![\"Sales1\"](\"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Sales1.jpg\" "\\"Sales1\\"")
<\/a>But you don\u2019t have to get up early to answer it, and you\u2019re probably not reading it right in the middle of your dinner – that special time is reserved for fighting with your wife and yelling at the kids. Somehow this outbound telephone soliciting niche of our direct marketing profession doesn\u2019t get any sympathy from me.<\/p>\nYou know what I hate? No, even worse than slow drivers who leave their turn signals on.<\/p>\n
No, worse than that, too – and besides I don\u2019t think it\u2019s all that kinky, especially if you take the handcuffs off after only half an hour.<\/p>\n
I hate telephone sales reps who ask me how I am. I\u2019d tell them, but who has an extra few hours to listen to an old guy gripe. But what I really can\u2019t stand, what pushes me over the top, is the recorded messages from telemarketer\u2019s automated calling machines.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t invasive enough for telemarketing firms to get me up several times from dinner with my family to try to let me know my TV Guide subscription is going to run out in just 7 months, or to make sure I knew the latest offer to have my rugs cleaned; now they have predictive dialers and voice recognition.<\/p>\n
Unhampered by human intervention, they can now call thousands of people and annoy them without enduring the costs or burnout of real people to make the calls<\/a>.<\/p>\n Usually after grumbling a few words and cussing when the first recording queue comes up, I reluctantly give up at being mad at a machine. I think of the people who listen to the response and laugh at the cursing and how mad people must really be to get these calls.<\/p>\n I\u2019m sure they then talk about programing their phone dialers to give the complainer 40,000 calls between 2AM and 6AM. Don\u2019t laugh – I\u2019ve had a fax machine dial my house several times at 3 in the morning. I was livid.<\/p>\n As long as I\u2019m bitchin\u2019,* one more thing. I just love answering the phone with my name, Jeffrey Dobkin, only to hear some idiot ask for Jeffrey Dobkin.<\/p>\n Similar to getting mad at a machine for calling you at random, getting pissed at people that are as stupid as an automated dialer, or too ill-trained to vary from their script even for a few nanoseconds isn\u2019t in my composition – so with my anger stuffed inside of me to be taken out on some unsuspecting employee or my children, whoever is closest at the time, the phone calls are merely brief:<\/p>\n \u201cJeff Dobkin.\u201d Besides, before you can really let go with a full stream of consciousness, the TSRs almost always hang up. Some are even rude enough to disconnect without so much as a thank you for your time, or even saying goodbye as soon as you say you\u2019re not really interested in yet another jar of penis enlargement cream. (Hey, the jar I bought off the Internet worked when I rubbed it in\u2026 well for the first few minutes, anyhow\u2026) \u201cTime is money\u201d says TSR Today Magazine. God, it seems like every psychopath has his own magazine these days.<\/p>\n Still, I feel violated, and cheap whenever I do that to myself. Oh, sorry, I was speaking about something else.<\/p>\n At work, different problems emerge: I get mad from the intrusion of a telemarketer calling and asking for me by my first name. Don\u2019t get me wrong – I\u2019m usually the last in line for any kind of formal protocol, and I actually prefer to be called Jeffrey… as calling me Mr. Dobkin makes me think of my dad – an old guy – strangely enough, similarly named.<\/p>\n But here\u2019s the exception: calling me Jeffrey under the false pretense to get by my secretary under the guise of the false pretense that they know me on a first name basis. That possibly is the absolute worst way to get me to buy something, anything from their firm – by disbanding any possible element of trust very early in the conversation. Most thieves usually wait until after they have my Visa or M\/C number. My wife just waits until I\u2019m asleep to go through my wallet.<\/p>\n I\u2019m usually not a supporter of governmental legislation to police industries, but I support the no-calling laws that are now passing around a multitude of states\u2019 legislatures. The industry wasn\u2019t responsible enough to police itself, and now must suffer the heavy hand of governmental restriction. At least I can eat dinner in peace now, and watch Sponge Bob without telephone interruption.<\/p>\n Wow, that\u2019s a lot of complaining. But that\u2019s not what I\u2019ve come here to talk about. I just got off the phone to talk about what a telemarketing campaign can do for your firm. Remember? Like spam, it works – with the emphasis on \u201cit works.\u201d And there\u2019s even a way to do it nicely. Certain restrictions apply, but let\u2019s take a look at a few good uses of the phone.<\/p>\n The Phone can be a great personal service to customers<\/strong><\/p>\n When you make the call yourself, the telephone is great for keeping up with that personal relationship with your customers and clients.