Must Have Skills For Every Telecaller

No matter which country you reside in, a common cause of worry for both of us is getting a job and being able to pay the bills. In a time where the number of jobs is shrinking faster than the waistlines of the models of Victoria’s secret, the job of telecalling is in abundance. Now do not be mistaken by the quantity, for the role of a telecaller is tough and requires a lot of skills. If you can master it, then it not only becomes a lucrative prospect but a satisfying one too.

Well then, let me list down the skills for you, at the very onset telecalling may seem like the easiest job out there. It may seem to be a rather easy task. You just have to dial up a number, speak to the person at the other end, and that’s pretty much it eh!?

Only if it were so easy. Ask any telecaller and they will tell you how tough it is to survive each day. As a dear friend of mine says “It is anything but easy.”

So let’s get that cup of expresso ready and get started. For coffee is going to be your best colleague in this job.

Skill Number #1 – Intuition.

I will cut to the chase without beating around the bush by saying stuff that’s already there in countless other blogs.

If I had to single out one single skill, the must-have for this job, it has to be intuition. No, I will not write needless words about being patient and being understanding, those are not skills, those are qualities and you have to have them.

When you dial, you will be talking to a voice, you will not know who is on the other side. And in a matter of seconds, you have to make out the person’s mood, his condition and above all his interest in talking to you. And believe me when I say that is something no book in this world can teach you. There is only one way to master it and that is by using your sixth sense.

The only prescription I can provide is one which says to “Interact as much possible”. So talk to people, listen to them as much as possible. This is the only way to strengthen your intuition. This job requires you to interact with people, understand their needs, and provide them with solutions.

Skill Number #2 – Know more than one language.

Now, the biggest problem with tele-calling is, you have to understand the language your listener is comfortable in. So you may have prepared a piece in a certain language to promote your product, but if your customer fails to understand, all your efforts will amount to only a wastage of time and resources.

“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.” – Nelson Mandela

Now how do you make that out, the trick is to listen carefully to him. If the person is not comfortable in the language you are speaking in, switch to another one. So listening is a skill you have to develop, but the other blogs have already told you about that. Well am going to tell you something more. Just by listening carefully, you will not be able to put your idea through him. You have to do more. You have to master more than one language and prepare your piece in those languages. So the moment you switch to a language of his preference, you not only make it easy for him to understand you but at the same time you prove a point to him that you are there to help him in every way, secretly creating a relationship.  At the end of the day, it is all about creating a healthy work relationship with your clients.

Skill Number #3 – Communication.

This is probably what this job is all about, it’s a test of your communication skills. Understand one thing, you are not the only one calling him to sell a product or a service. Countless others are doing the same. Chances are high that you being the fifth or sixth person to call him on a certain day. And he is probably irritated by the previous calls and him hanging up on you without even listening to you completely is of high probability.

“To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world and use this understanding as a guide to our communication with others.” – Anthony Robbins

Now you cannot sell him the wonders of the world which he would readily buy. What you can do is, change your approach, the common mistake telecallers around the world make is making their sales pitch robotic. It’s one human talking to another one, make it sound like that, make it interesting, and under no circumstances make your pitch too technical. You only have a minute of his attention, make the most of it by making yourself a compelling speaker. Only then will your listener’s interest will get peaked and he will want to listen and then crack a deal with you.