Telemarketing system

How to sue a telemarketer

2007-05-01T07:16:00.000+03:00

In November 2002, a telemarketer called at 5:24 a.m. This is the story of how that call cost him $500.

When the call came in the pre-dawn hours of November 12, it awoke me and my wife from a sound sleep. After groggily picking up the phone – my heart suddenly pounding as I dimly expected news of a death in the family or other emergency – I was appalled to hear a pre-recorded advertisement for a local handyman/landscaping service. I hung up without listening to the rest of the message.

Despite my best efforts, I couldn't get back to sleep because of the jolt of adrenalin. As I lay there cursing myself for not getting the company name and callback number, I decided to get even. Since I don't have Caller ID, I invested 75 cents in Verizon's *69 service to get the last caller's number. When I tried calling that number (240-453-XXXX), I got repeated busy signals; eventually, my call went through to what was obviously an autodialer trying to make outgoing calls.

Rest here

71 ways to piss off telemarketers

2006-11-29T21:05:00.000+02:00

Everyone has gotten a call from a Telemarketer. Previously when the phone rang, you always wondered if it was someone you knew, or another schmuck with something to sell. Well, the time has come to turn the tables. We need to take control of our own phones. We need to take the "market" out of Telemarketing.

SO..next time when a telemarketer piss you off do something from this list:

1. Tell them that you are busy "right now". and should call later in 10 minutes. Tell him the same thing next time he calls for 20 times in a row. If he is persistent and calls again the 21st time tell him you are busy becouse you are dead and go kill himself to join you.

2. Prepare a recording with a child voice screaming...HELP HEEEEELP...leave me my money! and tell the telemarketer to hold the line. After 15 minutes if he is still there, hang up.

3. Tell the telemarketer that the person he is looking for is in the shower and put on hold as long as you can

4. Tell the telemarketer : "common man, i'm in the middle of a robbery here. Don't waste my time"

5. If the telemarketer is a male ask him if he enjoy playing sexual games with old ladies. If she is a lady tell her you are a virgin and need help.

6. Tell long stories about your dog and how beautiful is his skin. Everytime the telemarketer tries to speak from the script say: "just a second..just a second this story is amazing"

7. When you realize the voice on the phone is a telemarketer's ..start laughing and laughing land laughing like this guy here then after 5 minutes if he is still there, suddenly ask seriously: "Can i help you?"

8. Act like this guy. Guaranteed results.

9. Pretend to be someone else and say "God, i'm too fat" every five words.

10. Tell the telemarketer you are alone and you need a hug. Then start crying : "Maaaamaaaaa"

11. Ask the telemarkter if he/she is "gay". Please be gay. You can be Gay. My dog is gay.

12. Ask who is looking for, then say the person was killed in a homicide and you are a policeman investigating the case. This example made me fart

13. Act like a fool.

14. Answer to his questions using a soundboard. Like Al Pacino in Scarface?

15. Beware of testimonials that you have no way of verifying. Say George Bush is your uncle.

16. Register your number in Do-not-call registry

17. Keep him on the line as long as possible. If he speaks about mortgages ask him about a lot of detalis such as: mortgage refinance, what is the adjustable mortgage rate if he knows anything about mortgage taxes and so on.

18. You answer the phone normally, and upon hearing it's a telemarketer, you ask them to hold for a second while you put "Albert" on. Albert is your automated attendant.

19. You're listening intently to the telemarketer's scripted speech and apologize as you are performing an important surgical procedure

20. Try putting this on the robot. If you want to spend some money for more samples..visit A.T.A.K

21. Give the telemarketer your "bad-times e-mail adress" and after receiving his email spam back.

22. Suddenly speak in another language when you realize you speak with a telemarketer.

23. Ask the telemarketer when he/she is born, then read their horoscope from

24. if they ask you if you'd like a new free credit card, say, "I'm sorry, My mommy won't let me have a Credit Card." or "Can I use the card to pay my crack dealer?"

25. When the telemarketer says they're from an insurance company respond that you have many death threats against you and you wish to take out their highest paying insurance policy, immediately.

26. Say in perfect English, "I don't speak English, sorry"

27. Say "Want to hear a cool noise?" ... then hang up.

28. Tell them to please hold while you do your buisness. Then making farting sounds in the phone and after 30sec come back breathing hard.

29. When they start talking, begin to listen. Then, in the middle of their speech, moan and say "(name of same gender), Stop it! I'm on the phone!" Apologize to the telemarketer and let them continue to talk. Moan sensually again, and say any of the fun phrases you can think of. Example: "Oh honey don't stop it feels so GOOD!"

30. When the telemarketer calls, act very interested. Say you'll order the product, and then when they ask for your address say "1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington DC"

31. This is good: say "Oh they moved, and give them the number of someone you hate."

32. Question the legality of every statement they make, ex. "Are you sure vacuum's are legal in my state?" ... "Are you sure I can travel without being arested?"

33. If they tell you you have won a prize (these always fake), tell them that when you entered you decided that you like the prize so much you already went out and bought it. If they ask you which model/type, tell them that you couldn't decide and bought them all.

34. Simply say "no thank you" and then smoothly offer to sell your 1988 ford f150.

35. When a telemarketer calls say: "Hey, I am on the fifth level of (game name here) and if you could just wait on hold for 5 minutes that would be great!"

36. If it is a travel agency say that you are a pothead and you want to go to Columbia. Keep asking him how much he pays for weed in Columbia, until he hangs up

37. Sing in a Mentally Insane Voice at every question they ask: "I'll never tell...I'll Never Tell, I'LL NEVER TELL!"

38. If the telemarketer asks if your parents are there, act like you get them, and then start swearing at the kid for giving the phone because it was a telemarketer.

39. Talk to them as is you are interested, then put the phone close to the toilet and simply flush.

40. Pretend to be an old man who can't hear well and speaks with a heavy accent. This gets the telemarketer yelling and repeating themselves. Every time they start to hang up begin saying how much you like the product to keep them on.

41. When the telemarketer starts talking, interupt by saying: "Wanna play the Penis game?" Then without wating for a response say: "I'll start" and scream "PENIS" as loud as you can.

42. Tell them it is dinner time, BUT ask if they would please hold. Put them on speaker phone while you continue to eat at your leisure. Smack your food loudly and continue with your dinner conversation.

43. When they attempt to sell you a product, tell them you're sorry, but you're going to jail the following day. If they wanted to call back in 4 years, you'd be happy to talk business with them.

44. If they say they're John Doe from XYZ Company, ask them to spell their name. Then ask them to spell the company name. Then ask them where it is located, how long it has been in business, how many people work there, how they got into this line of work if they are married, how many kids they have, etc. Continue asking them personal questions or questions about their company for as long as necessary.

45. Tell them you are hard of hearing and that they need to speak up . . . louder . . . louder

46. Tell them to talk very slowly, because you want to write every word down.

47. Play the Telemarketer Fun Game

48. When they ask you how was your day. Explain in much detail every event and thought of your day. Example: Well my alarm went off this morning at 6:00 and I really didn't feel like getting up but I had to...Then, I stumbled into the shower...

49. It doesn't matter what they say, but after they say it. Say something funny like "I see black dots"

50. Ask what company they represent, then say "Oh I'm sorry, that must be a horible place to work!

51. Every time they say something bang something against the phone and wait a few seconds and say "oops I dropped the phone". Then talk to them a few seconds then do it again. When they're done ask them repeat the whole thing because you fell asleep.

52. Wait for the telemarketer to go half way through his discription and say: "I lowered my cholesterol!"

53. Cry out in surprise, "Bob, IS that you? Oh my God Bob, how have you been?" Hopefully this will give Bob a few brief moments of terror as he tries to figure out where the heck he could know you from.

54. When they're done explaining what they have to say, loudly yell into the phone "ahhh I just got hit in the balls, let me go check if they're all there!" whisper in to the pone just loud enough so they can hear"1...2...3...4...5" then yell "Alright! they're all there!!!"

