Why Today"s Terrible Telemarketers Are Forcing Me to Make Calls, Myself!
On one level you can't imagine how disappointed I was with the telemarketing pilot program I purchased from an experienced firm.
I spoke to at least two dozen call centers, each of which claimed to be expert at setting appointments for professionals with senior executives.
I settled on one outfit that offered a vague performance guarantee.
It contracted to perform a pilot program consisting of 40 hours of calling on my behalf.
Here's what I figured.
A GOOD phone person can set one business-to-business appointment for each two hours of calling.
A decade or two ago, this was one appointment for each phone hour, but with voice mail and the hollowing out of companies, it has been getting more challenging to simply reach a living, breathing being.
But I knew I'd have to discount the diminished abilities of today's phone personnel.
Calculating that if I received only one appointment for each 10 hours of calling, or 4 solid meetings over the course of the 40 hour pilot, one or two meetings would be stiffs or be cancelled, and I'd actually see two prospects.
Then, I'd close at least one of them and this would retire the cost of the outbound campaign.
After 20 hours, with absolutely no results, I knew the campaign was going to be a waste both time and money.
I got ZERO appointments.
When I phoned into the database, personally, I realized the callers had made only the most superficial, low-level contacts they could get away with, and they didn't speak to ANY senior executives-which were my targets.
I said on one level I was terribly disappointed, and that's true.
I had hoped that telemarketers had grown in sophistication over time, that they were as professional as they held themselves out to be.
But I was wrong.
On another level, I'm thrilled that they're as bad and incredibly deficient as I found them, because I am going to compete against them, knowing my firm will do a lot better.
Apart from the fact that I am the best-selling author of such telemarketing classics as REACH OUT & SELL SOMEONE and YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE, I am also the best telemarketer I've ever known, and I've known and worked with thousands.
Because I built a seminar and consulting business, I've been TEACHING telemarketing over the years much more than DOING it, but this is about to change.
I'm going back to my core strengths, and smiling and dialing is one of them.
You might wonder, how can I afford to do it? That's easy.
I figure first-class organizations and professionals such as me will happily pay a premium for premium results.
As it is, they're paying a premium for paltry results, if they get any results, at all.
Most contract telemarketing companies officially charge in the neighborhood of $20-$40 per phone hour, and their goal is to sell as many hours as they can, using people that have what I'll generously characterize as average IQ's, no true selling abilities, and barely passable communication skills.
Pilots are conducted with these folks with minimal capabilities, and projections of ultimate achievement are based on what THEY can do, which again, is very little.
Therefore, while clients are hypnotized into thinking they're paying $20-$40 per phone hour, they're getting soaked for hundreds and even thousands of dollars for what they really want-appointments and sales.
I'm going to turn this on its head, BY PILOTING PROGRAMS, MYSELF.
If you want to know "How high is UP?" don't ask a mole; ask an eagle.
I'll create the baseline of calls, and only then will I carefully delegate the rollout to capable lieutenants.
But never, ever will I shortchange clients by assigning their campaigns to people who aren't first-class communicators.
How will I assure that they'll get the best people calling on their behalf? I intend to pay them more than they can find anywhere else, and still earn an honest profit.
Do you like my business model? Would you like to join my team or have my team make premium calls on your behalf? Contact us and we'll explore the possibilities.
I spoke to at least two dozen call centers, each of which claimed to be expert at setting appointments for professionals with senior executives.
I settled on one outfit that offered a vague performance guarantee.
It contracted to perform a pilot program consisting of 40 hours of calling on my behalf.
Here's what I figured.
A GOOD phone person can set one business-to-business appointment for each two hours of calling.
A decade or two ago, this was one appointment for each phone hour, but with voice mail and the hollowing out of companies, it has been getting more challenging to simply reach a living, breathing being.
But I knew I'd have to discount the diminished abilities of today's phone personnel.
Calculating that if I received only one appointment for each 10 hours of calling, or 4 solid meetings over the course of the 40 hour pilot, one or two meetings would be stiffs or be cancelled, and I'd actually see two prospects.
Then, I'd close at least one of them and this would retire the cost of the outbound campaign.
After 20 hours, with absolutely no results, I knew the campaign was going to be a waste both time and money.
I got ZERO appointments.
When I phoned into the database, personally, I realized the callers had made only the most superficial, low-level contacts they could get away with, and they didn't speak to ANY senior executives-which were my targets.
I said on one level I was terribly disappointed, and that's true.
I had hoped that telemarketers had grown in sophistication over time, that they were as professional as they held themselves out to be.
But I was wrong.
On another level, I'm thrilled that they're as bad and incredibly deficient as I found them, because I am going to compete against them, knowing my firm will do a lot better.
Apart from the fact that I am the best-selling author of such telemarketing classics as REACH OUT & SELL SOMEONE and YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE, I am also the best telemarketer I've ever known, and I've known and worked with thousands.
Because I built a seminar and consulting business, I've been TEACHING telemarketing over the years much more than DOING it, but this is about to change.
I'm going back to my core strengths, and smiling and dialing is one of them.
You might wonder, how can I afford to do it? That's easy.
I figure first-class organizations and professionals such as me will happily pay a premium for premium results.
As it is, they're paying a premium for paltry results, if they get any results, at all.
Most contract telemarketing companies officially charge in the neighborhood of $20-$40 per phone hour, and their goal is to sell as many hours as they can, using people that have what I'll generously characterize as average IQ's, no true selling abilities, and barely passable communication skills.
Pilots are conducted with these folks with minimal capabilities, and projections of ultimate achievement are based on what THEY can do, which again, is very little.
Therefore, while clients are hypnotized into thinking they're paying $20-$40 per phone hour, they're getting soaked for hundreds and even thousands of dollars for what they really want-appointments and sales.
I'm going to turn this on its head, BY PILOTING PROGRAMS, MYSELF.
If you want to know "How high is UP?" don't ask a mole; ask an eagle.
I'll create the baseline of calls, and only then will I carefully delegate the rollout to capable lieutenants.
But never, ever will I shortchange clients by assigning their campaigns to people who aren't first-class communicators.
How will I assure that they'll get the best people calling on their behalf? I intend to pay them more than they can find anywhere else, and still earn an honest profit.
Do you like my business model? Would you like to join my team or have my team make premium calls on your behalf? Contact us and we'll explore the possibilities.
