith? Oh yes, I remember talking to
him.” The mention of the name triggers the memory. Recall, on
the other hand, is when the prospect spontaneously remembers you when
they need you, without anyone or anything reminding them. You know
you’ve done a great job if they think of you when they need you.
Unprompted recall is not nearly as reliable as recognition,
so Guerrillas never rely on recall alone. They build recognition and keep
reminding prospects of how they can be of service. If you want your
prospect to remember what you tell them, here are some ways to increases their
retention of your ideas.
title="">[3]
Primacy
People tend to remember the first thing that you tell
them. So make sure that your opening lines have power and impact.
Recency
People remember the last thing they hear, so make
your close count.
Outstanding
Anything that is unique makes a lasting impression.
Specifics
People tend to remember specific numbers when it’s important
to their decision. The more unusual the number, the more likely it is
that they’ll remember it. For example, asking for a meeting at
for a
Principals
If you can create a rule of thumb, people will remember
it. For example, financial advisors use the Rule of 72. Divide 72
by your annual interest rate and you’ll know how many years it takes to double
your money.
Up?
During your presentation, questions will arise in your
prospect’s mind. To make sure that you get all questions on the table,
ask your prospect, “What question came up while you listened?”
If they do have a question, compliment the question.
“That’s a great question. I’m glad you asked that. Thank you for
letting me clarify that point.”
After making each key point, stop and check if you’re on
track. Ask, “Will that work for you?” After you respond to their
question, ask, “Did that answer your question?”
title="">[1]Ibid,
Cialdini.
title="">[2]After the
work of Bruce Joyce.
title="">[3]Rose,
Colin, Accelerated Learning.
{/slide}
{slide=Chapter 19: Ask for the Order}
Chapter 19: Ask for the Order
The Guerrilla knows that they’ve done everything right when
the prospect closes themselves. Yet not every prospect will take that
initiative. Guerrillas know that sometimes it takes a nudge to get the
prospect to become a customer.
Ask for a Commitment
Guerrillas recognize when to close — when the prospect is
ready to make a decision — and not before. They are aware of unconscious,
often subtle buying signals. If the prospect asks, “Can I write a check?”
this would be a buying signal (and we’re astounded at how many times
we’ve seen trainees miss this one.) “Can you deliver on the
weekend?” This too, would be a buying signal. Perhaps the prospect
confers with a colleague or spouse; you know they’re ready to make a
decision.
The briefest comment about a color preference indicates an
internal commitment. Changes in voice tone are often important buying
signals. If calm matter-of-factness begins to turn to excitement, or if
nervous chattering begins to settle down and become more businesslike, these
are both buying signals.
Wrap Up the Sale
Summarize with, “That about wraps it up. What do you
see as the next step?” Whatever course of action the prospect suggests
will move you directly toward the sale.
“From what you’ve understood so far, is this a product you
would be interested in owning?”
“Based on what we’ve discussed, how do you see this service
working for your company?”
“What do you like best about this?”
If the answer is negative, ask:
“What other questions do you have?”
“What are you uncertain of?”
Now, ask questions to identify where you missed their needs.
A negative response means the selling process isn’t over
yet. It doesn’t necessarily mean that the prospect doesn’t want your
product. It may be that your prospect doesn’t fully understand the
benefits your product offers.
If the answer is positive, go for the close.
Closing on the Phone
If you’ve done a good job of qualifying your caller,
determining their needs, and demonstrating how you can satisfy those needs,
your caller is just a whisper away from becoming your customer.
There is a number of closing statements you can use over the
phone:
Assumption: “It seems that this meets your
needs. How do we go about getting it into your company?”
Recommendation: “Based on
what you’ve told me, I recommend that you buy our _____ model. How
long would it take for you to get an order through your purchasing department?”
Alternate choice: “I think our company can solve your
problem. Would you prefer model
_____ or model _____?”
Summary of benefits: “To summarize… (refer to your
notes). How do you see this product fitting into your company?”
Today: Give them a compelling reason to
act today. “You can take advantage of our special. How would you
like to proceed?”
After the prospect agrees, do not continue to
sell. You run the risk of confusing the prospect and losing the
sale. Besides, it’s time to move to the next caller.
Create your action plan, such as taking the order on the
spot, arrange a date and time for a salesperson to follow up, or arranging for
a quotation to be faxed. Thank the prospect and dial the next
number.
Get Your Fulfillment Package Out Immediately
This greatly increases your odds of closing sales.
Lead management consultant Mac McIntosh says, “If your literature is
immediately on your prospect’s desks, they’ll be very impressed with your
service — impressed enough that they’ll want to do business with you. You
are demonstrating your responsiveness. People perceive that you conduct
all your business that way and people like to do business with companies that
are responsive. According to TARP, a government-funded study, when
service is perceived to be immediate, 95 percent of customers will do business
with you again.”
title="">[1]
Call to Confirm Receipt
Within a day or two of the prospect’s receipt of your packet,
call and confirm, “Did you receive the material we sent you?” If no,
offer to send another at once, or offer to fax the information
immediately. If yes, ask, “What did you like best about what you
saw?” The likely response will be, “Uh, I haven’t looked at it
yet.” Then ask, “Well then, how soon should I follow-up,” and schedule a telephone
appointment. If they have looked at the literature, their response
will tell you how close your are to closing. A certain percentage of your
prospects will close themselves then and there. Others will ask
questions before ordering, still others will want you to make a face-to-face
appointment; a few will decline your offer, having decided that they don’t have
a need after all.
Send it Back
Rich Vanderport, National Sales Manager for Credit
Acceptance Corporation in
suggests inclosing a self-addressed stamped envelope along with your sales
literature.
“I call to ask if they’ve read my material, and when they
say, ‘No, I haven’t gotten to it yet,’ I explain: ‘If you’re really not
interested, that’s fine, but that stuff is expensive. If you don’t mind,
would you please mail it back to me?’”
Over 90% of prospects faced with this choice will exhibit a polarity
response, that is, they’ll offer to do the exact opposite of what Rich
is suggesting. “No, I’ll get to it today,” they promise. By asking
them to return the material, the prospect feels motivated to act on it, without
feeling pressured to buy.
Rich says that many times, prospects who don’t have a need
for his services, will use the postage-paid envelope to forward the material to
a colleague who does. He’s closed several referral sales this way, and
his return rate is practically zero.
Ask for Referrals
There’s nothing unconventional about asking for referrals,
except that no one does it. When was the last time a vendor asked you
for a personal referral?
Ask everyone for referrals. Thirty days after delivery
is the best time. It’s during that first month when people tell everyone
about what they bought. Remember when you bought your last car? You
asked your friends, “Want to got to lunch? I’ll drive!” And some even
said, “Hey this is a nice car. I ought to check this out!”
They were hot, ready to go, all they needed was a sales call. Find this
person by asking, “Who else do you know who has just bought a house, had a new
baby, or is planning to buy a computer.” Ask specific questions to
qualify these new prospects. “Why did you recommend that I speak with
them?”
Ask for referrals anytime someone offers you a
complement. Say, “Thank you! Can you think of someone else who
would appreciate that same level of service?”
The 5-4-3-2-1 Referral System
Here’s a referral system from our colleague Mitch
Axelrod. Mitch points out that it’s not just the questions, but the
sequencing of the questions that makes this work. Many times people don’t
ask the questions because they don’t want to know the answer. Guerrillas
know why they’re successful and why they’re not successful. First ask,
“Will you help me to help you more effectively? I learn how to serve you better
when you can help me with answers to a few questions.”
5. “Why did you buy from me?” You’ll learn the
reasons, their feelings, and your benefits – often they’re benefits you didn’t
consider,.
4. “How do you feel about the work I’ve done?”
You’ll learn how you effected the sale.
3. “What are you satisfied with or pleased
about?” These are things that are likely to please other customers.
They are also the things you can do to sell to this customer next time.
2. “What would you change or do differently if you had
to do it all over again?” You’ll learn the things that are keeping you
from closing sales with other people. This question can make you lots of
money!
1. “How can I better serve you in the future?”
Now you know how to sell more them.
They’ve just been reminded how well you’ve served them, so
now is a good time to ask for the referral. “I’d rather serve my current
customers than search for new ones. Would you be willing to introduce me
to three people who I can serve like I’ve served you?”
At the very least, these questions will get you a
testimonial letter. At best, an endorsement. Record the interview
on tape, and ask if you can send out the tape as part of your sales materials.
Thank-You Notes
When you talk with someone particularly interesting,
personally write a follow-up note. Let your prospect know that more
information will follow in the mail, or that you’ll be in touch soon.
The extra, personal contact that a note gives will take you
miles ahead of your competition.
Use our THANKS approach —
T — Today! Write your thank-you letter the same
day, if at all possible, and get it in the mail. The only thing worse
than receiving a late thank you note is receiving none at all. An e-mail
thank you note is inexpensive, easy to get out, and arrives instantaneously.
H — Hand written. In today’s world of
word-processed everything, a hand-written note especially stands out in a stack
of mail. It will probably be the first piece read. A barely legible
scrawled sentence has more impact that a typewritten page.
A — Active. Make your note active. Don’t
start out, “Dear John,”; say, “It was great to speak with you today, John!”
N — Next Step. Remind them what is planned to
happen next. “I’m really looking forward to seeing the installation of
your new equipment. Sincerely, Mary.” Make sure your reader knows
what to anticipate, what date to check, and when to expect action.
K — Keep It Short. You only need 25 words or
so. A few sentences are enough to make the point and the
impression. Write the note in 90 seconds or less.
S — Specific. Be very specific on why you’re
writing the note. For example, “I kept thinking about what you need and I
believe I have an answer. I’ll call Monday with my idea.” You can be
certain that your call will be taken.
title="">[1]
You can reach Mac at 1-800-944-5553.
{/slide}
{slide=Chapter 20: Dealing with Objections}
Chapter 20: Dealing with Objections
“Nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections
must first be overcome.” – Samuel Johnson
When Guerrillas hear “No” they know that “No” is not “No
forever.” “Is that a forever decision? Is that the only decision you’ll ever
make? Am I in the game down the road? If you could learn about a
solution, would you implement it? No, until when?”
Come From
Until a sales person speaks, the prospect has no objections,
only concerns. It’s when a sales person says something to which the
prospect objects that objections arise.
In the traditional method of selling, a salesperson would
qualify the prospect, making sure that they needed what was sold, and could
afford it, and could make a decision. And after that qualification step,
the sales person delivered a brilliant presentation, and doing so, created
objections. In that brilliant presentation, they accidentally said things
that the prospect found objectionable.
Sales people who present before they know the issues are the
source of all objections. When you face an objection, it’s because a
salesperson has talked with your prospect before you did, creating objections,
or you’ve accidentally said or done something that caused them concern.
Words That Create Objections
Sales people even create scenarios that predispose a
prospect to object. The old-school sales pro would say, “If I can meet your
needs, will you buy from me?” That’s a question that most prospects would
answer with, “Yes.” Yet Guerrillas know that this question is a trap. Any time
a prospect smells a trap, they are extra wary. The prospect now actively
listens for reasons not to do business with that sales person to get out of the
trap. They listen to the presentation wanting to find objections.
Guerrillas instead ask, “If I can meet your needs, can you
buy from me?” This simple word change converts the trap into a test. Is this the
right time, the right place, are you the right person for me to serve?
Creating Objections that Work for
You
When Guerrilla’s can’t make the sale because the situation
isn’t quite right, they will leave a time bomb concern. This is an idea that will
cause the prospect to object when talking with competitive sales people.
Think of concerns that your customers have mentioned about
the competition, and ask your prospect to consider those concerns. Guerrillas
do this without mentioning the competition’s name. “Before I let you go,
I’d like to leave you with this one idea: our customers tell us their greatest
concern is about reliability and rapid repair when things break. I suggest that
you think about how you’ll know that the company you choose has the best
reliability and best repair policy.”
Objections
Most sales people are taught to handle an objection when it
arises. Yet when a prospect raises an objection, they own it. They
have to change their mind for the sale to proceed. Most sales people have
been trained to overcome objections with piles of information or clever twists,
making the prospect’s objection wrong. Yet prospects will defend their
objection because they don’t want to be made wrong.
Guerrillas know that the pre-emptive strike is best way to
eliminate objections. Let your prospect state concerns and you can help
eliminate those concerns, something that both your prospect and you are
committed to.
Guerrillas refuse to discuss their solution until they know
the prospect’s concerns, and then only discuss things that eliminate their
concerns. The 37 Magic Questions in Chapter 17 let you sound out the potential
concerns. These questions are specifically created to help you eliminate
all of the common objections. You’ll know about your prospect’s concerns before
you begin to present.
Object First
If you find a concern that you can’t eliminate, raise the
objection first. “You said that you need delivery in two weeks.
Unfortunately, because of demand, we can’t get it to you for four weeks.
What do you think we should do?” Now you and the prospect are
cooperatively finding a solution to what could have been your problem.
Universal Criteria
The exception to presenting before understanding concerns is
when discussing universal criteria. All prospects wish to save time, save
money, and eliminate headaches. These are universal. You can discuss them
any time, any place, and anywhere, and not raise an objection.
Your prospect may not find the arguments as compelling as
you do, yet they won’t object to the discussion.
We wrote most of this book at a cabin on
in northwest
afternoon we got to musing about the peculiarities of
manners. For example, even though people are always offering you food, it
is impolite to accept on the first, or even the second attempt. Natives
will hold out for hours.
“Would you like a bar?” (a cookie baked in a pan)
“Oh,. . .no I couldn’t.”
“Baked ’em fresh.”
“Well,. . .don’t want to be a bother.”
“Oh it’s no bother. I’ve cut one for you already.”
“I’m tempted,. . .but I couldn’t.”
“It’ll only take a second.”
“Well,. . .alright.”
“Would you like some coffee with that?”
“Oh,. . .no I couldn’t.”
“Brewed it fresh.”
“Well,. . .don’t want to be a bother.”
“Oh it’s no bother. I’ve poured some for you already.”
“Well,. . .alright.”
“Would you like some cream?”
Moral: when someone says “no,” they may just be trying to be
polite. People don’t stop having wants, needs, and agendas, we just give
up. Clients are constantly changing. Guerrillas keep going back.
Often a prospect has a concern, yet can’t quantify it.
Guerrillas use the about face to get more information about the unquantified
concern.
“I’m concerned about your quality,” objects the prospect.
“Quality, when you say quality, what exactly are your
referring to?” quires the Guerrilla, using a flat tone of voice to not sound
condescending.
Use the about face anytime you hear, “Your delivery takes
too long.” “What exactly is too long?” Or, “You don’t have what I
want.” “Want? What exactly is it that you want?”
Price Issues
Price is always more important in the mind of the seller
than in the mind of the buyer. The buyer has a problem to solve and is
willing to part with hard-earned cash to solve it.
Don’t Discount
According to a fifteen-year study conducted by the
sales-training firm VASS, sixty-seven percent of salespeople will volunteer to
cut their price, without being asked. When a prospect understands the
value of what you offer, price is seldom the real issue. When a
salesperson needlessly cuts price, they’re liquidating the company at the
benefit of the customer.