55. Tell them you have to translate for the person they asked for because they don't speak English. Continue to "translate" by saying gobble-de-gook in the background, then scream "WE DONT WANT ANY"

56. When they ask you to buy something, say "Fine, but only if you buy my little brother. How's two dollars sound?"

57. When they start talking say something like, "Hello? Hello! Is anyone there? I can't hear you! What? I'm sorry, what was that? The signal isn't going through! I don't understand you sir? Hello? Are you there?" And then hang up.

58. Tell the telemarketer you have someone on the other line and to hold on a second, press a button on the phone and say "Hey Susan, I'll have to call you back I have one of those stupid telemarketers on the other line" press a button again and say, "Now what was it you wanted?"

59. Respond "Shhhh!!! (name they ask for) is sleeping, your too loud please be quiet" After they quiet down, say again "You're still too loud!" do this until they get to a very quiet whisper and then scream "IM SORRY I CANT HEAR YOU, YOUR TOO QUIET!!!"

60. During their speech ask "Why?" after every sentence they speak.

61. Repeat what they say. Keep repeating them until they ask you to stop, when they ask why. Reply that you are training to be a telemarketer.

62. Say "yo momma" after everything they say.

63. After every question they ask, say "maybe"

64. Say in a whisper loud enough to be heard "do you have the weed?" If the telemarketer says he's calling the police offer him some for free.

65. Say, "Hold on one second" find a large metal object and slam in on the ground as hard as you can, after doing so, yell "MY LEG" as loud as possible. Keep screaming until they hang up

66. When a telemarketer calls say : "OH, CRAP I LEFT MY BABY BROTHER ON THE MICROWAVE AGAIN" and hang up.

67. When telemarketer asks you how you are say "not so good, I just found out I have cancer, my dog got hit by a car, and my friend hung himself." Then ask "How are you?"

68. When the telemarketer calls say, "I didn't kill him, it was accident, what do you want from me?" Keep screaming the same response until they hang up.

69. Hello, you have reached the Public Safety Department, We specialize in the termination of Telemarketers. This is (your name), How may I help you today ?

70. When you answer the phone, say hello in a really low voice like the volume on your phone is down...and keep saying hello in a low voice until they hang up.

71. If you discover you are speaking with a telemarketer say : I'm sorry the number you are trying to reach is out of service, please hang up and DON'T try again.

Telemarketing Advice

2006-08-23T11:28:00.000+03:00

Have a script
Because prospects have much less patience over the phone than in person, you need to have a script for telemarketing. Every telemarketer needs specific instructions on how to begin, conduct, and end each call. Try different scripts. Measure which script works best, then make sure that the telemarketers stick to it.

Get to the point
The most important part of the call is the beginning. You need to create some interest in the prospect's mind and assure him or her that you are not going to take up a lot of time. You also need to qualify your prospect and determine whether or not he or she is someone you should spend time with. This is why it is so important to have a script and to carefully evaluate its effectiveness.

Keep it sounding natural
Ironically, while it is important to have a script, it is just as important for callers to sound like they aren't reading from one. Prospects are less likely to have patience or engage in conversations with callers that sound as though they are delivering "canned" presentations.

Keys to making a script sound natural are

* Don't read too fast
* Use natural and appropriate emphasis on key words
* Avoid speaking in a monotone
* Pause slightly at the end of each sentence
* Sound genuinely interested in the prospect's questions, concerns, or objections

Make lots of calls
Even more so than in-person selling, telemarketing is a numbers game. No matter how good you are on each call, you're not going to sell to everyone. How many calls you make will make a big difference in your success. A super-aggressive telemarketer may reach as many as 150 decision makers in a single day. A less aggressive telemarketer may only reach 20. Which one do you think will make more sales?

Keep it short
While you should encourage your telemarketers to build a rapport with their targets, this shouldn't take all day. Track the phone calls your telemarketers make to determine what length of time per phone call, on average, is ideal for qualifying, presenting, and closing a sale with a customer. Have your telemarketers try to stick to this ideal time frame.

Specialists in B2B Outbound Telemarketing scam

2006-07-21T16:05:00.000+03:00

A Texas Specialists in B2B Outbound Telemarketing that spliced together audiotapes of telemarketing conversations in order to place unauthorized charges on the phone bills of Missouri businesses will pay more than $1,400 total to the state and to those businesses that were defrauded, Attorney General Jay Nixon said today. Nixon said WebXites, one B2B Outbound Telemarketing based in Houston, fraudulently placed start-up and monthly fees for Web page design services on the phone bills of 23 Missouri small businesses.

Nixon says WebXites' specialists in B2B Outbound Telemarketing sales would call small businesses and offer them a free 30-day trial period to try the company's services, while informing the recipient of the call that it was being recorded for accuracy. Most declined the sales pitch, but WebXites spliced the calls to create audio tapes that made it appear as though the business expressly authorized the purchase of WebXites services and agreed to have charges for those services placed directly on its phone bill.

WebXites would then send the phony audio tapes to the target business' phone company so that it could charge the $49.95 set-up and monthly fees to the phone bill of the target business without the business' consent. Among the small businesses victimized by the scam were a pizza restaurant, a pharmacy, a business that sells log homes, and a chiropractor.

"This Specialists in B2B Outbound Telemarketing took the art of telephone fraud to a new level," Nixon said. "In some cases, the targeted businesses made it perfectly clear that they were not interested in the services that WebXites was providing, but still found these charges on their phone bill. Small businesses have enough challenges in trying to succeed without having to worry about being victimized by such a shameless scam."

Tags : Outbound Telemarketing, Telemarketing Firm

Telemarketing and War

2006-07-14T03:29:00.000+03:00

Or..how to sell like crazy over the phone these days, when Israel entered in Lebanon.

U.S. stocks extended losses on Thursday, with all three major indexes down more than 1 percent, as violence in the Middle East helped to catapult the oil price to a record, reviving investors' fears of higher inflation and slowing profit growth.
The Israeli army said a rocket fired by Lebanese armed group Hizbollah hit Israel's third-largest city. Hizbollah denied firing a rocket at Haifa.

Oil has surged to a record high above $US76 a barrel.

Considering that

Oil was below $US20 in January 2002 and is up 25 percent in New York in 2006 alone because of supply cuts in Nigeria, the dispute over Iran's nuclear work and a flow of investment money into commodities. North Korea's missile tests have added to global tensions.

you have now a GREAT oportunity to make money over the phone.

Israel said their blockade over Lebanon is on long term ...so experts in the market expects that oil price rise again. Is the time for you as a telemarketer to pick up the phone and do that sale. Oil price raising involves a lot of other commodities price rising..so now is the time to BUY.

Wanna bet :

U.S. crude inventories slid 6 million barrels last week. U.S. motorists bought 1.7 percent more fuel in the past four weeks compared with a year ago. The data included the Independence Day holiday weekend when annual gasoline demand peaks.

This is a crucial time if you work in telemarketing system. Now you can make a lot of money if you tell your clients this great news: Oil Price is goilng UP ..and will go further. It's time to buy gentlemen.

Let's do tht money.

30th Telemarketing Lead - big telemarketing e-mail scam

2006-07-14T00:47:00.000+03:00

"As of July 11, 2006," read the note sent to many people these days by a consumer watchdog Web site, "ALL cell phone numbers are being released to telemarketing companies and you will start to receive sales calls."

The note warned readers to put their cell numbers on the National Do Not Call Registry, which aims to protect consumers from telephone marketing and is managed by the Federal Trade Commission.

Concerned that millions of phone numbers would be sent to ruthless telemarketers, Jackson forwarded the e-mail to more than 20 others.

Thus an urban legend was perpetuated.

Since late 2004, variations of the same e-mail have spread through cyberspace, but wireless providers say they have no plans to release cell-phone numbers to telemarketers.

Rochelle Cohen, a spokeswoman for Cingular, said the urban legend could stem in part from a misunderstanding of the wireless 411 service that the wireless industry was studying.

"The wireless 411 service does not exist at this time," Cohen said. "The service being explored would simply provide wireless customers with the option of making their phone number available to directory- assistance callers."

Even if such a directory were created, calls from telemarketers would not start rushing in, said Rosemary Kimball, a spokeswoman for the Federal Communications Commission.

Most telemarketers use "autodialers," which are prohibited under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act from being used to call "wireless services, and any other numbers for which the consumer is charged for the call."

