Innovation Calling

There exist limitless opportunities in every industry. Where there is an open mind, there will always be a frontier. -Charles F. Kettering

I remember orientation day at my first real sales job. After I got settled in, I was given a stack of letters that had been sent to potential customers. I was instructed to follow each one up by calling them on the telephone. Simple enough, right? Considering the stack of letters was nearly two feet tall, I had my work cut out for me.

I learned that the challenge was not in knowing what to say to make a sale; it was learning what to say so that the person answering the phone did not hang up on me. Many times the person would take down my name and number and then assure me that they would have the person call me back. We all know how that ended.

As the years went by I was given more responsibility and sure enough, I started receiving calls from people trying to sell things to me! The intriguing thing here is that the person that gave me this responsibility had a completely different approach to incoming calls. He insisted that we take or return every single telephone inquiry that came into our company. I remember thinking of these incoming sales calls as a nuisance. Wasn’t there better uses of my time than calling back telemarketers?

Fortunately it did not take long for me to get my answer. I started getting calls from people that had solutions to some of my biggest challenges. Sure, I had to take my share of calls from telemarketers that had nothing to offer, but every once in a while I was presented with a fantastic idea or opportunity.

My boss’ insistence on returning calls was one of the biggest favors anyone has done for me. He taught me that keeping an open mind meant that I was poised to benefit from opportunities that were presented to me. Aside from a few minutes of my time, I had nothing to lose and everything to gain by taking these calls.

Today, I actually look forward to receiving calls from people trying to sell me things. Receiving these calls is fun and an opportunity to learn. I learn effective strategies for calling prospects. I learn what to say. I learn what not to say. Best of all, I sometimes learn of new ideas that had never crossed my mind.

At Anchor Marketing, we are in the idea business. Clients pay us to think strategically and bring a continual flow of new ideas to them. We’d value an opportunity to talk with you, learn about your business, and put forth a few ideas. Who knows, we may have just the idea you need. Spend a few minutes, call us and find out. I have to go………someone is on hold waiting to give me my next big idea.