Steven thought that you would enjoy some helpful tips and ideas which you can pick up quickly and apply right away. We had fun putting this program together for you, and trust that you will find this snippet entertaining, enlightening and useful.

Program 2:
Three famous myths about telephone sales calls.
Also available for listening in Real Audio or MP3 format.

Let me know right now if you've ever caught yourself saying any one of the following remarks:

"I don't need to make telephone sales calls because I work on referrals."

"I'm too busy to make calls."

"My customers want to hear from me."

If they sound familiar, you may have based your sales strategy on myths.

Let's begin with the myth about referrals. At some point you have to call the referral, which by nature makes the call a sales call. While referrals are wonderful, they never guarantee that you get in the door. That means that you still have to motivate the person to take action with the first 30 seconds of your call, and do justice to the person who referred you. By that I mean that you must come across in a professional manner that reflects the reputation of the party that referred you.

Consider myth #2: being too busy to make calls. That is precisely the time you want to call on prospects. One Financial Consultant I was coaching named Dianne told me that when she called during her busiest times she came across with even greater confidence because she was coming in from a position of strength. Another point here is that you'll have something to talk about when the prospect asks you what you're currently working on. And let's not forget Murphy's Law: the busier you are, the more people will want to hire you! One last point: making a few successful telephone sales calls during your peaks ensures that your valleys are few and far between.

Myth #3: your customers want to hear from you anyway. Well, you're a customer to any number of companies, aren't you? Think of one company you deal with. Are you waiting by the phone for them to call? People are busy, and even your customers will want you to get to the point. Never assume anyone, including your customers want to listen to you - make them listen! Tell them something they want to hear in the first thirty seconds.