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HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO MAKE 800 PROSPECT CALLS A DAY?
From selling health care, extended auto warranties, lower credit card rates, and more we’ve all received “those” calls. It seems lately that telemarketing calls have reached a new level of annoyance.
Because I’m a perpetual student of the sales process, it took me several weeks, but I finally had a real conversation with a telemarketer. Most hung up on me when I started asking real questions. So, what’s the secret to their success?
In a word: Volume.
The young lady I spoke with, let’s call her Sandy, shared that their daily call goal is a minimum of 800 calls. That’s 100 calls per hour in a typical 8-hour day. Sounds exhausting. Of the 800 calls she makes per day, Sandy considers it a good day when she can get 8 people to buy. 800 calls, a closing ratio of 1%, 8 sales. Wow.
The formula sounds like something we would never want to do. It’s classic Product Peddling behavior. Sandy says the calls are scripted. Like we can’t tell J. She starts with a question, “Would you like a lower interest rate on your credit card?” A question she admits always ends with either the person hanging up or answering yes. Then more calculated, scripted questions which allow her to pre-qualify the person on the other end of the phone, then either pass them on to a licensed agent or continue asking questions.
Last week on our Leadership MasterClass coaching session Stephanie was sharing that she has initiated Friday morning call blocks. I remembered those and hated those, but hear me out… There is something to be said about a shared experience, a shared challenge, and shared results. It’s really quite magical. Stephanie enhances her call blocks with prize giveaways. After the two hours, you get to reach in the “box” for a certificate for various prizes from restaurants to movie theatres. Each appointment you’ve booked gives you the opportunity to reach in the box. You get the certificate, but you can’t use it until it's signed. And Stephanie signs it when a seller completes the meeting with the prospect. Which gives her a great chance to do a de-brief and identify how the call went and how to help the seller do even better.
Stephanie started that at the beginning of the year. She reports that the anticipated team building is happening. That’s the shared experience I spoke about. And Stephanie’s stations are sold out in March for the first time in a long time. Coincidence? I think not.
Arm your sellers with a Valid Business Reason and have them do the recommended homework before making the calls. What a great way to end the week, making a bunch of calls to fill next week’s calendar, and winning a free meal while doing what you’re already supposed to be doing anyway.
I could never last in the 800 call-a-day environment my new telemarketing friend was living in. But we can try to have fun and create some team building out of a task that is required for success, but often pushed aside because nobody likes doing it.
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