| |
| |
|
Marketing Information |
|
|
|
Breaking The Voice Mail Barrier
Even if you never place a cold call, you still have to reach people by phone. That customer who was so interested last month never called you back, and now you must call her. You call once, twice, three times, but you can't get her in person. How can you manage to close a sale if all you ever get is voice mail? Doing business in the age of voice mail can be extremely frustrating. While it is true that some people leave their voice mail on all the time, you can sometimes get through by calling off hours. Try calling before 8:30 or after 5:30. You may also find people at their desks during the lunch hour. So should you keep calling or leave a message? Actually, you should do both. Assume that most people won't call you back, so just keep right on calling them. Josiane Feigon, principal of the telesales training and coaching company, Telesmart Communications (www.tele-smart.com), suggests that you try pressing "0" or "0"# to transfer to the receptionist. That way you can verify that the person you are trying to reach is still in the same job position, and find out when they are expected to be in. Whether you reach your prospects or not, never make them wrong for not returning your calls. Rather than saying, "I haven't heard from you," let them know you are eager to speak with them, and wanted to try again while you were in your office. Feigon recommends, "As a rule, try not to leave any more than three voice mail messages over a 10-day period of time and then lay off for a month." Speaker and trainer Melinda Henning of Doing Business by Phone (www.unforgettablelearning.com) says that the way to deal with voice mail is to use it as an advertising medium. In other words, leave a voice mail commercial. Especially if you are cold calling, Melinda suggests that you compose a series of different commercials, each one revealing some new and interesting fact about your business, and another reason for someone to speak with you. Whenever you leave a message, include some incentive for the person you are calling to have a live conversation. "I would like to introduce myself" is not a reason for prospects to talk to you. Why should they care? Tell them what it is you think you can do for them in their own unique situation. And do it in 30 seconds -- no one likes long voice mails from strangers, and the delete key is at their fingertips. Look for some connection between you and the person you are calling that you could put in your message. A mutual acquaintance, membership in the same association, or having attended the same event are all worth mentioning. If you have seen them speak, or read about them in the news, compliment them on it. Be warm, friendly and upbeat, so your message is a pleasure to listen to. If you have called, left messages, and still can't get through to the person you want, send an e-mail. Many people will quickly respond to e-mail because it is easy. If you can interest them in what you have to offer (without revealing all the details), they may be willing to set up a phone appointment with you to find out more. When you don't have the person's e-mail address, try finding it on the company's web site or asking the receptionist. Should you ever stop calling? That depends on the value of the potential sale. A $1000 sale might only be worth two or three calls to you, but a $10,000 sale would certainly pay for many more. Every salesperson has a story about a customer who finally said yes after the 17th phone call, so if it seems worth it, don't quit! About The Author C.J. Hayden is the author of Get Clients NOW! Since 1992, C.J. has been teaching business owners and salespeople to make more money with less effort. She is a Master Certified Coach and leads workshops internationally. Read more of her articles at www.getclientsnow.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Marketing - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Overcoming Resistances To Marketing a Practice-Part 2 In Part 1 of this article, "Resistances to Marketing a Practice" the seven most common resistances helping and healing professionals (counsellors, therapists, naturopaths, homeopathetic doctors, massage therapists, body workers, etc.) have to marketing a practice were identified. How Much Is Your Popcorn Worth? Powerful Lessons In Marketing & The Psychology Of Selling - Part 6 How Much Is Your Popcorn Worth?: Powerful Lessons In Marketing & The Psychology Of Selling - The Final PartAdditional Lessons from Popcorn MarketingI'm assuming that the movie theatres have tested their price point and figured out what the highest price is that they can charge and get away with - the highest price the market will be willing to pay.And, that's what they charge for their popcorn. Online Communities - A Marketers Wildest Dream and Worst Nightmare! Online Communities are all over the Internet and attract lots of visitors which make them ideal for marketing. People participating in these communities share information about whatever they want under various topics. Large One? Here's a proven, and truly easy way to start increasing your sales, immediately.All you need to do is add these 2 words to your selling system, and you're good to go. Business Cards that Make Them CALL How would you use business cards for gift certificates?I asked at the beginning of this chapter "How many business cards do you need?" and answered that you only need one. Even though this is true when you are trying to form business relationships, it is not true when it comes to promoting your business. How to Use Flyers to Increase Your Business What benefits will you get from flyers?Flyers are much different from postcards in that they convey product sales to the consumer. Safeway, Costco, Albertsons and other grocery chains are excellent at putting out flyers. Business In 2010: A New Face of Marketing The term "internet marketing" was virtually non-existent a short 8 years ago, now it is a growing phenomenon that is raking millions every year. Because of this expanding industry, the internet landscape it changing. Increase Sales With Travel Incentives Today's business environment has changed dramatically over the past 10 years, it can be a tough task to make a sale. Just being aggressive doesn't cut it any longer. Modern Marketing With Postcards Postcards may be one of the best kept secrets of modern marketing. They produce even better results now than in the past. Whats Your NICHE Market - III ? What effect are the baby boomers having on the economy I hear you ask. Folks, in 2005, the economy IS the boomers!Boomers represent the vast majority of the work force. Growing Your Business With Your Marketing Priorities None of us have enough time in the day to get everything done, but small business owners and entrepreneurs like you are particularly pressed. You wear so many hats; there is a seemingly infinite list of tasks to accomplish each day, from providing services to clients, managing product distribution and delivery, to keeping accounting in order. Copy SoapNet and Make Money Whether you want to admit it or not, soap operas may hold the key to your home business success. This article includes a few home and small business principles I learned while watching SoapNet. Off the Shelf Small Business Mapping Software All small businesses can benefit from inexpensive off the shelf CD Rom mapping software. If you own a business you need to where your customers are coming from, where you would like to expand your sphere of influence to, where your competitors are located and how to route your delivery vehicles. Motivating Shoppers with Online Coupons (Part 2 of 2) Last time we discussed how online coupons and promotion codes can motivate buyers. We discussed examples of coupons and some of the aspects of these offers that can boost sales and generate urgency to a purchase. How to Leverage Your Most Powerful Marketing Tool Second in a series of three articles:What if you could reach thousands of prospects, build fruitful, pro-active relationships with them, and stay top-of-mind with them on a regular basis?and not spend a fortune in the process?If this sounds too good to be true, then you've not mastered the art of leveraging your firm's online strategy. A web site is one of the most unique and powerful marketing tools you have, if you develop and use it correctly. Marketing and Advertising Techniques of Super Bowl Advertisers Each year, advertisers with super sized budgets sink millions of dollars into Super Bowl advertising. While most of us do not have a large enough budget to advertise on the Super Bowl, the commercials -- both past and present -- demonstrate several marketing techniques we can apply elsewhere. How to Save Time and Achieve More by Creating High-Leverage Marketing Assets The single biggest, non-renewable asset you have is your time. There are only three things you can do with it: waste it, sell it, or invest it. Why Do You Need to be in the SERPS? Why does your business need to be in the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPS)?Search Engine Optimization and Search Engine Marketing both have the same goal, which is to help visitors find your website. Ten years ago there was probably nobody searching online for your product or service. Give It Away Now - The More You Share, the More You Sell! Give away your knowledge, and you'll make money. How does this work? Isn't this counter-intuitive? Let's think about this. Do You Make These 5 Common Marketing Mistakes? The famous P.T Barnum once said, "Without promotion, something terrible happens, NOTHING!" And marketing (or promotion) is all about combating that dreaded 'nothingness'.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
