How To Use The Phone Effectively

HMSmithTravel

The Call-Mail-Call-Technique

Just last week I received two phone calls that solidified why I use the Call-Mail-Call technique, and why you should too.

Let me explain.

The first gentleman called and said “Mr. Smith, last week I mailed you information on opportunity X, did you have a chance to read it?  I had to ask him what the name of the opportunity was and what it looked like, and exactly what day I was supposed to receive it. With over a dozen pieces of “junk” mail and various solicitations hitting my mailbox daily, how in the world am I supposed to remember his offer?

Especially, since I’m working with YTB right now, I’m really not a prospect.  Unfortunately for the caller, I had to tell him the truth;  “I probably threw it away as junk mail”.

The second gentleman called and said this: “Mr. Smith, I know your a very busy man so, I won’t waste a lot of your time. The reason for my call is that I’m looking for 6 “leaders” to put on my first level in Opportunity X, if you’re interested, I’d like to mail some information for you to review.  I'll call you back in about five days to see what you like best about this opportunity.”

Now that’s a great phone call!

The sad thing about the first caller is, that out of all the mail I received to join a program, he’s only 1 out of 100 that even bothered to call! The rest were banking that their mailing did the trick and get me to pull out my checkbook or credit card and sign up. (It’s a wonder to me with all the wasted postage spent today, that the post-office still runs at a deficit! --but, that’s another story).

The second caller peaked my interest. And although I’m not actively looking for an opportunity, I was tempted to have him send the information anyway. If I were looking for an opportunity, he would have had my full attention!

Needless to say, I too had fallen into the trap of just mailing my offer and sitting back, waiting to get rich. Guess what? It didn’t happen! If you’ve fallen prey to this process and lost hundreds of dollars, just like I have, there is an alternative--and most of all, “hope”. Instead of making the printers (of which I used to be one), mailing list companies, and post-office employees rich try this:

Call your prospect first!   Even if your prospect has responded to opt-in advertising, call them the day you receive their name! Tell them that you just received their name, and you’ll be rushing out your offer today and that they should be looking for it in their mailbox 5 days from today.

The exception to this rule is, if they call you on the phone and you have a chance to qualify them even more after you’ve taken their name, address and phone number.  What do you say when you call them?

Here’s what I say to a cold contact from a mailing list:  “Hi, I’m calling for (name of prospect). My name is Harry Smith and recently you showed an interest in starting your own business, or making extra income. The reason for my call is to see if you’re still LOOKING.” At that time the prospect is either going to say one of three things, “Yes, No, or, what’s the name of your program”?

If they say “Yes”, briefly tell them the opportunity is YTB, the product line is Travel, how you make money and confirm their address. The purpose of your first call is not to sign them up--rather you want to pre-qualify them before you send out your material.

I then do something very important--I tell them my name, where I live, what my material looks like and approximately what day they’ll be receiving my material, and I say “be looking in your mailbox for your free Success Magazine and DVDs next Monday.” Then make your follow-up call on that same day you promised it to be there!

Everybody I mail this Monday, I call the very next Monday and so on. That way I’m calling every day and I am “In Hunt” so to speak. I find that by calling 5 to 10 people every day, I become a better recruiter and I know that if nobody is interested today, that tomorrow there will be more to call. This gives me posture on the phone--a very important element when calling! Plus, I don’t have 100 people to call on Friday!

When I make my follow-up call I say: “Hi, this is Harry Smith, we spoke last week about the YTB opportunity, and I’m calling to see if you received the free magazine and DVDs I sent you last Monday”. If they have, I ask them what they liked most about the program.
If they haven’t had a chance to read it, I ask them to go get it and if they have a few minutes I’ll go over the “highlights” of the program. You’ll find that over half your prospects don’t read the material you send them. That’s the numbers. If they give you a few minutes on the phone, don’t abuse it. Go over the program briefly and see what they like the most (the products or the pay plan, etc.) and focus on that.

You’ll find greater success on the phone if you talk to your prospect about what interests them the most--not what interests you. For instance, it does me no good to talk about how great my products are if they are only interested in how the pay-plan works. So ask, listen, and then answer specifically and honestly! If they aren’t ready to make a decision right then, don’t be pushy. Invite them to re-read your material again, and call you back if they have any questions. Then move on to the next name.

What I’m looking for is someone willing to get started NOW!  Why? Because I want to make money this month, not this time next year. I focus my energy on the person who is ready to get started this week. What about those who don’t join? Simple, I keep them on my mailing list and mail them every 3 months.

If your prospect says “NO”, kindly thank them for their time and go on to the next call-- don’t be rude or hand up on them--although you may be tempted to do so. I call this “Smile and Dial”. Not everyone is ready to do your deal. Expect it. That way you’re not blown out of the water and quit calling when the first person you call says “No”.

If your prospects ask “What’s the name of your program”? Again, briefly explain the YTB opportunity and share any type of success you or your up-line are having, or any type of special “perks” they’ll get by signing up with you. Verify their address and tell them when they should be looking in their mailbox for your offer!

What about when you get an answering machine or voice mail?

That’s simple. I used to call and re-call these people. Now that I’m paying for about a hundred leads each month, I don’t have the time to actually get hold of everyone. Instead, I simply leave them a message. The message I leave is the same one I would give them as if they answered the phone. I tell them where I got their name, who I am, what my program is, when I’m mailing it, and when to expect it. I also add that my phone number is on the back of the Magazine and if they have any questions they can feel free to call me. One more tip. Always call in the evening between 7 PM and 9 PM--that’s when you’ll get hold of most people.

The call, mail, call, technique allows you to use a “system” of calling where you don’t have to worry about selling someone on your opportunity. In others words, if you’ve never made a phone call before, or if you’re just flat out afraid of calling a complete stranger, (just like I was) then this system helps take the fear out of calling. Basically, my system “weeds” out anybody that either is a “tire-kicker” or a “time-waster”. Let your material do the talking for you--while you only answer questions and share your personal experience! Even if you just started this week, you can do that--can’t you?

All too often as network marketers, we forget that there is a BIG difference in “direct mail” and recruiting by mail. Direct mail is simple. You have information, mainly, a book, that appeals to a particular audience. You develop a sales letter along with other various response materials and mail it! If your product is in demand, is priced competitively, and offers a money-back guarantee, then you’ll pull in a profit. Simple enough?

But, recruiting by mail for YTB is different. Instead of a one-time sale, you’re asking someone for a monthly financial commitment. Plus, you’re asking them to spend even more money to go out and recruit others--not an easy task--especially, if you’re trying to convince someone entirely by mail. That’s why it’s important to call your prospects first.

You’ll find that by using the call, mail, call, technique, you’re basically filtering your prospects three times. The key to this technique is that anybody can do it! You don’t have to be a phone pro to use this system. Plus, if they make it through all 3 filters, 9 out of 10 sign up! I like this system because it’s duplicateable. Now, when you sign up a new recruit and they ask how to promote the program, you tell them it’s the same system you used to sponsor them!

If you’ve placed an ad for “working at Home”, or have purchased opt-in leads (that represent people responding to a business opportunity ad), or have your own list of people that might be interested in a business opportunity, the “call, mail, call, technique” will save you time and money.

Juat remember, when you join the YTB team, you will receive BLOGs on how to run your business. For more information, or to get started, go to: hmstravel.biz