Another Cold Caller Defeated

[quikshop]

Another cold caller falls at the first hurdle, not spoken to one yet to get past the 15 second call duration.

After their introduction simply ask "Is this a sales call?"

Every caller pauses; some say yes, others say yes in a roundabout way but on positive confirmation I politely say no thanks and end the call.

Not a single salesman has dealt with the question in a way to encourage me to keep listening

 

[BobbyBoy]

The following technique also works a treat.

Salesperson; Can I speak to the business owner please?
Me; No

Salesperson; Can I ask why that is?
Me; No

Bobby

 

[britmandev]

SP: Hello Mr X , this is xyz ltd, have you heard of us?
X: No
SP: 'Pitch'

 

[Sophia Myles]

Just not easy to be a SP nowadays...

 

[Montaigne]

If your answer is always going to be no whatever the cold caller is calling about I don't see how it's particularly surprising that they don't get anywhere calling you.

 

[Steve Sellers]

I like this one. Most sales people clearly do a quick director search so will ask for one of us by name. When they ask for my partner(a lady) I say yes speaking. They say "but you're a man". I say "how dare you, what they hell has it got to do with you if I have a deep voice - and before you ask YES I am a lesbian".....

Quickly follows repeated apologies and them ending the call.....job done.

 

[quikshop]

If your answer is always going to be no whatever the cold caller is calling about I don't see how it's particularly surprising that they don't get anywhere calling you.

I didn't say it was surprising, the point of my question to the SP is to end the call quickly without being rude about it. I have no need of anything offered by direct sales, ever

 

[Alan R Price]

When I get cold calls at home I say to the caller: "I'm a bit busy at the moment, give me your home number and I'll ring you later." The penny tends to drop and it usually gets rid of them.

And of course you can just put the phone down.

 

[telemax]

After their introduction simply ask "Is this a sales call

Only way to counter that is for a salesperson to be upfront. The first thig coming out of their mouth should be,

'This is a sales call is that ok?'

 

[Optegris]

Only way to counter that is for a salesperson to be upfront. The first thig coming out of their mouth should be,

'This is a sales call is that ok?'

Now you see if they did that to me I would be much more inclined to listen to what they had to say. If I was busy I could still say no...

 

[kate1]

I must say I very very rarely get people not willing to least have a quick word.....

 

[Multi-store]

This is for the OP,

My firm offer a free sample of our work prior to you making any commitments to buy, so if when you ask is this a sales call I say no, I want to offer you a free trial of our service.

would that get me past your barrier?

 

[Optegris]

At the end of the day it's all about attitude. Those with the right approach get past my barrier but it isn't really words, it's how they talk to me...

 

[kate1]

Spot on Openmind

 

[Dan@Printwell]

Only way to counter that is for a salesperson to be upfront. The first thig coming out of their mouth should be,

'This is a sales call is that ok?'

I’m in agreement, its best to be honest from the start, people respect you for it.

 

[maxine]

Not a single salesman has dealt with the question in a way to encourage me to keep listening

It depends on the type of campaign being run but sometimes it's just not worth the effort in line with project objectives and return on investment

Trying to shift someone who is anti-cold calls is much harder and time consuming than the rest of the call. If someone is unresponsive to cold calls from the outset then it just makes more sense to move onto the next call rather than work hard with someone who will just say (and possibly lie through their teeth) "oh no we don't do that, no we don't ever have a need for that, no that wouldn't bring us benefits etc..." (even when the prospect has been researched).

When you call all day every day you get a feel very quickly for those that it is worth spending a bit more time with even in those first few seconds. It's usually to do with their tone of voice rather than what is actually being said

Out of curiosity are you on the CTPS?

 

[quikshop]

Only way to counter that is for a salesperson to be upfront. The first thig coming out of their mouth should be,

'This is a sales call is that ok?'

I'm glad I've got the sales bods thinking

I always find honesty disarming, it's a shame those calling to a man lack the ability to adjust their pitch based on the initial exchanges.

I suspect it comes from most telesales bods having very limited interpersonal skills and life experience (that's not the same as their large egos) being mostly young and willing to work for peanuts + commission.

