While we rarely cover this subject at VSL, there have to be few things in business more frustrating than the caller failing to reach you – when they want to phone an important order with your organisation for example.

So, here is a quick checklist to ensure you're not 'caught short' when it comes to people needing to reach you. Do you have voicemail set up on all your phones? If not, why not for the calle, imagine you have reached the mobile operator or phone companies automated greeting instead of your own voice (or at least a voice that tells the caller whose phone they've reached). How alienated does that make you feel? Carefully recorded voicemail shows you care a bit more

Picture the scene: You've just had a few succesful days at an expo or a trade show ; Plenty of enquiries, business cards, competition entries and contacts made. You're on a roll and ready to get down to picking up the phone and specifying the next step with your new aquaintances.

As you walk into the office on Monday morning, your enthusiasm for strengthening ties with new contacts begins to evaporate: your email inbox is overflowing, reports sit on your desk to read and it seems everyone wants a piece of you. Here's where you must decide to prioritize or lose the chance to work with some of the new contacts: Lose sales, lose market share, lose money invested in the expo/trade show.

What stops you researching your target market by phone?

• Perhaps you're uncertain which questions to ask.
• Perhaps you think you already know exactly what your target audience is thinking and feeling.
• Or perhaps you're just frightened of using the phone.

Have no fear, these are common reactions.

• Why the first 8 seconds of your sales call is the most important http://bit.ly/9IVfDG #
• #messagebot status 2h unav in meeting #
• @Ces_Creatively Thanks for the mention in reply to Ces_Creatively #
• @Ces_Creatively Thanks for the RT:-) v much appreciated! in reply to Ces_Creatively #
• @JeremyJacobs Thanks Jeremy:-) in reply to JeremyJacobs #
• It's Monday – how many sales calls are YOU going to make this week? #
• @JeremyJacobs I would be interested in the ratio of dials to speak to's.. in reply to JeremyJacobs #

In our last post we explained:

If you’re good at speaking to customers about your products and services, but are lacking interest or contact with customers, you need help with Telemarketing.

If you’re great at attracting potential customers, but find it difficult to convert all that potential into business, you need help with Telesales.

Of course, both telemarketing and telesales services can be combined and carried out by the same company, employing them to work strategically as a joint team. One service can generate a pool of potential leads, whilst the other turns those leads into sales. The Telemarketers set up the appointment, the Telesales staff close the deal.

• @Lionelcurie great party Li – good to c al old crew great time speak soon andy elaine & josh x in reply to Lionelcurie #
• @Lionelcurie thats what u get for being old my friend – great to c 2 mikes, bev etc in reply to Lionelcurie #
• Our new combined email marketing / telemarketing approach is working well fo clients! http://bit.ly/baPtv8 #
• @Lionelcurie no we had already been invited to a frends wedding – 3 this year! 1 down 2 to go! in reply to Lionelcurie #
• Top Ten Ways to Use Telemarketing http://bit.ly/aGv7Et #