The Sky is the Limit

Next time a persistent telemarketer gets you on the phone, instead of feeling annoyed … start a conversation. You could be talking to your next star seller.

I recently worked with a new seller, “Bob,” who had started only 6 weeks earlier. He knew absolutely nothing about our media industry—but he knew a lot about cold calling, engaging people, being fearless, and practice. He was previously a successful dental telemarketer making 80 cold calls a day.

To help him shorten the time between first day and first sale, I advised he narrow his prospecting focus by directing him to the area he knew—dental and chiropractic. This simple shift drove his excitement and ultimately brought quality appointments.

When it came time to present his solution to his first client, Bob knew confidence increases with practice, so he rehearsed every slide for two nights beforehand. And yes, he made the sale.

In thinking about finding, managing, and coaching a newbie from outside our industry, remember …

1. The Sky is the Limit. Sellers who “don’t know anything” about our business often don’t have any preconceived ideas on how, or whom, to sell. Bob wasn’t intimidated and didn’t see any reason he wouldn’t be able to get an appointment with any CEO or economic decision-maker. Nurture this internal perception of value. We have what local businesses need—a way to lower their cost of customer acquisition and retention. And remind your entire team to focus on the “yes” person. Many stakeholders can say no, find the yes person.
2. Go deep, not wide in prospecting. By focusing on a limited number of categories to prospect at one time, sellers will become more effective as they learn trigger words to gain prospects’ attention when they get them on the phone or in person.
3. Take advantage of your resources. Bob’s manager had him watch new seller OnDemand videos, work with me, and utilize all station resources to get better faster.
4. Practice makes Permanent. I complimented Bob on sounding polished, to which he replied, “The key for me is to know what I’m going to say before I get the person on the phone. I practice my calls daily. And before the presentation, I rehearsed every slide for 2 nights. It really helped.”
5. Open your scope of recruiting. Top sales performers come from a wide array of previous occupations, including telemarketing.

Not everyone we hire will be a “Bob,” but if we start our new sellers out with a ‘the sky is the limit’ philosophy, their chances of success will be much higher.