Most of us who work from our home know we need to dedicate a certain amount of time to finding new customers. The trick is to actually find the time to do it. One of the old stand-bys that can work wonders is to conduct marketing calls. But some of us would rather eat a bucket of nails before having to sit down and do this necessary task. Marketing experts suggest that many of us shoot ourselves in the foot when we tackle the job of making marketing calls. There are common mistakes that can turn your good efforts into fruitless ones. With this series, I’ll share some suggestions when it comes to over-the-phone marketing. So the next time you set aside time to make those calls, remember the following list of phone marketing tips: Avoid being pushy. There’s a stereotype out there of the cheesy sales guy who talks too much and brags about every service award he’s ever won. You don’t want to be him. If you heavily push your product and every reason why your customer should buy it right off the bat, you’re probably pushing a possible sale right out the door. Focus on a customer’s needs and concerns, and offer solutions. Don’t ignore new leads. Sometimes we fail to focus on generating new leads. In order to do that, you have to have genuine conversations with prospects and learn more about them, including finding out what their business is about and what needs they have. After you develop a rapport, you then need to help them understand what you can offer, and follow up with them on how you can meet their needs. Follow-up new leads appropriately. Even though it seems easier to just write a note to a prospective client, they rarely lead to new sales. Don’t be afraid to pick up the phone and start up a conversation. If you ask the right questions, you can truly find out how to help this new prospect, and then present your solutions to the challenges they are experiencing. Hold off talking about money. If you allow the conversation with a possible client to focus immediately on rates or pricing, you may lose them before you get the chance to explain your services. Try to avoid quoting prices until you’ve discussed specific needs and desired services. Once you can confidently explain how you can meet their needs and provide quality service and added value, then explore the pricing. Spend your time with serious buyers. Nothing is more frustrating then to have spent time and energy on a prospective client, only to find out they can’t afford you or are not really interested. With practice, you will need to develop effective qualifying questions to determine whether you would be a good match for this customer. For instance, if your target customer is a small business with less than 30 employees, you’ll need to ask the size of a customer’s business right away. Once you identify the key qualifying questions you need to present up front, you’ll get better at identifying true, potential clients. In the next part of this series we’ll examine additional ways to make your marketing calls more effective. | 
