Telemarketing isn't easy.

If you find yourself in the position where you have to pick up the phone to people you have never spoken to before, here are some handy tips on how to keep control of the conversation, identify sales opportunities and influence the next step. 

QUESTIONS ARE THE ANSWERS

This tip is based on a very simple idea:

"IF THEY SAY IT, IT'S TRUE.

IF YOU SAY IT, THEY DON'T BELIEVE YOU."

Many sales and marketing professionals believe that their prospects can't wait to hear all about the great things they can do. The fact of the matter is what prospects actually want is someone to listen to them.

By shaping a conversation around asking questions, rather than just waiting for a turn to speak, you give yourself the best opportunity to work out what your prospects actually want.

Plus, by not having to continually pitch your solution or service, each call becomes less of a gamble where you're hoping something from your pitch happens to resonate with the person you're talking to.

So, what are the right questions? Unfortunately, there's no one set of questions that suit every telemarketing call, but here are some good ones, to at least get you started:

What is your priority?

Why that one?

Why is that important to you?

What are the consequences of getting there/not getting there?

Would that excite/worry you? Why?

What would you do, if you could?

MANAGE YOUR STATE

We define state as the combination of what you are currently thinking about with how you feel in that moment.

HOW YOU PROJECT YOUR STATE HAS A PROFOUND EFFECT ON THE PEOPLE YOU INTERACT WITH.

The most naturally influential people in the world tend to project their emotions and drag others along with them, making them feel the same way. They're more committed to feeling the way they do than the people around them are to their own current state of mind.

Think of it as something like "infectious feelings".

For example, if you are committed to feeling inquisitive, a lot of the people you interact with are more likely to feel inquisitive, too!

If you happen to feel particularly bored, uninspired and generally rubbish while you're working, when you interact with others, how do you think that leaves them feeling?

There are a number of purposeful ways we can create a strong state within ourselves:

Using detailed memories of scenarios or "anchors" to specific memories (e.g. specific songs that remind us of a particular moment) when we last felt they way we're hoping to feel next.

Relying on the symbiotic relationship of our physiology and our mental state.

Specific and detailed visualisation, imagining scenarios where we feel how we're hoping to feel.