When I was a teen, our local Kiwanis was putting on a circus. The organization was hiring students to telemarket to area businesses, requesting that they sponsor kids who were otherwise unable to attend. My father suggested that I participate, and I did. Blindly I received a script and a phone. After an hour of training and making practice calls to one another, we started placing those calls to solicit business. Youthful optimism and a desire to earn money commenced my understanding of phone sales. Over the years I've conducted a number of telemarketing campaigns, and whether you can relate to this early introduction to the "sport" or are a seasoned telemarketer, this article is aimed to help you to gain success in telemarketing in the future.

The first law of solicitation is stick to the script. A good scriptwriter keeps the talk natural. The second is that we must pick up the phone, because volume is the key, according to the experts. Ironically the third law is that if we do the first well and combine it with the second accordingly, quality and relationships built over those few seconds alter the produced sale volume geometrically.

Just recently I participated in a "organizational telemarketing gig". Surprisingly both rules one and two are scary to even the most verbal adults. Picking up the phone to call for directions, order delivery services or find out about a kids' school program seems much less daunting than asking for money. A common misconception is that we're tricking people into purchasing; we're not! (Note: We believe that all firms must follow all legal regulations on solicitation) If you believe in the product or service and value others time telemarketing concepts cut down on direct sales calls and qualify buyers quickly if done correctly. In fact the "salesperson" is offering to the firm information of value regarding a need, product or service that they might need or want. In addition, if we do not ask for the sale, we often will not get one and telemarketing results can be counted fast. Seller beware: in this day of technology, the US postal service is still a big winner in some telemarketing sales campaigns. The buyer gets us off the phone by asking that we send information. Our thought should be, "Why? I just told you what you need to know." Close the sale, not the conversation.

As salespeople we must watch for our own limiting thoughts. We can become comfortable with the person to whom we sell. If we were to make a similar purchase and would be interested in more information, then we are happy that our customers want the same and understand when people mirror our beliefs. If we feel that $3000 is a large ticket item, then we are comfortable with the person who says that they are uncomfortable, and without direct sales, we let them off the hook and hang up. What we need to do is make up a script and follow it.

Scripts keep you on target. Scripts keep the personality out of the picture unless necessary. Scripts can grow into a proven methodology of sales that can be duplicated and taught. Scripts can even be created for incoming calls such as from yellow page or marketing leads.

Phone contact within a firm should have some continuity just like an ISO or Baldrige program. Most Business to Business phone sales falter because of a lack of structure. Observe successful salespeople develop their own "pitch," one that once perfected can be modified based on almost any comment.

During my 3 jobs telemarketing I found that the best salespeople were not always the ones who communicated the best. Those who picked up the phone, quickly developed an interest, then a relationship then asked for the sale normally won the race. In selling over $1 million per year myself, mostly over the phone, the self-written script was the key. But don't forget you must first pick up the phone.

In structuring your telemarketing routine or if one prefers "sales routine":

1. Make the intro short.
2. Ask them if they have a few moments.
3. Get to the point directly; you have to catch their interests.
4. Talk in the "we."
5. Learn to add you personality.
6. Stick to the script.
7. Learn to balance volume with quality

Good luck and pick up the phone.

David & Lorrie Goldsmith are founders of the Syracuse based MetaMatrix Consulting Group Inc. Their firm specializes in consulting and speaking services. They can be reached at 315-476-0510 888-777-8857 or emailed at dgoldsmith@davidgoldsmith.com