35 Years Ago It Changed Forever
All of the incredible technology advancements and the consequential changes that have resulted have led many in the business world to surmise that we’ve never been faced with these types of challenges. That really isn’t the case.
In 1988 sales changed forever. Caller ID 1st entered our society in December of 1988 in Memphis, TN. Caller identification (Caller ID) is a telephone service, available in analog and digital telephone systems, that transmits a caller's telephone number to the called party's telephone equipment when the call is being set up.
To a Salesperson, it means that the % of people who answer their phone when you call has gone down drastically. I believe that no other piece of technology has impacted business as much as Caller ID has. Some would say, that it has been a good thing because people are able to screen calls and not feel the need to answer a call from an unknown caller. I also practice this, along with millions of others.
Here is the situation many salespeople are confronted with everyday.
Putting yourself in the shoes of the consumer- Consider that you requested information and a representative of the company that you sent the request to, gets your request and the rep attempts to call. You see Caller ID & you don’t take the call because you don’t recognize the number, so you send it to voice mail.
Salespeople: Should the rep leave a voice mail? My answer is a resounding, Absolutely! The message must be less than 30 seconds & must include the rep saying their name & number 2 times.
Back to the consumer: Do you return the call? Remember, you made the request. The statistics say that about 1 in 25 will return the call.
Now the consumer has the salesperson’s number and even though you requested the information that they are calling you about, the chances of you answering the call is less than 2 in 10. Because, you can see who is calling when your phone rings.
This is a very big challenge and has been for 25 years!
What can I do to-make my call so important or have such a huge value that the consumer has to take my call or return my message? Never give up - Never Never give up.
That’s all for now.
Expect to Win!
#xp2win
