Using the phone can be a very effective way to generate qualified sales leads. However it is important to consider the impact that untrained sales people can have on your brand, when calling companies canvassing for business.
A good example of this comes from Righttrack’s own recent experience. We got a call from “Raymond” (I won’t mention his last name or the company he works for as I don’t know the full background). Suffice it to say Raymond’s company claims to offer plentiful, profitable sales leads to other businesses. I can only assume that if this company provides sales training for its staff, then they may have missed out Raymond. Why? Well he made a number of basic mistakes which I suspect are repeated on every call:
He phones companies trying to get to speak to the MD but won’t tell the receptionist why he is calling. And he is one of that raft of tele-sellers who slam the phone down when he can’t get put through to the managing director. All because he can’t be bothered to terminate the call in a professional manner as it it will take him an extra 30 seconds.
If he isn’t closing many deals, which I suspect, what he is doing is helping build a negative reputation for this company that claims to be ‘the outright leader in our field’.
Despite his circuitous sales methodology, Raymond has not mastered the gift of getting past gatekeepers to speak to decision makers – nor will he in our office. When he was told firmly that he has to submit an email to have his proposition evaluated before he can speak with a director, he dropped the call like a hot potato, cutting the call in a trice. Frankly he was rude to someone who was speaking to him courteously.
One also presumes that the service presented in an email doesn’t attract much interest either, if it stood any chance of doing so, he would have sent one. The way he cut the call was insensitive, inconsiderate and impolite – perhaps that is a reflection of the business ethos of his employer? If not, his manager has some straight talking to do with Raymond or he could consider running a Sales Training Course to give him new ideas and approaches to what currently seems to be a thankless and fruitless task. Raymond, don’t call us, we’ll call you!
By Mike Cooney | Righttrack’s Commercial and Financial Director