29th Telemarketing Lead - Cold Calling IQ

2006-06-27T18:07:00.000+03:00

Found This Test at Tony Wilkins blog and i beleive is one of the best in order to reconsider your attitude in phone sales.

Here is the full test :

Questions
A. What are the three parts of a phone presentation

B. In which part of the presentation do you begin probing?

C. When making a cold call to a business whom do you ask to speak with and why?

D. What is the best response to “what are you calling in reference to”?

E. A prospect says I’m not interested in your product /service. What is your next response or reply? And Why?

F. A prospect calls in and says they want to purchase one of your other products/services they are a current client. Name one question you would ask.

G. You have sent an e-mail or dm piece to a prospect. What is your next move?

H. You have sent an e-mail or dm piece to a prospect. How soon should you follow up with the prospect A.1 week B. 1 month C. 3 months D.6 months

I. You are following up with the prospect after having sent literature. Name 3 questions you would ask them

J. The prospect has stated that they may be interested in other products within the next 90 days. Do you… A. Call them back at a later date. B. send them literature and call back in a month. C. Ask when they’d like to begin the process to determine their priority and set an appointment. D. None of the above.

K. The customer has one of your products/services but hasn’t signed up for other services and you’d like to cross sell them. Name one way to get the customer interested in other services…

L. You’re making cold calls to a new prospect. Do you tell them about your products and services A. At the beginning of the call B. Middle of the call C. End of the call.

M. You have spoken with a prospect/customer about your product service and set an appointment. But they don’t show up for the appointment. Name two reasons they blew off the appointment

After answering all those questions i saw i wasn't flawless :) There is still a lot of improvement to do. Always it is.

P.S. I have anouther blog in Romanian about public speaking and success. Check it out : Succes dublu

28th Telemarketing Lead - Voice Exercises

2006-06-21T19:30:00.000+03:00

You should never minimize the importance of your voice when you make a phone call. If you want to be the best you have to cultivate your voice as an actor or a singer does. Your voice is the only bondage between you and listener in telemarketing. And Telemarketing Services means excatly this : Your VOICE si very important

I’ll give you here some exercises that change everything you’ve heard before about telemarketing calls.

Like an actor or an athlete, you must psyche yourself up before each important call or presentation.

Doing this is essential to get your voice sounding powerful, persuasive and in control

Each feeling you'd like to convey has a corresponding:
1. Key word
2. Mental image
3. Body language

Let's say you wanted to sound warm and friendly over the phone.
1. Key Word: words which help you access a warm, friendly feeling e.g. "tender", "sunshine", "smile".
Repeat to get yourself in the mood. Telemarketing Sales is Reapeating, Repeating, Repeating

2. Mental Image: e.g. visualize holding an infant, greeting a dear friend, hugging a cherished family member. Make it bright and strong in your mind.

3. Body Language: The fastest way to change the sound of your voice is to change your physiology. A smile on your face puts a smile in your voice. Energetic, expressive body language will add more energy and vitality to your speech. Make your body language BIG.

To sound more authoritative try these:
1. Key Words: "power", "strong", "firm".

2. Mental Image: Imagine yourself in a uniform commanding the troops. Or see yourself teaching a class to a rapt audience. Imagine them on the edge of their seats, hanging on your every word. Visualize giving a presentation in a board room. See yourself as calm, centered and in-control.

3. Body Language: Stand up! Erect posture. Strong hand gestures. Firm gaze. The key to an authoritative voice is good eye contact. This is important. When speaking on the phone don't let your eyes wander. If you are alone in the room, fix your gaze on the eyes of a person in a photograph or magazine. This technique may sound a little strange, but it really works!

Tags : Telemarketing Voice Practice, Telemarketing Exercises

27th Telemarketing Lead - Why objections occur

2006-06-06T20:16:00.000+03:00

The reason Objections occur is very simple. In Telemarketing You are only a voice. You are unknown. You might be dangerous. His money is precious; you are the one who want to sell something to him. He doesn't TRUST you. It's only a matter of trust. Build and win that trust through positive attitude, good questions, sincerity, and politeness plus common ground.

This is what a good telemarketer does. Builds Confidence.

In Fact every time you hear I'm not interested you should hear : I should be interested if you insist. Or I'm not interested today, perhaps tomorrow I'll change my mind.

Objections come; treat them as your friends that give you a helpful hand to close the deal. The way you treat objections will make the difference between you and rest of phone sellers. Enjoy when they appear and use them to make money.

26th Telemarketing Lead - Basic Principles

2006-05-29T04:48:00.000+03:00

There are two major categories of telemarketing: Business-to-Business and Business-to-Consumer.

Within these two categories are two other broad divisions: Lead Generation, where the objective is to obtain information and Sales, where the object is to get someone to buy something.

Within these two categories, there are two other broad categories: Outbound and Inbound. Outbound telemarketing efforts are proactive, with the marketing person making phone calls to prospects or existing customers. Inbound telemarketing efforts are reactive, where the agent processes requests for information or takes orders. The demand is generally created by advertising, publicity or the efforts of outside salespeople.

Types of calls are often divided into outbound and inbound calls. Inbound calls are calls that are made by the consumer to obtain information, report a malfunction, or ask for help. These calls are substantially different from outbound calls, where agents place calls to potential customers mostly with intentions of selling or service to the individual.

There are many standard traffic measurements that can be performed on a call centre to determine its performance levels. However, the most important performance measures are:

* The average delay a telemarketing operator may experience whilst waiting in a queue
* The mean conversation time of the telemarketer, otherwise referred to as Average Talk Time
* The mean dealing time, otherwise referred to as Average Handling Time
* The percentage of calls answered within a determined time frame
* The percentage of calls which completely resolve the customer's issue (if the customer does not call back about the same problem for a certain period of time, it is considered a successful resolution).

25th telemarketing Lead - About Objections

2006-05-29T04:36:00.000+03:00

As a young telemarketing sales representative in my company every time I made a phone call to one of our potential clients I was full of fear. If you work in telemarketing sales you know what I mean. The phone rings, the client answers, and before you could speak more than five seconds you hear the cursed four words: “I AM NOT INTERESTED”. First thing I learned before being a good phone seller was dealing those objections.

The most important thing you have to know about objections in phone sales, telemarketing or anywhere else is that THERE ARE NO OBJECTIONS. Objections don’t exist. They are only in your mind. So called objections are just steps you have to climb to reach the agreement. Picture in your mind that situation: you speak with someone about a business opportunity and try to explain advantages for involving in it, and suddenly the words you hear coming out of his mouth are :”I don’t think is a good deal”, or “I don’t want to spent my money”, or “I am not interested” Objections, You say. Part of the Telemarketing Game, I say! In fact..if you meet objections is GOOD. That means your listener thinks about your proposal, but is not convinced. So…give him more honey.

Go there. Provide good telemarketing services.

Close the guy. Rememember the ABC Rule: Always be Closing.

24th Telemarleting Lead - Fundamental Principles

2006-05-29T04:19:00.000+03:00

When developing a personal telemarketing sales presentation, you should include the following fundamental principles.

Introduce yourself in a polite and business like manner. You provide good telemarketing Services.

Always control the conversation by the professional use of well thought out questions, some of which will be based on information gleaned in the reconnaissance stage

Avoid being the one that is doing the “talking”

Always move in the direction of “when” the meeting will be held rather than “if” it will be held

When asking for the prospect to agree to a meeting, always offer them the choice of two alternative times, rather than suggesting only one which gives them more chance of saying “no”

Never simply say “I would like to come out and see you when would be a good time?” Something more like “I have a need to be near your office on Thursday around lunch time would it be more convenient to get a few minutes with you just before or just after that, could I suggest 11.30 or would 1.15 be more convenient?”

Remember people “buy” benefits. Have some of your relevant benefits at the ready if you need them.

When a prospect says no to an appointment they are really saying “you haven’t convinced me I should make the time available. To overcome this situation you should build into your presentation more reasons for them to say “yes” than “no”

Also it is a proven fact most people say “no” out of habit. Why not?, it gets rid of most salespeople they didn’t think they needed to see.

23rd Telemarketing Lead - Passing Objection

2006-05-28T04:09:00.000+03:00

If you work in phone sales and telemarketing is one movie that you MUST see: Boiler Room.

