The Hit Parade of Telephone Selling Mistakes

Seventeen Most Common Telephone Selling Mistakes

1.  Not asking prospects if you are catching them at a bad time
2.  Launching into a canned presentation before asking the prospect’s permission to give your sales pitch
3.  Being vague or evasive about who you are, what your company does, and why you are calling
4.  Giving the prospect the impression you are reading a script
5. Not changing your tone or content in response to the prospect’s reactions to what you have said
6. Telling prospects their objections – or they – are stupid
7. Telling prospects they are wrong or that they are making a mistake by not being interested
8.  Arguing or fighting with your prospect
9.  Trying to prove you are right
10. Getting defensive
11. Being arrogant
12.  Not having a response to the prospect’s objection or turndown of your offer
13.  Not bothering to uncover the prospect’s real needs by asking questions
14.  Not having a range of other options to offer prospects who turn down your primary option
15. Refusing to mail or fax literature to real prospects with genuine information who ask to see something in writing
16.  Forgetting to ask for referrals from prospects who turn you down
17. Not qualifying prospects up front

Extracted from ‘Secrets of Successful Telephone Selling’ by Robert W. Bly