\u00a0 It\u2019s a one-on-one open dialog that can increase consumer retention and trust, and increase the lifetime value of a customer.<\/p>\n When you make the call yourself, the telephone is great for keeping up with that personal relationship with your customers and clients. It\u2019s a one-on-one open dialog that can increase consumer retention and trust, and increase the lifetime value of a customer.<\/p>\n But, with customers that you don\u2019t speak with – except once every couple of years, or when there\u2019s a problem with their account, an outbound personal phone call carries a lot of weight and can be construed as \u201cWhy is he calling me, something must be wrong.\u201d So, I feel a personal call from you is not only unnecessary, it\u2019s unwarranted; and I don\u2019t recommend it. Instead – to maintain contact, strangely enough, I\u2019d have a staff person call the client. It\u2019s simply more appropriate.<\/p>\n I\u2019d make the courtesy call around the time of the expiration of the policy. Key points to this call: Have the caller identify him or her self as a customer service manager for your firm; say this is a courtesy call from (and insert your name,) to let you know your policy has remained in effect for the past year and you have had full uninterrupted coverage as specified. Your new policy will take effect at 12PM on ___, with no lapse in coverage or protection.<\/p>\n I\u2019d also have the TSR ask if there are any questions about premiums or policies and express the desire to answer same or offer to call back with an exact answer to a specific question. I\u2019d close by saying \u201cWe know it is a privilege to have your business and we appreciate it; it\u2019s our goal to provide excellent service to you, to be here anytime you need us, and we thank you for the opportunity to be your agent, and for your trust.\u201d<\/p>\n After the conversation, the TSR sends the client a letter thanking them for receiving his phone call, saying it was a pleasure speaking with him, even if it wasn\u2019t. It continues throughout the letter, thanking the customer for their business, letting them know that your agency \u201cis always on its toes ready to immediately assist you or any of your friends or associates with any questions about insurance or insurance related products.\u201d<\/p>\n Inserting \u201cyou or any of your friends or associates\u201d is a powerful but subtle way to get referrals, which is the secondary objective of this letter. The primary objective of this letter – although hidden – is to ask for a quote for other insurance products.<\/p>\n It\u2019s very, very tricky to ask to quote other insurance needs in a thank-you letter. The reason being: if you ask directly it negates ANY and ALL of the positive aspects of the letter. So, how do you do this? For the answer – simple as it is, send $2 to Jeff Dobkin, PO Box 100, Merion Station, PA 19066. Thanks.<\/p>\n If the client asks your TSR a question that\u2019s too tough, or if the customer is too tough, offer to have you (the principal) call them back: what time would be convenient for them? The nature of the staff person calling is to save you time, not to disassociate you from the customer.<\/p>\n Only 5% or so of clients will want to speak with you directly and you should be readily available and eager to speak with them. When you do talk with them, this increases the bond between you and your customer, and increases the value of the relationship and the value of doing business with your firm.<\/p>\n So instead of making 300 sales calls a week, you are only speaking with 15 customers a week who have actual questions – but still getting the personal mileage of a very positive customer contact by phone.<\/p>\n This is a telemarketing sales campaign done right.<\/p>\n It\u2019s like sex: everybody feels good after it, both you and your cousin; er, customers, umm, partners, er, partner. Unfortunately your TSR will need psychiatric help after 15 months of burning himself out by making 60 calls a day. Oh well. If life really was fair\u2026 all the impersonators would be dead and Elvis would be alive.<\/p>\n If you want to get personal with each of your clients, write them a letter of thanks. That\u2019s right, a letter of thanks can be more personal – and more effective – than a phone call. If you do it right.<\/p>\n The letter of thanks should simply state \u201cThanks for the opportunity to provide service to you. We know there is a choice of insurance providers, and it is our privilege to have you select us as both a provider and a friend. If we can ever be of any assistance in any insurance-related matter, call me personally at anytime. Thanks again for your business and your trust.\u201d<\/p>\n Here\u2019s your two bucks worth.<\/p>\n OK, ok, for all you crybabies that actually read the earlier part of this article, then got mad at me for saying there is a charge for this (I know: it\u2019s just information, and everything is free), then you started to write to the publisher to complain \u201coh, that Jeff Dobkin is… blah blah blah – he wanted us to send him two bucks to tell us blah blah blah…\u201d I will now tell you whiners a few correct ways to sneak-in a request for getting more business by asking for a quote in a thank you letter. You can, um, send me the two bucks later.