The message is this: A sale is made on every call. Either you sell them what you are selling or they sell you an excuse

To be brief ...i have one amazing example of how to handle objections and go directly to the close every time.

Seth is calling this guy (Harry) trying to sell him some shares. Is beautiful to see how everytime Seth tries to close, Harry has an objection, Seth isolates it, then passes by..another objection, isolation by Seth ..and so on to the final close.

ABC RULE : Always Be Closing

22nd Telemarketing Lead - National Phone Call Controversy

2006-05-28T03:15:00.000+03:00

So there's a controversy about records of phone calls being stored in a database, and now a fear
that calls might be recorded and listened to.

And I'm all for it.

Calls MUST be recorded and listened to. Your sales and prospecting calls, of course.

I've long advocated taping calls. Without a doubt it's one of the best activities you can engage in to improve, and make more money. Let's look at the benefits.

Improving the way you sound. You might have a great product or service with extraordinary
value, and perhaps you have stellar sales skills. But, if you sound like the AFLAC duck you won't be effective. Listening to yourself usually elicits dissatisfaction with some aspect of your voice, which is good if it translates into action.

Perhaps you're too slow, too fast, monotone, too loud, too soft, nasal, whiney, or maybe you
possess one of the other common speaking problems. Your recordings can help you "look" like the person you want to be.

Getting rid of annoying, uh, filler sounds.
Because they can't see you, their picture of you is painted by what they hear. Therefore, uhs, ahs, and ums are AMPLIFIED over the phone. The first step in eliminating them is being aware of them. Your tapes are brutally honest. Being embarrassed into realizing what you, like, say repeatedly, know what I mean? Think of that person you know who uses a word or phrases, over and over and over, like, you know what I mean? It's like, annoying, you know what I'm saying? Do you own any of these?

The recordings tell you, since your friends or customers probably won't. Hearing valuable information you missed the first time. There's a lot going on in your mind on a call. You miss some things when you're experiencing it live. Reviewing a tape of an important call can help you with information you might have missed the first time. It's like seeing a movie a second time.

Improving your sales skills. Similar to the previous point, you'll pick up on missed buying signals, questions you should have asked, answers you should have given, and other areas you can improve on when you review your performance. Every successful performer in entertainment and sports reviews their tapes.

You should too.

Others listening to your tapes. We don't know what we don't know. Meaning, we might not even realize what we're doing is wrong, or that there might be a better way. I know of reps who get together during lunch sessions weekly and they take turns bringing their recordings for review.

For managers: Let's face it managers, monitoring a call live wastes time because of how long it
takes to actually get a decision maker on a call. However, you DO need to hear calls in order to
coach. Listening to recordings is the best option.

If you're wondering about the legalities of taping your calls, twelve states require that you let the other person know. Which really ruins the mood at the beginning of a sales call. The remaining states require that only your end knows the call is being recorded, which would be you. Here's a site that explains the rules and lists the states:
http://www.rcfp.org/taping/

21st Telemarketing Lead - About Viral Marketing

2006-05-24T11:23:00.000+03:00

Have you wondered how does a company make to promote so fast its products? Sometimes in matter of days millions of people received the news of that specific new product. This is Viral Marketing. There is little connection with Telemarketing, though is good to know some interesting facts about past Viral Marketing Campaigns.

Viral marketing is popular because of the ease of executing the marketing campaign, relative low-cost (compared to direct mail), good targeting, and the high and rapid response rate. The main strength of viral marketing is its ability to obtain a large number of interested people at a low cost.

Just Click on the image to see one fresh example of viral marketing campaign.

Examples:

1. Hotmail - one of the first free email platforms had no traffic in the beggining. The growth rate of their traffic was not sufficient to meet the needs of the company and a boost was required. It was at this point that the first mass viral marketing campaign via the Internet was launched.

So they came up with a Viral Marketing Campaign that has yet to beaten and saw their traffic skyrocket and eventually lead to Microsoft buying the company as a result of their exponential growth.

What did they do? Simple. To the footer of each outgoing email they attached a signature file that read:

"To get your FREE email account goto www.hotmail.com".

As more and more people received emails from existing Hotmail account holders the word spread about their free email service and the rest, as they say, is history.

2. Free Greeting Cards

Free greeting cards is another example of viral marketing that works well. Here's how it works.

If you go to yahoo or some other free greeting card service and send a card, your friend does not get the card in their email box. Instead they get an email message with a URL where they can go pick up their eCard. So they go pick up their card and probably bookmark the site and send out an eCard or two themselves.

See how viral marketing is taking effect here as well?

3. avirginsplea.com is a website that was part of a viral marketing experiment. It first claimed that a 25-year old virgin living in Toronto named Geoff needed five million hits on his website in 30 days in order for Jenn, one of his very hot platonic female friends, to help him lose his virginity.

The story of this website gained widespread media attention, and was featured on many newspapers, such as the Toronto Star. As of May 18, 2006, the website has gotten over 3,000,000 pageviews since it went up on May 1.

On May 17, 2005, it was revealed that this story was fake. It was invented to "tug at the heart strings" of web surfers.

My example for Today is

4. EstateAgentRevenge ...one internet Viral Marketing Campaign for ClickSell (no estate agents fee). So what you have to do is to beat the shit out of the employee :)

20th Telemarketing Lead - How to close the sale

2006-05-24T06:06:00.000+03:00

I have one brilliant example from a great telemarketing and phone sales movie. This guy closes in less than five minutes. Please study intonation, voice, confidence, bullets and the final close.

19th Telemarketing Lead - Cold calling

2006-04-21T19:43:00.000+03:00

"You don't have to keep calling me!"

"Stop calling me!"

"It's 10 o'clock Monday morning, what nerve!"

"I'm going to be hanging up on you!"

"What part of no did you not understand?"

"Who’s your manager?"

Do any of these responses above sound familiar? I bet they do! In fact, it would not surprise me if you are smiling right now because you also have experienced one, two or all of these responses. If you have then you understand that such mean responses come with the territory. I commend you for this because you are indeed a true cold caller! We can laugh now, but when you are in the moment and on the receiving end of these responses it can be very intense. It's really hard not to take these responses personally. And yes, it's hard to stay positive when you hear so much negativity. And yes, such negativity from your sales prospects can turn a great day into a not so great day.

So how does Mr. Cold Call deal with mean prospects? First of all, there is no single answer. However, there are ways to deal with it or at least reduce cold call frustration on your end and cold call resistance on their end. Here are four suggestions to keep in mind:

1. PROSPECTS WILL TAKE OUT THEIR PROBLEMS ON YOU!

The workplace along with outside pressures such as family and finances cause us a tremendous amount of stress. The sales prospects that you are contacting are not immune to these pressures and you must keep this in mind when you are making cold calls. When you encounter a prospect that is a bit “out of control” for the most part just back off. I would then try contacting them a few weeks later and make mention to the fact that you may have caught them at a bad time. In my experience, I have found this to be a good strategy since most people do not expect you to call back and do admire your persistence.

2. HUMOR HAS A PERMEATING EFFECT TO CHANGE A PROSPECT’S ATTITUDE FROM NEGATIVE TO POSITIVE.

Humor also has the power to create and build rapport with your prospects as well! Take a personal risk and add humor when you are on the telephone with your prospect. If your prospect is acting resistant or if they’re stressed out humor can act as a perfect escape for your prospect. One minute they’re having a bad day your light humor can give them a reason to have a FANTASTIC DAY! One line that seems to lighten the mood is when a prospect is about to hang up on you. I then reply, “(FIRST NAME OF PROSPECT), Are you going to hang up on me?” I have found this to lighten the tension of the call.

3. REMEMBER THAT LIFE IS 10% WHAT HAPPENS TO YOU AND 90% OF HOW YOU REACT TO IT.

Read this quote from Charles Swindoll, American author, he writes about the importance of your attitude and how you use it to react to life as a whole.

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company ... a church ... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude ... I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me, and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you ... we are in charge of our Attitudes."

