5 Tips for Phone Solicitors Who Farm Activerain
Margaret is being very considerate in her attitude about phone solicitors. It is the mark of a true professional who understands thoroughly the importance of customer relations and the importance it plays in sales functions
My first thought of a title for this post was "Phone Solicitors Stalk Activerain Members." However, I decided to play nice and take a more positive approach to the problem we all experience.
If I were selling real estate leads or websites or SEO training or any other product used by real estate professionals, Activerain would probably look to me like a GREAT source of prospects. That's understandable, and I "get" why so many of them email or call us.
Spam received through Activerain is annoying, but we can delete it or even get a few points for reporting it to Activerain. The phone calls are another story because most phone solicitors who farm Activerain members are relentless to the point of being obnoxious. Hard as I try to be courteous and upbeat, the majority of them push to the point that it's obvious the call will never end unless I just hang up on them.
While I certainly do NOT wish to encourage anyone to farm Activerain, I know it's inevitable and I prefer they do it well. Who knows... they may have a product I would consider if I weren't spending so much energy being angry at how inconvenient and/or ineffective their call is.
This post is for the phone solicitors who farm Activerain for profit.
1. Know your audience. Most Activerain members are highly trained sales people... they did not just fall off a turnip truck and lay by the side of the road to await your call. They know how to do what you're doing - i.e., prospect for customers and clients - and they expect you to practice the same skills they use in their business. Bring your "A" game!
2. If you're going to use Activerain in your introduction, at least get your information right. If you say, "I see you're one of the top agents in your community" to someone who is #1 or #2 in their state, you just devalued their hard-fought journey to the top. If you say, "I see you're one of the top Activerain agents with over 200 points" (but they have 500 points), you just insulted them. Make this mistake and they won't hear another word you say.
3. Accept rejection and move on without arguing. The purpose of prospecting is to identify leads. You might have to accept rejection from 97 prospects to identify 3 leads. Don't waste your time or mine if I tell you I'm not interested because you need to make more calls and find those leads, those flowers among the weeds.
If you're a real pro, you'll send a very short note or email to everyone who rejects you to thank them for their courtesy and time and give them your contact info. That's much more likely to convert them into a lead than arguing over the phone that their website sucks and they need you to save their dismal career.
4. Assume that anyone you call is on the DO NOT CALL registry, or at least check the list. Use the typical work-arounds like conducting a survey or giving something away, and pretend you're not selling anything. There's plenty of time for that in a follow-up call, when you can make the case that you're already doing business with them (as a participant in your survey or the recipient of your free trial). Remember, Activerain members are sales pros and we know better than most how this works... we expect you to know, as well.
5. Ask if this is a good time to talk, and LISTEN to the answer. If the Activerain member says, "I'm on my way out the door for an appointment, but I can hold the phone and walk at the same time if you make it quick" - then you've got about 30-60 seconds. Chances are they live in a state where it's illegal to talk on the cell phone while driving, so end your call quickly and ask permission to call back later. That second call will then be a warm call, and not a cold call. On the other hand, if they say "Sure, fire away!", you probably have time for your usual script. (But please, practice your script in advance, and try to make it sound conversational. We do that, and we expect you to do the same before you call us.)
If you find these tips to be helpful, you can thank the many phone solicitors who called me last week. I didn't get their names or companies because their sales scripts were uninspiring. In fact, the only thing they inspired was this list of suggestions for telephone solicitors who farm Activerain. :)
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