Avoid Being A FrankenRep While Teleprospecting
I get a decent amount of teleprospecting calls over the course of the day. Many of the hardworking folks that call me have a decent pitch, seem to care for their craft, and generally come across as credible professionals. I wish I could say I call them all back out of professional courtesy, but I can't. I may be the worlds worst prospect. A sad but true fact that I'm trying to work on out of respect for my fellow teleprospectors.
While I truly appreciate a great outbound effort, there is one type of teleprospector I simply cannot tolerate. The FrankenRep. FrankenReps are the soulless amalgamation of the worst parts of every bad teleprospector to ever live. The FrankenRep tries to be 4 to 5 different styles of teleprospector on each call. They'll confuse you, offend you, intrigue you, and eventually dramatically disappoint you. Here's an example as to how a prospecting call with a FrankenRep may go...
*Remember, FrankenRep has no soul so they have no sense of self. As a result, FrankenRep tries to be every type of teleprospector imaginable in one prospecting call.
A typical FrankenRep starts out hard and cool with a high powered intro that may include giving you the opportunity to "decimate" your competition or "own" your marketplace. I like to win, but "decimate", "own" seem a little over the top. I like some of the folks we compete against. After getting you all pumped, FrankenRep may shift gears into soft and sensitive therapist mode. Questions like "how does it make you feel to not have a solution in place?" or "Are you left feeling unfulfilled by your current solution?" are thrown out at you. I appreciate the concern, but lighten it up a bit. Finally, FrankenRep shifts into closing mode. This is where FrankenRep clearly loses his/edge. Since FrankenRep has no clear sense of self in the job, he/she is naturally unable to listen. This causes FrankenRep to disregard the fact that, while you did answer all of his/her questions, its clear you aren't a fit at all. FrankenRep disregards your total lack of interest or fit for his/her solution and hammers that square peg through the round hole. He closes you on an appointment with Dr. Salesenstien his account rep.
How to determine if you are being prospected by a FrankenRep.
1. Listen for the intro.
A normal intro to a cold/warm call should be confident, polite, clearly stated, and finished with a question. If the person calling you sounds more like a voice over specialist than a teleprospector, you may have a FrankenRep on your hands. Go to any sporting event and listen to the PA announcer. That is how a FrankenRep sounds during his/her intro. I swear it's a proven fact somewhere that 90% of PA announcers were actually FrankenReps at one point or another in their lifetimes.
2. Complete disregard for your answers to his or her questions.
There is a quick and easy way to test this out. If the intro was a little iffy, but you still aren't sure, answer one of FrankenReps questions very negatively (e.g. "no, we don't have nor really will never have a need for that") and listen to what the next word from FrankenReps mouth is. If it is "Great", or "Fantastic" then you most likely have a FrankenRep on the phone. Listening is the foundational skill that all great teleprospectors possess, but not FrankenRep.
3. The "Do you know what we do?" test.
If your FrankenRep somehow gets past test #2 then you've got to pull out all the stops. Any teleprospector worth his or her salt does a little due diligence prior to every call so that they know a bit about your company. But not FrankenRep. Ask FrankenRep if he/she knows what you do. The answer may surprise you, but it most certainly won't be correct.
There are more tests, but to apply them borders on cruelty. At the end of the day, I truly do appreciate FrankenReps effort. I just wish he/she would pick a style and ride it out, listen to what I say, and give me the common courtesy of knowing what I do before they call me. If you've got a FrankenRep on your team, coach em up. They have big hearts and I think you'll find that all that energy can be channeled in the right direction if you make the effort.