4. WHEN YOU HEAR MEAN RESPONSES EXCHANGE YOUR STORIES WITH FELLOW CO-WORKERS.

When you experience mean responses from your prospects it’s healthy to get these internal frustrations out of your system. You will find that when you exchange stories with fellow co-workers it can be very self-satisfying and can even be cathartic. If you know that you are not alone in dealing with mean prospects then it makes cold calling less frustrating and easier to manage.

Copyright 2006 MR. COLD CALL SEMINARS - All rights reserved.

Mr. Cold Call is the author of "How To Have Fun Cold Calling” and "114 Common Sales Objections, 153 Clever And Savvy Responses." According to Mr. Cold Call, "Your cold call success is dependent on 11 winning personality traits (known as your Telephone Persona Of Success! )." Collectively, these traits allow you to uniquely market yourself over the telephone so that you can inspire your prospect’s curiosity and reduce their resistance. Are you interested in finding out more about Mr. Cold Call? Then sign-up for his weekly cold calling tips at http://www.mrcoldcall.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=D.M._Arenzon

18th Telemarketing Lead - How to handle

2006-04-21T19:37:00.000+03:00

Telemarketing - How To Handle The Job By Michael Russell

This is probably a guide that most telemarketers wish they were given before they began their job. The truth is, telemarketing is hard work. People don't like being called in the middle of dinner only to be asked what brand of toothbrush they prefer or if they would be interested in a free trial subscription to Redbook. Potential customers can get very nasty. Some will simply hang up, but what happens when you get one who actually wants to talk to you? These tips on handling those who do and those who don't will help a lot.

Telemarketers are given a script. They are told under no uncertain terms to follow the script. But the truth is, these scripts can get annoying and make you sound like a robot. So if you find an opportunity to get away from the script, even a little bit, do it. Don't let your supervisor bully you. If he should catch you and asks you why you deviated from the script, tell him that you felt it was necessary to do so. If you ended up making a sale, show him your sheet. That should shut him up.

Part of the script is of course inserting your name. This is something you'll only learn from experience but if you are of an ethnic background, such as Jewish or Spanish, you need to have an understanding of the area you're calling. For example, if your name is Sam Goldberg and you're calling an area that you know to be predominantly Jewish, then by all means keep your real name, but if you're calling an area that you know to be predominately Christian then you might want to think of changing your name to a more Christian sounding or even neutral sounding name for these areas. Perhaps Stan Green will do fine. Believe it or not, it makes a difference to how people will relate to you.

When talking to people on the phone who are generally interested in what you have to offer, if they ask you a tough question, one that you know the answer to will not make them happy, don't lie. It will only come back to haunt you and the company in the form of a returned item or worse. Tell them the truth, but always stress the benefits over that one negative. Try to make the customer see that it would be in their best interests to at least give your product a try. Tell them that it comes with a money back guarantee so they can always return it if they're not satisfied.

If you're a telemarketer doing a demographic survey where you have to ask the person a lot of questions about themselves and their buying habits, try to mix in some casual discussion with the questions. For example, say you are asking them what their favorite soap is and they say a brand that you never heard of. Tell them you never heard of it. Ask them what they think of it. Ask them if it's any good. If they say it's great tell them that you may try it sometime. Be personable with these people. It will make the conversation go a lot quicker.

More important that anything else, be yourself. Try to enjoy what you're doing. If you let your personality shine through in the calls then people will enjoy talking to you and your job will be a lot easier. For those who are nasty with you and hang up on you, don't take it personally. Shrug it off and move on to the next call.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Telemarketing

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Russell

17th Telemarketing Lead - Sales Quota

2006-04-21T19:34:00.000+03:00

As you know it can be very discouraging if you miss your sales quota! You may begin to doubt yourself and your abilities as a salesperson. This is where our negative self-talk can get the best of us and we may start to internalize thoughts like, “I’m not good enough” or “I just don’t have what it takes.” The powerful thing here is that you have a choice and that choice is your attitude. If you decide to feel sorry for yourself and doubt your sales abilities then you will be pushed down a very dark staircase that leads no where---that's self-destructive.

Or, the other option that you have is to take this time to reflect and analyze what you can do better the next time around so that you make and exceed your numbers. Here are five practical suggestions that you can use the next time you do not make your sales quota:

1. LEARN FROM TEMPORARY SITUATIONS.

When you miss your numbers it’s a temporary situation in the big scheme of things. I suggest that you use this time as an opportunity to figure out what is working and what is not working. Thomas Edison once said, “Just because something doesn't do what you planned it to do doesn't mean it's useless." If you apply these words of Edison and compare them to the attributes of a successful marketer (and in your case a telephone marketer) you will see many similarities and they can be summarized in seven words: “Testing, testing and more testing equates to success.” If you perceive this situation as a learning opportunity rather than as an obstacle to your success your results will be that much greater!

2. STOP NEGATIVE SELF-TALK AND REFLECT ON YOUR PAST SUCCESS.

A great way to avoid negative self-talk is by reflecting on your past success. You may want to internalize thoughts like, “I’ve made my numbers before, I’ve been successful in the past and I can do it again!” Once you have made these associations from your past it’s now time to take action! Remember this Chinese Proverb: “Talk does not cook rice!”

3. TRANSFORM YOURSELF INTO A BALL OF POSITIVE ENERGY.

Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist, poet, and philosopher once said, "The person who sends out positive thoughts activates the world around him positively and draws back to himself positive results." Per Emerson, a positive attitude attracts positive energy and in turn creates opportunities for success. The question is how do you motivate yourself to be positive?

Based on my experience, you need to do things that make you happy. For example, you can go to Starbucks, go shopping, exercise or listen to motivational tapes. One interesting idea to “Transform yourself into a ball of positive energy” is to change the aesthetics of your office or cubicle. You could try adding a few plants, toys around your desk or advertise your favorite motivational quotes on signs around your office. Sometimes new environments can change your behavior and in turn inspire you to take action!

4. THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING PERSISTENT.

According to the National Sales Executive Association, 2% of sales are made on the1st contact, 3% of sales are made on the 2nd contact, 5% of sales are made on the 3rd contact, 10% of sales are made on the 4th contact and 80% of sales are made on the 5th-12th contact. Based on these numbers, if you are only contacting your sales prospect just a few times then you may want to re-think your prospecting strategy.

These statistics indicate that you need to be persistent to make the sale. However, another reason that you must be persistent is to gain the respect of your sales prospect. What do I mean here? The prospects that you are contacting should be very successful executives and these people did not get to where they are by being reactive, but rather by being proactive. They will draw from their past work experience and quickly associate with your tenacity.

As a result of your efforts, they will respect you for your persistence. In fact, your persistence may act as a catalyst that helps to reduce resistance and move you even closer to a sale! Finally, the next time you have contacted your prospect multiple times with no response please remember this line, “Pleasant persistence wears down resistance." Do you know what time it is now? It's time to go back and call some of the prospects that you have given up on!

5. DIVERSIFY YOUR CALL LISTS.

It’s important to make sure that you have several different types of calls lists in your prospecting database. For example, you may have one list from a local chamber, another from a mailing that you did to potential prospects or a list of exhibitors at a tradeshow. You should have dozens or more of these lists and you need them as a way to diversify your day. As a final suggestion, when you complete a sale write down where you got the lead. This way you can quickly determine which lists are most effective and which ones are not!

Copyright 2006 MR. COLD CALL SEMINARS - All rights reserved.

Mr. Cold Call is the author of "How To Have Fun Cold Calling” and "114 Common Sales Objections, 153 Clever And Savvy Responses." According to Mr. Cold Call, "Your cold call success is dependent on 11 winning personality traits (known as your Telephone Persona Of Success! )." Collectively, these traits allow you to uniquely market yourself over the telephone so that you can inspire your prospect’s curiosity and reduce their resistance. Are you interested in finding out more about Mr. Cold Call? Then sign-up for his weekly cold calling tips at http://www.mrcoldcall.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=D.M._Arenzon

16th Telemarketing Lead - Stop Cold Calling

2006-04-21T19:30:00.000+03:00

Cold Calling Rapidly Disappearing By Frank Rumbauskas

As more and more people enter the sales profession, less and less are utilizing cold calling as their prospecting technique of choice.

Why is this happening? Why is cold calling going away?

