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Confessions Of A Bad Telemarketer
By Tim Gross - Internet Business Blog | April 30, 2008
Most people hate the idea of selling.
I don’t blame them; The movie Glenn Gary Glenn Ross comes to mind.
That’s why selling something you believe in, something you’re actually excited about, is so important.
A long, long time ago, I tried taking a job as a telemarketer because I needed a part-time job with flexible hours. I went through the day-long training process, and they did a good job of making you think the products were really going to help people. (The key word there being “think”)
The first day answering phones from people who were responding to their ads, I was the top seller on the floor, doing better than dozens of people who had been there for a long time. I didn’t even know why I was doing so well, I was just confident and enthusiastic.
It wasn’t until the end of the day that it happened:
I started getting calls from people saying, “I’ve been calling the refund phone number and it’s been busy all day! How can I get a refund?!”
“I got charged for twice as much money as I agreed to, I’m doing a chargeback on my credit card if I can’t speak to a manager there!”
…You get the point; My illusion bubble was burst.
I hung in for about a week, but my heart wasn’t in it and apparently I couldn’t hide that fact, because I made virtually no sales after the first day.
I can’t sell something I don’t believe in.
Since then, I’ve had the good fortune to be involved in numerous products and campaigns that I was proud to be a part of… It’s fun to sell when you know you’re actually helping the buyer out. It takes all the fear away.
That’s why having a good product is so important. If you’re trying to sell junk, it’s possible to make some sales, but it’s like trying to push mud uphill:
It’s harder than it’s worth, and you’re going to get dirty.
Something to think about - Tim
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