It’s in the prospect’s best interest for the seller to think
that price is most important. Unless your prospect can make you think
your price is too high, they won’t stand a chance to get a discount.
All things being equal, prospects will select the lower
price. Guerrillas make sure that nothing is equal.
A majority of your prospects won’t buy on price alone.
In a survey by the Forum Corporation, only 15 percent of industrial buyers
change vendors when they find a lower price. The American Retailers
Association found that only 14 percent of consumers base purchases solely on
price.
What keeps buyers awake at night is not that they’ve paid
too much, but that what they’ve bought won’t work, or that the product won’t be
there when they need it. In a survey of 64 industrial buying agents, of
those with more than two years buying experience, 70 percent selected the
vendor with the best delivery record, and 30% selected the vendor with the best
quality record.
title="">[1] Those who
bought from the lowest price vendor had less than two years of buying
experience; they hadn’t yet been burned.
Discount Requests
It’s part of a buyer’s job ask for a discount. If they
don’t ask, they won’t get a better price. They have nothing to lose, and
everything to gain by asking for a price concession. Any buyer that’s been to a
negotiating seminar has been taught to ask for price concessions at least twice
before settling on the final price. You’ll hear, “You’re going to have to
sharpen your pencil to do business with me,” or, “That price is unacceptable,”
or “You’re sure proud of your products,” or other indications that they want a
lower price.
Expect to be asked to lower your price, and have weapons
available to keep your price intact.
Higher Prices Imply
When a prospect says, “Your price is too high,” the
Guerrilla will say, “Thank you!” A product priced higher than the
competition often means better quality or value.
Try this response: “We have no argument with people who sell
for less. They know best what their products are worth.”
What’s Too Expensive?
When a prospect says, “Your price is too high,” the
Guerrilla will find out what too high means with the about face. “Too
high?, when you say ‘too high’ what do you mean? ‘Too high’ compared to
what?” Find out if you’re two cents too high, two dollars too high, or two
hundred dollars too high.
You’ll often get calls requesting price quotes.
Questions about price are easy to ask. Even the least educated prospect
can ask about price. If a person knows exactly what they want, they’ll
call around for the best price. You choose how you want to handle their
request.
“Call me last. . .”
When Mark was buying a piano, he knew exactly what brand and
model he wanted, so he called around for best price and delivery. One
Guerrilla dealer refused to give him a quotation, “Call me last, and I’ll see
what I can do.” Not only did that dealer match the best price, he threw
in a piano bench and free delivery, locking down the deal.
“We’ll be the most expensive. . .”
A house painter was frequently asked to quote jobs.
Although he put a lot of time into carefully creating quotes, few people agreed
to his price. Now this Guerrilla pre-qualifies prospects with, “I’ll be
glad to give you a quote on painting your home, but I want you to know in
advance that it will probably be the most expensive proposal you’ll get.”
Half of the people hang up on him. He chuckles, knowing that they would
never have agreed to his proposal, and he’s creating a reputation for being the
top painter in town. The people that stay on the line ask, “Why?” Now he
has the opportunity to educate them on his top-of the-line approach.
“I’d prefer not to quote
until. . .”
Guerrillas never give price quotations without finding out
about the customer’s problem. A Guerrilla who sells copy machines often
gets requests for price quotes. She asks, “Who else are you considering?”
“We’ve decided on the model and our company policy is to get
three price quotes,” they’ll reply.
The Guerrilla responds, “I’m in business to help you get the
best possible copy machine at the best possible price, and offer you the best
possible service. I’m not in business to help you get a better price from
my competitor. I’d prefer not to give you a quotation. I’d prefer
to see how I could best serve you. May I come by to review your
decision?”
Guerrillas know that objections are actually buying
signals. If the prospect wasn’t interested, they’d just say so. If
they have an objection, it means they’re interested, but not satisfied enough
to move forward with their purchase. Here are some tools for managing
objections created by other sales people or that might arise accidentally.
Go for the Concern
Your prospect’s objection is masking an unexpressed
concern. Instead of overcoming the objection, Guerrillas go for the
underlying concern. You can think of the objection like the tip of an
iceberg; the real issues are hidden out of view, below the waterline.
Before responding to the surface objection, Guerrillas probe to expose the
deeper concern.
“I don’t know your company.”
The prospect’s concern is, “I don’t know enough about your
company to make an informed decision. I’ve been burned in the past by
people I don’t know, and that’s not going to happen again.”
Guerrillas respond with, “What would you need to know about
us to feel comfortable doing business?” or “How do you decide who is a viable
vendor?”
“We like our current vendor.”
The prospect’s comfortable with their current vendor, or
they they’re not uncomfortable enough to change vendors.
Guerrillas respond with, “Great I’m so glad to hear that
you’ve found a company that does everything exactly the way you want!
Tell me, what do you like best about them? What do they do that drives
you crazy? Is there anything that they aren’t doing for you that I might
be able to do for you?”
The Spare Tire
You might try the “Spare Tire” response. The Guerrilla
asks, “Do you drive a car?”
“Yes.”
“Do you carry a spare tire?”
“Of course.”
“Why? You have four perfectly good tires, have they
ever failed you”
The prospect responds with something like, “No, but what if
I have a flat?”
“Of course, and it will always be at the most inopportune
time and the most inconvenient place. Right? That’s why it’s just prudent
to carry a spare.
“I’d like to be your spare tire supplier. No matter
how good they are, one of these days, they will let you down, and it will be
under the worst possible circumstances. Here’s my number. You can
get me out of bed at
need to.”
Now sit back and wait for the inevitable to happen.
“We have a long-standing
relationship with (supplier).”
In this case, the concern is that they may break a
long-standing relationship, or that the newcomer will not understand their
needs in as much detail. The fact is that if they’re a long-time
customer, the current supplier is probably taking this business for granted.
An effective counter to this common objection is the “How do
you know. . .” response. Ask them, “How long have you been using this
suppler?”
“Forever.”
“Then how do you know that you’re getting the best possible
deal, or even the most current technology? You should be trying other
vendors routinely, if for no other reason than to keep your primary suppliers
on their toes. Give us ten percent of your business and let us show you
what we can do, and if we can’t do better than the company you use now,
fine. The worst that can happen is that you get a better deal from your
primary vendor.”
“I don’t like your company.”
The prospect is concerned with having an unpleasant
experience buying from your company. You will never do business with this
prospect until you understand why they don’t like you. Then you must
introduce new information to help them view your firm in a new light.
They may not like you because of past experience, or because their boss didn’t
like you, or because someone they respect was disparaging your company.
The Guerrilla responds with, “Well, that makes it difficult
to serve you. What has been your experience that makes you say
that? What would we have to do to earn your trust?”
Guerrillas know that, “Will you forgive me?” is a powerful
way to reopen a damaged relationship. If they refuse to forgive you, move
on and wait for a change in management.
“I’m too busy right now.”
The concern is, “I don’t see value in spending time with you
right now.” This happens. Prospects can be up to their ears in
alligators and won’t have time to consider your offer.
Guerrillas look for some way, no matter how small, to serve
this prospect. “In ten seconds, could you tell me your most pressing
problem?” Most prospects will give you ten seconds.
They could respond with, “I’m understaffed and looking for
good workers.”
Guerrillas bring more than their products to
prospects. “I talk to lots of people every day. Sometimes I run
across people who say, ‘Do you know anyone who’s looking for good people?
I want to do something different.’ If I think they would be appropriate
for your company, may I ask them to call you?”
The Guerrilla has offered a small solution to that
prospect’s problem. You’ve established a caring relationship that opens the
door wider the next time you call.
Delivery
“I need it sooner than that!” the prospect exclaims.
Guerrillas respond with, “Maybe there’s something I could
do. Tell me more about your schedule.”
Then explore ways to provide loaner equipment, deliver partial
shipments, buy product on the open market to tie them over until you can
deliver, find a partner to serve them short-term, or delay their deadline on
your delivery by accelerating other parts of their schedule.
Functionality
“It doesn’t do what I need it to do,” objects the prospect.
Guerrillas respond with, “What are you trying to
accomplish? How will you know when you’ve found what you need?”
Since you’re the expert, perhaps there are other ways to accomplish the task
that your prospect isn’t aware of. Guerrillas carefully educate the
customer, “Have you considered. . .” or “Have you thought of. . .”
Content Reframe
Take your prospect’s concern and reframe the concern.
It’s like having a camera focused on one part of the problem and then moving the
camera to focus on an opportunity that outweighs the concern.
“I don’t think it’s worth the extra money.”
The Guerrilla responds with, “I understand your
concern. It seems like it’s a lot of money to spend. Yet, you said
that you’re concerned with the cost of your line being down. The price
difference between buying this more reliable product and buying the cheaper
model is the cost of your line being down for one hour. What would
keeping your line up and running one more hour be worth?”
Context Reframe
Take your prospect’s concern, and change the value of the
concern by putting the concern into a different context. It’s like a
camera that’s zoomed in tight on the problem and then zooming out to show a
bigger picture. “I complained that I had no shoes until I met a man who
had no feet.”
“I’m not sure. Getting the large computer monitor
seems frivolous.”
The Guerrilla responds, “You’re right. I understand
your concern. Yet, you said that you spend most of your day with your
computer. And the reason why my customers invest in larger screens is to
decrease eyestrain, to view more information at once, and to increase their
productivity. I’ve never considered increasing my productivity to be
frivolous.
It’s Just Like. . .
Use an analogy. Compare this situation with an
experience from your prospect’s past that had a happy outcome. For a
delivery issue, the Guerrilla offers, “Can you think of a time when you waited
longer than you really wanted to get something, and when you got it, you’re glad
you waited? You have? Well, it’s just like that!”
Feel, Felt, Found
The universal objection-buster is feel, felt, found.
The Guerrilla wants to move the prospect from their position of feeling that
the solution won’t work, to a position that it might work. The
traditional approach has been, “Your price is too high.”
“I know how you feel. Other customers have felt the
same way. And they’ve found we’re the best value.”
Sometimes the sale doesn’t work out the way you
expected. The ultimate Guerrilla weapon is the truth. Tell your
prospect that you’ve made a mistake, and they’ll be inclined to trust you next
time. Guerrillas learn from every missed sale and often save the
relationship in the process.
“Before I hang up. . .”
The Guerrilla says, “Before I hang up, let me ask you one
final question. It was the price wasn’t it?” Talk about the one
concern you weren’t able to care for. Most often, your prospect will tell
you what blocked the sale. You can now decide how to handle that barrier.
“I misunderstood you. . .”
If you do your presentation prematurely, and accidentally
create an objection, you can recover with something like: “Oh!
Stop! Reset! Rewind! I misunderstood you. My fault! I
told you about the wrong thing. Let’s start over again.”
“I’m new at this. . .”
“I’m new at this. You’re obviously a savvy
buyer. What advice would you give a newcomer to this business? I’d
appreciate any wisdom you have for me.”
“If you were in my shoes. . .”
“If you were in my shoes, what would you do in a situation
like this?”
“Could you help me?”
“Could you help me? I want to serve my customers, and
obviously I’m not able to serve you. I’d be grateful if you’d tell me
what keeps me from serving you.”
“I guess I blew it. . .”
“Well, I guess I blew it. Do you believe that people
should learn from their mistakes? Would you help me learn from this one?”
title="">[1] Steinmetz, Lawrence L., How
to Sell at Prices Higher than Your Competitors,
{/slide}
{slide=Chapter 21: Serve to Sell Again}
avoid;mso-outline-level:1′>Chapter 21: Serve to Sell Again
Karl Albrecht and Ron Zemke, in their book, Service
say it costs five times as much to sell a new customer as it does to make
the same sale to an existing customer. Guerrillas know that the real
money is in the subsequent sale, and will spend far more than might seem
prudent at first glance to buy back a customer’s good graces.
Guarantees are important to teleselling because they remove
the risk of doing business with someone the prospect can’t see or touch.
The best guarantees are 100% money back, no quibbles. Guerrillas will either
pay the return shipping or let the customer keep the purchase.
An effective guarantee begins with letting the customer know
what their recourse options are. Federal Express promises to deliver by
it absolutely, positively, has to get there overnight.” The best ones are
simple, like the mail-order giant
“Guaranteed. Period.”
When the publishers of Quicken, a $49 personal
accounting software package, where just getting started, their ads encouraged
you to “Try Quicken for a month. If you like it, send us your
check. If not, just keep it and owe us nothing.” The offer seems
ludicrous, but it was costing them more than $49 just to repackage and
re-stock the returns. The “just-keep-it” guarantee is a real confidence
builder and a real sales builder as well.
We’re seeing many firms go beyond the
“your-money-cheerfully-refunded-no-questions-asked-for-a-year” type guarantees,
to “your-money-back-plus-five-dollars,” or “double-your-money-back.” My
favorite was painted boldly on the side of a large truck: “Sunshine Trash Service .
Your satisfaction guaranteed or double your trash back!”
Guerrillas use their guarantee as a way to calm concerns and
close sales. “I could send out demo disks, yet why don’t I just send out
the whole product. You can review it at your leisure. If you decide to keep it,
I’ll bill your credit card in 30 days. And if you decide it’s not for you, I’ll
send a courier to pick up the package at no cost to you. I urge you to call our
technical support about any questions you have, not only get your questions
answered, but to also find out how really well our technical support
works. Let me give you the toll-free VIP
support number, are you ready to write this down?”
Complaints
Guerrillas encourage customers to complain because it
provides valuable feedback about how they measure up. Customers who
complain are telling you what you need to do to keep them as a customer.
Most customers don’t complain. They simple take their
business elsewhere. Think about the last time you went to a mediocre
restaurant. Did you complain to the manager? Ninety six percent of
customers don’t complain. Is it any different for your business?
Another factor to consider is that upset customers are very
reluctant to complain. For every customer that does, you have 22 others
who simply leave and say nothing, and for every problem they bring to your
attention, there are 16 more customers who have had the same problem.
If you did complain, will you return to that
restaurant? Seventy-five percent of customers will return if the
complaint is resolved, and ninety percent will return if the complaint
is resolved quickly. This reconnaissance can give them the
competitive edge.
Remember from Chapter 10 that Guerrillas track both satisfiers
(if you do these, the customer will be more satisfied) and dissatisfiers
(if you fail to do these, they will be less satisfied).
Satisfiers and dissatisfiers are independent. That is, failing to
provide a satisfier will not provoke a negative response, and providing more
satisfiers does not necessarily compensate for a dissatisfier. For example,
lower prices (satisfier) will not compensate for poor housekeeping
(dissatisfier). By eliminating the dissatisfiers, Guerrillas make more
customers happier while maintaining reasonable margins.
a Customer
A good way to determine how far you can go and still stay in
the black is to calculate the “Lifetime Value” of your customer.
According to the US Department of Agriculture, the average
American spends $5,283 per year on groceries, or about $100 a week.
