I umpired all levels of amateur baseball, from kids to adults (including a 52 and over league) for 28 seasons. In baseball, there are the written rules and the unwritten rules on how to play the game. Many of these unwritten rules are things you don't do on the field, in other words they make up a code of behavior. And the same is true in other sports.
A recent Smart Calling Tip from telephone sales expert Art Sobczak touches on that point, involving an incident in the National Basketball Association playoffs involving Los Angeles Lakers player, Metta World Peace, formerly known as Ron Artest.
The latest incident found World Peace elbowing an opposing player as he ran back down the court. But that incident led Sobczak to recall the incident Artest is most associated with, when as a member of the Indiana Pacers, he climbed into the stands in Detroit to fight with local fans.
Sobczak said Artest broke an "unbreakable rule: professional athletes just don't go into the stands."
Taking the above incidents into the area of sales, Sobczak said, "In life we all have personal policies, beliefs, guidelines and values that drive our thoughts and actions. We might bend or rationalize those from time-to-time.
"But then there are those iron-clad, set-in-stone rules that you just don't compromise. And we have them in all of the various roles we play."
In sales, there are certain things that sales people must do, as well as avoid. Everyone needs a list of do's and don'ts that they strictly adhere to, he said. "When you do, you're a better salesperson. Most people don't."
Sobczak then provided his own unbreakable rules of telephone sales calls.
1. Never start a call without a primary objective, which is defined as, "What do I want this person to do at the end of this call?"
2. Always treat screeners with respect. Treat them as you would the buyer.
3. Always have a "value statement" in an opening statement. It must answer "What's in it for me?" for the listener.
4. Always get them talking as quickly as possible after your opening.
5. Never think about presenting a product, service, or what you can do without questioning first.
6. Don't agree to a follow-up call unless you get a commitment from them as well.
7. Never wonder later if you should have asked for the sale; if you're hearing agreement signals, ask.
8. Always listen more than you talk.
9. Never make a call until you have planned exactly what you'll say in your opening or voice mail message; and have prepared your first several questions and your responses to their possible answers.
