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Five Tips to Get Your Calls Returned

Written by: Eric Slife

Article Overview: The following 5 tips were provided by salespeople who subscribe to SalesTrainingCamp's Sales Tip of The Week. The tips can help you reach the decision maker and get your calls returned.

Five Tips to Get Your Calls Returned

5 Proven Tips to Get Your Calls Returned By Eric Slife

I have yet to meet a salesperson, small business owner, or entrepreneur that does not complain that no one will return my calls. Unfortunately, this problem is only getting worse due to increased technology and savvier receptionists. The one consoling factor is that your competition is dealing with the same difficulty. Obviously, it stands to reason if you can get your foot in the door, you will have a distinct advantage over your competition.

We presented this dilemma to other salespeople, and we requested they provide us with techniques they use to help them get their calls returned or to actually get through to the decision maker. We then chose approximately 50 of these tips and compiled them into one ebook.

The following are some of the tips salespeople provided us.

1) I'll Keep Trying
If you need to leave a voice mail message, state your name, your company name, and a brief description about what you do. Give the recipient specific details on how to reach you. In addition, tell he or she that if you don’t hear back from them after an elapsed time, you will call them at a specific time.

Assuming they don’t call you back, leave the following second voice mail message.

"This is (your name) with (your company). I realize by talking to your voice mail that you are extremely busy. I also realize that as a top-level decision maker, you have the power to say 'not interested' in about ten seconds. You haven't told me 'no,' so I can only assume that you have some interest. I just need to keep trying until I catch you with enough time, so you can consider what I have to offer. I'll give you a call about every other day, and I'll try to reach your secretary as well. If you would rather not wait for me to call you, I can be reached at… Thanks and have a great day."

2) Send A Survey Card
Invite new prospects to learn more about your company by offering a free sample to anyone who returns your survey card. Make it easy for your prospects to return your survey card by supplying a self-addressed stamped envelope. Once you receive the returned calls, contact your prospects and schedule a time when you can hand-deliver the free sample.

For best results, send your offer to your top prospects, people who call requesting information, directors of trade or professional associations in related industries, etc.

3) Ask for The Extension
Call into a company after hours, so that you receive their voice mail system. Often the system will prompt you to input your contact’s name, and it will provide you with their extension.

When you call back the next day, ask to be connected directly to that extension. If the gatekeeper is still being difficult, try to call your contact directly by using their extension. For example, many times a main phone number may look something like 678-1000. If your contact’s extension is 236, call 678-1236. Many times this will be your contact’s direct line, and with a little persistence, you will be speaking with your contact.

4) Discarding Old Files
The following tip can be effective if you have presented a proposal to a prospect, and they have been sitting on it for some time and won't return your call.

Call them, and leave a polite voice mail message stating that you are discarding all old files. Because they haven't returned your calls, you are under the assumption that they are no longer interested in your product or service. However, you will hold their file for another 48 hours in case they are still interested.

5) Get The Gatekeeper's Advice
If you can't get your calls returned, go back to the gatekeeper and appeal to their soft side. Explain that you have been trying to reach so-in-so, but have been unsuccessful in getting them to return you call. Share how you hate to bog down their voicemail with messages. Ask if they recommend a better time to call, or maybe they can recommend an alternative way to reach your contact.

By being polite and creating this telephone relationship, a gatekeeper will often put me directly through.

If you would like to receive the complete ebook Please… Return My Call for free visit http://www.salestrainingcamp.com/newsletters.htm and sign up for our free Sales Tip of The Week.

About The Author: Eric Slife is President of Slife Sales Training, Inc. which owns www.SalesTrainingCamp.com. SalesTrainingCamp.com helps entrepreneurs, small business owners, and sales professionals increase their revenues and profit margins by teaching them more effective consultative, low pressure sales strategies and techniques. They have affordable and comprehensive sales tools for both large small businesses. Register at www.SalesTrainingCamp.com for their free Sales Tip of The Week and receive over $200 in free products and services.

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