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| | Post New Topic | | ARTICLE: Getting Prospects to Return Your Calls: 10 Strategies to Improve Your Percentages | Views: 211 | | Sep 01, 2007 8:29 pm | | ARTICLE: Getting Prospects to Return Your Calls: 10 Strategies to Improve Your Percentages | # | 
Denise Michaels | | Hello Fellow Entrepreneurs:
Hope you find from value in this article that came from the DSBN Newsletter.
all the best,
Denise Michaels, Author, "Testosterone-Free Marketing"
How can you increase the percentage of prospects that return an initial phone call? We have discovered a few strategies that stimulate callbacks. Here are the tips that work best, whether leaving a voice mail message or talking to the office gatekeeper:
1. More than once, state the name of a prominent person who referred you
Open the call, not with your own name (“Hi, I’m Bob Jones"), but with the referring party’s name: “David Smith suggested that you might be interested in hearing about my services.” Then close with, “As I said earlier, our mutual friend David Smith prompted me to call you.”
2. Mention a specific point you want to talk with them about
“I’ll appreciate the chance to hear your feedback about the proposal I sent you last week.”
3. Mention how the call will benefit them
“When you return my call, I will explain how my services can improve your company's employee morale and customer service at the same time.”
4. Suggest a specific date/time
“I will be in my office tomorrow morning between 9:00 and 12:00, and I hope you get an opportunity to call me then.” This suggests that a returned call in that span won't initiate long-term telephone tag.
5. Give the recipient the privilege of setting the preferred date/time
“I’m going to give you my e-mail address now. Will you please send me a short message, mentioning what day and time are convenient for us to talk? I will keep my line clear for your return call then.”
6. Promise to keep the return call brief
“When you return my call, I promise to take no more than three minutes of your time. You can hang up if I’m not finished by then.”
7. Confine your message to three or four sentences, even with a receptionist
If the executive assistant or voice mail message identifies you as longwinded, you are less likely to get called back.
8. Say something that connects you with their organisation
“I know your company quite well, because I did an internship there during my years at the university.”
9. Give your phone number at the start of your message and again at the end
If the person missed jotting it down the first time, she has a second chance without replaying the message.
10. Say, "In case it's better for you to return the call after hours, here is my mobile phone number."
This doubles your access, and indicates you give service beyond closing time.
(source: http://www.dsbn.com.au/articles/sales/art_sales_GettingProsp...)
Private Reply to Denise Michaels | | Sep 03, 2007 6:40 am | | re: ARTICLE: Getting Prospects to Return Your Calls: 10 Strategies to Improve Your Percentages | # | 
Amit Desai | | Hello Denise,
i do a lot of calls to CXO level people trying to prospect for our IT services. I live in India, but have a US number and i call during US day time.
can you suggest when is the right time to leave a voice message as in after i have tried reaching him 4-5 times or should i leave a voice message the first time. and what kind of message would excite the person listening to the VM to call me back.
kindly advise
Amit Desai
Co-Founder
www.synergytree.com
www.synergytechservices.com
Mail: desaiamit@gmail.com
IM: desai.amit (Yahoo)
IM: desaiamit (MSN)
Private Reply to Amit Desai | | Sep 03, 2007 7:45 am | | re: re: ARTICLE: Getting Prospects to Return Your Calls: 10 Strategies to Improve Your Percentages | # | 
Craig Jennings | | Amit -
Here are some ideas I give my coaching clients - try them out and see how they work.
1. Leave a message on the first call, never thereafter. Reason: If you leave many messages, you will begin to believe you're communicating with your target subject, and you will begin to make up reasons why he or she doesn't call back! What you must persist in doing is calling until you get a direct connection. Then you will find out whether your proposition is interesting or not.
2. If a gatekeeper is interfering with your efforts to reach your prospect, try calling in the morning before 9am, and in the evening after 5pm.
Good luck - craig@craigjennings.com
Private Reply to Craig Jennings |  | |
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