 

[quikshop]

When you call all day every day you get a feel very quickly for those that it is worth spending a bit more time with even in those first few seconds. It's usually to do with their tone of voice rather than what is actually being said

My tone of voice is always friendly but firm in response to a cold call. Every caller met with my question pauses and is clearly put on the back foot, not a single one has taken my question and turned it into a statement that might get me thinking and therefore more willing to grant the caller more time.

Out of curiosity are you on the CTPS?

No need, no sales call ever gets beyond 15 seconds and they are not frequent enough to be an issue

 

[kate1]

ew 21 years in this and Im a young bod

 

[Multi-store]

Openmind nailed it - its around 80% tone of voice and 20% what is actually being said.

feel that the comment about young bods working for peanuts + comm is a little harsh

young bods without a degree in medicine find it hard to get work at all these days, so really to be willing to work for "peanuts" + comm shows ambition and drive.

 

[quikshop]

feel that the comment about young bods working for peanuts + comm is a little harsh

young bods without a degree in medicine find it hard to get work at all these days, so really to be willing to work for "peanuts" + comm shows ambition and drive.

My comment about working for nut + more nuts was not a judgement, I started as a sales rep selling Kirby vacuum cleaners so I totally get the ambition and drive needed.

The age reference and lack of life experiences was offered as a possible reason why cold callers are unable to adjust their approach to the tone and initial response of the person they are calling.

Or as Kate1 pointed out earlier, perhaps it's too much like hard work and in the numbers game if its not an "easy in" then move on to the next number.

I'm just constantly amused when caller after caller fails to deal with such a simple question

 

[kate1]

Dave it was Maxine that said that, and I agree with her. I do find it slightly funny that its sort of seen as a triumph as everybody has to do a job of some sort.

 

[quikshop]

Dave it was Maxine that said that, and I agree with her. I do find it slightly funny that its sort of seen as a triumph as everybody has to do a job of some sort.

Sorry to Maxine!

A cold callers job is to get money from the person they are calling. If the person they are calling can disarm them with a single simple sentence technically speaking it is a triumph; they have defended their bank account.

I don't see it in that way, the only triumph I feel is in being able to end an unwanted call quickly without being rude or offensive.

 

[captaincloser]

I'm glad I've got the sales bods thinking

I always find honesty disarming, it's a shame those calling to a man lack the ability to adjust their pitch based on the initial exchanges.

You are glad you have got sales bods thinking ?

Thinking what exactly ? All I can think is that you have a lot of time on your hands.

Most people if not all on these anti-sales threads have never made a sales call in their lives and will remain in the slow lane of waiting for t'internet or mum to give them their next client.

The world spins on sales and whilst all these very clever posts about how you manage not to deal properly with sales calls are interesting they prove only that indeed you do have a lot of time on your hands waiting for the phone to ring with your next client.

I would love to know what the average income is of these anti-sales people.A fair guess is that its about a third or less of what it could be if they had a fully developed sales personality.

I'm not bitter. I'm rich

 

[britishw]

Dave it was Maxine that said that, and I agree with her. I do find it slightly funny that its sort of seen as a triumph as everybody has to do a job of some sort.

Yes,

I find it odd that the OP has taken the time to post on here about their triumph at getting rid of cold callers who in his own words have "very limited interpersonal skills and life experience"

I think if you do struggle then you need to look at aspects of your own personality. There are far greater challenges and annoyances that you'll come across in business day in day out.

I've never had a problem dealing with sales calls and when I do need to pick up the phone myself It's rare I'm met with someone who isn't willing to at least listen.

I thank god I don't have the call list for UKBF members as I think I'd be a broken man by the time I'd finished.

 

[quikshop]

You are glad you have got sales bods thinking ?

Thinking what exactly ? All I can think is that you have a lot of time on your hands.

Most people if not all on these anti-sales threads have never made a sales call in their lives and will remain in the slow lane of waiting for t'internet or mum to give them their next client.

The world spins on sales and whilst all these very clever posts about how you manage not to deal properly with sales calls are interesting they prove only that indeed you do have a lot of time on your hands waiting for the phone to ring with your next client.

I would love to know what the average income is of these anti-sales people.A fair guess is that its a bout a third or less of what it could be if they had a fully developed sales personality.

