Remember Sales Basics When Managing Your Call Center Script!

Here are a few notes to remind us all of what we already know is true!

Many of you send calls to a call center where you hope that Live agents answer the phone and "Nail-the-Sale".  You hope this because generally a Live agent can sell MORE per call than an Interactive Voice Response System (IVR)- and that's what you want - MORE REVENUE PER CALL.  So, let's look at some basic selling techniques we all know - but may have forgotten.


We know that personality will improve your sales performance: People like to do business with people they like. DOES your sales script have personality?  DO your phone reps like your product.  There are a few tricks to make both of these answers YES.

You've heard the terms 'expectant attitudes achieve excellent results'. 'Think positive.'  'Expect to make the sale.'  'Weasel words are a waste. Don't beg (weasel) for a sale!'  DID you know that many front-end offers set your telemarketer up to BEG for a sale from your customers.  The LIVE agent may read the script verbatim but will lose out on the sale most of the time IF the offer sets up the BEG!  Begging offsets great call response many times.

'Consistent calls create consistent cash: Take and make more calls. Stay in your seat longer.'  Many marketers send too few calls to a call center when testing LIVE agents and settle for less than optimized performance at the IVR level because they are afraid to lose money on agents that aren't up to par.  Building a sales team extension of your company may "hurt a little" the first few weeks but a little stamina on your part should lead to "Consistent calls create consistent cash!"  Try not too spend more testing media on your product and less on your LIVE agent center.


'Making decisions makes dough.' Decisions are emotional, so sometimes it is tough for your customers to make the decision to buy your products or services. Remember that a LIVE agent can do what an IVR cannot - think on their feet!  Use this aspect of the LIVE agent and make sure you don't give away all the goodies in your commercial.  Customers are calling in because they had an emotional response to your ad.  Give your LIVE agent one surprise bonus that the can use in the sales script to keep that emotion going on the sales call - this pushes average close rate numbers over the top!

Have you heard the phrase: 'Three times scores three points!'  In a LIVE agent sales center you can put this phrase to good use - especially in boutique shops.  The initial call in to the LIVE agent (1X) with you ideal script pitch, a manager's special for No Sale customers to be pitched within 1/2 hour of the initial pitch (2X) and a Free Sample / Catalog / Video that can be use to set-up an outbound call shortly after (3X).  More and more I am seeing marketers capture only an email address and then later send their NO SALES customers an email.  In my opinion, you didn't use your Inbound Sales Script to the fullest in this case.

If you have a sales script that is 'floundering' call me at Synergixx and I'll show you how to reel in sales gold with it!

Check Out This Narly Video! And Join Me in NOLA!

On February 1st the Electronic Retailing Association descends on New Orleans and hundreds of direct marketers from all over the world will spread like a virus through the city.  On the 3rd at 4:30p many savvy direct marketers will gather in one room to hear a discussion called    Viral Marketing: Real World Word-of-Mouth Tactics (http://www.eragreatideas.org/content/education.php#viral) at which I will moderate a great panel of experts.  The purpose?  How do we sell more product using viral marketing techniques?

While I won't ruin the surprises we have in store for those attending I will share an example of viral marketing that provides insight into the topics we will cover.  Please watch this video for a 1:38 and then read below: Guy Has Glasses Tattooed On His Face
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH1tTlq5-Qk

I'm sure watching the video was no where near as painful as getting that tattoo but I winced the whole way through anyway.  This video is only one of RayBan, as in the popular brand of sunglasses, newest video releases.  Some might say that with 4.5 million views on YouTube alone it is the most successful to date for RayBan.  Even though not all of RayBan’s videos were this big of a hit; “The Kiss”, “Human Zoo” and “Streaker” for example, RayBan is text book example of how online video can reach millions.

Did they sell any sunglasses?  No one has the real answer because without an 800# or unique URL the effect is sales are hard to pinpoint.  But I'd be willing to bet they sold at least 5 pairs of $100 RayBan sunglasses.  (Conservatively:  4,500,000 views X .001 click to video rate X .001 purchase rate).  And we haven't considered yet that the video was uploaded to more video portals than just YouTube so my conservative math is just way too conservative.

1. Did the video increase the brand recognition?
2. Did the video have the same effect as a :30 or :60 second TV video?
3. Did the video reach an entirely new audience that traditional advertising would never hit?
4. What is the life-span of the effect, if any, this video had on RayBan customers, existing or potential? 

Here is what we do know!  RayBan online video viral marketing has a sort-of-WTF feel to it.  So, you know you have to pass this type of video onto at least 3 of your friends, if not post to your Facebook page.  You know they will make the same faces you did while watching the video so how can you resist passing this along?  Go ahead, pass this viral video along - I'll wait...

...Then join me in New Orleans for answers to the questions I just posed.  And as a free bonus, if you're sitting in the audience you'll get a special tool that "cures out of control viral marketing".

See you there!