Gaining Compliance on the Telephone That Almost NEVER Fails! [nothing is 100%]

During my consultancy work with outbound telephone based teams and outbound call centres I get to hear a vast amount of 'other peoples' ideas and methods about how to engage cold prospects. Some are quite good but in the main the rest are either lifted from the 'guide to telephone sales circa 1980' or 'I don't care what you say, I’m just going to keep talking' school of annoyance.

What has struck me though is that 'NO ONE' is actually getting the full permission from the prospect to deliver what it is they are calling about. Why is that? Well I guess there is a worry that has transcended from the heights of 'Telemarketing or Call Centre Managers', that if you ask then they will say NO...

I say Total Rubbish!

Now, regardless of what position you hold within an organisation whether you're in accounts, sales, customer service or IT, then what I am just about to share with you will ensure that YOU take FULL CONTROL of that conversation and that YOU gain the clients FULL PERMISSION to deliver what it is you have to say.

The Strategy Revealed

No doubt if you are making 'cold calls' to consumers or businesses then as part of that initial call you will want to understand whether;

1. The data you have is accurate? [We all know that buying data is littered with frustrating pitfalls]
   
2. The prospect is a valid one and qualifies for what you have on offer?

So... What tends to happen in many outbound telephone sales teams is that they will simply 'pitch, pitch, pitch' without actually establishing whether the prospect is interested or whether they actually qualify. That is UNTIL they've delivered their 'You have to have this, it's fantastic' pitch only to be told no thanks.

The strategy below relies on YOU and more importantly the, 'petrified of losing a prospect' managers, having the confidence to give your prospect a MONUMENTAL get out clause from having to listen to you.

[KEY POINT: Many have stopped reading and gone elsewhere by this point however they've actually missed the best bit and inherently they will be the 'petrified' ones or 'call bashers' as they are affectionately known]

The Strategy Revealed - part 2

Naturally as with most cold or unannounced calls, you have to do a certain amount of introducing yourself and the company/product you are representing. Whether this is done upfront or hidden behind a cleverly worded 'opening question'. [I know there are others before I get emailed]

Ok, so below is an example of how 'some' might be approaching a call after their introduction.

[Note: Ok how many of you cringed?]

So, where was the compliance from the prospect? What is he or she feeling right now? Would they be compelled to listen?

I’m going to use the same 'script' as above because it will show that even with an offering like this, it is still possible to get compliance from a prospect to allow you to deliver what you have to say and ultimately get them interested in.

The Psychology

In the second example you will have noticed, if you’ve worked with me or read previous Salesology articles, that the sentence was started with a word ending in [LY] or adverb as they are known.

Without going over old ground, this prevents the prospect from objecting to what it being said and not only that, the content of the sentence is taken as being accurate and truthful. [Who else knows this... Probably the Best Larger in the World...click here to find out more]

Now, when we look at the content of that sentence we notice that the prospects first 'get out clause' is the fact there is a 2 in 3 chance or 66% he won’t qualify, which for him is a fairly decent statistic for getting you off the phone.

The second sentence relies on the prospect having to answer 3 quick questions so that the ‘Telemarketer - TM’ can establish whether they are actually talking to the right type of company and NOT wasting their or the prospects time. [Something many TM’s fail to do!]

And now to the MONUMENTAL get out clause for the prospect... ‘if not [CONTACT NAME] then all we'll do is end the call, I'll remove you from our database and you'll not have to hear from me again... IS THAT FAIR?'

This is a revelation to a prospects ears! All they have to do is answer 3 questions knowing that there is a 2 in 3 chance they will NEVER have to accept another cold call from you again! Perfect.

How You WIN

1. Do you not think, that will some careful planning, that your 3 questions might ensure that all but the lost causes actually QUALIFY for the newer version?
   
2. Has the prospect not just GIVEN YOU PERMISSION to now pitch the benefits of version 2 if they QUALIFY?
   
3. Have you not now installed curiosity in the prospect as to why they are part of the 34%?
   
4. IS THAT FAIR? – Is this not almost impossible to say no to, baring in mind the massive prise at the end of answering 3 questions? What’s not fair about being offered never to be called again? [Permission has been granted...You may carry on!]

Final Note

I know what's written above may not suit everyone who is reading this or fit exactly with what you do, however, ALL of you can and should include this MONUMENTAL compliance strategy into you cold calling process, customer service calls and sales pitches, ending with IS THAT FAIR?

Customer Services: 'Ok, I will see what I can do for you. In order for me to know what's going to be the best option I've just got 3 very quick question if you mind to establish where the communication breakdown originates... IS THAT FAIR?'

[Note: ‘Is that fair enough’ or worse still, ‘I can’t say fairer than that’ have in no way shape or form the same impact because these phrases are far to salesy and straight from the market trader & the second hand car dealer]

To find out more about Salesology’s Elite Telephone Sales Skills then CLICK HERE