Thursday 4 October 2007

A Cold Caller who ‘Gets It’

I run a workshop that helps business owners sell ‘without being pushy’, something we all dislike. I took a sales call this afternoon which was a wonderful example of not being pushy, rather surprisingly from our old friends BT.

Apart from being asked “How are you today?” (a question definitely to be avoided when calling a complete stranger), overall I was quite impressed. Not often I can say that of a sales call!

What this caller was offering was ‘a great deal on broadband’. However, he first asked did I have broadband (yes), was it a dial up connection (no) and was I satisfied with it (yes, very).

He then said, “Well, if you’re ever thinking of changing your provider, I hope you’ll give us a call.” I was a little taken aback. Usually cold callers have a script they’re determined to follow and they don’t bother listening to the answers you give them. Or they try to persuade you that their service is far superior.

None of that with this caller from BT! He found out the facts, realised he was talking to a happy customer, and ended the call gracefully. As a result, I felt listened to and respected. If only all sales callers were like that.

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