So…how do I find you?

The telemarketer’s phone message asked me to call her.

Her service sounded interesting, but she didn’t leave a phone number, email, or website so I could learn more.

Nor did she follow up with email, text, direct mail, or another call.

I’m obviously not buying anything from her, even if I want to.

Was she new on the job or having an off day? NOT my problem.

Did she assume I’d see her number among several unidentified voice mail messages? Perhaps, but I’m certainly not calling them all hoping to find her.

Instead, I’ve moved on with my life.

Selling is a delicate art form. Hundreds of scientific studies have proven that prospects are persuaded to buy by how a sales message is conveyed. 

People buy from those they know, like, and trust. Getting to that position of trust and influence takes lots of strategy, planning, and knowing the prospect’s needs. Then, to close the deal, you must tell a compelling story about how the product/service will benefit the prospect. Merely leaving me a message wasted my time and hers.

The marketing/sales process should also make it easy for people to give you their money. And by making me work too hard to buy from her, this salesperson left a negative impression.

Unlike robots, people have an opportunity to engage in genuine conversation with prospective customers. This woman threw away that advantage by tossing her inquiry over the fence and running away. The approach wasn’t conducive to follow-up dialogue. 

Merely plugging in a body and hoping for the best sales results ignores the reality that ill-trained salespeople actually have a long-term negative impact on a company’s brand and bottom line.

The importance of a well-trained sales force cannot be overstated. To be successful, your sales representatives must tenaciously work to build lasting relationships. Being confident, knowing the benefits of what’s being sold, and not using canned sales pitches are all critical.

Furthermore, salespeople must be trained to sell and actually relate to the prospect. There must also be follow-up materials (collateral, email, promotional website landing pages, etc.) to reinforce the message and close the sale.

Meaning they can’t just leave a message and hope for the best…unless, of course, your plan is to expect the worst.

With that said, I wish you a week of profitable marketing.

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