Twenty percent of Americans move every year, so that means that we stay in the
same neighborhood and average of five years. We’ll spend 5 x
$5,000 = $25,000 at our neighborhood grocery store during our “customer
lifetime.” At an average margin of 3% of sales, our “Lifetime Value” to
our local grocer comes to about $750. So when a customer complains that the
roast beef is off, there’s nothing to be gained by questioning or
quibbling. Replacing the product is a lot less expensive than replacing
the customer. You may win this argument, but loose this customer’s future
business to your competitor.
Do the same calculations for one of your customers and the
figures will shock you. Keep in mind that when a customer complains, you
can spend up to that figure to make it right, and still break even!
Now multiply the Lifetime Value of the complainer times the
constituency of 16 that they speak for, and you begin to see the real economics
of providing aggressive customer recourse.
Whatever It Takes
Push the decision-making authority down to the lowest level
possible. Nordstrom’s instructs their salespeople to: “At all times, use
your own good judgment.” A bank in
authorizes tellers to waive up to $100 in charges, or spend up to $100 to make
things right with a customer on the spot. Disputed overdrafts, errors in
calculating interest, or mysteriously missing deposits are dealt with swiftly
with the stroke of a pen, without an argument, and without having to check with
a vice president. In branches of Chicago-based Bank One, elaborate
point-of-sale displays promise to do “Whatever It Takes.”
When a customer does complain, listen carefully. Ask,
“That sounds important. Do you mind if I take notes?” Express your
concern, “Sounds like we have a real problem here that needs some
attention.” Do not volunteer a solution; rather ask what it would
take to set matters straight. More often than not, they will ask for a
smaller adjustment than the one you were prepared to offer. Then,
whatever adjustment they suggest, do it, and a little bit extra.
Be careful not to over-adjust for the error or you risk
leaving the customer feeling guilty. Once, after buying a new set of
tires, I complained that they had been mounted white-side-wall out, even though
I had failed to express my preference. The shop not only re-mounted all
four wheels, but over my protests, waived their normal charges for mounting and
balancing. I’d have been quite happy had they simply (and cheerfully)
re-mounted the tires. Their adjustment was so unreasonably generous that
it felt condescending, and I haven’t had the courage to face them again.
Most importantly, act now. Immediate attention
to a problem is a far more critical satisfier than delayed compensation, no
matter how lavish.
Finally, express your sincere appreciation by saying, “Thank
you for bringing this problem to our attention. No doubt others have had
the same experience. We appreciate the opportunity to improve.” A
customer who has had their complaint satisfactorily resolved is five times
as likely to buy from you again!
Deal with Angry Callers
You might have angry callers for a variety of reasons.
Some people may have had a bad experience your product, your service, or your
company. Some people may object to what you sell based on their belief
system. And there are a few people who are just in a fowl mood because of
something completely unrelated.
Listen carefully. Immediately begin taking
notes. Tell them, “What you’re saying is important. I’m taking
notes, would you please slow down?” Now move from you regular 70 words
per minute typing speed to hunt and peck mode. This gives them a chance
to take a breath, and they’ll begin to calm down. Taking notes
demonstrates that you’re willing to listen and that you’re trying to resolve
the problem, whether you actually can or not.
Assume nothing. Behave as if you are completely
ignorant of the situation. Sometimes your knowledge and your caller’s
account of the same events will be different. Allow for that
difference. Say, “I want to understand the problem from your viewpoint.
Let’s start at the beginning, and tell me what happened.” Ask lots of
questions to clarify points you don’t understand.
Stay positive. Don’t respond negatively to
emotional language. A caller’s anger usually isn’t personal. They
probably don’t even know you.
Empathize. Do your best to understand your
caller’s feelings. What if you were in their situation? “Oh, I
understand. That would make me unhappy, too.”
Agree to agree. Make a commitment to work
toward an agreeable solution. Say, “I’m sure we can work something out
here.”
Ask for suggestions. Ask, “What would you like
for us to do?” This moves them to consider a resolution of the
issue. Don’t say, “What do you want me to do about it?” That
sounds like you don’t care.
Adopt their point of view. Listen to what your
caller says, and paraphrase their account back to them for verification and
clarification, even though you might not agree with it. This isn’t the
time to get into an argument. Who’s right or wrong isn’t the point.
Right now you want to get them calmed down and thinking rationally again.
Never dextify. Do not attempt to defend,
explain, or justify what has happened. People don’t want to
hear you defend yourself. They want to be heard and to have their
feelings recognized and acknowledged, even if you think they are wrong and
crazy.
Never say “I’m sorry.” Don’t apologize until the
caller is prepared to accept your apology. Instead say, “I
apologize.” “I’m sorry,” is what you say when you bump into someone.
Work toward solutions. Focus on what you can
do, rather than what you can’t. If the caller asks for something
impossible, instead of saying, “I can’t do that,” make a counter offer: “I
understand your request. What I can do is…”
Call in higher authority. If your caller
continues to be abusive, transfer them. “I’m afraid that I can’t help you
any further. May I find someone who can?” Wait for their response
and reply with “Thank you!” Brief your colleague before handing off the
call, and introduce you to the caller with a formal title. “Mr. Olson,
this Jane. I have Mr. Stephens on the line. He’ll be working with
you now.” The change in status often breaks their abuse pattern. This is
especially effective if the handoff is to someone of the opposite gender.
A customer who feels justified being abusive to another man will often turn
into a gentleman when dealing with a woman.
Let go of your anger. If you hang on to the
smallest bit of anger, you’ll immediately have an impact on the next call you
make, possibly causing you to blow the sale. Most callers don’t care what
just happened to you, so don’t pass along the bad experience.
Calm yourself after encountering an angry caller. Take
four quick deep breaths, flooding your brain with oxygen. Next, inhale
while you count slowly to seven, and then exhale while you continue the count
to 15. Anger changes your breathing pattern and this exercise resets it
to normal breathing.
{/slide}
{slide=Chapter 22: Finding the Right People}
Chapter 22: Finding the Right People
Sales Guerrillas
The best predictor of future sales behavior is current sales
behavior. This Guerrilla approach to screening sales applicants gives you
an opportunity to observe their sales skills before putting them on the
telephone. By seeing how well they sell themselves to you, you can
predict with remarkable accuracy how effective they will be at selling
others.
Set Up Voice Mail
Arrange with the telephone company to set up a dedicated number
for you that rings into a DDE (direct-dial extension) equipped with voice
mail. You will only use this number when you need to recruit
telesalespeople.
Run your classified ad outlining the basic qualifications
for the job, but do not mention the name of the company. You do not want
people dropping in or mailing their resumes. The last sentence of the ad closes
with the language, “To schedule an interview call (phone number).”
Put an outbound recording on the voice mail that says, “Due
to the overwhelming response to our ad, we have had to automate our screening
process. At the tone, please leave the following information: your
name, your daytime and evening phone numbers, a brief summary of your
qualifications, and why you think you would be a good candidate for this
job. If your background meets our requirements, you will be contacted for
an interview.” (BEEEEP).
Let the add run for a week or two, and every few days, dial
in to your DDE to check the voice mail. Keep in mind that the outbound
recording was intended to discourage callers from taking the next step,
because of the “overwhelming response.” Job-hunters who give up there are
not good candidates for your business, so we eliminate the quitters right up
front. Those who do leave a message are more likely to take initiative
and follow-through with your customers.
First listen to the voice. Is it warm?
Friendly? Intelligent? Is this the voice of someone who you would
feel comfortable representing your firm? If so, save the message; if not,
delete it.
Did They Follow Directions?
Once you have narrowed the field, listen to the messages a
second time, with a legal pad and pen in front of you.. How well did each
candidate follow the specific directions they were given in the outbound recording.
This will be an accurate predictor of how well they will follow your directions
in the future. Did they state their name clearly? Did they spell it
if the spelling would be in doubt. Did they then give you their contact
phone numbers next, and volunteer a best time to call? Did they
summarize their skills and experience (benefits) or just read you their resume
(features)? Most important, did they close with some sort of call to
action; are they “asking for the order.”
Situational Interviewing
If they pass this litmus test, call them back, and conduct
your initial interview by phone. What you hear is what you’ll get,
so listen to this candidate from the perspective of one of your
customers. Open with the question, “tell me about yourself.” Confirm that
they have the requisite experience by asking questions along the lines of,
“Tell me about a situation where you . . .” (dealt with some
particular challenge or situation they are likely to encounter in your employ.)
Watch for them to try to take control of the interview (any good salesperson
will) and start asking you questions.
Ask for a Resume
By now you should be able to make a decision. Is this
someone you think you would like to hire? If so, they must pass one more
test. The FAX Test.
Ask them, “could you please FAX me a copy of your resume?
Yes, right now.” You will get one of two answers: either they will stall
and apologize and make excuses (“My resume isn’t really current, and it’s late
and I don’t have access to a fax machine,” etc.) or they will say,
“Sure. I can do that!” That’s the response I would expect my
salespeople to offer a customer in need. Then check the time/date stamp
on the fax and calculate how long it took them to get it to you. More
than a couple of hours is too long.
You can reasonably ignore the resume, except for the
references. Call each reference and ask, “Tell me about your
experience with Mr. Smith. . .” If the references check out, call
the applicant back and invite them in for a face-to-face interview. By
now you should have already decided that you would like to hire this person, or
don’t bother with the interview.
Sell the Position
During the face-to-face interview, your primary objective is
to sell them the job, and get them excited about the possibility of
working for your firm. Give them the tour. Give other key personnel
in the office an opportunity to meet them.
Finally, after meeting all the finalists, make an offer to
your favorite candidate(s).
Each of these hurdles is designed to give your candidate an
opportunity to sell themselves to you as a potential employee. It
is this sales behavior more than any other factor that is the predictor
of their success.
We have this argument with our clients all the time: “I
can’t afford to train all my people!”
“Why not?”
“Turnover’s too high.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, what if I train them and they leave?”
“What if you don’t train them and they stay?”
Our friend Dan Burrus, in his book Technotrends
title="">[1] says,
“Your people are your most upgradable resource.” Not your computers, your
software, or your vehicles. Your people.
Train with scripts, coaching (see Chapter 10) and
tape-recorded feedback. Study your star producers, and train everyone
else to model them.
Set up a system to monitor the quality of the calls
covertly. Sometimes little things make a big difference. Even
verbatim scripts tend to drift over time, and telesellers who use guided
discussion may wander wildly off track without supervision.
Give your telesellers frequent feedback about their
performance and their technique. This is essential not only with praise,
but also with criticism. Let’s say that you have a caller who appears to
become impatient with younger customers. How do you correct the problem?
Look, Listen, and Level.
The first step is to isolate the specific behaviors that are
objectionable. It would be pointless to tell the employee that they’re
being “brisk” or “rude” with young customers, unless you can substantiate your
point of view. Discretely watch and listen carefully for a few
days. Take notes about the context of the call, including the exact time
of day. Check the customers’ name on the call list or order form.
You might even make spot calls back to ask customers how they felt about the
way they were treated.
Carefully document each instance where you feel your employee
has acted inappropriately; what the customer asked for, what was said, and
exactly how your employee responded. If the employee behaves differently
with other customers, note those transactions as well to establish the
contrast.
When a pattern has clearly emerged, share your findings with
your employee. Be objective and specific. Customer service is a very
subjective aspect of business, and is open to interpretation. “I’ve
noticed an interesting pattern in the way you deal with customers. You
have been spending an average of 1/3 as much time with customers under age 20
as you do with customers who are over 40, regardless of the size of their
purchases.”
Then level with them. “I’m concerned because more than
half of the younger customers contacted in my follow-up calls expressed
dissatisfaction with how they were served.” Offer a rationale for your
concern. “This could become a problem because young customers represent
nearly a quarter of our sales today, and future sales tomorrow. It would
be a shame if we were somehow alienating them.”
Finally, ask for their point of view. “What do you
think?”
Unless mind reading runs in your family, give them the
benefit of the doubt. Your employee may be unaware of the pattern,
reacting to some unconscious trigger. Perhaps the employee has had a
disagreeable experience with a young customer, creating a prejudice that spills
over into their attitude. The opposite may also be true. The
employee may be overly solicitous with more senior customers out of respect.
Your employee may deny that there is a problem. In
that case, cite specific examples, backed up with names, dates, and
details. Separate the behavior from the person, but your feedback should
be undeniably accurate.
Awareness will usually solve the problem. Behaviors
that are being measured will usually increase. Try to, as Larry Wilson
says, in The One Minute Manager, “catch them doing something
right.” When they’ve given outstanding service to a younger customer,
comment on the change to reinforce it. “You really handled that customer
with patience and tact. Well done!”
Strategies
Michael LeBeouf, in his book The Greatest Management
Principle in the World, contends that “Any behavior which gets rewarded
will tend to be repeated.” He advocates paying close attention to how employees
get rewarded for performing (or not performing) the various aspects of
their jobs.
Incentive, or performance-based compensation, is
nothing new. Commission plans for salespeople are common because their
productivity is so easy to document. But small businesses tend to eschew
these compensation plans thinking that “we’re mom & pop; we’re
different.” In the competitive environment we’re faced with today, you
have no choice; you must use every management tool available to maximize
your marketing firepower.
Guerrillas are not only intolerant of non-performers, but
they lavishly reward their stars, setting a higher standard of
excellence for the whole organization. The problem is how to reward your
people appropriately, particularly if they’re not directly
responsible for easy-to-measure activities like sales revenue.
Some simple guidelines can put this powerful management tool
to work for you. The foundation of an effective performance-based
compensation plan is a set of clear and specific goals for your
organization as a whole, for each functional department, and for each
individual employee. These goals must be objective and quantifiable.
For example, “increase inbound inquiry calls by 10% or to 650 per month by
the end of the year” or, “Achieve an average rating of 4.5 of 5 on monthly
customer satisfaction surveys.” Subjective factors, like attitude or good work
habits may be included in review criteria, but if you can’t measure it
statistically, you can’t use it as a standard for performance-based
compensation. Then devise methods for gathering data to measure
progress (or lack of it) toward these goals. What you measure is what you
get, so inspect what you expect.
The first level of your plan should be directed at the individual,
by isolating the particular behaviors that would produce the desired
outcome. For example, pay a $10 spiff every time an employee asks for and
receives a referral from a customer. This behavior, in the long run, will
result in more people becoming familiar with your organization, and more people
buying.
The second level of compensation is directed at the group
or unit level. Staff in administrative positions can be set up
to share a periodic bonus upon completion of particular benchmark objectives,
like “reduce the error rate in the shipping department to less than 5% and
share a $500 bonus”
The third level of your plan is structured to reward the
collective. Set aside a fund to pay an annual bonus to everyone if
the business meets its overall annual goals. In this way, you reward
collective effort as well as individual initiative, and foster an environment
of cooperation and teamwork. Peer pressure becomes a powerful force in
keeping everyone on their toes.
Gain-share incentives are often very effective for cutting
costs. Challenge employees to keep their own work area clean, reducing
the cost of the janitorial service. Put half the savings back into their
pay envelopes.