There are several reasons. First of all, prospects have become so sick and tired of cold calling that they have reached the point of total intolerance. Seasoned salespeople know this, yet many continue to cold call, if only because they haven’t been taught anything different and have become used to the daily rejection. Rookies, on the other hand, are taken aback at the reactions they get while cold calling and immediately abandon it or switch professions.

Second, prospects don’t need salespeople to inform them anymore. Years ago, a prospect would be open to listening to salespeople who were cold calling, take in the information, and possibly move forward with a purchase. This is no longer the case because prospects who are in a buying mode have all of the information they need right at their fingertips thanks to the Internet. So, while salespeople are still necessary to carry out the actual selling process, cold calling is rapidly going away now that we’re in the Information Age.

Third, the Internet has taken business networking to a whole new level. Only a couple of years ago, it was a rite of passage for a salesperson to waste lots of time and money attending chamber mixers and networking groups, only to walk out empty handed. This was no more effective than cold calling, but was the extent of networking sophistication for nearly all salespeople. Now that we have rapidly growing business networking sites with tens of millions of members, it’s easier than ever for salespeople to make valuable connections without ever cold calling or wasting time at mixers.

Fourth, younger salespeople are becoming marketing-savvy. It’s no secret that a well-executed personal marketing plan can generate more than enough leads, so marketing is taking the place of cold calling as far as prospecting goes. In the last couple of years, the idea that one can replace cold calling with an intelligent personal marketing plan has finally been accepted as reality. Now that sales managers are finally starting to catch on, cold calling is disappearing quickly.

Finally, cold calling is a morale killer. New entrants into the sales profession see the drudgery and misery of cold calling, and realize that it will get them nowhere. You can’t be successful if you hate what you do, so why do something you hate? That’s why cold calling is so detrimental – everyone hates doing it, and performance suffers as a result.

The bottom line is that cold calling is dead, and is a leftover relic of a previous generation. Today’s successful salespeople have said no to cold calling and yes to smart marketing.

Frank Rumbauskas is the author of the hit sensation "Cold Calling Is A Waste Of Time: Sales Success In The Information Age". His training and products teach salespeople how to generate hot leads without cold calling and how to keep their power and remain in control of sales situations. For more information please visit http://www.nevercoldcall.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Frank_Rumbauskas

15th Telemarketing Lead - Happy Easter

2006-04-20T23:59:00.000+03:00

I am going to leave my town for few days ...so my blog will not be updated. For all of you that enjoy google i have a message:

14th Telemarketing Lead - Pay Plans

2006-04-20T13:15:00.000+03:00

Telemarketing - Pay Plans By Michael Russell

As much as the public may dislike telemarketers, telemarketers don't have the easiest job in the world. Certainly it is the most thankless. Aside from the constant abuse they get from customers, they have some of the worst pay plans in the civilized world. We're going to take a peek at some of the ways that telemarketers get paid.

The most common form of telemarketing pay plan is where the telemarketer simply gets paid for the hours he or she works. Since most telemarketing jobs are only part time, most telemarketers only put in about 4 hour days. Not all this time is spent on the phone. Depending on the company you work for you may spend 3 hours on the phone and then 1 hour doing your paperwork. This is usually a recap of all the calls you made, how long you were on each one and how many sales you made. Also included in this report is the number of completed calls against the number of total calls made. Then a breakdown is made of each non-completed call such as no answer, hang up, etc. Some companies take one of the 3 phone hours and use it for what they call company training or meeting time. So effectively, the telemarketer is on the phone for only 2 hours. This breakdown is important because not all companies pay at the same hourly rate even within the day itself.

For example; your typical company will pay about $7 per hour regardless of whether or not that time is spent on the phone, doing paperwork or in meetings. However, other companies have a variable rate scale based on what you are doing during the day. For example, they may pay $7 per hour for the time on the phone, but only $6 an hour for the paperwork time and meeting time. The effective rate of pay is called $6.50 per hour and that's what they are hired at in their contract, which is then broken down into the various tasks.

These are the lucky ones. There are those who are simply paid a flat fee for their time that day, regardless of how many hours. For example, some companies will hire you to make a certain number of calls for the day. They will pay you $25 for the day's work. If you finish the number of calls in 4 hours then your pay rate is about $6.25 per hour, but if it takes you 5 hours to make those calls then you're working for $5 per hour. The people who make out best with these types of jobs are the seasoned pros.

Then there are those who are paid by commission only. They get a certain percentage of whatever they sell for the day. If they make no sales, they make nothing. The benefit of these jobs is that the commissions can be quite large if the product they are selling is a high end product. Most people who take straight commission jobs are those who are again, seasoned pro telemarketers as well as sales people.

Probably the most popular pay plan though is the combination salary and commission. These people usually work a 40 hour week and are paid a salary for that week. The salary is usually very low, sometimes only about $200 a week, which is about $5 per hour. However, the commissions paid out, if the person is a good telemarketer, can bring their weekly paycheck up to 6 or 7 hundred dollars. Again, these are people who are very confident in their sales ability.

Telemarketers are a special breed. They have a hard job and generally don't get paid very well. Maybe we should feel sorry for them instead of holding them in such contempt.

-------------------------------------------------------

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Telemarketing

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Russell

13th Telemarketing Lead - Ten Keys to succes

2006-04-19T20:55:00.000+03:00

I enjoy reading Brian Tracy. These quotes apply in telemarketing system:

1. Learn to love your work, and commit yourself to becoming outstanding in your field. You can never really like yourself and accept yourself as a worthwhile person until you have become good at what you do.

2. Decide exactly what it is you want in life. Set it as a goal, and decide the price you will have to pay to get it. Nothing worthwhile ever comes without sacrifice.

3. Back every goal and plan with persistent determination and willpower. Resilience — the willingness to bounce back — and flexibility are key characteristics of successful people.

4. Commit yourself to lifelong learning. Read, listen to audiocassettes, attend seminars and take courses. The most valuable asset you will ever have is your mind — invest in it continually.

5. Use your time wisely. Make sure that you are not wasting a minute and are always spending your time in valuable ways.

6. Follow the leaders. Determine the people who are the best in your field, and decide to be like them. If you associate with people who are not success oriented, that alone can prevent your success.

7. Guard your integrity. By integrity, we mean not only being honest with others, but also being true to yourself and your goals.

8. Use your inborn creativity. Each person has enormous reserves of creativity deep inside him, which can be used if he stirs them up and practices every day. Always look for newer, better, faster, easier ways to do things.

9. Treat every prospect like a million-dollar customer – as though he were the most important person in the world. Conduct your life as though everyone were going to do exactly what you do.

10. Work hard and you will succeed. If you hold back, you will never attain the heights of success that you are capable of reaching.

12th Telemarketing Lead - Conversation Structure

2006-04-16T00:58:00.000+03:00

You probably may say a phone call has a beginning, a middle and an end and you are certainly right but let me tell you that if you make a business phone call you have to prepare for it. There are people who hate being constrained by rules, pitches structures. They want to feel the conversation, to use the power of improvisation and moment inspiration. They are so confident in their own creative skill that they feel they have no need of structure. I am one of them . The result of lack of preparation is failure. I’ve experienced that many times that I finally decided to have a pitch before my eyes every time I make a phone call. The only disadvantage of pitch and structured conversations is that you have to enter the role and sound very natural. And you’ll be natural, aren’t you?

Here are some strategies to improve communication and control the flow of conversation:

1. clarify your objective
2. structure your thinking
3. manage your time
4. find common ground
5. Move beyond argument
6. Summarize often
7. Use visuals (stories or picture something in words that he can imagine)

11th Telemarketing Lead - Art of Closing

2006-04-13T22:09:00.000+03:00

There are several reasons why closing may be difficult. First of all, there is the salesperson’s natural fear of rejection. Another obstacle is the fear of failure on the part of the customer, including fear of purchasing the wrong article or paying too much. Never tell the prospect he is wrong or argue with him Don’t express your opinions to a prospect on subjects of a personal nature, religion, politics, labor unions, health, family and so on. Don’t ever knock the
competition. Don’t ever make promises you can’t keep, and don’t ever engage in overselling, or saying that the product can do something it cannot do. Negative prejudgment — deciding in advance that the person is not going to buy — saps your enthusiasm. Nothing will kill a sale faster than lack of enthusiasm.

