Don’t Get Me Wrong: Favourable First Impressions …or Not!
You know how it is: You’re going to call the company, you know your opening statement, you know what you want from the call, you know how to build rapport and you know your product or service pretty well, so there’s no reason not to be confident, right?
Not necessarily. Sometimes it can depend on whether or not you know names. That could be the person’s name, the company name or the name of the street they operate their business from.
You’ve probably heard it said that the sweetest sound to any person is their name. That is true, but only when their name is spelt correctly and pronounced correctly. The number of unintentional mistakes that can stem from this one area alone can mean the difference between a person or a company putting some faith and trust in you, or dismissing you completely.
Especially if you’re making a high level introduction, it should matter sufficiently to you to get the name of the person and name and address details of the company you’re calling on right before you pick up the phone.
There are fewer more elementary mistakes to make when trying to establish a relationship with someone than to make a mess of these details.
“But what if I don’t have all the information?” I hear you ask. The internet is your friend. Go to the company’s website. Use the search engines to obtain vital information. If this doesn’t come easily to you then ask someone who is more search engine savvy to help. They’ll only be delighted to show off their skills in order to help you to make progress.
Speak to and email people in your network that you know are most likely to have some knowledge about the company in question.
Don’t, whatever you do, rely on data lists to be 100% accurate. They never are. If your searches for the right information haven’t produced the results you want, then by all means, dial the number of the company and explain that you need their help.
If you’re very confident that you’ll recover from any setbacks relating to incorrect data, then by all means go ahead and make the call, but be prepared to humble yourself when you make a mistake and offer to start over, explaining that it’s your fault. It is, after all, your responsibility to put the other person at ease when they receive your call.
If you’re not so confident or are nervous, don’t concern yourself with being perfect. Your humility may well work in your favour.
Remember your ears are your best detectives and you have the power to ask questions: If you’re not sure how to pronounce a name or need help spelling something, then ask. People will think more respectfully towards you for having asked how to spell or pronounce something than for having made a poor guess which will serve to destroy the credibility of you and your company because you weren’t prepared to make the effort to get it right first time.
If you cannot get names, get business titles or job titles. Some companies now operate a “no names policy”. In some industries it’s not so hard to understand; in others it can seem ridiculous. In vastly regulated sectors of the marketplace, they may be concerned with compromising themselves as individuals, or their companies, by inadvertently giving their competitors sensitive information. Again, draw upon the knowledge of the people in your network as well as the internet to remain informed where it matters most. And, with any information you’re given, treat it with the respect it deserves and make sure it’s correct before you hang up and use it in future communications. Wherever possible, avoid using erroneous information in your communication with other businesses. It could end up costing you and your company more than you think.
If you’re concerned about making calls without sufficient information, need help in finding and selecting reliable data or simply want to know more about setting up your calling campaigns for success, call 0208 133 0702 or email shaun [at] phoneforbusiness [dot] com
About the Author:Shaun Gisbourne is a telemarketing professional based in the UK and France, Offering telemarketing and tele sales to small and medium sized businesses.
shaun@phoneforbusiness.com
www.phoneforbusiness.com
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