I'm not bitter. I'm rich

I always enjoy Captain Ranty's contributions, and I do have time on my hands today so plenty of opportunity to make you look silly

I have done sales, see earlier post. At no point have I said I am anti-sales, in fact I am currently selling a retail business, so I am selling a business that sells... so pro-sales here, and pro-active in my sales approach.

My OP was specific to how poor the quality of cold calling is and how easy it is to pull the rug from under the cold callers feet. I guess they don't draft cold calling scripts like they used to

 

[captaincloser]

I always enjoy Captain Ranty's contributions, and I do have time on my hands today so plenty of opportunity to make you look silly

Anyone, I mean anyone, reading this reply will spot that you lose, as you do here, as soon as you make snide remarks.Same on the phone really.

Most cold callers are poor.I always believe in the 80/20 Pareto principle(look it up) but its the same in any business.

You will find it very difficult to make me look silly as I am waiting for you and your pals at the winning post.

 

[quikshop]

You will find it very difficult to make me look silly

I could cut'n paste your last post, that might work

 

[maxine]

Sorry to Maxine!

A cold callers job is to get money from the person they are calling. If the person they are calling can disarm them with a single simple sentence technically speaking it is a triumph; they have defended their bank account.

I don't see it in that way, the only triumph I feel is in being able to end an unwanted call quickly without being rude or offensive.

You are right it is a "triumph" all round. Neither party wastes their time talking to each other. The sooner I can get a good no the sooner I will make another sale so it's good

What I would say at the moment though is that there are some utterly fantastic deals and promotions being offered with telemarketing and telesales. If this is going to offer significant savings against a current spend then I cannot see how the call is triumphant against protecting a bank balance when the opposite is true. It's nothing more than an emotional triumph not a rational, sensible, or business minded one

 

[Scott-Copywriter]

I would like to see someone immediately reverse the call so the prospect starts selling something to the telemarketer.

Telemarketer: "Hello, this is XYZ Limited, have you heard about us?"

Prospect: "No I haven't, but can I ask, are you a golfing man?"

Telemarketer: *pause* "Well, yes, but-"

Prospect: "Ahh fantastic. Well I think that one of our new golfing widgets would make one incredible difference to your drive"

Bonus points would be achieved for fulfilling one of two objectives:

1). Get the telemarketer to hang up on you
2). Get them to buy something from you

I suspect the only way this would work (or the only way the challenge would be accepted) is if it was a telemarketer who received the telemarketing call.

 

[quikshop]

You are right it is a "triumph" all round. Neither party wastes their time talking to each other. The sooner I can get a good no the sooner I will make another sale so it's good

Agreed

What I would say at the moment though is that there are some utterly fantastic deals and promotions being offered with telemarketing and telesales. If this is going to offer significant savings against a current spend then I cannot see how the call is triumphant against protecting a bank balance when the opposite is true. It's nothing more than an emotional triumph not a rational, sensible, or business minded one

That's a very good comment, particularly the last sentence. I'd agree there is a positive emotional response in not interacting with an unsolicited call and not being unduly diverted from whatever I was doing before the call.

But your statement assumes that the fantastic deals and promotions are of any value to the person being called.

Your assumption is that the person does not already use comparison sites and does not frequently attend to their financial position to make sure they are not paying more than necessary.

Like I said earlier, I personally have no need of anything on offer from a cold caller. It might be that I might be missing out on some minor saving somewhere but is it worth enduring cold call after cold call to get the one that might be of benefit... NO!

 

[RevaxMedia]

If your answer is always going to be no whatever the cold caller is calling about I don't see how it's particularly surprising that they don't get anywhere calling you.

A good salesperson can refuse the potential client the chance to say no

 

[SillyJokes]

A good salesperson can refuse the potential client the chance to say no

Oh the ones who ask questions to which you can only answer yes?

Do you think world peace is a good idea?
Do you think we should end suffering?
Do you want children to grow up free from fear?
Do you want to pay £800 for an advert on our web directory that no one will ever see? Gotcha!

 

[Montaigne]

My OP was specific to how poor the quality of cold calling is and how easy it is to pull the rug from under the cold callers feet. I guess they don't draft cold calling scripts like they used to

Except it isn't. You're rigging the game, plain and simple. You're not interested in whatever a cold caller is selling therefore you will always say no. Whatever the cold caller says you will still say no and therefore you will always go away with the impression that no one can give you a valid reply.

