I started laughing out loud when I read this title for an article in Sales Vault’s weekly newsletter. I just got off the phone with a persistent telemarketer who did it to me. So what is this “Barf Factor?” The author, Kelly Roberston, describes it as:
Too many sales people mistakenly believe that they should open their conversation with a background and history of their company. Or, a complete description of their products, services, or solutions. It’s seems like they can’t control what comes out of their mouth once they open it. They puke. They barf. They spew all over themselves.
Exactly what the telemarketer had just done to me. I am not a prospect for the product he was pitching but it didn’t matter. He wasted 2-3 minutes going through a canned speech only to hear me say no thanks, I just purchased a competitor’s item.
But enough about the telemarketer – what tips can you provide your salespeople so they don’t “barf” on their prospects and customers? Here is the criteria Kelly suggests you use along with an example script:
- It focuses on the other person.
- It conveys how you help your clients & customers.
- It is easy to understand.
- It does not contain an excess of adverbs or adjectives.
- It intrigues the other person.
- It must be delivered in a conversational tone.
Mr. Adams, I’m Pat from Geeks R Us. We specialize in helping small businesses like yours fix computer problems. The reason I’m calling is to see if you have ever experienced computer problems, and if so, how have they affected your business?
The example is not perfectly constructed, but it is better than what I just experienced. Too bad I didn’t have the telemarketer’s email address to send him this article – it could have saved him the 3 minutes he spewed on me.