Handling phone calls. What should I pay attention to when I receive a sales call?

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What should you do if you receive a sales call from a company and are asked to speak to a person in charge?

In this article, I will explain how to respond when you receive a sales call in the intermediary business for those who answer the phone at work.

Basic Flow of Intermediation

First of all, let’s review the basic flow of the company’s telephone intermediation.

Confirmation of the other party’s name and business

When I answer the phone in business, I first give my name.

Make a note of the name as the other party will be calling next time.

After the greetings, I’ll get to work. If you are asked to transfer to the person in charge, check the presence status of the person in charge, and if he is in the company, put the call on hold once to transfer .

Tell the content of the call, and if the person in charge accepts

Let’s tell the person in charge the name of the other party and the contents of the phone call, and confirm whether it is okay to take the call.

Even if you are at your desk, there is no guarantee that you will be able to answer the phone right now.

Response when the person in charge is absent

If the person in charge is not available or cannot answer the phone, let them know.

If the other party wishes to be contacted back, ask for their contact information and ask the person in charge to return the call using a message memo, etc.

Be sure to let the person in charge know that you received a call, even if the other party calls you again or if you contact them by other means such as e-mail.

Characteristics of sales calls

Even if it is said that sales calls should be avoided as much as possible, you cannot block them unless you realize that they are sales calls in the first place.

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There are some easy-to-understand features in sales calls, so let’s remember how to distinguish them.

manual talk

In the case of sales calls, there is a fixed talk script, and we often proceed with the conversation according to it.

It tends to be a manual talk, and you may feel uncomfortable with the conversation because you follow the scenario by saying, “If you are told this, you will respond this way.”

Another feature is that they are accustomed to saying the same phrases because they keep making sales calls about the same issue .

don’t say clearly

In sales calls, if it is revealed that the call is for sales or solicitation, the call will be refused, so there are times when the main subject is not addressed until the person in charge takes over.

If the person in charge of the agent asks you what you need to do and only gives vague answers, there is a high possibility that it is a sales call.

I don’t know the name of the person in charge

If you make a call based on a list obtained from an outside source, the only information you have is the company name and phone number .

If you are requesting an intermediary by specifying a general job or title, such as “Is there a person in charge of human resources?” or “Is there a president?” increase.

noisy surroundings

Sales calls may come from places such as call centers.

Calls from such places are noisy because other operators are calling all at once. If there is a lot of noise on the phone, it is likely that the call is from a call center specializing in sales.

If you receive a request for a referral over the sales phone

Is it business? Even if you think that, the other party will not withdraw until you can transfer to the person in charge.

To accurately identify and decline a sales call, take control of the conversation and proceed at your own pace.

Inquire here

If you do not have proof that the content of the sales call is unnecessary to your company, you cannot block it at the referral stage.

If the other person does not actively talk about the business, ask from here, “Excuse me, what is your business?”

If you hear the content and decide that it is unnecessary, you can refuse it on the spot.

See also  Don't know how to forward an internal call? Explaining the basics of how to use a business phone

Check with the person in charge before transferring

This is the same as for normal telephone intermediation, but instead of immediately answering the call even if the person in charge is designated, put the call on hold and consult with the person in charge first.

If it is an unfamiliar trader or business, you should be instructed to refuse without an intermediary.

Also, depending on the content, the person in charge may respond and refuse by themselves, so let’s ask the person in charge to judge.

If in doubt, turn back

If you can’t decide whether to decline on the spot, let’s return the call.

If you turn back from here, you can buy time to confirm and consider the facts.

If it is determined that it is unnecessary on top of that, you do not have to contact us.

Points for sales calls

Since the person on the sales phone has high talk skills, if you are not confident or ambiguous, you will be taken advantage of.

The key is to remain calm and take a firm stance.

Don’t be vague, say no

In sales calls, avoid vague expressions that may mislead the other party, and clearly decline where you should decline .

“We have no plans”

“I will contact you if necessary.”

It would be better to use an expression that clearly conveys that it is unnecessary.

Staying away and lying have the opposite effect

It’s easy to refuse the transfer to the person in charge for reasons such as “absence” or “out of the house”, but then you will receive another phone call.

It’s best to avoid any stopgap measures, such as staying home or lying.

Even if asked for the name of the person in charge, I will not tell

Sales callers want to know the name of the person in charge, but never give it out if asked.

This is because if the name is known, the person in charge will be nominated and asked for an intermediary next time.

Also, if you know the name of the previous person in charge and you are asked to tell us the name of the current person in charge, it is safer not to tell them unless you have a business relationship with them .

See also  [Business phone] How to receive an outside line, an extension, how to receive a call, and how to transfer a call

be courteous

Dealing with persistent sales calls can be frustrating, but using rough language and cutting off is NG.

Answering sales calls is also part of our business. Be courteous and courteous, as you may be dealing with the other party in the future.

What is “Canario,” an AI-powered automatic intermediary service?

“I want to automate the call handling process.”

“I want to eliminate the intermediation of sales calls”

NEC Networks & System Integration’s “Canario” is a service that fulfills such ideals.

“Canario” is an AI that takes charge of the company’s phone number and uses voice recognition to transfer the name to the person in charge, eliminating the need for employees to manually answer the phone.

Since the first voice of the phone is an automatic voice, it is also possible to repel sales calls here.

The message will be converted into text by AI and sent by email or chat, so you will never miss a call when you are away.

Article Summary

I explained the tips of how to respond when you receive a sales call in the telephone brokerage business.

  • First, let’s identify if it’s a sales call
  • We take the initiative in sales calls
  • Do not transfer without the consent of the person in charge
  • If you can’t decide, turn it around

If you are worried about the cost of responding to sales calls, why not let AI take care of the phone number for you at “Canario”?

“Canario” also has a one-month trial, so please feel free to contact NEC Networks & System Integration if you are interested.