You do not have to be a super-star cold call telesales to get results. In fact, you don't have to be a super-star in sales at all. But if you combine average telesales efforts with average sales, you get SUPERSTAR results. You don't have to have dynamic one-liners, awesome rapport or some "magic" that few others have to get appointments, leads or sales.

As an example, my voice on the phone sounds like I am congested half the time. I have a bad accent from the upper mid-west. I use a lot of pauses and verbal slang. And, by nature, I'm an introvert. But, even with those drawbacks, whenever I have seriously implemented cold call telesales to a marketing project that was having average, or below results, improvements have instantly happened.

Here are a few ideas for average people you can use in your cold call telesales efforts that will improve your results:

1. Set a realistic call goals: If you have never used the phone for your sales or marketing efforts, try setting small call goals to get yourself familiar with the process. Don't focus on results, but rather activity. Try starting with 10 calls per day, every day, calling at the same time so you get into the habit of calling each day. Move your volume of calls up each week, in small increments, until you can get up to around 50-75 calls per day. By the way, in my examples, I refer to "calls" as simply dials you make on the phone. So 10 calls means 10 dials. It doesn't matter how many people you actually talk too, just that you are dialing the phone. If you make 10 "calls" per day, you might end up speaking with 1-2 people. At 50-75 calls per day, you might end up speaking with 5-10 people. As you make more calls, you will start speaking to more and more people, who in turn will give you more of a chance to make a sale, appointment etc.

2. Get the right cold calling gear, it helps: Purchase a headset for your phone, this will reduce neck strain and make your phone personality much more pleasant as you make more and more calls. Also, get a system together either on the computer or on paper, with a list of names and numbers that you will be calling. This will make your calls go faster. This is very important and overlooked by most. I encountered a time where I was making 100-150 calls per day. Because I had a headset and a system for calling my leads, I did 25-50% more calls per day than the other marketing person. I had no experience in that given industry before I started, and started out-producing the "veteran" after about 2 months. I was average or probably "below" in my per contact sales, but because I was so efficient to start with my selling, I out-produced the other person due to the sear volume of calls I could make. As a side note, I asked the other marketing person why she didn't use a headset, and her reply was "it's not my style". That "style" of hers probably costs her $20k per year. Oh well.

3. Track your calls: You need to track how many calls you make, how many people you actually talk too, how many leads, sales or appointments you get. Keep your totals each day and you will notice patterns and conversion rates, from the number of people you call vs. how many people you talk to, and how many you convert to leads, sales or appointments. Average results improve with tracking, and the super-star that does not keep track will get haphazard results over time.

4. Scripts: For the average person, you need a script. Forget off the cuff, freewheeling calls. You want to communicate key benefits, generate interest and get the lead, sale or appointment. That's it. Get a script, make up one yourself, or purchase one. This is key for any average person, it will make your calls consistent and allow you change hot button benefits.
Your success in cold call telesales does not have to mean that you have to be the best in the business to experience success. You can do just fine, plugging away and using some basic tools and techniques to increase your income.

Source: Timm O'Day link