Consider non-monetary rewards as well.
Recognize employees publicly at every opportunity for creativity,
leadership, or innovation. For many, a certificate, plaque or small
trophy is more motivating than cash. Encourage competition for
these awards by posting individual and departmental performance statistics
where everyone can see them. Heated rivalries often develop over the
coveted “Employee of the Month” parking space. Even seeing the sales
“thermometer bar” moving up each week can be a powerful incentive.
And reward mistakes. Create a rotating gag prize for
the employee who makes the biggest mess, the most costly mistake, or the
dumbest error. This award should be presented in an atmosphere of
friendly fun; never to punish or embarrass. Laughing these things off
serves two purposes: first it encourages people to take risks by letting them
know that it’s OK to fail, and second, it allow them to “pay their dues” with
co-workers, appease their conscience and get on with their jobs.
Finally, never argue with results. If a team
member goes about achieving their objective in an unconventional way, reward
them anyway. What works for you may not work for them. Encourage
your people to take responsibility for achieving their objectives, reward them
progressively, and stand back. They will amaze you with their ingenuity!
Stars
Guerrilla managers also lavishly reward their stars.
They set high standards and goals, and are constantly on the lookout, trying to
catch someone doing something right. They encourage independent thinking
and innovation, and they never argue with results. They are
ruthless enforcers of the new ethical standards, highly intolerant of
non-performers who would bring down the curve. They do not abide racist
or sexist language in the office, on the shop floor, or even on the docks.
If you have more than 15 people working for you right now, fire
one of them. That’s right. Fire someone. There’s someone
in your operation right now who is unhappy with their job, and you’re unhappy
with the job that they’re doing, and you already know who they
are. Do them a favor by giving them a new opportunity, somewhere
else. Chances are they won’t be missed, and the rest of your organization
will breathe a sigh of relief at their exit.
The competition can’t out-spend you on things that don’t
cost money, and this new ethical high ground can give your organization the
competitive edge you need to succeed, and it costs you nothing! Fail to
elevate your standards, and the competition will eat you alive.
title="">[1] [1] Burrus, Dan. Technotrends.
{/slide}
{slide=Chapter 23: Measuring Your Success}
avoid;mso-outline-level:1′>Chapter 23: Measuring Your Success
The basic purpose of a test is to set up a structure that
will make three things happen:
1. Permit you to make effective calls to
decision-makers.
2. Enable you to gather essential data on the
efficiency and effectiveness of your telemarketing operation.
Information, for example, on the number of dialings per hour/per day; number of
busy signals and connects; how much time is spent waiting to speak to the right
person and call backs; average call length required to make an appointment or a
sale; number of ‘yesses’, ‘nos’, ‘maybes’ and ‘call-me-laters’; best times to
call; average dollar value per sale; total daily sales etc. Such
information should be automatically captured.
3. Help you to compile a relational database of
valuable information about each customer and prospect.
Checklist
What worked well?
What didn’t work?
What different next time?
How’s your numbers?
Tape yourself
Tag Team Telephone
Results
Review what you’ve accomplished for both completion and for
effectiveness. Did you get what you expected from this campaign? Did you
get your target number of contacts, leads, and discussions done? How many new
callers did you get to know? How many sales have you closed your calls?
Survey
After-campaign surveys can help you measure how well the
list went for you, and how well it reflected the buyers you wanted to
reach. Sixty to ninety days after the campaign, select a cross section of
prospects and call until you’ve talked to 100 of them. Ask these
questions:
“We spoke to you back in October about our newest
product. Do you have a quick minute so we can find out how your decision
went? Have you bought yet?”
1. If no, “Are you
still in the market?”
A. If yes, “Would
you like a salesperson to contact you?”
2.
you buy, and what did you buy?”
A. If a competitor, “Because
we want to serve our customers better, what was it that caused you to select
them instead of us?”
Tabulate the results, and see how
well you did and how well your competition is doing, too.
Survey
1.
goal of the survey. What outcome do you want? What do you want to
improve? Do you want to improve salesperson appeal and effectiveness? How will
you know when this goal is achieved?
2.
budget for this survey. Don’t forget tabulation and possible phone follow-up
expenses.
3.
goal and budget, decide what you will do. We recommend a one-page
self-mailing return survey (with business reply postage-paid) that goes out in
your company envelope with a message typed or stamped on the cover that says,
“We really need your opinion.” These are inexpensive to produce and easy for
the respondent to complete and mail.
4.
to help boost returns. Premiums that work well are drawings for
merchandise or discount certificates for what you sell. One of our
clients enclosed a dollar bill, and a note that said, “We recognize your time
is valuable. Would you please take a minute to compete the enclosed.” The
response rate was nearly 100%
5.
questions, depending on your goals. Reinforce that the questionnaire is
confidential, and that no numbers will be reported individually. Include
an optional blank for name and address. Consider number coding the pieces
for tracking.
Questions could include —
What did you find most exciting about our product?
Did you go to make a specific purchase decision?
Did you make that decision yet?
How do you go about making a purchase decision?
What was your impression of our sales staff?
What do you remember best about the call?
What could we do differently to better serve you?
You can also ask respondents to rate your performance on a
five-point scale ranging from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree.” Ask them
to rate variables like —
The sales staff was knowledgeable.
I got the information we was looking for
I want to do business with your company
If response is poor two weeks after the mailing, do a
telephone follow-up, and survey a sample on the phone.
Five Rules for Getting Customers to
Respond to Your Surveys
We’ve all seen them. Stacked on hotel front desks,
tucked into the folio with the guest check. Long forms, with endless
empty blank spaces, “Could we have comments, please. PLEASE?” And
as customers, we despise them. Follow these simple Guerrilla tactics and
you’ll get the feedback you need:
Limit One.
Limit your survey to one side of one 8½ x 11 page.
Limit Ten.
No more than ten questions or items on your survey.
No Fill-in’s.
Instead of asking customers to fill the blanks, ask for a
letter grade, a Lickert scale, a numeric rating (from 1 to10) or give them a
list of choices to check off. Make it easy.
Fax back.
Include your fax number at the bottom of the page and
encourage your customer to fax it back to you. It’s cheaper than
enclosing a SASE, and you’ll get better responses.
Reward them.
Say “thank you” to customers who respond by acknowledging their
reply, entering them in a drawing, or sending a small gift (like a credit
toward their next purchase). The BEST way to reward respondents is to
share the results of your survey. People are naturally curious about what
others have said.
National Car Rental recently sent me a survey and included
500 frequent-flyer miles on the airline of my choice. I bit. And
I’m a more loyal customer for telling them what a great job they’ve done.
{/slide}
{slide=Chapter 24: Creating a Guerrilla Marketing Calendar}
Chapter 24: Creating a Guerrilla Marketing Calendar
Guerrillas use telepresence is making their presence felt
even when can’t be there in person. We’re not talking about your
company’s presence, but your presence. Here’s how to show up when
you can’t in person.
Your TeleSelling Calendar
Your properly conducted teleselling program creates profits
for your company, your owners, your shareholders and income for you. You
market to compel people who can buy from you, to buy from
you. You want them to think of you, and only you at the instant
they need what you sell. It’s your job to keep prospects and customers
educated and constantly remind them of what you offer. It’s not their
responsibly to remember you when they need you. Your buyers are most inclined
to choose the person or company who’s recently given them the most attention.
Your marketing plan systematically lavishes business-building attention
on your buyers.
Everything you do is marketing. It’s the way the staff
at the front desk answers the phone. It’s the quality of the paper you
use for your letterhead. It’s the design of your brochures. It’s
the words you select for your advertising. It’s the ability for you to deliver
on-time, exactly the way the customer was promised and exactly what
they expected.
It’s the cleanliness of your store, the location
of your factory, the quality of pen your sales staff uses to write up a
customer’s order. It’s your e-mail address, if your support staff has
business cards, if the music-on-hold is a radio station your prospects love or
hate or if it’s a recorded message that’s meaningful. It’s all
marketing. Every activity must move you to further profits, or you’re
wasting your time, your energy, and your career.
So do everything on purpose to create the profits
your company deserves and keep your competitive edge. And one
sure-fire way to do this is plan to upgrade your marketing on a continuing
basis.
Marketing is a Process, Not an Event
Telepresence is not placing a single ad or any one
campaign. It’s an on-going process of reaching out to your
prospect’s and customer’s ever-changing desires and fickle decision-making
process. A formula for failure is to create events in a vacuum, without
thought to related events or coordination with other marketing partners.
There are too many things that can go wrong, go over budget, or go to the
competition. The secret is a long-term plan with a telepresence
calendar.
Your telepresence calendar is a daily and weekly plan that
lets you maximize your marketing investment. You’ll be able to
consolidate print runs and mailing jobs, look for synergistic events, guarantee
that your event timing is perfect. You can publish your calendar to your
boss and colleagues so they know what you’re doing. You can use your
calendar to ensure you meet critical deadlines that can mean the difference
between an expensive failure or a high-profit success.
How to Design Your Marketing Calendar
Select a planning method that works best for you, whether
that’s a sheet of paper for each week of the year (52 pages for your plan), a
word processor document, or a project management program, such as Microsoft’s
Project. You’ll need enough room to brainstorm, and you’ll want a system that
makes it easy to send out regular updates to your team.
Round up all the events to which you’re already
committed. Look at industry trade shows, annual trade magazine round-ups,
directory deadlines, product releases and introductions, seasonal sales and offers,
and other traditional marketing events.
Break each of these into weekly activities and deadlines and
put them on your marketing calendar. Include budget costs, time
requirements, and people resources. Factor in approval cycle times and
some padding for Murphy’s Law. Estimate expected results and the return
on your investment.
You may wish to create a time-line estimate on the
profitability of your campaign. When will you break even? When will you
be profitable? If you don’t know for sure, make an educated guess. A
thought-out guess of the outcome is a better planning tool than a foggy notion
How to Make Your Marketing Calendar Pay Big
Review your entire calendar for the year. How can you
combine events and weeks to maximize sales impact and minimize costs? For
example, if you’re going to print brochures, can you combine your trade show
flyer on the same print run? When you’re paying big bucks to an art director
and package designer, can you recycle the graphics for other marketing events?
If you’re cutting a radio ad, can you include a few more minutes of voice work
for your audio cassette program? Can you include your latest media
release with the brochure you’re sending to prospects? Are you including
a product catalog with your annual report? Your shareholders are on your
marketing mailing list, aren’t they?
Compare your event timing with other events that you don’t
have control over. Timing can make the difference between a success and
failure. For example, educational seminars are best attended on Tuesdays
and Thursdays, yet will suffer if Zig Ziglar’s motivational stadium event is in
town that day. Never advertise on radio and TV competing with Super Bowl
Sunday and the Worlds Series. The April 15th tax deadline has
impact on consumers’ buying attitudes. July and August are the
lowest-response months for business-to-business direct mail offers.
Schedule marketing events to arrive when your buyers make decisions or when
there are natural life transitions, such as New Year, or when school
starts. Consider the impact and opportunities of all the holidays,
whether you observe them personally, or not.
Look for synergistic opportunities, combining marketing
events with normal maintenance activities. For example, when you reprint
your letterhead and business cards, include your world wide web address.
Put your WWW address on every envelope
mailed. People will keep the envelope and refer to the web address next
time they’re net surfing. Consider inviting your entire staff when
planning training events. Invite your support staff to your sales
training event.
Testing, Tracking, and Reporting
Invest 15 minutes a week reviewing your entire annual
plan. Look for new marketing opportunities and synergistic events.
Review the results of the completed events. What’s working, what’s not?
Are you getting the return you expected? Why? What could you change now – on
the fly – to get better results? What projects have slipped that change the
marketing calendar timing? Has anything changed in the approval process.
This 15 minutes is the most profitable meeting you’ll attend.
Then take five minutes more and write a paragraph or two on
the status and results of your critical marketing events. E-mail that to
your colleagues and bosses. (If you have to print out, copy, and
distribute a memo, one of your first marketing events is to get your company on
e-mail. According to an Inc. magazine survey, 91% of small
businesses have and use e-mail.) Keep an archive of these reports for your salary
and performance review and to impress and update new bosses.
Invest 15 minutes a day to review your weekly and daily
marketing plan. On a scale of one to ten, rank the progress and outcome
of your events. You can then quickly decide which programs need more time
and resources, and which to cut, minimizing your losses. Do this and
you’ll have much better control of your marketing events and budget.
Patience!
Successful marketing is a combination of planning, patience,
and persistence. Your marketing calendar helps you with each of these key
success factors. Start your calendar today, and watch your profits and
your career skyrocket.
Brainstorm Your Telepresence Events
Here’s a list of ideas to get you brainstorming telepresence
events that increase your profits. Here’s the secret: find out how your
customers get important information, and formulate your offers to reach them
that way. If they read magazines, place PR or write articles for the
magazines they read. If they commute by car, create an audio tape that
they can listen to on the way to work. If you can reach them by
telephone, create a teleselling blitz.
Telepresence events:
PR and media releases when it’s about you
Telephone effectiveness training of you and your staff
Telemarketing blitz touching as many customers as you can
Educational event at industry trade show to share your
message with many at the same time.
Attend your customer’s industry trade show to find more
customers just like them.
World wide web page for twenty-four hour
accessibility. Update regularly to keep them coming back
On-line news group participation. The secret here is
you can include a small “signature line” at the bottom of your posting.
Netiquette dictates no more than 3 lines of commercial message.
Articles placed in newspapers newsletters and trade
magazines to establish your expertise.
Article reprints that customers find valuable.
Advertising specialties as gifts or special offers to remind
them of you every time they us it.
Software programs and screen savers that are in their face.
Public educational seminars. The invitations and the
seminar materials keep your telepresence active.
Educational booklets and pamphlets, especially when they
pertain to doing the job easier or better.
E-mail newsletters
Faxed “flash bulletins”
Printed newsletters
Audiocassette programs
Video tape brochures
Newspaper and magazine columns
Billing inserts
Postcard decks
Yellow pages ads
Send small gifts to customers at “random” intervals
Radio talk shows
On-line chat sessions
Radio and TV advertising
Post card reminders and offers
Free samples
Frequent buyer club
Product of the month club
Customer service training
Inviting vendors to your company picnic
Sales training
Referral program
Refurbishing your store and office
Customer feedback program
Competitive analysis
Rewrite your sales letters
{/slide}
{slide=Chapter 25: Staying in Front of the Customer}
Chapter 25: Staying in Front of the Customer
Fork Over New Customers
One of our clients, Computers America, a distributor of PCs,
peripherals and supplies in
sales letters, a rep’s business card speared on the tines. The attached
note said, “We’re hungry for your business. I’d like to buy you
lunch. Call and we’ll schedule it at your convenience. Bring the
fork, and I’ll pay the tab.” They had an overwhelming 85% response.
