The Hindu Business Line : Bad calls are disrespectful, invasive ...

THE first requirement if you want to become a successful telemarketer is to change your attitude, writes Shawn A. Greene in I'd Rather Have a Root Canal Than Do Cold Calling, from Corpus Collosum (www.corpuscollosum.com) . Telemarketing need not be a torture, assures the book's back cover, and promises lessons on how you can prevent "the urge to throw the phone out the window."

A fact that makes telemarketing important is that it gives the most bang for the buck; "on an average, telemarketers reach 33 live people out of 100 calls," while direct mail averages only 1 per cent and e-mail suffers from something more dismal.

Why are we averse to being telemarketers? Because of our dislike of the telemarketing calls we receive at home, the author diagnoses; though once upon a time, phone calls were special events, now they interrupt our precious personal time. A major problem with these calls is that they come at a bad time. Greene observes that it is not as if we are against calls as such, but we abhor what the caller says.

"The calls we hate to receive are disrespectful, invasive, and canned," says the author. For instance, a caller who doesn't get straight to the point shows little respect for your time and intelligence, even as you perhaps fret, "We know this is a sales call; what are you selling?" Other instances perceived disrespect are when the caller dismisses your objections with `I understand... '; or he ignores your obvious signs that this is not a good time to talk on the phone. Such `assumptive approach' might have worked in the past, not so now. "When we are pushed, we usually push back!" Greene's advice, therefore, is simple: "Make calls you'd like to receive."

In "a primer on control," the author dins in plain truths, such as you can't make people pick up the phone by trying old tricks of calling too early or too late; that you can't make people call you back because it is normal not to call back; and that you can't make someone talk to you: "someone who won't talk to you is not a challenge — they're not a prospect."

Telemarketing is hard work and you can slip into frustration easily. Set and take rewards, counsels Greene. "Closed sales won't be enough motivation because that's too far down the road. You need something immediate and something you get every time you telemarket, such as a snack, calling a friend, walking around the block, playing a computer game and so on. Also, "Set numeric goals to focus on what you can control and where you are in the process. Use reasonable objectives and words that reflect reality."

Adults learn by doing, "so practise the whole thing, out loud, for the best results," is an insight worth trying when getting your "I'm calling because... " sentence clear. "Match how you state the reason for your call to the real reason for your call (your objective). If you don't, there will be a hidden agenda eating away at your success."

Gatekeepers such as receptionists and operators are those who pick up the phone before you can be connected to your contacts. Instead of thinking of them as obstacles to sneak past, or worthy only of your manipulation or scare tricks, view them as your allies, states the author. "Gatekeepers can and will tell you who you should try to reach and how to reach them, help you reach people who aren't calling you back, and help you avoid wasting your time." But there are `inhuman operators,' that is, computers systems "designed by evil programmers who live to frustrate customers and telemarketers." To handle these, Greene offers specific tips.

Writing is your secret weapon, reminds the author. "When you mark off calls as you make them, the action and the mark itself sends a message of progress to your brain." Take notes during each call, she adds, because such an activity engages both hemispheres of your brain, and thus make yourself "quicker, more creative, and possibly more energised."

Greene can make you veer away from the road to the dentist.

BookMark@thehindu.co.in