TELEPHONE BLUNDERS THAT COST BUSINESS
MONEY, CUSTOMERS AND FRIENDS...
Copyright Chris Bloor 2002
I don't know who David is.
I've never met him.
Thanks to his 'We're as-friendly-as-a-punch-up-the-throat'
voice-mail message I doubt that I ever will.
It all started like this...
I saw the offer for website design.
David’s advertisement in my local newspaper looked great.
(I'm a professional copywriter so I should know)
It had all the winning ingredients:
...Great Headline
...Benefits laden copy
...Convincing testimonials
...Impossible-to-resist offer
I was hooked! They had me!
I grabbed the phone, punched in their number
and sat there, credit card in hand, ready to say
"Yes! Please! Take my money!"
The lines were busy so a mechanical voice told
me to wait a moment whilst I was transferred
to their voicemail.
Then it happened...
I heard Dave and what he said TOTALLY destroyed
their offer and convinced me NEVER to do business
with them.
I was a little disappointed but not surprised.
After all it happens so often.
I think it's one of the # 1 mistakes most business
owners make on the telephone.
You see, their advert had painted a picture in my mind.
I saw a quality business...
Professionals...
People I could trust.
People with a great offer and I seriously wanted to give
them my money...
What did David do to stop all this?
I was expecting something like:
"Hi and thank you for calling XYZ Company
all our operators are busy right now but your call
is important to us so please, leave your name and number
after the beep and we'll get straight back to you"
"Thank you so much for calling and have a great day!"
Instead I got this:
"This is David. You know what to do.
Speak after the beep..."
Like I said, I don't know David from a bar of soap.
I wouldn't recognize him if my life depended on it.
I do know one thing about him though.
He's wasting money.
Judging by the size of his advert
quite a lot of it!
You see David's advert spoke QUALITY
It spoke "Hey you can TRUST us... we CARE..."
His voice-mail SHOUTED 'Cheap and nasty'
the result?
...David Wasted His Money Today
...David Lost A Sale Today
...David Made Less Profits Today
...David Missed Out On Referrals Today
...David Missed An Opportunity Today
Try this: Take a moment to call YOURSELF today.
Listen carefully to your business voice-mail
or answering machine.
What you hear...
What you change...
Just might be worth a small fortune!
Chris Bloor is a Direct Response Copywriter
Known as the 'Walking Idea Machine'
You can get a FREE subscription to his
'Members Only' Internet Newsletter at
http://www.qualitybusinessinstitute.com
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About the Author
Chris Bloor Known As The 'Walking Idea Machine' Is One Of Australia's Most Sought After Direct Response Copywriters Get His Ezine At http://www.qualitybusinessinstitute.com