Using Advertising Specialties
Guerrillas use advertising specialties imprinted with your
company name, logo and phone number to keep their names unobtrusively visible
for months, even years. Any advertising specialty item should reflect the
quality of your product and the good reputation of your firm. You
don’t want your logo on a cheap pen that doesn’t write.
title="">[1]
It should be something that your customer will not throw
away. There is a subconscious discounting of who you are when they throw
away something you’ve given them. It should be something genuinely useful,
and it should be kept in a place where the prospect will refer to it when they
have need your product.
title="">[2]
A good example is the Domino’s Pizza refrigerator magnet. You come home,
find nothing in the fridge, call Domino’s delivery. If you can’t position
your give-away effectively, don’t use it.
The best premiums are those that help your customer get
their job done faster or better. They have a high perceived value, and
cost you very little to reproduce. Information premiums have the
highest perceived value and the lowest relative cost. Examples are
reprints of articles, special reports, audio and video tapes, computer
software, and books. Such premiums self-select your prime
prospects, because they are of little use to the general public.
An effective Guerrilla premium is a laminated wallet card
covered with valuable reference information that your customers use
regularly. For example, a Century 21 office in
gives out a three-fold city street guide that doubles as their business
card. Spectranetics, a company who builds lasers for clearing arterial
blockages, created a plastic wallet card summarizing the recommended treatment
options for various patient conditions. The cardiologist can discretely
review the technical details of the procedure before scrubbing up. A
welding equipment distributor gives out wallet cards with recommended amperage
settings for welding a variety of alloys.
The next best premium is,
something that a customer wants
or helps them do a better job
but they wouldn’t necessarily buy for themselves
or their organization wouldn’t buy it for them,
and is specialized enough to self-qualify them as a potential buyer.
Specialized tools make excellent premiums. For
example, a dive table card for scuba enthusiasts, or a plastic slide rule for
landscapers used to calculate application rates for fertilizer. Another
example is a wine selection book for a meeting planner, or a keyboard-mounted
calculator for a computer programmer.
You can also use a controlled give-away to attract and
pre-qualify inbound calls. Some of the most desirable give-aways are
apparel items like T-shirts, hats, and sunglasses. Ask the prospect to
complete a survey, or ask them listen to a presentation to qualify for the
prize.
Send prospects imprinted office essentials. Your
telepresence is felt every time your prospect uses the item.
An overwhelming 98.3 percent of respondents ranked usefulness
over quality (71.8 percent), attractiveness (61.5 percent), tastefulness (59.8
percent), convenience (45.5 percent) and uniqueness (43.7 percent)
title="">[3].
Guerrillas know that gifts need not be expensive to have a
big impact. They’ll use:
A list with major cities and area codes on one side and a list of area
codes with corresponding cities on the other side
A pocket currency converter
Business card or Rolodex® card files
Customized sales tax tables
Luggage tags
Memo boards
Multi-year calendars
Organizing accessories
Page markers for their day planner, technical, or sales manuals
Rulers
Time zone calculator
Tip charts
Candy Jar
James Alexander, a sales representative for CompuCentre in
uses jelly beans as his secret selling weapon. He gives his corporate
computer customers a covered glass jelly-bean jar, imprinted with his store’s
blue logo.
The jar sits on the receptionist’s desk, advertising
CompuCentre to every visitor who enters. Now he has a regular excuse to
call: he has to re-supply the jelly-bean jar. While he’s there, he makes
a list of each employee’s preferred flavors, so he can keep their favorites in
stock.
He also checks the status of the computer equipment,
visiting with each of the operators and clerical staff. This way, he is
able to find out about technical problems, software bugs, and future needs well
before the competition has been invited in to bid.
What Time is It?
A person looks at a timepiece at least 75 times a day.
That’s 27,000 times a year. Give your customers a clock or a watch to imbed
your company logo into their subconscious.
title="">[4]
Buy Them a Snack
One Guerrilla sends his marketing materials in a box along
with a drink and a healthy snack. The note inside says, “Take a break on
me! All you’ll need is five minutes to see how we can help your staff fell
better and be more productive!”
A speaker colleague of ours includes a bag of microwave
popcorn with her demo video.
Postcards While On Vacation
People love to get picture postcards from interesting
places. Take your customer and prospect list with you, and on the first
day of vacation, send key people a post card. When you get home, you’ll
find your customers have thumb-tacked your postcard to their bulletin
board. You get lot’s of telepresence.
Note pads
Our colleague, Bob Berg
title="">[5],
suggests printing up note pads with your picture, address and phone number on
the top quarter of the page, and sending to your customers and prospects every
month. Practically everyone uses note pads, and when people constantly
see your picture, you become familiar to them. You want them to think of
you, and only you when ever anything concerning your business comes up.
Send a Series
On Monday, the prospect found on his desk a plain white
envelope with his name written on the outside in neat script. It
contained an ordinary playing card; the ten of hearts. Tuesday, another
envelope appeared on his desk, this time containing a Jack of Hearts.
Wednesday, another envelope and the Ace of Hearts, and on Thursday, the
King.
Friday morning, the receptionist calls. “Excuse me
sir, there is a woman here to see you. She identifies herself only as the
“Queen of Hearts.”
“Send her in.”
Bill Stuffers
Guerrillas view sending invoices as a golden opportunity to
stay in touch with their best prospects—people who have already bought.
If you send out a one-page invoice, you’ve got room for
three more pages. Add a newsletter. Or slide in a page of your
favorite jokes. It somehow lessens the bite of the bill. Insert a
coupon along with the invoice. Invite them to trade in or trade up.
title="">[1]
Our favorite dealer is David Blaise at Design House International,
1-800-344-2010.
title="">[2]
For a free database search of over 100,000 ad specialty items that may work for
your business, call Design House International at 800-344-2010.
title="">[3]
The survey published in Target Marketing magazine, was sponsored by Promotional
Products Association International, in conjunction with Southern Methodist
University and
It surveyed 1,500 small business owners, marketing executives and purchase
agents.
title="">[4]
For more information call Top-USA Corporation,
title="">[5]
Berg, Bob, Endless Referrals, McGraw-Hill:
York
{/slide}
{slide=Chapter 26: Make Your Sales Letters Sizzle}
avoid;mso-outline-level:1′> Chapter 26: Make Your Sales Letters Sizzle
Powerful new word processors and database management software
make it easy to generate mass mailings. Here’s some simple rules for
keeping your next sales letter out of the round file:
(editor: arrange remaining text in this section around the
following letter with arrows pointing to appropriate features of the letter.)
Keep sentences short and easy to read, nine to eleven
words. Use clear, simple vocabulary, not because readers are simple, but
because they’re lazy.
Keep paragraphs short as well, three or four
sentences. Cut out everything extra. Make every word work like a
galley slave. Keep it all on one page.
Open with a “thank you,” an example, or a statement with
which everyone can agree. The tone should be light, friendly, and
informal.
Put your second most important idea in the first
paragraph. Put the least important idea in the second paragraph.
Close with the most important idea.
For emphasis, use bold or italics or underline,
but never combine them.
Concentrate on benefits, not features. And don’t try
to tell the whole story. Just generate a response.
The most powerful four letter word you can use. [ed:
free]
Use the merge function to include a personalizing comment or
item. A geographical reference using the city field accomplishes this
easily.
Close by asking for some direct action; call, write, or
expect to hear from us soon.
Indent paragraphs, and tab the closing to the right.
Even though the P.S. is at the bottom, it’s the FIRST
thing people read. Put your hook or premium offer here in a single
sentence.
Include a deadline, or offer a reward for prompt action.
People are 7 times as likely to respond if the call is
toll-free.
GROUPinc
Unconventional Weapons and Tactics for Your Business
[date]
[first] [last]
[title]
[company]
[address1]
[address2]
[city], [st] [zip]
Dear [first],
Getting into
business is easy. Staying profitable is tough, especially in these tough
times. Your members need all the help they can get. They depend on
you to bring creative, quality programming to [city].
That’s why we
created “The Guerrilla Selling Seminar.” It will show your members how to use unconventional
weapons and tactics to increase their sales. It’s based on the
best-selling book, presented by the author, and customized for your
audience.
For a convention keynote, half-day
work session, or full-day special event, this program is a sure hit. It’s
ideas and techniques will help your members survive and succeed. The
Wichita Chamber of Commerce just raised over $10,000 with “The Guerrilla
Selling Seminar.” Our proven marketing program reduces your risk.
Let us show you how. Call 1-800-247-9145 for a free information packet,
and put the recession in retreat.
Sincerely,
Orvel Ray Wilson
P.S. Respond before September 1 and take advantage of
reduced speaker fees available only to non-profit organizations.
src="tab_files/image001.gif"
alt="Text Box: THE GUERRILLA GROUPinc
Unconventional Weapons and Tactics for Your Business
[date]
[first] [last]
[title]
[company]
[address1]
[address2]
[city], [st] [zip]
Dear [first],
Getting into business is easy. Staying profitable is tough, especially in these tough times. Your members need all the help they can get. They depend on you to bring creative, quality programming to [city].
That’s why we created “The Guerrilla Selling Seminar.” It will show your members how to use unconventional weapons and tactics to increase their sales. It’s based on the best-selling book, presented by the author, and customized for your audience.
For a convention keynote, half-day work session, or full-day special event, this program is a sure hit. It’s ideas and techniques will help your members survive and succeed. The Wichita Chamber of Commerce just raised over $10,000 with “The Guerrilla Selling Seminar.” Our proven marketing program reduces your risk. Let us show you how. Call 1-800-247-9145 for a free information packet, and put the recession in retreat.
Sincerely,
Orvel Ray Wilson
P.S. Respond before September 1 and take advantage of reduced speaker fees available only to non-profit organizations.
"
u5:shapes="_x0000_s1033"> Your
Sales Letter
Have your troops poised for a quick after-call attack by having
literature packages pre-assembled and sales letters pre-written, preferably by
a professional direct-mail copy writer.
title="">[1]
Since your letter is the next sales contact you’ll make, it needs to work hard,
moving your prospective customer to make the next step. You’ll be better
off when you pay your copywriter and printer more than you pay the post
office. Take a close look at your investment in the sales
collateral. It’s key to completing the sales process you started with
your call. You’ll probably spend thousands on literature, printing,
postage, and assembly, so invest in help from a specialist. Ideally, your
after-call letter should be personalized, at least with the person’s name, and,
better yet, a reminder of what the prospect was interested in and why.
There are four types of letters you can send to your
prospect: a form letter, a personalized letter, a customized letter, and an
individually written letter.
Form letters open with, “Dear Friend” or some such bland and
impersonal greeting. Most of the time they are printed on company
letterhead, although sometimes you see photocopies on cheap paper.
Personalized letters have the recipient’s name in the
greeting. This is the minimum acceptable letter that we recommend for
Guerrillas. Personalization is well worth the extra expense, and it gives
an image that your company is one with the personal touch. You can do a
mail merge with a laser printer, creating personalized letters very
inexpensively.
If you have the database to handle it, customize the
letters. Customized letters are assembled from pre-written sentences and
paragraphs that are selected depending on the information you gathered on the
phone. This is a very effective way to have high impact, but it requires
a well-designed database, and a skilled letter writer.
Individually written letters should go to hottest prospects
and VIPs. Take the time to write or dictate a letter to these
people. Have the letter remind them of what you discussed the commitments
they made on the phone.
“Say a computer store wants to sell software, hardware, and
Internet hookups,” says Dan Kennedy .
“Why not target people with kids, offering a free report entitled ‘How to get
your kid into the college of his and your choice’? Let’s say 18 of the 101 tips
involve the use of the computer. At the end of the report, put in another
offer: ‘Come in to our education fair from March 22 to 24. All of tips 50
to 68 will be on display, with free Internet access and instructors available.’
Have a discount offer that day for software or hardware, and give away a demo
of ‘The 5 Greatest Educational Tools for Your Computer.’ These are measures
that offer value, cost little, and generate goodwill and sales.”
title="">[1] Call
David Garfinkle at Overnight Marketing (415-564-4475).
Guerrilla
TeleSelling Home |
Chapter |
Chapter
© MMVIII THE
GUERRILLA GROUP, inc. |
Ray Wilson, CSP | All Rights Reserved | Order your copy of
target="_blank">Guerrilla TeleSelling today
{/slide}
{slide=Chapter 27: Just the Fax}
Chapter 27: Just the Fax
A fax machine is important to your telepresence because you
get real time delivery. Your prospect gets the information the instant
you send it. Your sales materials are in the hands of the decision-maker
while you are still on their mind, not a few days later after other things have
become more important.
What to fax
Many companies use a faxable brochure to make sure there is
a match before proceeding with an expensive literature package or
proposal.
Companies now offer instant information about their services
and products with fax on demand. You dial up their computer (often with a
toll-free number), follow the voice prompts, select what information you want,
and instantly receive the information on your fax machine. This concept
and technology can be extended to provide valuable information charged to a
credit card or billed with a 900 number.
Some companies now offer axed information bulletins. Usually
on a subscription basis, these services range from daily investing tips to
industry specific news to late breaking events to monthly newsletters. As
postal rates increase and faster delivery time is needed, faxed communication
is becoming a widespread distribution method. It costs less to send 1 or
2 sheets with a fax than to mail them through the post office. A fax up
to 117 pages actually costs less than overnight delivery (based on phone
charges of $0.17 /minute, average 45 seconds per page, versus a $15.00
overnight service fee). By sending documents at night and on weekends
when phone rates are lowest, you can save even more.
Design Considerations
When designing your letterhead, logo, or faxable brochure,
keep in mind that a major portion of your communication with clients will be
via a fax. Here are a few things you should consider.
Use type sizes larger than 9 points. In the 200 by 200
dpi world of faxes, this is the legible minimum.
Select fonts that have a large “X-height,” that is, the size
of the lower case “x”. This will keep your faxes as legible as
possible. The font Lucida Fax, available from Microsoft and Adobe, is
tailored specifically for clear faxing.
Line drawings work best when faxing. If you must
include a photograph, create a halftone with a screen density that will
reproduce well on a fax. Have your printer make a fairly coarse halftone
screen of 85 dots per inch. Since a normal fax transmits at 98 dots per
inch, an 85 dot per inch photograph will send with a minimum of problems.
Halftone photos take time to send over a fax.
Send your faxes in the FINE mode. This doubles the dot
density and creates an output that is better than many dot matrix
printers. It takes from 20-50% longer to transmit the fax, but since the
fax is your image, it is worth the extra time and expense.
Borders and other black space take extra time to send.
To minimize phone costs, avoid using screens or shading, as this takes the
longest of any graphic to transmit.
Test before you finalize your design. Send your pieces
in both FINE and STANDARD mode and make sure you are satisfied with the
results. It’s your image quality!
Unsolicited Fax (Don’t Do It)
The Telephone Consumer Fraud Protection Act
title="">[1]
specifically bans the transmission of unsolicited advertisements to telephone
facsimile machines. If, however, the caller has an established business
relationship with the intended recipient, then expressed prior consent is
assumed until a "do not fax" request is received.
By law, each fax transmission must have either a header or
footer that clearly states the caller’s name, telephone number and the date and
time of transmission. All fax machines manufactured after
print this information on either the first page or, preferably, every page of
the transmission. Again, the company or person on whose behalf the fax
has been sent is ultimately responsible for compliance.
