Incoming Sales Calls Can Make You Money.

I am in a position where I am being called by salespeople and where I am a salesperson. So all day long I am either receiving or making sales calls.

There are basically three options. The first option is to ignore all sales calls and this is the tactic that is used by at least 80% of the Internet businesses. The receptionist or that fact any one who answers the phone deposits the caller into a voice mail where  there is no possibility the phone call will be returned. The thought is like that of a teenage girl who does not return boys phone call thinking â€Ţthey will get the hint”. Either they get the hint or this is the beginning of a stacking career. This strategy is flawed for two reasons.

The one rule that is forgotten here is that everyone that calls you is a potential customer or at worst’s some who could refer your company customers. Using this tactic can lose a large number of sales without knowing it.

Also it is questionable if this tactic actually saves time. Because over the months and years there are dozens of sales people that have you on their tickle list that will call you to hopefully get through.  The number of sales calls increases as time goes on.

Also if a salesperson who has called the same business for several weeks finally does get through,  chances are their behavior will be pushier and more aggressive than usual because they know there is only one chance to sell you their product or service.

The second option is try to deal with all of the call that come in and give every one their fair shot at the sales This doesn't last for very long because the amount of phone calls and they get is just unmanageable, and many of the calls are redundant in nature.

So how does a company handle the unreasonable numbers of sales calls they will receive in the course of the day. The problem is that you have two conflicting agendas or goals. The salesperson's goal is to get a sale and conversely the goal of the web site employees and principles is too get work done.

The first step is to be realistic. Sales people are going to call your business and it is only prudent to have a strategy or a filtering process.

Here is our company’s method of dealing with salespeople. Everybody who calls me gets a congruent yes or no. We don’t usually return messages because we know they will call again but we answer the phone 90% of the time it rings.  So as I recognize that it is a sales call I tell the person that they have30 seconds to thrill me or I give me your best elevator . If they are any good at all I will be asked a few questions to be able see what my needs are so I let them do their probing and then I  give them 30 seconds to pitch me.

If I am interested I make arrangements to discuss their proposal later. If not I give them a congruent no. So what is a congruent no? It have 2 elements. First I say no in a clear and precise way. I do not add any qualifiers. Not at this time. Let me think about it. It’s not a good time. These niciietes will oly assure one thing. It is not that you will liked, but that you will be called again. Secondly I inform the caller that I understand their product and I am sure that it is right for some in my industry that it is not right for us. By being congruent our company gets few and fewer calls not more and more. We also have a strategy to deal with sales people so we are not frustrated when they call.