How to Manage Secretaries and Voice Mail

Secretaries and Voice mail are the scourge of the salesperson, world wide.

We, as coaches, are also salespersons. We are constantly trying to sell our coaching services. If one of your client targets is medium size businesses and corporations, this is the article for you.

We all know that most coaching clients come through word of mouth and referrals.

But in order to be in a position to sit at home or in the office without worrying about income, to be assured of an abundance of new clients and new businesses calling asking for quotes, you need to first build a practice and clientele.

One of the biggest obstacles to selling is secretaries and voice mail.

They are the only barrier standing between you and your prospect.

They are the gate keepers, they are the ones who decide who comes in and who doesn't.

They can be ruthless, or they can say that the boss is in a bad mood, or they can tell their boss that there is someone worth speaking to on the phone.

It all depends on you.

Make friends with the gatekeepers.

How the hell do we get past them and offer our unique services?

Here are the golden rules for conquering these obstacles:

1. Fully research the company or the prospect, via the web, and any other ways that come to mind. Try to find out who is the right person to talk to about your services, find out their name.

2. When calling an office, be sure to catch the sectary's name, say her name, and ask how she is feeling? How was her weekend? Be nice, she is the gate keeper; she is all that stands between you and your prospect.

3. Call the office and ask for your prospect by name, in a friendly manner. This tells the secretary that you already have a relationship with her boss, and she need not ask the reason for your call.

4. Don't assume when you hear that your prospect is out of the office that he/she can't be reached. Ask for their mobile number.

5. If you are put through only to reach voice mail, never leave a sales message for a new prospect with whom you have never spoken. They will never call you back.

6. If you must leave a sales message with the secretary, make it brief. Don't ask the prospect to return your call. If your prospect is left with the option of calling you back, you have lost control of the selling situation. Ask instead, "When would you suggest I call back?"

7. When you have no other option than to leave a message for a call back with a current client or qualified prospect, leave your telephone number slowly. One of the most hated things is voice mail messages and telephone numbers spoken so fast that the message has to be replayed over and over again to get the number.

8. Always follow up the voice mail message with a fax or a hard copy of something. Some organizations still use paper and it takes more energy to throw away paper than to hit the delete button. Not only that, email can be mistaken for junk mail.

9. Last and most important: Know that you are not selling a product; you are giving your prospect an opportunity to be great. Let this be known to others by the sound of your voice.