You have here some questions to test yourself before closing

1. Do I recognize and take advantage of signals that indicate the prospect is ready to buy?

2. Do I plan detailed, word-for-word closings in advance of my sales presentation?

3. Do I understand how emotional and stressful a buying decision can be?

4. Do I argue with prospects and tell them why they are wrong?

5. Do I make promises about the product that I cannot keep or oversell by saying it will do something it will not do?

6. Do I express my opinions about religion or politics or discuss personal problems with customers?

10th Telemarketing Lead - obstacles to success

2006-04-11T22:33:00.000+03:00

There are two major obstacles in telemarketing selling . The first obstacle is the customer’s fear of making a mistake. The second major obstacle in telemarketing system selling is the salesperson’s fear of rejection. Until a salesperson develops confidence, a high self-concept and sufficient resilience to bounce back from inevitable rejection, he cannot sell successfully. All outstanding salespersons have reached the point where they no longer fear rejection. Sales are usually based on friendship. People will not buy from you until they are genuinely convinced that you are their friend and are acting in their best interest.

The most important thing we have to understand in the world of telemarketing system selling is that nothing happens until the sale takes place. The most successful organizations in the world have superb selling organizations. They rise or fall on the quality of their sales effort. We can be proud to be salespeople because it is upon our efforts that the whole economy floats. There is no limit to where we can go in this profession if we are properly trained and skilled in selling.

In selling, and telemarketing selling the 80-20 rule, prevails. According to the 80-20 rule, 80 percent of sales are made by 20 percent of the salespeople. Once you get into the top 20 percent, you don’t have to worry about money or employment again. Your job is to get into the top 20 percent and then into the top 4 percent. In the top 4 percent, you become one of the highest paid
people in the world.

There is a direct relationship between your level of self-esteem and how well you get along with different people. The best salespeople have a natural ability to make friends easily with perspective customers. A key element in selling is enthusiasm. A sale is a transfer of your enthusiasm about the product or service into the mind and heart of the other person.

The reason so many people fail in sales is that they do not stay with it long enough to get those first few winning experiences that raise their self-esteem and self-concept and set them off on a successful career in telemarketing selling. That’s why it’s so important that from the very
beginning you say to yourself that nothing is going to stop you until you are successful.

Selling is an inner game. That is, what is going on inside the mind of the salesperson makes all the
difference in his success. We know there is a direct relationship between a salesperson’s self-concept and his sales performance and effectiveness. We feel uncomfortable if we don’t act in accordance with our self-concept. We will never earn much more or much less than our self-concept level of income. Our job is to raise this self-concept level of income.

9th Telemarketing Lead - Example of good call

2006-04-11T13:43:00.000+03:00

Here is another example from Mitnik's Book of what you can do with only good telemarketing skills and a phone

We like to think that government agencies with files on us keep the information safely locked away from people without an authentic need to know. The reality is that even the federal government isn't as immune to penetration as we would like to imagine.

May Linn’s Phone Call
Place: A regional office of the Social Security Administration

Time: 10:18 A.M., Thursday morning

“- Mod Three. This is May Linn Wang.” The voice on the other end of the phone sounded apologetic, almost timid.
“- Ms. Wang, this is Arthur Arondale, in the Office of the Inspector General. Can I call you ‘May’?”
“- It's ‘May Linn’,” she said.
“- Well, it's like this, May Linn. We've got a new guy in here who there's no computer for yet, and right now he's got a priority project and he's using mine. We're the government of the United States, for cryin' out loud, and they say they don't have enough money in the budget to buy a computer for this guy to use. And now my boss thinks I'm falling behind and doesn't want
to hear any excuses, you know?”
“- I know what you mean, all right.”
“- Can you help me with a quick inquiry on MCS?” he asked, using the name of the computer system for looking up taxpayer information.
“- Sure, what'cha need?” “The first thing I need you to do is an alphadent on Joseph Johnson, DOB 7/4/69.” (Alphadent means to have the computer search for an account alphabetically by taxpayer name, further identified by date of birth.) After a brief pause, she asked:
“- What do you need to know?”
“- What's his account number?” he said, using the insider's shorthand for the social security number. She read it off.
“- Okay, I need you to do a numident on that account number,” the caller said. That was a request for her to read off the basic taxpayer data, and May Linn responded by giving the taxpayer's place of birth, mother's maiden name, and father's name. The caller listened patiently while she also gave him the month and year the card was issued, and the district office it was issued by. He next asked for a DEQY. (Pronounced “DECK-wee,” it's short for “detailed earnings query.”)

The DEQY request brought the response, “For what year?” The caller replied, “Year 2001.”
May Linn said, “The amount was $190,286, the payer was Johnson MicroTech.”
“- Any other wages?”
“- No.”
“- Thanks,” he said. “You've been very kind.”
Then he tried to arrange to call her whenever he needed information and couldn't get to his computer, again using the favorite trick of social engineers of always trying to establish a connection so that he can keep going back to the same person, avoiding the nuisance of having to find a new mark each time.
“- Not next week,” she told him, because she was going to Kentucky for her sister's wedding.” Any other time, she'd do whatever she could. When she put the phone down, May Linn felt good that she had been able to offer a little help to a fellow unappreciated public servant.

8th Telemarketing Lead - Personality tests

2006-04-10T15:01:00.000+03:00

You know that famous ancient quote "nosce te ipsum" (know yourself), don't you?

That's why i like taking personality tests. I did a lot of them...most of them were a joke, but some were really accurate. You can really discover something new about yourself, something you can use afterwards in business life or private life.

Let me give you a short example : you have to learn anathomy and all your teachers told you to look at human body anathomy photos or movies to remember faster all that stuff. But you discover in a personality test that you are a auditive learner, not a visual. SO instead wasting your time seeing all that photostuff you can record yourself on a tape reading anathomical formations you have to learn. YOU are an AUDITIVE..so you learn better this way.

I found today at Manafu a really interesting test. Personal DNA . Here are my results :

Free-Wheeling Director

Another test i like, tells your dominant hemisphere and what type of learner you are. Our hemispheres alwyas work together so that we will experience a combination of LEFT and RIGHT hemisphere in everything we do. There is however, a tendency for one hemisphere to be dominant. This dominance effects how we respond to new experiences and situations. Armed with the knowledge of how we use our brains we are better equipped to know the style of learning most effective to us. Here are my results:

You can download this test HERE.

7th Telemarketing Lead - Social Engineering

2006-04-09T14:06:00.000+03:00

Have you heard about Kevin Mitnick? He is the best example of what i call "Phone Guru"

Kevin David Mitnick (born August 6, 1963) is one of the most famous crackers to be jailed. He was arrested by the FBI on February 15, 1995. Mitnick was convicted of wire fraud and of breaking into the computer systems of Fujitsu, Motorola, Nokia, and Sun Microsystems. He served five years in prison (four years of it pre-trial), 8 months of that in solitary confinement, and was released on January 21, 2000. During his supervised release, which ended on January 21, 2003, he was restricted from using any communications technology other than a landline telephone, although occasional exceptions were granted.

Following text is from his book "Art of Deception"

A company may have purchased the best security technologies that money can buy, trained their people so well that they lock up all their secrets before going home at night, and hired building guards from the best security firm in the business.

That company is still totally Vulnerable.

Individuals may follow every best-security practice recommended by the experts, slavishly install every recommended security product, and be thoroughly vigilant about proper system configuration and applying security
patches.

Those individuals are still completely vulnerable.

It's natural to yearn for a feeling of absolute safety, leading many people to
settle for a false sense of security. Consider the responsible and loving
homeowner who has a Medico, a tumbler lock known as being pickproof,
installed in his front door to protect his wife, his children, and his home. He's
now comfortable that he has made his family much safer against intruders.
But what about the intruder who breaks a window, or cracks the code to the
garage door opener? How about installing a robust security system? Better,
but still no guarantee. Expensive locks or no, the homeowner remains
vulnerable.

Why? Because the human factor is truly security's weakest link.