Like I said earlier, I personally have no need of anything on offer from a cold caller. It might be that I might be missing out on some minor saving somewhere but is it worth enduring cold call after cold call to get the one that might be of benefit... NO!

I lose count of the amount of telesales conversations I have that go along these lines:

Customer "Oh, I'm not interested in PAT testing thanks. We get rock bottom prices from our present contractor and no one has been able to beat them"
Me "In that case could I just quickly give you a price over the phone just to see how we would compare?"
Customer "Okay, sure".
Me "60p an appliance for a full test and inspection".
Customer "Could you send that to me in a quote? Here's my email address..."

 

[kate1]

Yes true montaigne

 

[Montaigne]

in fact I am currently selling a retail business, so I am selling a business that sells... so pro-sales here, and pro-active in my sales approach.

Ring up all the sales rep's in here and try and sell them your furniture business. If they all say no because they don't want to buy a furniture retail business do we ascertain from this result that you're a rubbish sales person?

If you persevere in trying to sell such a business to people who you quickly ascertain are not interested in buying such a business does this make you a better or a worse sales person?

 

[quikshop]

Ring up all the sales rep's in here and try and sell them your furniture business. If they all say no because they don't want to buy a furniture retail business do we ascertain from this result that you're a rubbish sales person?

Yes because I would be a fool trying to sell such a high value item by cold calling, unless of course the cold call was to a competing business who might be interested in a complete or asset purchase of my retail business.

Whatever the cold caller says you will still say no

We'll never find out if the cold caller cannot get past the first barrier put in their way

I said earlier that I find honestly disarming, so if in response to "Is this a sales call?" the response was "Yes, I'm calling to tell you about our new range of hand-made grade 1 willow cricket bats" I would be more likely to listen on.

I still wouldn't need what was on offer, but the cold caller would get time to do their pitch.

I'm sensing some hostility so I'll retire from this thread, glad to have given you all the opportunity to thank each others posts... who ever said telesales requires the ability of independent thought

 

[Montaigne]

Yes because I would be a fool trying to sell such a high value item by cold calling, unless of course the cold call was to a competing business who might be interested in a complete or asset purchase of my retail business.



We'll never find out if the cold caller cannot get past the first barrier put in their way

I said earlier that I find honestly disarming, so if in response to "Is this a sales call?" the response was "Yes, I'm calling to tell you about our new range of hand-made grade 1 willow cricket bats" I would be more likely to listen on.

I still wouldn't need what was on offer, but the cold caller would get time to do their pitch.

I'm sensing some hostility so I'll retire from this thread, glad to have given you all the opportunity to thank each others posts... who ever said telesales requires the ability of independent thought

Spot the troll

 

I would like to see someone immediately reverse the call so the prospect starts selling something to the telemarketer.

Telemarketer: "Hello, this is XYZ Limited, have you heard about us?"

Prospect: "No I haven't, but can I ask, are you a golfing man?"

Telemarketer: *pause* "Well, yes, but-"

Prospect: "Ahh fantastic. Well I think that one of our new golfing widgets would make one incredible difference to your drive"

Bonus points would be achieved for fulfilling one of two objectives:

1). Get the telemarketer to hang up on you
2). Get them to buy something from you

I suspect the only way this would work (or the only way the challenge would be accepted) is if it was a telemarketer who received the telemarketing call.

Lol, I love the premise of this, perhaps I should try that with the endless supply of calls about utterly irrelevant things I dont want or need? Everybody needs jewellery and jigsaw puzzles in their life right and if not then my business transformation consultancy service is a definite must as they clearly need it or they would make more appropriate targeted calls

 

[captaincloser]

I'm sensing some hostility so I'll retire from this thread, glad to have given you all the opportunity to thank each others posts... who ever said telesales requires the ability of independent thought

Sensing some hostility ? think I am sensing something a little easier to understand.

Anyone who comes on UKBF bashing sales people and then says that they 'used to be in sales too' is on a losing wicket (to keep the cricket analogy going).

If a person is in sales and they are carp it at it...they leave and forever after hate sales and sometimes salespeople (a bit of a generalisation)

However, If you are in sales and you are good at it you never, ever, leave until the end of days and you are proud to talk about it whenever and particularly if ever this type of thread starts.

Can't sell, won't sell and business goes TO hell.