Several years ago when I first
started my business, I subscribed to a publication called
"Bottom Line Business." Some of you may be familiar
with it. Although I have since unsubscribed, I kept all the
copies I received and every so often I dig through them looking
for ideas on what to write for a new article. It was during
one of my latest searches that I found some information I
think is well worth sharing. It has to do with how you use
the phone in your business.
A research firm made more than
2,000 calls to a wide range of retail businesses asking each
one how much they charged for their product or service. The
results were as follows:
79% never asked the caller's name.
86% never asked for any kind of follow-up information
(phone number, address).
38% gave the price and hung up after the prospect said
'thank you.'
44% gave the price and some additional information, but
made no effort to make a sale or arrange an appointment.
52% took more than 8 rings to answer the phone ... and
after answering, 28% put the caller on hold for more than
2 minutes.
Now as you read these statistics, I'm sure you
thought to yourself, "Yeah, I've had this happen to me
..." (especially that last one).
But as a businessperson, you need to turn the
light on yourself. How many of these actions are YOU guilty
of? What are your telephone marketing skills? How many
times does the phone ring before you answer? How often do
you ask for the name or phone number of your callers before
they hang up? Do you make any attempt to 'sell' your product
or service while the person is on the line?
Few people enjoy cold calling, but this is different. The person is calling you. This is a sales opportunity
just waiting to happen! If an individual has taken the time
to look up and dial your number, that person must have some
kind of interest in what you offer. To allow them to hang
up without taking advantage of the moment is a huge mistake
and translates into lost sales!
I can't help but compare this situation
with how you use the first page of your website. When people
visit your site from a Search Engine, you can be pretty sure
they're looking for something you have. How long do they have
to wait before you 'answer' (your site loads)? What do you
do with them once they arrive? Do you provide the information
they need? Do you try to make a sale? Do you get their name
and email address for future contact?
As I wrote in a previous
article, there are many, many ways to market.
Always keep your eyes and ears open so you don't let a sales
opportunity pass you by -- no matter what form it comes in.
Nan Yielding has nearly 10 years experience as an online business owner. She is the owner of Writing-Etc.com and offers internet marketing services and assistance to help website owners attract more customers and increase sales.
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