Hi Anne, it’s Michelle.
Michelle who?
Giggle…You’ve been running with a lot of Michelle’s have you?
I’m sorry but I don’t know who you are. Who am I speaking with, please?
Oh, ok, it’s Michelle from (business name)
How have you been since we last talked?
We’ve never talked.
Well you must have opted in to (course name)
Nope.
Oh, what about (other program name)?
Nope. I may have opted in to something 5 years ago but that’s all.
Oh really? (Confusion)
Oh. You’re not Andrea are you?
No, I’m Anne and I guess that’s why you called me Anne when you spoke and when you left your message yesterday.
Giggle. More giggle with an overtone of panic.
Well who are you, then?
Anne Maybus
Oh great! I’ve been meaning to call you.
Silence…….
What do you do, Anne? I’m wondering if we can help you with anything.
No, I’m pretty right for the moment, thanks.
Ah, ok. Well, stay in touch and call me if there is a way we can work together…
………………………………….
This is a record of a sales call I received this week. Yes, it’s all true. I find it funny, now, but at the time it wasn’t funny to be interrupted by someone who didn’t know why she was ringing me.
I hope Michelle was a beginner because she was calling from a company which prides itself on excellence in sales. I felt sorry for her as she tried to work out where her script had gone wrong, and scrambled to find a conversational foothold. I couldn’t even help her because I didn’t know why she had called.
Some advice for next time, Michelle.
- Make sure you know who you are talking to.
- Make sure you know why you’re talking to them.
- Know the previous history between the prospect and your business.
It was a funny conversation to be part of, and to make it worse for her, I was racing to meet a deadline. All the odds were against her being a success this time.
Good luck next time, Michelle whoever you are.