Broadcast Fax
Computer software like WinFax Pro and ACT! allow you to
transmit the same document to hundreds, or even thousands of recipients, right
from your own computer modem. Internet providers including Compuserve
offer services that do the same thing. You upload your document and your
list and they do the rest. This tactic is very powerful, but can only
legally be used only with existing customers.
Fax-On-Request
Always include in your sales literature a number that
customers can call to request information by fax. Add a tag to your voice
mail, explaining that “If you leave us your fax number, the information you
need will be faxed to you as soon as possible.”
Fax-On-Demand
Software is available that allows you to configure an old computer
to function as a Fax-On-Demand terminal. Equipped with a hard disk and
modem/fax board, the system answers the phone and an outbound recording
explains the directions to the user. The caller can request documents
from a list by pressing the buttons on their touch-tone phone. When they
hang up, the computer dials their fax number and delivers the requested
documents, all automatically.
Many direct mail and catalog companies are saving money by
including a spoiler on the corner of the catalog page that says, “For more
information about this product, dial our fax-on-demand and request #243.”
title="">[1]
Copies of the complete Telephone Consumer Protection Act and the FCC’s Report
and Order in CC Docket No. 92-90, released on 10-16-92, are available from ATA
Headquarters at: 4605 Lankershim Boulevard, Suite 824, North Hollywood, CA
91602-1891 or call us at 818-766-53-24 or 800-441-3335. Their 24-hour fax
line is 818-766-8168.
Guerrilla
TeleSelling Home |
Chapter |
Chapter
{/slide}
{slide=Chapter 28: Creating Effective Newsletters}
Chapter 28: Creating Effective Newsletters
Guerrillas use newsletters to stay in contact with their
prospects and customers. They use them to position themselves as a
professional colleague, as an important resource and for generating increased
sales. Guerillas also use them to enhance their professional image within
a particular industry by serving readers with “How to…” articles tailored for
that industry.
Develop Your Own Style
For a newsletter with impact, create a unique editorial and
layout and stick with it. The year-to-year consistency of your newsletter
builds credibility with prospects and customers. It also is convenient
when readers know what to expect.
Advertising
If you accept advertising in your newsletter, keep it
minimal. Guerrillas know the impact is greatest when the letter is full
of news your customers can use. The exception is when Guerrillas run an
ad for their best customer’s products and services, at no cost. The best
way to say “thank you for your business” is to give your customers more
business.
Three quarters of your newsletter should feature How to…
articles or information about the industry that’s important to your readers, or
better yet, articles about your customers. The remaining twenty five
percent of the content should focus on your business, new product
introductions, meetings, events, and things you’re proud of.
Newsletter articles can often be written by calling your
customers. Just say, “I’d love to feature you in our newsletter. Do
you think you could write 300 words about how you’ve been successful using our
products? Oh, and by the way, if you have a photo, we can use that, too.”
Reward them by creating a tear sheet of the article that they can use
for their own PR.
Build a file of articles you can use. Do book reviews
on new titles that would be of interest to your customers. Amazon.com, the
world’s largest on-line bookstore, provides a free service called Eyes, that
will let you build a list of key words; any time a new book is published
containing those words, you will automatically be sent a notification by
e-mail.
title="">[1]
Photos
Spice up your letter with photographs and artwork.
Limit the “Grip and Grin” photos of people shaking hands, receiving
awards. Most customers don’t care. Save it for your internal
newsletter. Guerrillas use clip art carefully. Choose clip art
that’s unique and reflects the quality and identity of your company. You
can find artists at your local college who will draw custom cartoons for you
for a few dollars. Customers love checklists and directories of
resources.
Convenient
Position important information where it’s convenient for
your reader. Always include phone numbers, web site, and e-mail
addresses. Include a distribution checklist so your customers can route
the newsletter to others. Three hole punch your newsletter to encourage
them to file it after reading, or save money by simply printing black dots
where the holes normally go, and your customers will punch it themselves.
Layout
When it comes to layout, Guerrillas often do it
themselves. Templates included in programs like Microsoft Publisher
PageMaker®, AmiPro
your authors write to a word count specification, often 900 words per typeset
page, and use the type tracking adjustment to get articles to fill the pages
neatly.
Have at least three people proofread your work. Ask
them to check for grammar, spelling, and the correct listing of peoples’ names
and professional designations. Double check dates and times. Ensure
accuracy by call all phone numbers listed. But don’t let your
proofreaders rewrite it!
Printing
Save money on color printing by creating a one-color shell
of standing information and masthead. Then print enough to last for the
year, and drop in the monthly news items with black ink. If you have
limited numbers you can use a quick copy shop such as Kinko’s.
When using copier technology to print your newsletter,
screen photos to eighty-five lines. This density will give you the best
resolution possible on a copier. You can do this with your laser printer
for scanned photos, or your print shop can do it for you.
Some of the more sophisticated systems, like Docutec, can
even print the addresses on your newsletter as they’re being run, saving you
time and money when doing short-run newsletters.
How should you mail?
Guerrillas often choose to send their newsletter as a
self-mailer, folded over to 8 ½ by 5 ½, and sealed closed with a small sticker
or bit of tape. While an envelope provides some protection, it also adds
weight and expense. A self-mailing newsletter arrives ready to
read. Keep in mind that international mailings must be placed inside an
envelope.
Guerrillas mail first class for surest delivery even
though it’s more expensive. You want to let your customers know that
they’re first class. Some companies just toss bulk mail at the mail
room. Wherever possible, use real stamps to get noticed. On larger
mailings, you may opt for an indicia (like you see on most bulk rate
mail. You can use indicia for first class, too, to save all that licking
and sticking.) The one benefit of indicia is that your newsletter won’t
go through the canceling equipment, so it may arrive in better shape.
Who to mail to?
Send your letter to customers, prospects, and important
people you want to know about you, such as your senator, congress members, and
editors of trade journals.
How often?
Produce your newsletter at least quarterly. Anything
less than that and you loose continuity. You want to establish your
newsletter as a routine part of your customer’s lives.
title="">[2]
title="">[1]
Check it out by pointing your browser to http://www.amazon.com.
{/slide}
{slide=Chapter 29: Become an Author, and an Authority}
Chapter 29: Become an Author, and an Authority
Become a recognized expert in your business world.
By becoming an author, you’re automatically recognized as an authority.
Whether you’re a banker, salesperson, contractor, retailer, doctor, lawyer, or
masseuse, being recognized as an expert in your field creates an identity and
telepresence you cannot buy with advertising, billboards, radio or TV
commercials.
When you’re the recognized expert, the press calls on you
when they need information and options — and prints your ideas. When
you’re the recognized expert, publishing companies want to print your
book. When you’re the recognized expert, people are willing to pay for
your advice, knowledge, goods, and services. And it really doesn’t matter
what you charge.
So, how do you become viewed as the recognized expert? If
you’re an expert in your field already, it’s a matter of letting your market
know about your expertise. One of the fastest ways to be proclaimed an
expert is to make it easy for the media to call you an expert. Consider
listing yourself in one of the Who’s Who directories, such as the Yearbook
of Experts Authorities and Spokespersons
title="">[1].
Write for Trade Magazines
Getting published in a trade journal is one of the most
powerful ways to create telepresence. You position yourself as an expert
and establish credibility that will be tough for your competition to
match. Your name and ideas get distributed to thousands of potential
clients and customers. Authorship establishes you as an authority in your
field, and it build name recognition in the minds of your prospects.
On Assignment
Next time you call a customer, ask them, “What’s your
favorite trade journal?” Get a copy from the library, look up the number
on the masthead, and call the managing editor. This is the person
responsible for getting the magazine out on time. Tell them, “I’m writing
a round-up article on the future of our industry. (A
round-up article consists of interviews of key industry leaders with their
thoughts presented in a contrast-and-comparison format. Guerrillas write
about the future, since it’s always news.) Would you be interested in
publishing it?” They’ll readily agree, since they’re always dying for
good material. Now you have an assignment.
Call top officers that you want to get to know. Say,
“I’m writing an article on assignment for (trade journal) on the future
of our industry. When may I have five or ten minutes to ask you a few
questions?” They almost always grant an interview, since they always want
the free PR.
Ask permission to tape record the conversation for
transcription. Ask questions like, “What do you think is the biggest
challenge to the future success of our industry? What should the industry
be doing now to eliminate those barriers? What do you think the industry
will be like in 10 years?” Cut and paste together the interviews, writing
introductory and closing phrases and transitions. This takes only a
couple of hours. Ask the subject of your interview to send you a
black-and-white glossy photo of them for inclusion, if possible.
Include your photo and a small caption with the
by-line, “For more information, call to receive a free copy of our recommended
list for…” and include a toll-free number and e-mail address.
Oh, yes, it will get published. You interviewed the
people who the editors want quoted in their journal. Send a copy of the
final printed article to the people you interviewed with their words
highlighted. Enclose a note thanking them for making your article so
powerful.
When working with editors, always insist on a written agreement,
that spells out what rights you are granting, even if you are not being paid
for the article. Most publications automatically take all rights,
so unless you spell out what rights you’re granting, you loose control of your
intellectual property. Grant only the rights necessary for the
publication to run the article, but it is essential that you reserve all
other rights. If the article is appearing for the first time, you
can grant the publisher “First Rights.” If the material has been
published previously, you are granting “Reprint Rights only, one-time
use.” You may want to publish the material again in another journal,
magazine, booklet, or include it in a book. You may also want to develop
audio or video tapes, CD-ROM, DVD or other
materials that would involve “Electronic” rights. You may want to publish
in other languages. A client of ours in
ran several articles in a Romanian magazine, so we granted “Romanian language
reprint rights only, one-time use,” In any case, if you have inadvertently
given up your rights to the material, it will create complications later on.
Send copies of the article to prospects and customers to
create an impressive telepresence.
Write a booklet
Newspaper, magazine, and newsletter publishers have to
fill the pages of every issue with material that serves their readers.
All you have to do is make it easy for them to do their job, and they’ll gladly
call you an expert. The easiest way to help them is publish an informational
booklet that they can draw on for material.
During your most creative time of the day, grab a cup of
coffee and sit down with a piece of paper and pencil. Brainstorm ideas
that people need to know in your field of expertise. Jot down the simple
and the sublime, the obvious and the esoteric. Use reverses — do this,
don’t do that. Apply ideas from other disciplines to your area of
expertise. Write things down that people haven’t thought of as well as
the stuff everybody knows. Write down at least 50 ideas: 100 ideas would
be even better.
Next day, review your list and put a check mark by 20 to
50 of these ideas that no one else is really talking about or that are critical
to the success of your profession or your customers. Then every day, two
or three times a day, write just two paragraphs on each of these topics.
Don’t cover them in depth, say just enough get things going. If you have
short examples, use them.
After two or three weeks, you’ll accumulate several
paragraphs on lots of topics that editors can use for filler, and readers will
pay to read. You’ll have a short publication that is a wealth of
information. Add this copyright notice to the title page: “Copyright
(current year) your name. All rights reserved. Permission to
reprint quotes and excerpts is given and encouraged. Please include the
following credit line: Reprinted from Your Title, your name, your
toll-free telephone number.” Take this to a printer, typeset, create a cover,
and price it at $9.95. Print a thousand.
Look for newspapers, customer newsletters, trade journals
and other publications to send it to. Don’t limit your list to your
current markets. You’ll be surprised at the industries that need what you
have to offer. Look at the magazines that cross your desk. Look at Newsletters
in Print found in the reference section of your public library. This
guide includes contact information for small newsletters listed by
interest. Look at other publication directories such as the Standard Rate
and Data Service (SRDS) Directory.
Review the Gale Encyclopedia of Associations for trade and
association newsletters.
Mail your publication to the Managing Editors, along with
a cover letter that points out how this information is important to their
readers, that they can reprint it with the credit line, and offer to write a
custom article for their readers. Consider including a testimonial letter
from a satisfied client. Consistently mail to publications, sending out a
few each day.
Expect the phone to ring with orders from readers wanting
to order the booklet, and expect checks to arrive in the mail for your
publication. Send out your publication promptly with an offer for other
products and services. These orders will lead to future business.
Expect editors to contact you to write more. Now
you’re on your way to becoming an industry expert. Then clients will call
you to buy what you sell.
title="">[1]
Published by Broadcast Interview Source. You can find them at
http://www.yearbook.com, or call 1-800-YEARBOOK.
{/slide}
{slide=Chapter 30: Electronic Brochures}
Chapter 30: Electronic Brochures
The average home in
contains three TV’s, and over 90% of homes have at least one VCR .
Cassette players are pervasive, in cars, and on the belts of Sunday
joggers. Putting your message in electronic form makes it easier for you
to get your message to a mass audience.
Audio Brochures
If your customer drives to work or exercises regularly, it’s
good odds they’re listening to a cassette tape or compact disk.
Guerrillas create audio brochures that sell for them 24 hours a day, whenever
the prospect wishes to listen. Tell your customer how to use the
tape. Hand them your audio program and say, “Just slip in this program
while working around the house, out exercising, or driving on your next errand
to learn how you can. . .”
Why create audio brochures?
Guerrillas create audio brochures to tell their compelling
story so prospects will buy. Audio brochures never have a bad day; they
deliver a well-rehearsed, high-quality sales presentation every time. Or
use audio brochures to educate your customers on how to buy and use what you
sell. Guerrillas know that the most dangerous thing to their competitors
is an educated customer.
Or create short audio business cards that introduce you and
your company. Use them for product updates, or as an easy-to-use audio
newsletter. Some companies find that audio user’s manuals work well for
them.
You can also use audio to bring other people and their
message to your customers. Record testimonials over the telephone, or
when a customer comes into your location. Or you can read excerpts of fan
mail. Interview other experts, bringing their advice and insight to your
prospects and customers.
title="">[1]
Create audio bonus products to give your customers more
value. Include tips and tactics for using what you sell. Perhaps
you could create a recording of the history of the company, or the story of the
development of your unique technology.
What should they be like?
The most common format is an audiocassette. You can
duplicate forty-five-minute cassette tapes in low quantities for less than two
dollars each. Prices drop to one quarter of that in runs of
thousands.
Compact disks are installed in over half of the new cars
sold. When you make your master tape, ask the engineer to ensure that
it’s CD ready. CDs can be made for about $10 dollars each in small
quantities, one tenth that in thousands. The biggest issue with CDs and
spoken voice recording is restart cueing. With a cassette, when you
resume your listening, the tape picks up right where you left off. Not so
with a CD. The CD starts at the beginning every time. Some CD
players have a resume cueing feature that solves this problem.
A Nightengale-Conant survey found that the average drive
time in
was 22 minutes, so they started the now-common practice of making training
tapes 22 minutes in length on each side. Use whatever length makes sense
for your message, but always make side two slightly shorter than side one.
