When is it time to move on to the next call?

Often times "not interested" is a reflex response, other times it means
you haven't grabbed there attention yet.

If your getting a lot of people saying that to you, try changing your lead in.
( assuming your hearing that in the first few minutes )

If you hear that later in the pitch, then its a different issue.

Here's the understanding behind "not interested": it's a blow off. Nothing grabbed them. Simple as that. You need a "hook." Something that they wouldn't want to walk away from so fast.

You could try responding with, "I didn't expect you to be - because you need to know this: [and go right into something that hooks them]"

Everyone is right, it's your pitch/introduction or maybe even your demeanor. Are you talking to the decision maker? Have you established that they are your target? Do they USE or actually NEED your service/product? These and many more things have to be determined quickly and correctly or you'll only ever hear "not interested or not right now."

There are plenty of people here that can help you develop a script or teach you how to call.

In short answer to your original question, if someone says NI or not now, you say thank you and move on to the next person. There is no need to badger and bug them for a reason or try to talk them into something. Someone on your list wants to work with you, and wasting time on someone that is not interested won't make you money.

If you aren't having conversations then there's no possibility of making a sale no matter who you speak to. How often is this happening? Have you generated any leads from the way you are doing it now?

I would keep talking to keep the conversation going when they say they aren't interested. Getting past their reflex to shut you down is the #1 goal at the start of the call.

At the same time though it's your call whether to abandon it for a more likely opportunity.

Try talking slower on the phone (or even in person for that matter). You would be surprised how fast you a probably talking. If you slow your voice down, you can more often than not, slow your customer down also. This creates a comfortable environment and makes your pitch seem less intrusive. It also gives you the opportunity to take control of the sale.

Trying recording yourself while speaking to someone (use your iPhone or other recording device). Play back the recording, analyze where you start to speed up your conversation, and on the next call or meeting, talk slower and try to exaggerate it. You'll be surprised how difficult it is at first, but once you get the hang of it, it will sound gradually more natural and comfortable to listen to.

It depends on how many leads you have. When I would operate a telemarketing room, where we were calling every single business in the phone book (remember, those) - we went through that book the first time and I taught all my reps that the very instant they heard a "no" coming out of someone's mouth - to hang up the phone and call someone who is ready to say, "yes."

After the first pass (skimming the cream) then we would start over to begin the education process of those who said no the first time around.

If your leads are modest in number, then you must reach the decision maker and make every attempt to close the sale on the first call as you rarely get an opportunity for a follow-up pitch.

The vagaries of telemarketing are myriad and the business as a whole gets a bad rap. I spent 20 years in the field and it has always provided me with a very substantial income.

That being said, it takes a special breed to stick with it and if you are not trained by truly excellent producers in your field, regardless of your natural ability, you are most likely doomed to failure. It's both an art and a science with a dollop of insanity thrown in for good measure.

Now - go call someone that wants to say, "yes." It could be the next call you make. If you get discouraged and stare at the phone - that won't cut it.

Additionally, it all depends on the product. There is a big difference between trying to pitch a mobile web site as opposed to membership in community and civic organizations like the Better Business Bureau and the Chamber of Commerce, which is an intangible and requires very specific training to be successful at. When you ask a business for $500 for a plaque to put on their wall and a sticker for their front door - and your pitch is good enough to get it . . . . . it breeds success.

Wow. Just typing this has my juices flowing and reminds me just how much I loved picking up the phone and doing battle the the business owner on the other end. Hmmmmm . . . . . . . I smell an opportunity to train people just how to do this. lol

Good luck and keep dialing. They call it "dialing for dollars" for a very good reason.

Cheers,

Frank