<\/p>\n 3. Include a survey. Dress the survey up so that it looks like a \u201cHow can we be of better service to you\u201d survey, but load-in one or two really important questions that you want answered, the first one offering a check box and an underlined area for: \u201cMay we have the privilege of quoting any other insurance needs?\u201d To encourage clients to complete it, I would also offer a small gift for the return of the completed survey.<\/p>\n 2. In the PS of your letter, understate your request for a quote. \u201cHave a question? Need a quick quote? We are always pleased to be of immediate help. Just call us at:______\u201d and print your phone number here. I know, I know, your phone number is in the letterhead. Place it here anyhow: you want to encourage phone calls (this is the primary objective of this letter) and an additional phone number is a great way to increase them. BTW, the secondary objective of the letter is to enhance the customer\u2019s relationship with your firm to create a stronger loyalty bond.<\/p>\n 1. Have a short statement soliciting quotes that looks like part of the stationery. If the body of your letter is set in courier typeface, set flush left rag right (FLRR) as it should be, have the RFQ (Request For Quote) set in Bookman, New Century Schoolbook, or Helvetica type – or follow your own designer\u2019s letterhead or logo typeface. Drop this line in the upper right hand corner of the stationery, so it looks like a printed part of your letterhead. \u201cFor Immediate Quotes Call 987-654-3211\u201d.<\/p>\n You can also have this RFQ on the bottom of the page. Again, set in a contrasting style of type – different from the body copy in your letter. When presented at the bottom of the letterhead, this line should be centered. You know how some businesses have their address printed on the bottom of the page? This line should be printed directly above or below that address line in the same typestyle – so it looks like it\u2019s part of the printed stationery.<\/p>\n When the RFQ is designed-in to be subtle, it doesn\u2019t destroy the integrity of the letter, or dilute the perception – or the delusion – that this is simply a \u201cthank you for your business\u201d letter.<\/p>\n The EX Date and Limited Time offers<\/strong><\/p>\n Most telephone sales calls in the insurance industry are centered around the policy ex-date. When the ex-date of a policy is coming up it gives you a non-threatening reason to call your client and offer them the convenience of continual coverage without interruption. When phrased like this, who could get mad at a caller? You\u2019re saving them from the exposure of -gasp- a lapse in coverage.<\/p>\n Another justification for calling customers is an offer limited by time. \u201cSince this limited time offer couldn\u2019t wait another few days until you received it by mail, we are calling to let our better customers know of the availably of this special offer.\u201d<\/p>\n An example of this occurrence may be if additional coverage is offered by one of our providers, and \u201cin order for our customers to be able to take advantage of the special savings, we needed to let customers know about it immediately – so you could make the decision about this yourself before the offer is rescinded or our supplier runs out of gifts.<\/p>\n The \u201climited by time\u201d offer – if created with the good credibility of \u201ctime is running out – we had to get this too-good-to-pass-up offer to you right away\u201d also gives justification to fax someone.<\/p>\n While I usually discourage broadcasting faxes because of their invasive, intrusive nature, if you\u2019re gonna broadcast a fax, at least it should be effective for you. So use something that gives the appearance of \u201ctime is running out quickly!\u201d<\/p>\n Lastly, remember, almost every sales\u00a0call should be followed up by a letter. Because long after the phone call is forgotten, if you\u2019ve confirmed it in a letter, you\u2019ve created a document in someone\u2019s file to remind him of you, your firm, and how great it is doing business with you.<\/p>\n The letter can sit on someone\u2019s desk for a day or two, or a couple of months if it\u2019s anything like my desk – a constant reminder of what a pleasure it is doing business with your firm. A permanent record of your wonderfulness. A final note to your greatness emblazoned on a… oh never mind, you get the idea.<\/p>\n There are other telemarketing programs that are successful, but… The Simpsons is on….<\/p>\n
\n\u201cHello may I speak with Jeff Dobkin?\u201d
\n\u201cSigh… Is this a soliciting call?\u2019
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat do you want?\u201d
\n\u201cIs Jeff Dobkin there?\u201d
\n\u201cThis is Robert Dodge of the Lower Merion police department. How do you know Jeff Dobkin?\u201d
\nLong pause.
\n\u201cThis is a soliciting call.\u201d<\/p>\n