Select a title that promises ideas and information that your
customers want. Such as a banker who offers, “Increase Your Cash Flow in
One Week”, or a chiropractor who features, “Relieve Your Back Pain Now!,” or
the apartment leasing company that offers, “Tips and Ideas for Living Well.”
How To Write and Record Them
Here’s five ways you can get your audio brochure recorded:
Radio Talk Show
The fastest and easiest way to create an audio
program is in a radio-talk-show format. With this format, you can have
your first audio tape program in just 60 minutes. Stage a radio show
using a colleague as the host and you or another expert as the guest. Or
you can play the host and interview special guests. If a radio station
interviews you, take along a blank, high-quality cassette to the studio and ask
them to record the broadcast. Use C-90 cassettes, (45 minutes per side)
and flip them on the half-hour, during the station break (leaving ample margin
for error.) Have your duplicator edit out the commercials.
Write your own list of interview questions ahead of
time. This will make the show go more smoothly and help you deliver
value. Think, “If someone were paying me $1,000 an hour to pick my brain,
what questions should they ask?” Plan three minutes per question.
So if you want a one-hour program, come up with a list of 20 questions.
Be clear about your own agenda for the interview,
because some hosts will not ask the questions you’ve provided. Sidestep
these sidetracks with a transition and get back to the main points you want to
make.
You can record these types of programs at a local radio
station for a small fee.
If you’d like to interview experts who aren’t available
locally, you might do a phone interview. Most radio stations are equipped
with a
that automatically matches the levels of the inbound telephone line to the
microphones in the studio.
To achieve the highest possible quality, create a virtual
studio. Each party simultaneously records their own side of the telephone
conversation, and later the two tapes can be cut together by an engineer to
create the illusion of both parties being in the same studio. This works
best if both parties record on digital audio tape (DAT) or digital mini-disk.
Live Seminar
Record your performance at the next live seminar you present
on digital audio tape. You can also create a high-quality recording using
a hi-fi VCR . Use a hand-held
microphone, or attach a lavaliere mike. Have the tape transcribed
to produce an editing script. The audio engineer will use this script to
make the edits to remove the uhs, ums, and missed words. Find audio
editors by looking in the yellow pages under recording studios. Ask them
about their experience working with words-on-tape editing.
Read Script
Excellent results can be achieved by editing a
live-performance transcript into a studio script that you read from later in
the studio. This approach captures your natural speaking style, while
giving you control over the recording environment.
Plan on 125 words of script per finished recorded
minute. For best results, use a producer who understands spoken word
production
title="">[2].
Guerrillas always use a script so their thoughts are well organized and they
communicate clearly. You’ll get the best results when you record your
scripts in a professional recording studio.
Audio Play
The most complex audio project is to create a teleplay
script for multiple voices and characters, with music and sound effects.
Do this right by hiring an experienced producer and director.
License Them From Others
Another easy way to get audio programs is to license
existing programs from others. With minor recording and editing, you can
add an introduction, close, and your special message.
Add Music
Copyright laws prohibit using music without
permission. Yet if you really want to use the latest movie theme, you can
obtain a mechanical license and pay few cents royalty for every copy you
duplicate
title="">[3].
Or use copyright-paid music, sometimes referred to as “needle drop”
music. One fee, and you can use it all you wish.
title="">[4]
The Intro
The opening words of the tape must sell your customer on why
they should listen. Promise what you’ll deliver in the program.
Structure the program so that the first side is a little longer bit than the
second side, so your listener can conveniently flip over the tape to continue
listening. The flip-the-tape message resells why your customer should go
on with the next side. Start the second side with a little bit of music
to let the listener know they’re in the right place. When the voice
starts immediately, some listeners may think that they’ve missed something and
rewind the tape. At the close of the tape, sell the next step with a call
to action: what do you want them to do? Instead of repeating your phone
number on the tape, refer your listener to the cassette label for your contact
information. If your location or phone numbers change, it’s easy to
reprint the labels, but very expensive to remaster the recording.
How To Duplicate Them
If you have limited production requirements, you can buy a
dual-cassette deck and duplicate them one at a time. For numbers in the low
hundreds, take them to an audio duplication house. Your recording studio
can help with potential duplication vendors
title="">[5].
How To Package Them
You can obtain laser-printer ready
die-cut cassette labels (Avery #5587) at your office supply store and print
them yourself. On the tape label include contact information, such as
your toll free phone number, web address, and e-mail address. Protect
your recording with a copyright notice: (P) (ed:
put a circle-p phonogram symbol here) © (or Copyright) (the current year) Your
Name, All rights Reserved. The (P) (ed:
put a circle-p phonogram symbol here) protects the performance on the program,
the © protects the packaging.
Black lettering on a white label on a white cassette shell
creates a generic look that Guerrillas will want to avoid. Low-cost
options are: transparent cassette shells, colored cassette shells, solid color
die-cut label stock, or send plain cassette labels to your instant printer to
add a color background. In short runs it may be practical to print the
labels on a computer color printer.
For the outside packaging, there’s many options, including
black-and white or color J-cards, printed cardboard sleeves, and cardboard or
plastic clamshell boxes. Check with your tape duplication vendor for
suggestions. For greatest impact, coordinate your audio program packaging
with your other marketing materials.
Videotapes
“One of my client companies sells seals for industrial
pumps,” says Dan Kennedy . “The ordinary
seal has to be replaced every 30,000 pumps, taking four hours of
downtime. But this company’s seal lasts 300,000 pumps and takes only two
hours to replace. How would you sell it? The conventional approach
is to send out a rep to each factory with a bag of seals under one arm and a
box of doughnuts under the other. He’ll wait around for an hour waiting
to see someone. That uses up time, and it’s also bad positioning.”
Kennedy says that you’re in better position to close a sale
if you manage to get the customers who might need your product to come to you.
This is where the direct-response methods come in. “Suppose you send
every prospect a brochure that offers him a free video showing how to cut his
downtime in half when he’s servicing his pump. It’s closely related to
your business, but it’s not about your company or product.
“Once the guy responds and says, ‘I want to see the video,’
he doesn’t view you as a pump-parts salesman anymore. His defenses come
down, because he feels as if he’s in charge when he says, ‘I think you’re the
guy who can help me. Tell me how this works.’ Now you’re in a good
position to tell him about your longer-lasting seal. If you cold-marketed
the same prospect, your results would not be as good.”
With its free video offer, the client company more than
doubled its closing ratio per 100 prospects — from 3 to 7. That opens the
possibility of hiring more reps, who sell more and make more money.
Most households now have two VCRs, and most people
will pop in a short video tape for a quick look. Here are the secrets to
making a video brochure that works hard for you:
Professional Production
Hire a pro to write, script, and produce your tape.
Since your viewer will be comparing your tape to the last TV show they saw,
budget as much as you can for a solid production. You can create a
high-quality video tape for about the same price as it costs to design and
pre-press a large brochure or catalog.
Instead of spending money on high-priced special effects
that only impress once, Guerrillas pay for great writing. Go for a
program delivering an information-packed, powerful message that customers will
want to watch over and over.
Length
Best time length is eight minutes, or programs in
eight-minute blocks. This is the typical length of most TV show segments,
and viewers get restless after eight minutes. People are less likely to
record an episode of “
videotape.
Call the Number on the Label
Instead of reading your phone number in the voice-over,
making them scramble for a pencil, just say, “Call the number on the tape
label.” If your phone number changes, you don’t have to re-edit the
videotape.
Savvy Guerrillas print reference charts and graphs on the
tape face and tape box for extra value.
Make a Few Copies
With traditional print media, you have to print tens of
thousands of copies to get a good price. With video, you can run just a
handful of copies (like ten) and still get a reasonable price.
title="">[1]
We love to do this. Call us at 1-800-247-9145 to schedule an interview.
title="">[2]
If you want to do this yourself, read Judy Byers’ book, Words On Tape,
AudioCP Publishing:
1997. Call 1-800-582-9392.
title="">[3]
For information on obtaining a mechanical license for a particular piece of
music, call the Harry Fox Agency, Inc. 212 370-5330.
title="">[4]
We like The Music Bakery, 1-800-229-0313.
title="">[5]
We use Jackson Sound Products,
1-800-621-6773.
{/slide}
{slide=Chapter 31: Marketing Yourself Online}
Chapter 31: Marketing Yourself Online
The Internet is a VERY powerful way to maintain your telepresence
with customers. It is one of the fastest-growing arenas of electronic
commerce. Online services like America Online and CompuServe serve
millions of members, and enrollments are rapidly increasing. If you
haven’t joined the on-line community, you’re missing a tremendous
opportunity.
A common misconception is that you can place a few free
classified ads in web sites and sit back while droves of people worldwide
respond to your offer. Another ist that you can put up a web site
anywhere in cyberspace, and do nothing else while 60,000,000 Internet surfers
eagerly line up and buy from you.
Generating customers on the Internet is all about creating
exposure for your business. The more the better, because recognition
leads to sales. The internet is just one more weapon in the Guerrilla
marketer’s arsenal. On the internet, the cost of creating this exposure
is far less than traditional marketing vectors like as paid advertising or
direct mail.
Users of the Internet are supplied with a set of marketing
tools for doing business including e-mail, Web sites, Newsgroups, FTP, Web
classifieds, etc. But these are just that tools! You must use them to
generate business.
Succeeding on the Internet requires a commitment and a
guerrilla marketing plan revolving around as many of these tools as
possible. The more of these you utilize, the more exposure you will
create for your business.
Netiquette
The secret to using e-mail for on-line marketing is to
understand and abide by the unwritten rules of netiquette.
Keep your messages short and to the point. Internet
users do not want to sit scrolling through pages and pages of lengthy
sales letters. They want to open and read short messages so they
can get through more of them per hour.
Your ad or e-mail message should fill one screen, 10
or 12 lines at most. You want to arouse their interest, then re-direct
them to get more information. “If you want ( .. this or ..
that),.. Visit our web site at: (URL address). If you have questions,
e-mail me at: (e-mail address).” If they want more information about your
offer, they will contact you. If they want to visit your web site, they
will.
Keep your subject lines or “RE:” lines, simple and
believable. NEVER SET THEM IN ALL
CAPITALS, and !!!!!!!!Go Easy On The Exclamation Marks!!!!!!!! These flags mean
“delete me unread.” The Guerrilla tactic is to keep your headline
simple and intriguing. An effective subject line might read, “Three
things you should know,” or “How You Can Get A Free Web Page” or “Free Report:
‘18 Ways to Obtain Free Advertising.’” People often DO open and read these
messages, and they do respond.
Change the headline or subject line every time you
e-mail. Readers may delete your message if they think they’ve seen it before.
Every time you send an e-mail, or post a new message, use a different first
line, or headline.
When you offer something free, a free report, a free
booklet, or a free gift, make it no-strings unconditional. Make them
grateful, and curious enough to want to request more information. It
might make them come back and say “Thank you.” and “What else do you do?” or
“How many reports do you actually have?”
Try to be a helper or advisor. Offer to inform and
assist. People will remember you if you help. They’ll be grateful
and maybe they’ll give you a chance to tell them more. When you post
messages to Newsgroups, make your message useful and helpful. If you see
a subject line from someone who is seeking help or has a question, open, read and
respond to their message. Let them know you’re there to help. Give
them the info they need, or direct them to someone who can. Their
gratitude might show up later as an order.
A student had posted a message that said something like,
“Answer 30 questions..” I opened it and found she was working on a paper, on
Newsgroups. She listed her 30 questions and asked if I would take the
time to answer them and return them to her. I did it, and it was
fun. I e-mailed her my 30 answers. She e-mailed me back, said they were
the Best Answers she had received. Thanked me for them, said she showed
them to her husband, and he needed advice. I e-mailed him some free
information, one of my reports I think, with a list of my 67 Reports, and he
sent me an order.
Bulk E-mail Headers that Get Read
Begin by saying: “Sorry for Intruding,…” (then your 10 or 12
line message) Add a “Thanks for reading this” note, and a “Forgive me, if this
has reached you in error. (And) if you wish no more mailings, just hit
reply and say “remove!” Be friendly, be courteous, and do what others ask
of you. If they wish to be removed, remove them.
One of our e-mailings’ “subject lines” had “Forgive me,
but,…” & another had “Here’s Three Things,…” and another: “I’m
sorry,…” They got a
They made the reader curious enough to open the message and read “the 3
things…” or to find out WHY we were sorry,… or WHY they should forgive us.
We gave them a short two or three paragraphs, offered a Free
Report, if they had NOT seen it yet, and closed with a big Thank You.
Another thing we do is put Re: in front on my subject line, because it makes
people notice the message, makes them think we’re responding to THEIR
message. It often works, because most people answer an e-mail then delete
it. We tend to forget who we’ve e-mailed recently. In some of the
messages we send out, the subject line reads, “Re: Forgot to mention,…” or “Re:
In case you didn’t know…” But, be careful. It can backfire on you
and make some people mad.
Attach a File
You can also send an attachment “piggy back” with your
e-mail. The attached file could be a document, like a contract or
technical report; it could be a spreadsheet, containing return-on-investment
calculations or price comparisons; it could even be a picture, sound, or
PowerPoint slide show, complete with narration, that presents your
product. Many of the new generation of digital cameras allow you to shoot
a photograph, and instantly upload it to the Internet.
In most e-mail systems, it’s as easy as clicking on the
“Attach File” button before sending off your message.
Understand that people on the Net want information
quickly. They want as much as they can get, and they want it all FREE .
So, give them Free Stuff. Offer a Free Sample Report, or a Free Subscription
to your Newsletter, or “Free Web Site Locations” or “The Names of the BEST
Newsgroups,” or “How to list with Search Engines & a list of the BEST
ones,” or “Where to Post as many ads as you wish, FREE .”
(Those are all Reports that we have available. Any ONE
of them, is Free for the asking.
title="">[1])
So, offer some kind of Free Help, or a Free Sample, and a lot of people
will respond. Then, once you have their name, hang on to it, work it for
all you’re worth, and don’t let them go, even if they never send you an order.
Three Steps To Generating Business on The Internet
Any business (large or small) that wants to successfully generate
customers and sales on the Internet, must find solutions to the following three
“success” ingredients to succeed long term:
An Internet Plan
Develop a specific guerrilla marketing plan that
outlines how you will design your Web site to optimize sales, and how
you will promote your site to bring in visitors again and again.
More specifically, you must provide solutions to the
following questions:
How will you design your Web site so customers will order from you
on-line once they visit?
How will you attract visitors to your site?
How will you get visitors to come back and visit you again so you can
turn a customer into a residual income stream?
Will you offer on-line credit card orders, and if so, where and how will
you get this technology onto your Web site?
Are you capable of writing motivating sales copy for potential Internet
customers? Will you hire a copywriter to write your sales copy or will
you do this yourself?
How will you determine that your site is meeting expectations and what
can you do to improve the performance if it’s not?
Succeeding On-line
If you have a storefront, you establish credibility while
easily providing valuable information to visitors at no cost. Your web site
is your storefront in cyberspace. Customers need a place to browse where
they can get the information they need to make an informed decision.
