3 Deadly Telesales Mistakes to Avoid

The first nine to 15 seconds of a sales call to a new prospect are critical.  Unfortunately, new sales reps are trained to use the very words that turn off prospects.  According to author and sales trainer Jill Konrath, there are three mistakes telesales reps should avoid if they want to crack into...

3 Tips to Change the Way You Feel About Cold Calling

During the first year I sold office equipment supplies by telephone, cold calling was something I dreaded.  Until I discovered how to change the way I felt about cold calling and prospecting.  I found that when I came to the office in a terrific, cheerful mood – feeling great and full of energy – the...

8 Cold Calling Tips for Successful Calls

In a perfect world, your phone would be ringing off the hook all day with clients asking to buy your products.  The reality is that if you want business, you need to go after it, and cold calling is an effective sales tactic if it’s done properly. But many small business people would rather spend an...

The Worst Cold Call Ever

The first nine seconds of an opening statement during a cold call are critical.  If the statement does not immediately get the prospect’s attention (in a positive way), the telesales person’s time has been wasted.  Not to mention the prospect’s time. Preparing for the call and knowing...

5 Reasons Why Jeff Earned the Sale

During the time I managed a telephone sales department for an office equipment dealership, and did all the purchasing of imaging supplies, I learned a lot about the purchasing process – and about sales people. One of the best telesales representatives I met during that time was Jeff, who worked for a...

Secrets of a Successful Cold Caller

How many people do you know, who are successful at cold calling? It can be a difficult thing: calling people who don’t know you and whom you’ve never spoken with before. It takes a special skill to do this – and to convince this person to buy from you. So, when I heard from someone – her name is...

One 3-Letter Word Can Ruin the Call

There is one word, used in everyday conversation, which can derail an otherwise perfect sales presentation.  This one little word is often used when responding to an objection, and it can ruin everything else you say, especially during a cold call.  It is surprising how often sales reps use this word when...

What You Don’t Know May Shock You

Unfortunately, in politics it seems that negative campaigns have an effect.  Some candidates that are willing to do or say anything to win have been successful. Locally, here in Virginia Beach, the cable company began – a few years ago – using negative (negative against their competitor) and...