Have you ever wondered why the memoirs and biographies of some of the most notable achievers in history always sell so well? The reasons have much to do with the desire of many readers to replicate the success of the author.
Imagine for a moment that in 50 years from now, your life-story and achievements are being read by someone that is looking for inspiration and wants to achieve something meaningful in their lives through personal communication…
If you're dwelling upon whether or not this will be the case for you, you'd be missing the point here. The point is this: Are you recording the activity AND the results of every one of your telemarketing campaigns? If not, why not? How will you know whether or not you are improving your effectiveness?
On any given day, you can record the number of calls you made, the number of unanswered calls, wrong numbers, contacts out of office, call backs to be scheduled, voicemail messages you left and conversations you had with decision makers and non-decision makers. You can even record the calls you 'fluffed', you know, the ones where you could have said something more helpful than you did on a particular call so that you at least know you will have something new and more useful to share with your prospect the next time you contact them.
When we say recording calls, we mean using paper call logs, CRM software packages and spreadsheets. However, recording audio files of the calls you make can also prove very helpful and enlightening: You can hear again the mood of your prospect, the key things that he or she said and you can also appraise your vocal qualities and delivery such as your intonation and also your responses to your prospect as well as the content of your message. What you hear may surprise you but it will do you no harm in helping to raise your game and deliver greater value with every call you make.
Recording activity and results also serves another important purpose: It sets a benchmark for colleagues, now and in the near future. It's a great way to show what works well and what to avoid doing so that others can learn more quickly from your mistakes and increase the performance of the sales team in your organisation.
How do you want to be remembered for your telemarketing and
telesales calls?
Just like the saying "How long is a piece of string" nobody can say with any degree of certainty how many calls it will take to any individual or organisation in order to make a calling campaign successful. 
Think about it: If your preferred contact is away from the office, who else does it make sense for you to contact? Their PA? Their closest colleague? Chances are you already have the answer and you're making a big excuse of ONE persons absence? The excuse can cost you for many reasons!