Security is too often merely an illusion, an illusion sometimes made even
worse when gullibility, naiveté, or ignorance come into play. The world's
most respected scientist of the twentieth century, Albert Einstein, is quoted
as saying, “Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity,
and I'm not sure about the former.” In the end, social engineering attacks can
succeed when people are stupid or, more commonly, simply ignorant about
good security practices.

As developers invent continually better security technologies, making it
increasingly difficult to exploit technical vulnerabilities, attackers will turn
more and more to exploiting the human element. Cracking the human
firewall is often easy, requires no investment beyond the cost of a phone call,
and involves minimal risk.

A CLASSIC CASE OF DECEPTION

What's the greatest threat to the security of your business assets? That's easy:
the social engineer—an unscrupulous magician who has you watching his
left hand while with his right he steals your secrets. This character is often so
friendly, glib, and obliging that you're grateful for having encountered him.

Take a look at an example of social engineering. Not many people today still
remember the young man named Stanley Mark Rifkin and his little
adventure with the now defunct Security Pacific National Bank in Los
Angeles. Accounts of his escapade vary, and Rifkin (like me) has never told
his own story, so the following is based on published reports.

Code Breaking
One day in 1978, Rifkin moseyed over to Security Pacific's authorized-personnel-
only wire-transfer room, where the staff sent and received
transfers totalling several billion dollars every day.

He was working for a company under contract to develop a backup system
for the wire room's data in case their main computer ever went down. That
role gave him access to the transfer procedures, including how bank officials
arranged for a transfer to be sent. He had learned that bank officers who
were authorized to order wire transfers would be given a closely guarded
daily code each morning to use when calling the wire room.

In the wire room the clerks saved themselves the trouble of trying to
memorize each day's code: They wrote down the code on a slip of paper and
posted it where they could see it easily. This particular November day Rifkin
had a specific reason for his visit. He wanted to get a glance at that paper.

Arriving in the wire room, he took some notes on operating procedures,
supposedly to make sure the backup system would mesh properly with the
regular systems. Meanwhile, he surreptitiously read the security code from
the posted slip of paper, and memorized it. A few minutes later he walked
out. As he said afterward, he felt as if he had just won the lottery.

There's This Swiss Bank Account...
Leaving the room at about 3 o'clock in the afternoon, he headed straight for
the pay phone in the building's marble lobby, where he deposited a coin and
dialled into the wire-transfer room. He then changed hats, transforming
himself from Stanley Rifkin, bank consultant, into Mike Hansen, a member
of the bank's International Department.

According to one source, the conversation went something like this:
“Hi, this is Mike Hansen in International,” he said to the young woman who
answered the phone.

She asked for the office number. That was standard procedure, and he was
prepared: “286” he said.
The girl then asked, “Okay, what's the code?”

Rifkin has said that his adrenaline-powered heartbeat “picked up its pace” at
this point. He responded smoothly, “4789.” Then he went on to give
instructions for wiring “Ten million, two-hundred thousand dollars exactly”
to the Irving Trust Company in New York, for credit of the Wozchod
Handels Bank of Zurich, Switzerland, where he had already established an
account.

The girl then said, “Okay, I got that. And now I need the interoffice
settlement number.”

Rifkin broke out in a sweat; this was a question he hadn't anticipated,
something that had slipped through the cracks in his research. But he managed to stay in character, acted as if everything was fine, and on the spot
answered without missing a beat, “Let me check; I'll call you right back.” He
changed hats once again to call another department at the bank, this time
claiming to be an employee in the wire-transfer room. He obtained the
settlement number and called the girl back.

She took the number and said, “Thanks.” (Under the circumstances, her
thanking him has to be considered highly ironic.)

Achieving Closure
A few days later Rifkin flew to Switzerland, picked up his cash, and handed
over $8 million to a Russian agency for a pile of diamonds. He flew back,
passing through U.S. Customs with the stones hidden in a money belt. He
had pulled off the biggest bank heist in history—and done it without using a
gun, even without a computer. Oddly, his caper eventually made it into the
pages of the Guinness Book of World Records in the category of “biggest
computer fraud.”

Here is an Interview with Kevin Mitnik at CNN

Remember : Your Phone is your Gun ! :)

6th Telemarketing Lead - Making phone calls

2006-04-08T22:24:00.000+03:00

Making phone calls
Bear in mind the following when a call has to be made:

• Take the initiative in making calls:
Where a call has to be made, make it. Leaving it waiting just builds stress if it is unpleasant or difficult.
• Don't make a call very early or very late:
Give the person you are talking to a chance to get a coffee and settle in before you ring them. Don't take up peoples time when they want to leave the office.
• If calls are administrative, delegate them:
It may be possible to delegate calls arranging times for meetings, finding out addresses, etc. to assistants. You should, however, be careful not to give the impression that you are playing power games.
• If you get an answering machine, ring off and ring back:
If you are not prepared for an answering machine, you can sound stilted and off-balance talking into one. It is much better to hang up, prepare a message, and then deliver it smoothly.
• Don't harass people:
If someone is doing a job for you, don't ring them every few hours to find out how it is going. This is irritating and stressful, and slows achievement of the job.

5th Telemarketing Lead - Required Attributes

2006-04-08T17:35:00.000+03:00

If you have no qualifications, no talent, no skills, no imagination, you could become a telemarketer. The only attributes a telemarketer needs are:

1. A phone

2. A friendly manner (optional in some circumstances)

3. The ability to memorise and recite a script

4. The ability to tell anything in a convincing way.

5. A conscience on psychopath level

6. An inner radar enabling you to identify the least convenient time to phone people

7. the ability to talk for a long time without pause

8. Tenacity

9. A thick skin.

4th Telemarketing Lead - Basic rules

2006-04-07T20:34:00.000+03:00

If you are the kind of person which prefers spontaneity and intuition I have a good scheme for you

Make yourself accepted
Make the listener be interested
Ask good questions
Summarize and verify
Prepare to close
Sell the RESULTS and CLOSE

• Introduce yourself in a polite and business like manner
• Always control the conversation by the professional use of well thought out questions, some of which will be based on information gleaned in the reconnaissance stage
• Avoid being the one that is doing the “talking”
• Always move in the direction of “when” the meeting will be held rather than “if” it will be held
• When asking for the prospect to agree to a meeting, always offer them the choice of two alternative times, rather than suggesting only one which gives them more chance of saying “no”
• Never simply say “I would like to come out and see you when would be a good time?”
• Something more like “I have a need to be near your office on Thursday around lunch time would it be more convenient to get a few minutes with you just before or just after that, could I suggest 11.30 or would 1.15 be more convenient?”
• Remember people “buy” benefits. Have some of your relevant benefits at the ready if you need them.

3rd Telemarketing Lead - Preparation of the call

2006-04-07T19:20:00.000+03:00

In telemarketing and phone sales there is one very important rule :

Never be unprepared. You should never trust your spontaneity only. You have specific goals and purposes when you make a phone call, that's why you should follow Telemarketing Leads.

Now i give a first example of a good preparation. Download it and after filling the fields start talking to your friends first. You can use Skype or other Net2Phone service to practice your conversation skills. Try to keep in mind that YOU HAVE THE CONTROL of the conversation. You start it, you have the control, you finish it.

Use it and enjoy. ============= > Preparation of phone conversation.doc // Thumbnail

2nd Telemarketing Lead - Introduction

2006-04-06T06:54:00.000+03:00

Why phone is your best weapon or your enemy in telemarketing field? How can you make money over the phone instead wasting it?

The fact you have to know about telephone sales is that is all about and selling yourself.

Your ability to make conversation is one of your most important social skills.

The ability to make conversation can help you sell "yourself" and make you attractive and interesting to others while helping you build your confidence, your image, and your relationships.

Conversation skills you will learn can give you a great personal advantage -- whether you're talking across the dinner table, across the desk or on the telephone in front of a telemarketing list

we will talk about this a little more after a short sleep :)

1st - Telemarketing lead - welcome

2006-04-05T16:43:00.000+03:00

Welcome to my new blog concerning the world of phone sales and telemarketing tehniques. If you read this, probably you want to know how to become a better telemarketer, how to improve your conversation over the phone, how to sell more than your telemarketing competitors.

I will share with you my experience in phone sales, and write practical advice about this domain that surely will put you on the cash flow.

Let me work a little bit with design here and then ...we start.