Telemarketing works wonders, but only if you do it right. Guerrillas know exactly how to do it right, and when you read this, you will, too.

This column is not about standard, ho-hum telemarketing, but about the kind of telemarketing that is generated by advertising. You run an ad. You ask readers to call you, using your toll-free number (unless you're advertising to people outside your area code), and then you sell them right there on the telephone.

If you're doing that kind of telemarketing now, and you're not using a script, you're not taking telemarketing as seriously as you ought to. Telemarketing surpassed direct mail in size way back in l982. And since that time, five crucial points have been discovered and followed by guerrillas. These are the five simple things you should do to match them:

Find out who are your top three telemarketers.

Make an audio cassette of those top three people.

Create a script, using the words, phrases and voice inflections of the top three. In that script, underline the phrases stressed by these top producers.

Distribute copies of the three cassettes plus three scripts to go with them. Give a set to each of your other telemarketers.

Ask those other telemarketers to memorize the script and get it down so pat that it sounds as though it's delivered straight from the heart.

It's okay for the telemarketers to eliminate any words that seem uncomfortable to them, substituting another word. But they should not get rid of any words and phrases that all three top producers are using.

Okay, now you've got your script. How do you make it work wonders? First, recognize that you must deliver the words on that script to the right audience. That's a full 40% of your success equation. It comes ahead of everything else. Since the people calling you have responded to your ad, there's a good chance they are the right audience when they call. This gives you a lot of momentum.

The right offer is the second 40% of your equation. It tells about the benefits you offer, your company, your product or service, and includes how you present your offering.

The right creative approach to a telemarketing script includes the actual words and phrases that will be used. It's the last 20% of your success equation. The right audience and the right offer are considerably more important than the right words. Still, the script you use can make the difference between mild success and wild success. What about that script?

Start by realizing that it has three parts. The introduction is where you introduce yourself by name and begin to establish rapport. The body is where you present the logical (for the left-brained callers) and the emotional (for the right-brained callers) reasons that they should buy right now. The close is where you ask the person to respond positively to your offer. Be sure, when creating your script, that you know:

What the caller should do after hearing the message.

Whether the caller should order using a credit card.

Whether the caller should send for your brochure.

People are more powerfully motivated by security needs than almost anything else. In direct marketing, you give that security by offering a guarantee or a trial offer. Are these really necessary. Yes, they're crucial.

Your introduction is the most important part of your script, even though it's the second impression that you will make. The ad was the first. Remember that the introduction is the headline of your message and that the headline is the real name of the game. The close should be written next because it's your final goal. The body should be created last -- so that it leads right into the close. Edit it mercilessly, making sure every word and phrase adds to the effectiveness of your introduction. If not, scrap them.

Yes, you should ask questions. Yes, you should respond to the answers. Yes, you should read over your opening line and see if it would excite you as a caller. Questions you might ask at the close include:

Are these the results you want for yourself or your company?

Shall we get started?

May I sign you up now?

I know that it's tough to operate from a script if you're a free spirit. But I also know that free spirits fail dismally at telemarketing. I've witnessed several tests of scripts versus outlines and the scripts win every time. The winning combination for guerrillas is a potent ad, followed by a potent script. What they win is sales, relationships, customers' hearts, and profits.



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