David Martinez

Mr. Chiang-Schultheiss

English 1

MW 8:00-9:30

Although the occupation of telemarketing can be very boring and frustrating at times, it can be somewhat interesting if you know how to use certain skills which lead to being an effective Telephone Sales Representative. Many people think that if you want to be effective on the phones you must have a God-given phone voice. This is NOT true! Even the person with the most annoying, squeaky voice can sell if the following procedures are followed.

First off and probably most important is to study what you are selling. How do you expect to show the potential customer how it could be of use to them if you are not familiar with the benefits of whatever it is you're promoting? When you feel like you're ready, guess what: you're NOT. Go back and study twice as hard. There is no such thing as being overconfident. The next step to take is to write a script to follow when you are with a potential customer. In this script you should include only the most important benefits. You do not want the customer to get bored listening to a long dull essay. The only way to catch the customer's attention is to make the script be a lively, minimized conversation with a friend. You do not want to be overly friendly though. Sound professional. Do not use slang, profanity or statements that will put the customer down. Also, do not use words that are out of your vocabulary range. You need to sound educated, but to the limit that your mind will allow. Make sure you know what all words mean and how to pronounce them. If you use extended vocabulary not only will you confuse yourself but also you will blanken your clients mind. When you confuse the customer he/she will not be able to follow what you are saying and will think of you as a fool. So be sure you know what you are saying. At this time you are ready to go out on the phones.

From the second you put on your headset, think positive and always keep a smile on your face. Make sure you are ready and respond promptly when the customer answers the phone. Once you confirm that you are speaking with the customer, it's time to let everything flow out. Give each customer everything you have. Do not be anxious, nervous, tired or bored. These symptoms all flow through the phone lines and the customer can sense it. This will eventually lead to the customer hanging up on you. Now it is your job to take control of the conversation. Speak fluently with no dead air time for the potential customer to interrupt. Always remember: "Be persistent, confident and very enthusiastic." This will always equal results. Be prepared to answer any and all questions the potential customer will eventually throw at you. Answers must be clear and to the point. If you do not know the answer to a question ask the customer to hold briefly, and ask your supervisor at once. You must never mislead a customer. If you do it will come back to haunt you. As stated before the most important key to success is knowing what you're selling. Once you have confidently gone through the entire script, it is time to ask for the sale.

This is what you have been aiming for, so this is the time to give it one-hundred and fifty percent of your effort. Do not merely ask the customer if he/she is interested. This sounds very unconfident and may even seem unprofessional. In order to convince the customer that this is something that could be of serious benefit to them, you must sound confident. You also cannot be scared. Be very assertive. Use a statement such as " So let's go ahead and send this out to you, O.K.?" Although you may have given a great presentation you will rarely get a customer who agrees to buy at this point. When a customer replies with "I'm not interested," "I have to think about it," or anything of that sort, be prepared to overcome his/her response with a snappy reply to remind them why they should buy immediately. If they still say no, try once more. Then only after the second objection (at least) let them go. Remember: Rebuttals are part of your script and are not an option! Overcome at least two objections always.

Although there are many other steps that will add to your effectiveness on the phone, those highlighted above are probably the most important. These used along with vocal inflections throughout your presentation will pay off. If you put some of your time and effort into this process you will see your results as an effective telemarketer skyrocket regardless of your most bothersome, monotone or squeaky voice.