Buzz Marketing

Simple Telephone Techniques Can Boost Appointments by up to 84%
 
Is your telephone a part of your marketing mix?  While some might question the idea of a phone as media, think of it this way:  It’s the largest single source of incoming leads for your company, and it’s the largest single means of personal customer contact.  Therefore, the wise contractor understands that using the phone wisely pays handsomely.

One trouble spot with the telephone, however, is its association with the dreaded phrase, “telemarketing”.  As a contractor marketing professional, I’m comfortable with the phrase, but as a realist, I know that a lot of your customers aren’t – and, for that matter, neither are you. 

So put telemarketing out of your mind and instead shift your thinking to “Customer Service”.  (I actually advocate this shift in focus for all of your marketing and business endeavors; you are in business to serve, not to sell.  True service, of course, sometimes means solving a customer’s problem by recommending the best value in quality equipment.) 

Outbound Calls

The phone is a highly personal resource for giving and gaining information while building your relationship with customers – and that can happen whether the calls are inbound or outbound. 
 
With outbound, you’re making the call – often to remind or set up an appointment.  These calls are extremely targeted.  You’ll be calling high-level prospects in a defined area with a high probability of closing the sale. 

You can also use the phone to follow-up on a mailing.  In fact, response rates can jump by 2.8 times when mailings are followed by a telephone call.  Use the phone to follow-up on non-closed presentations, trade show leads, “happy calls” after service or install, and much more.

Keep in mind that a primary requirement for telephone success is that your staff uses a script – while avoiding sounding like they are reading from it!  That will take practice, but a knowledgeable staff can do this very well. 

You want to be particularly aware of the “Do Not Call” registry, making certain (again) to only call your “active” customers, and obtaining permission to re-call them.

Inbound Calls 

On the other side, inbound calls are when your customers or prospects call you.  Too often contractors fail to turn these contacts into selling opportunities – which they certainly can become if you play your calls right!

A phone call can ferret out information that no list, no letter, no ad, or survey could ever obtain.  Information about particular needs, reasons for calling, trouble spots, common fears and concerns… even the dreaded knowledge of a competitor persistently snagging your customers. (How else were you going to find out?)

To keep the call focused, you can script responses to commonly asked questions and make sure that no incoming phone call ends without some sort of presentation being made for your beneficial products and services. 

Just remember, if you want to use the phone wisely, then you must use it to talk with the individuals on the other end of the line – all of whom want their individual needs and concerns addressed.  Whether the call is inbound or outbound, each contact with your customers represents an opportunity to serve, which becomes your means to sell. 

In my experience working with contractors, I’ve found that a simple shift in telephone technique here or there has helped quite a few increase appointments by 80% and more.  So why not join their success?  After all, it’s your call!