Thus, you must determine where to place your site to
maximize your exposure for the least amount of cost, and decide who will create
and host your Web pages. Assign a designated web Guerrilla who
specializes in this field.
On-line Lead Generation
There are special places on the Internet such as Newsgroups,
Web sites, and forums, (many of which are free) that allow you to
post ads, press releases and other useful information about your
business. Visit as many of these sites as possible (at least once or
twice per month for several hours) and post classified ads, links to your Web
site, and/or press releases about your business.
With Newsgroups, you should post daily, but you must be
careful not to violate the rules of the group. One acceptable way is to
answer others questions, or make comments on someone’s post followed by your
“signature” at the end of your message. Your signature identifies who you
are and how people can contact you (such as e-mail address, Web address etc.)
should they have an interest in your business.
Another strategy is to get free “links” from related, non
competitive Web sites in exchange for a link on your site Find them by
doing searches at Yahoo!, Infoseek, and the other large search directories.
E-mail the webmaster and ask if they would be interested in reciprocal links.
By implementing these tactics, you will establish a monster
lead generation machine that continually feeds new customers and sales to your
business worldwide.
title="">[2]
title="">[1]
E-mail your request to postmaster@guerrillagroup.com.
title="">[2]
For information about effective Internet marketing solutions, visit
http://www.choicemall.com/successstyles
{/slide}
{slide=Chapter 32: Video Teleconferencing and Other Modern Miracles}
Chapter 32: Video Teleconferencing and Other Modern Miracles
Information is the currency of the next millennium.
Consider this: if your competition is increasing the quality of their
information while yours is deteriorating, the likely outcome is a downward
spiral. They’ll increasingly control your market. You’ll have a
smaller marketing budget next year. So today’s savvy marketer asks: “How
do I get the best quality information?” To stay ahead, your marketing kit
has to be chock full of information-gathering tools. And the best tool is
face-to-face, one-on-one conversation.
A recent Carnagie Mellon study reported that face-to-face
meetings transfer information four times faster than any other mix of
information exchange. You may have found face-to-face with a stranger
transfers more information than a phone conversation with a friend.
According to a survey done by Specific Diagnostic Studies,
adults process information three ways: 37% through feelings and actions, 34%
through what they hear, and 29% through what they see. Any sales
professional admits to selling the most when the prospect touches and handles
the merchandise. They’ll tell you the next best way to sell is with a
presentation, and the least effective way to sell is with a brochure (visual
only). Face-to-face meetings are incredibly powerful because they
capitalize on all three information-processing modes.
The reality today is that there are fewer people to do the
work and travel is getting more expensive, and more anxiety producing than
ever. Face-to-face meetings become more infrequent and less
lucrative. It’s increasingly difficult to get face-to-face meetings with
the growing business-to-business market of home-based entrepreneurs. And
if you sell to consumers, door-to-door canvassing doesn’t work because no one’s
home during the day, and no one wants to be bothered during their personal
time.
You can use video conferencing technology to create
face-to-face contact without being there in person. AT&T introduced
videophone communication at the 1964
World’s Fair. At the tender age of five, Mark recalls talking to his
grandfather via picture phone in the AT&T exhibit. With Grandpa just
around the corner, he “dialed” the number with push buttons. Grandpa
answered in a funny voice (grandfathers do that) but Mark knew it was him on
the little black and white TV screen. They shook their heads in wonder as
they considered what their lives would be like in the future. Mark’s
grandfather never saw a home-installed picture phone in his lifetime.
More than three decades later, private video communication
still is not widespread. The big barrier has been the available bandwidth
of transmission lines. That little picture phone needed the equivalent of
1,500 phone lines just to make the connection.
Never-the-less, we stand at the threshold of a new era in
video conferencing. Through clever compression schemes, we can now send
reasonable video transmission via one standard phone line. Our kids will
grow up with picture phones.
The desktop video conferencing industry has learned
much from corporate video conferencing suites. You may have participated
in a video conference during a corporate meeting or experienced one of Kinko’s
public video conferencing suites at one of their copy center stores.
Remote data sharing is available in Microsoft’s Windows
desktop video conferencing will be as common as the fax machine.
Fax of the Future?
It’s likely that the personal computer on your desk is only $200
away from becoming a videoconference system. With a $100 camera, and $100
worth of software, your investment to see who’s calling is less than the cost
of a cheap fax machine.
Some PC manufacturers already ship selected models with
cameras installed. Every off-the-shelf PC shipped today has a the
high-speed video display and the high-speed modem required for video
conferencing. Therefore, telephone-based desktop video conferencing will
initially dominate the market. With high-speed LANs and WANs, a virtual
face-to-face video meeting is easier than ever. You might even video
conference with colleagues in the same building, just to save time.
And you’ll take a video phone with you. A major
telecommunications company supports wireless video conferencing using
off-the-shelf cellular technology.
Hundreds of thousands have downloaded and played with the
CU-SeeMe Web-based video technology,
title="">[1]
and VDONet Corp’s VDOPhone.
title="">[2]
You can experience live video on the web at hundreds of sites.
Vendors of desktop video conferencing software and hardware
include Apple Computer, AT&T, EyeTel, DataBeam, FutureLabs, IBM ,
InSoft, Intel, PictureTel, and Xerox. At this writing, these solutions do
not yet offer full screen, full motion video, but what they offer is a
start. Desktop video conferencing may not replace the corporate video
conference suite, but you’ll have a choice between the convenience of sitting
at your desk or looking at a large, high-quality video image.
To assure that Mac’s and Sun’s and IBM ’s
are all talking the same language, the International Telecommunication Union
has settled on image compression and protocol standards for desktop video
conferencing. Expect current systems to interconnect without a hitch.
You’ll know you’re understood
With voice-only communication, it’s difficult to know when
your message is clearly understood. People commonly check for understanding by
asking, “Are your following me?” The answer is usually “yes,” whether
they really do or not.
When you talk face-to-face, you have your product in hand,
pointing out key features. If a user has difficulty, you can immediately
sense the problem and can troubleshoot to the answer. And now, through a
video image, you’ll immediately know if they have some confusion.
With desktop video conferencing, a furrowed brow or shift in
body posture instinctively relays details about understanding. Just think
how fun live-video poker will be!
Imagine your service technician beaming live images from a
customer’s site to your headquarters-based experts, or an EMT
sending video to the emergency room staff for immediate diagnostics. The
medium transmits more than just data: you get a new level of emotional and
human detail that’s masked by documents and voice-only communication.
As companies downsize and geographically spread out, experts
no longer share the same physical local. Bringing together brain power
and know-how for troubleshooting and brainstorming gets expensive and time
consuming. With video conferencing, you can bring in the experts any time
and any place.
But will customers want it?
Once users get a taste of desktop video at work, it’s a
simple step to take it home. Every grandmother loves to see their grand
kids more often, and the proud parents will find some business-based excuse to
upgrade the family PC. With millions Americans telecommuting at least 2
days a week, there’s great incentive to stay at home with the PC and
camera. The downside is that you’ll have to wear business dress when you
work at home, at least from the waist up.
If you want to encourage your customers to use desktop
video conferencing, send them the software. Several software vendors make it
easy for you to get your customers on the videophone. They license their software
for unlimited receive-only distribution because they know they’ll get the
upgrade for the two-way video version when your customer decides to add a
camera. Now you can at least send images one-way, TV broadcast
style. You’ll hear their voice while they’ll see and hear you. You
might initially feel uncomfortable knowing they can see you and you can’t see
them. But imagine the impact on your prospects and customers.
You’ll get increased mind share and make a lasting impression with your
willingness to use cutting edge technology to stay in touch.
How to take it to market
Besides basic face-to-face phone calls, you’ll soon be
distributing video-based sales brochures to your customer’s PC. They can either
visit your web site, or call into your video server: video on demand. You
can deliver customer and salesforce training the same way. Your sales
team will get new product training when and where it’s most convenient for
them. Your corporate newsletter will resemble E! programming, and
your competitive analysis may take the form of A Current
Affair.
You’ll conduct more informal focus groups and poll your
prospects and customers via desktop video conferencing. You’ll grab
interesting customer stories, and quickly create application videos for your
sales force and customers – all right on your PC. You’ll do desktop video
production along with the desktop publishing you’re doing now.
So, we wonder, when will we need a video answering
machine program for my PC? Imagine it now, “I can’t come to the cam, so
click now if you want to see our latest product line-up. . .
click now if you want to see my vacation photos. . . or leave
a vid clip at the black burst, show me what you need, and I’ll see you when I
phone.” We’ll probably have to ask our kids to program it for us.
Satellite Paging
A more down-to-earth technology that is readily available is
satellite-direct paging. Companies like SkyTel and
Bell
station. A caller can touch-tone in a number for you to call, and
instantly, in over 2,000 cities around the world, you get the message.
These systems also include desktop software that lets your
office (or your customer, or your five-year-old) compose a text message on the
computer, then transmit it to your pager via modem. The same platform
usually integrates voice mail and page notification. You can even receive
stock market updates and sports scores several times a day.
Cellular, PDC and Emerging Technologies
The days of the clumsy, noisy, expensive cellular phone are
numbered. Soon you will even the new digital standards ( PCS )
replaced by Personal Digital Communication. The cordless phone you use
with a base station at home slips into your briefcase, becoming a portable on
the road. When you arrive at the office, you drop it back into a
base-station and it becomes a land-line again. Or pick it up and roam
around the warehouse while you check on an order. The advantage, only one
number follows you everywhere.
Save on Cell Phone Charges
If you have voice-mail connected to your cell phone, feel
free to give your customers the number, and encourage them to call. Then
don’t answer. Instead, let the calls roll to voice-mail, where your
outbound recording encourages them leave a detailed message, and explains that
you will return the call just as soon as you’re available.
This keeps the call short, and because many cellular
providers do not charge for airtime used to retrieve voice-mail messages,
(check with your provider) you save a bundle. If the call is truly
urgent, by all means, return it on the run, otherwise wait until you can get to
a land line before calling back.
Also investigate new digital and PCS
phone services that include Short Text Messaging, where your caller’s comments
appear on the phone’s display screen just like a pager. The one we use
(from Nextel) will automatically dial any number imbedded in the text message
simply by displaying the message and pressing the SEND key.
An additional tip: If your business routinely takes you on
the road, call your cellular provider with a list of cities and try to
negotiate a “no roaming” agreement. Many of the larger companies will
give you same-as-home-area rates in selected markets if you ask them to.
Toll-free Numbers
A customer has a question or problem. A reporter
wants information about your company for a story. Someone wants an
estimate right away. Guerrillas make it easy for them to call.
A potent high-tech weapon in the Guerrilla selling arsenal
is the toll-free number. People are seven times as likely to phone
if the call is toll-free, and you don’t have to be a big-budget company to make
it pay. New services like AT&T’s ReadyLine and Sprint’s Phoneline
800 bring the firepower of a toll-free number within reach of even the
smallest company.
Measured inbound toll-free service is surprisingly
inexpensive, but it does pay to shop around. Expect a base charge of
around $5 a month, plus 10 to 15 cents a minute or less for the calls you
receive. Rates may be lower in some states and some are time-of-day and
distance-sensitive. Custom calling plans and volume discounts may cut
costs even further.
The number can be programmed to ring right into any existing
telephone in the
It can be re-routed just as easily, so as your business grows, your toll-free
number can move with you.
Don’t Spell it Out
Unless you can get a vanity number that is a complete
acronym, like 1-800-FLOWERS, stay away from clever combinations like
234-1234. People think they will remember them and then
forget. Better to have a number that they have to write down.
Print your new toll-free number on everything, and
use graphics and type to make it stand out. Give people a reason
to call (“For a free brochure on cutting costs, call toll-free,
1-800-XXX-XXXX”). Also consider a toll-free number for your fax
machine. You’ll improve service, speed, quality, and convenience by
encouraging a written response.
Advanced features can make your toll-free service even more
practical. Area Code Routing allows incoming calls to be routed
based on the area code from which the inbound call was placed. This could
be used to route calls directly to a field office or service center, or to a
specific salesperson at headquarters. Exchange Code Routing allows
you to route calls by the local exchange as well, giving you even finer control
over your territories. Single Number Service
allows multiple toll-free lines in multiple locations to be accessed by a
single toll-free number. This simplifies advertising, reduces customer
confusion and enhances your market identity. Courtesy Response
automatically provides a pre-recorded message to callers when the office is
closed. Better still, couple a toll-free line with Voice Messaging
and never miss a call again. Using voice-mail, salespeople working on
several different accounts can keep in touch with the management team to
coordinate plans and activities, to make important decisions, and expedite shipping
of samples or literature, all through a single toll-free line.
Toll-free versus 900 Numbers
Guerrillas avoid the much-hyped 900 numbers. There are
a number of problems using 900 numbers to deliver goods and services. The
number one problem is the psychological barrier in the minds of most prospects
against dialing a 900 number. Since 900 services have been widely used
for sex chat lines and gambling tip lines, few people with moral values have
ever dialed a 900 number. While there are a few valuable 900 number
lines, such as stock quotation services, most other 900 services, such as
psychic hot lines and celebrity chat lines are viewed as trivial and a waste of
money.
Because of this, most prospects will feel reluctant to dial
their first 900 number and will worry about what their spouse will say when the
phone bill comes.
Because of the publicity that 900 numbers have received, the
FCC and FTC limits to who whom you can advertise the service.
While marketers have felt that the 900 number is the “credit
card of the masses” this simply isn’t true. These numbers are restricted
to businesses where you can substantially deliver the information and service
over the telephone line, and cannot be used to take orders for products and
services delivered at a later time. You can’t order a video tape that’s
delivered to your home via a 900 number. In general, the public doesn’t
believe that they can get information over the phone that’s actually worth the
$2.99 they pay.
There is a relatively high level of “charge backs” in the
900 business. This is where customers refuse to pay the 900 section of
their phone bill, claiming they didn’t get what they expected. Some 900
lines have charge backs in the 10 to15 percent level, and five to eight percent
are typical.
The most straight-forward and universally accepted method of
buying and paying for goods and services by phone is where the customer calls a
toll-free number and pays with a credit card. Many Americans have a credit
card and have used it to successfully place a telephone order for goods and
services.
An alternative to taking credit cards is to accept “checks
by phone”. With this payment method, the person ordering reads the
numbers off the bottom of their check, and the check is cashed electronically
by the merchant. This method has been available for several years and has
recently been used successfully by Olin Mills photographers in a nation-wide
telesales campaign as an alternative to credit cards.
Accepting credit cards permits up-selling and cross-selling
services and merchandise, increasing the size of the order and substantially
increasing profits.
Charge backs can be held to a minimum using standard
confirmation and anti-fraud approaches. Expect about a 1-2 percent refund
request rate when using credit cards.
A bonus to toll-free number ordering is the opportunity to
“preview” of the service. A person can call in and listen to a sample of
the service, or testimonials from happy customers before being connected to a
live operator for ordering instructions. This is an opportunity for
people who are uncertain to experience, at no risk to them, what you’re
offering.
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