Doug Robinson, Robinson Training Solutions, LLC

callmemaybe1The name Carly Rae Jepsen might not ring a bell, but most people are familiar with Call Me Maybe, her song and music video. We have all seen flash mobs, cheerleader squads, groups of wedding guests and others dancing and pantomiming to this catchy tune.

In your business you probably don’t sit on the phone continually and make cold calls, but there are no doubt times when you need to make calls to strangers or acquaintances who aren’t sure whether they want to talk to you or not.

When you do, there is a good chance you will connect with an answer machine or cell phone voicemail. During those few seconds you need to say something that will cause your contact to want to call you back.

There are basically three reasons prospects will call you back and two of them don’t pertain to this type of call:

callmemaybe2

  • Familiarity – He/she knows, likes, and trusts you
  • Greed – You are offering something the prospect wants
  • Curiosity – You have piqued the contact’s interest

I don’t want to put words in your mouth, since that’s not sanitary, but when you have to leave a message, consider upping your odds of a callback by saying something like this:

“(Name), this is (you) and I was hoping to catch you on the phone for a minute or two. I will be in my office until xx today and tomorrow from xx-xx. I have a question that (pause), well, (pause), only you can answer. My number is (xxx-xxxx). Thanks.

callmemaybe3Unorthodox? Yep. Borderline sketchy? No doubt. At the same time you have to realize there are no rules in a knife fight. Many buyers have insulated and isolated themselves from outsiders and have made it very difficult for folks like you to conduct a conversation.

With some prospects, a technique like this may be necessary. Curiosity worked with the cat, so why not give this a try. When you do receive a return call don’t try to avoid any awkwardness due to using this method. Address it; even apologize if you think it appropriate, without completely falling on your sword. Move on and begin building a relationship so that your prospect will see the value in what you have to offer, so that he or she will be glad they succumbed to the curiosity and returned your call.

Doug

©2013 Robinson Training Solutions, LLC