As if using the phone in sales and prospecting wasn’t challenging enough on its own, we also have to deal with working in an environment where there are scumbag scam artists duping unsuspecting targets. The legitimate office supply dealers and document imaging companies that sell toner know what I mean, since that is a classic [...]

Many times voice mails from sales reps are horrible because they are too long and go into a sales pitch. Here’s one that very brief, but nonetheless horrible. Thanks to Tim Freeze for sending it in. I have scrambled the audio of the guy’s name, company, and phone number.

 
Wow! That was painful. Here’s a resource [...]

I was rushing around last Friday trying to get out of the office so I could get to the airport. (Went to the Indy 500 by the way, awesome experience.) A call came in and the guy introduced himself to Steve here as "Bob with an IT company."
OK, perhaps it was a training prospect, so [...]

Here’s a call I received from a guy who sells search engine optimization.  His model was apparently to call as many people as he can and give them the same pitch, without knowing anything about the companies or people he called, or their existing degree of sophistication regarding their web marketing.
While his opening statement [...]

For years in my printed publications and online newsletter one of the most popular features has been when I take calls I receive and point out the errors made. I guess it’s the same reason the early-season episodes of American Idol are so popular…people enjoy seeing others go through torture.
I like getting sales calls. In [...]

I love getting sales calls. The good ones I learn from. The bad ones, well, they become good material for my seminars, articles, and other training. And I record most of them. From time to time, I will post recordings of calls here.
Today I’m starting with the worst call I’ve ever received. I’ve played this [...]