Cars

For attendees of my Telesales Rep Colleges and customized training programs for clients I have a standing offer of evaluating their opening statements afterward Here are a few submitted by the pros at Dobbs Publishing a group of niched magazines for
For attendees of my Telesales Rep Colleges and customized training programs for clients I have a standing offer of evaluating their opening statements afterward Here are a few submitted by the pros at Dobbs Publishing a group of niched magazines for auto enthusiasts

Joe Galloway faxed over several openers The first one
Good morning Mr Grabowski my name is Joe Galloway I am with Dobbs Publishing and Super Ford magazine If Ive caught you at a good time Id like to discuss your mail order program to determine if we might be able to help increase your profitability in this area of your business

Not bad but we can make it better First this opener touches on the time issue before mentioning the possible result the prospect will get Although I like this method of respecting the listeners time I suggest it appear after the possible benefit

Although the remainder of it has a better chance of creating interest than resistance lets spice it up by getting a bit more specific with the possible benefits

Heres a suggestion

After introducing himself and the magazine Joe could say I notice that you target Ford enthusiasts with your mail and phone order ads Our magazine reaches proven direct marketing buyers and if Ive caught you at a good time Id like to discuss some potential opportunities to promote to Ford owners who you might not be reaching now

Heres another Joe submitted

Im Joe Galloway with Dobbs Publishing We specialize in reaching mail order customers through seven very targeted automotive magazines If Ive caught you at a good time Id like to review the opportunities that these titles might afford you to strengthen your mail order programs and ultimately maximize your profitability

I like the first part but the second half got a bit wordy and formal Lets make it more conversational with If Ive caught you at a good time Id like to discuss some ways you might be able to get more catalog and mail order customers

A Call to an Existing Customer

Matt French submitted one for a call to a regular advertiser with the call objective being to increase the ad size

This is Matt French from Super Ford Magazine Im calling this morning in regards to the current ad you are running with us Ive noticed you have quite a few products in your 23 page ad and I was wondering depending on how much you plan on growing your business this year if you would have a few minutes to discuss the opportunities that exist in gaining more market share by increasing your ad size

First referring to the customers existing situation is good since it lets him know youre actually thinking about him as opposed to just smilin and dialin What I would avoid though is any mention in the opening statement about increasing ad size Theyre not ready yet theyll look at that as an expense not at the potential return

Heres an alternative

I was reviewing the products in the ad youre now running with us and came up with some ideas Depending on what your growth and promotional plans are for the next year or so I might have a few options worth considering to generate more revenue from your ads

Notice that instead of talking about increasing ad size we mention increasing the revenue which is really all the advertiser is interested in After getting into the questioning part of the call then we can make the recommendation on the larger ad size and hell be much more receptive to it since we will have explained how it will increase the revenue

Overall nice job guys

Art Sobczak helps sales pros use the phone to prospect service and sell more effectively while eliminating moralekilling rejection He presents public seminars and customizes programs for companies Art has a number of books CDs and other learning resources to help sales reps See free articles and back issues of his weekly emailed sales tips at wwwBusinessByPhonecom httpwwwbusinessbyphonecom Also ask for a free copy of his monthly Telephone Prospecting and Selling Report newsletter and Telesales Success magazine by emailing ArtSBusinessByPhonecom or calling 4028959399