Cold Calling On The Phone Is A Waste Of Your Valuable Time
A few times a week my support staff will tell me funny stories about some of the crazy people who call or write in, and the ridiculous things they say.
Today it was about someone who has repeatedly written into our helpdesk, first demanding to speak to a salesperson, then insisting that we need to have salespeople if we expect to sell our products.
This person obviously has no concept of the economies of a small business and why it's absurd to even consider hiring a sales staff when our product only costs $97, but that's another story altogether.
Yet Another Sales Rep Who Didn't Know How A Business Works
Getting back on topic... there's a reason why having salespeople for my product is a really bad idea. It's the same reason why we no longer take orders over the phone and are now internet-only.
It comes down to the simple fact that we don't want customers who fall into any of these categories:
- People who never take any action
- People who need constant hand-holding
- People who can't make a decision on their own
- People who want 'get rich quick' without work
- People who don't appreciate value
Is this policy costing me sales? I don't know, and frankly, I don't care.
The bottom line is that there are certain people I do NOT want as customers - like those extremely needy people who will whine, try to abuse my time (and my support staff's), have no sense of humor, and are looking to get something for nothing at my expense.
If this policy is costing me sales, fine.
But - I'm not sure it's "costing" me anything.
For one thing, when we did have a call center, the people who called in to ask endless questions, instead of buying online, were so weak-minded when it came to their inability to make decisions that they wasted SO MUCH of my staff's time on the phone that there was little profit left for me.
I mean seriously, what questions would anyone really have when there's a 30-day trial in place and all they have to do is send it back and never pay for it if they don't like it?
What's really bizarre is that, even though our return rate is VERY low, a huge number of these people sent the system back - UNOPENED in the original shrink wrap! Meaning they took NO action at all and GAVE UP before even opening the box!!!!
So, no more phone sales. If they won't buy online, they can't have my product, and that's it. The numbers don't lie.
Am I being too harsh?
No, I don't think so.
Successful people LIKE to be told how it is. I know I do. We LIKE to have the facts, even when they're not pleasant, shown to us with no b.s.
Suckers and scammers, on the other hand, love to be told they'll be swimming in sales & commissions overnight just by ordering a product or buying a book.
That may offend some, but the bottom line is that these are the kinds of people I DON'T want subscribing to my newsletter or buying my products.
Take it or leave it, that's the way it is.
Some people are in the "attraction" marketing business.
I'm in the "reality" marketing business.
And you know what?
It's worked out very well so far!
Thanks for reading, and here's to your continued success!
-Frank J. Rumbauskas
New York Times best-selling author Frank Rumbauskas, "The Sales Badass," is the author of the Never Cold Call Again® System and has won numerous accolades, such as Readers Choice for Business Book of the Year from 800-CEO-READ, and has been named one of Fast Company’s top 30 most influential people. To learn more, and to download a free 37-page PDF "sneak peek" into his Never Cold Call Again lead-generation system, visit NeverColdCall.com
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