OOOOps! Forgot. - "Important Phone Closing Stategy".

The "T.O." system.


I failed to add this to my recent report, and I also failed to get subscribers onto a list, so I feel this needs to be shared.


Back when I worked for John Bower, things were flowing along smoothly, the room was growing, we were selling hundreds of web pages per day...


It was easy, because at that time you didn't have to get the credit card number, all you had to know was the name on the telephone account, and we could bill them through their telephone bill.


This was easy for newby telemarketers to do.


BUT THEN...


About 4-5 months into my tenure as GM , a law changed , and suddenly we were no longer able to bill people on their phone bill.


So I wrote a credit card close, and sales dropped dramatically all week long.
The telemarketers were not making the jump.


I found myself in a hard position, so I devised a plan.


I figured that I could make even more sales if I could take the closing pressure off the telemarketer COMPLETELY... and created a "T.O." Script. "T.O>" Means "Turn Over".


Now all the telemarketer had to do was sell, and that made their job twice as easy and increased their production.


No longer did they have a closing script , rather they had a "T.O," Script.


At The end of their call they would say something like " Okay Mr. Jones , so you are ready to do this then? Great. Listen, Im not authorized to take your billing



information, so if you don't mind holding just a second I will transfer you over to our processing dept and they will handle that with you and get you off the phone in just a few seconds is that okay? Alright please hold."


...and with that the telemarketer would transfer the call to a "closer".


The "closer" Had an easy job because they didn't have to "sell". They would take the call like this "Hi Mr. Jones? Hi this is Tracy with the processing department.



Great to meet you. It looks like you are going to be taking one of our feature directory listings today?


Prospect: "Yes".


Okay well I will need just a little bit of information to get your order started, and I will try to get you off the phone as quickly as possible.


First of all, we like to do all of our billing electronically for both your protection and ours, via either visa, master card or electronic check, which of those will you be using today?


(back to point)


This took all the pressure off the closer for selling. They were more monotone like an order taker...


That has been a big key to success for me since , and has helped me with a COUPLE of companies that had trouble getting their telemarketers to make the jump to credit card closing.


Its Healthy to have 2-3 telemarketers to a closer.


This has worked everywhere I have ever tried it, and if you try it it will work for you too.


Thank you Alanis Morrisette for reminding me of this important closing strategy.

-JD