Conducting a good lead generation campaign is an important segment of a company’s sales operation. Remember, you will not be able to make a sale, or a closed deal, if you fail to identify just who are the prospects that you can turn into qualified sales leads. One of the best vehicles of communication to be used is professional telemarketing services, since we need to talk our prospects, personally. Now, while this might sound like an easy task, it is not. There are some things you need to keep watch. Paramount of these is the words you use during the campaign. Some words may sound innocent enough to use, but they carry a meaning that goes beyond the printed word. Knowing what these words to avoid are is key to having a smooth telemarketing operation.
- ‘How are you doing today?’ – so many lead generation specialists have said to avoid this but, sadly, a lot of telemarketers are still guilty of saying it. Take note that the initial call does not establish a close relationship yet. Aside from that, you only have a few seconds to state your purpose. Might as well go straight to the point. It can help you get more B2B leads.
- ‘Nobody can sell this cheaper.” – this claim can be easily refuted by a prospect with a computer screen in front of them. And it will only take them seconds to do that. Instead of focusing on price, why not focus more on what your product or service can do to help their business grow and be more profitable? That is much easier to defend, mind you.
- ‘If I can show you a way…’ – this classic line may have worked in the past, but it is past. These days, it sounds more manipulative, as well as condescending on the intelligence of the listener. Instead, you should focus more on what the prospect has in mind. From there, you can work on a solution that will be more to their liking.
- ‘Free estimates, no obligation’ – it may sound like an assurance, but veteran executives and gate keepers think of this as a ploy to set up a sales meeting, where they have to listen to a lot of sales pitches. This is a classic hard selling tactic, and it has grown old. A better option would be to let the prospect decide for themselves if they want to learn more.
- ‘I’ll be honest with you’ – wait, if you say that during your lead generation campaign, then the listener will assume that you were lying earlier. Instead of cultivating trust, you are actually sowing the seeds of wariness. You should rephrase your words like this: ‘in my opinion…’, ‘here is what I actually think…’ etc.
These are the main culprits, yes, but that does not mean they are all that is. There are many more phrases and gaffes that you will encounter along your appointment setting campaign. What is important is that you learn from them, and avoid them in the future.
This post originally appeared at CallboxInc Blog