Phone Cards Blog

September 26, 2008

Cold Calling: Just Swallow the Frog Already! Part 1

Filed under: Business and Management,telecom — admin @ 4:06 pm

Isn’t it amazing that in every job we do, there are always a few dreaded activities that we seem to want to avoid doing at all costs. And some of those very activities dictate whether we experience huge success or massive failure at our jobs. Never has this been truer or more applicable in sales and the world of cold calling…..

What do you dread doing the most?

If you are like most salespeople in the world, it is the dreaded “cold calling”. Picking up the phone for that first call or knocking on that first door can be a terrifying and stomach churning start to your day. It can be such a deterrent at times that you may find yourself doing just about anything to avoid doing it. And if you are in the world of professional selling, unless you overcome the fear of “getting started”, you are already aware that your career will be short circuit and self sabotaged quickly unless you get over it. Let’s take a look at the main reasons salespeople don’t like to cold call prospects.

1. Reason #1. Fear of rejection!

If you knew that you had a prospect list full of people that would absolutely say “YES!” to your proposal, you would absolutely have no issue cold calling everyday. There is something exciting and encouraging about people agreeing to do business with you, as well as agreeing with you that your solution is the best one for them. We long for validation and acceptance as individuals and in the world of sales, but unfortunately, we often find it in short supply.

The truth is we experience nothing like that in the real world. We often are the ones looking for a needle in the haystack, taking 100 rejections to every 1 yes as we visit door after door, or make call after call. The overwhelming negative odds can loom in darkness over you to the point of them becoming suffocating and paralyzing. The “paralysis by analysis” kicks in as we try to come up with tricks or shortcuts to increase our odds in the field. Anything to even double the odds would be encouraging, or would it? It’s not an easy chore, this world of selling, and those outside of sales have no earthly idea why anyone would want to put up with daily, day-long rejection in hopes of that gold nugget. Most would rather live in squalor than deal with the mental anguish of daylong rejection month after month, and year after year. Doesn’t that sound exciting? If you dread cold calling, you fear rejection! But there is hope…..

2. Reason # 2 We don’t like to interrupt people.

If you had an upbringing in a respectful environment as a child, the idea of sales and cold calling may rebel in concept against your very nature and the very fiber of your being. “You want me to go in there and interrupt them?” Yes, that is your job. Interrupt people all day long, when they haven’t requested to see you or to hear from you, and find a way to make them happy about it, and hopefully in the process become a customer. That sounds wonderful.

You know, for social butterflies, that might be so-getting to talk to new people all day long and winning them over with your friendly smile, but for most salespeople I know, they don’t like to interrupt people. If you disagree with that concept, then consider the opposite. If you DO like to interrupt people, then I must wonder about YOU. The very path our society is taking has less and less to do with people interaction. We don’t like to be interrupted or bothered unless it is on our terms.

You scan your groceries yourself instead of waiting for a checker in line.
You scan your card to get gas without talking to a soul.
You shop online to avoid going to malls.
You tell people to just send you an email on the topic, even when they are right in front of you.
We check in for our flights online.
We want email confirmation of our order. Don’t call me.
Text messaging is booming.

You see, we all know this is the way it really is whether we have thought about it in those terms or not. So when we go and do exactly what we would prefer not to be done to us, there is some little part of us that will take any route possible to short circuit our cold calling efforts. We don’t like to bother people or to be bothered.

Do you like taking telemarketing calls at night during dinner? Do you enjoy spam? How about junk mail? How about a sales guy coming in to your office when you have a deadline and persistently wanting to show you what’s in the box?

Here is a bone chilling reality. If I want what you have to sell, I know just where to find it. And I can and will call you when I’m ready. And I will have done my research online to know the answers to my questions before I even ask you. That way, I know if you are telling me the truth, and I’ll know if you know what you are talking about. Wow. How times have changed.

3. Reason #3 Salespeople are sometimes lazy!

I know it’s hard to believe, but it is true. Sometimes the most social people in the world, the ones with the great personalities that can get people to smile and open up that seem to gravitate toward sales, just don’t like to do mundane and repetitive things over and over and over.(See their paperwork) They like change. They like new and challenging adventures. As much as non sales people can’t imagine ever wanting to take the rejection of sales, they can’t imagine being chained to their desk like non sales people for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, for the rest of their lives.

The problem is, once the salesperson leaves the office, there are SOOOO many fun and exciting things to do that are better than cold calling. Like all of them. Yeah it’s true; it’s not hard to find something more exciting to do than cold calling. Cold calling is mentally and emotionally draining. You have to get “up” and be ready to “perform” all day long. You have to smile and be happy. We’ve all had sales people approach us that were less than enthusiastic, and we have no desire to speak with them. Shoot, if they are not excited about their job or their product, than how can I be? Sales takes a huge mental and physical reserve to be successful day in and day out, and not all sales people are able to maintain a consistent regimen that keeps them refreshed day in and day out for the rigors of cold calling.

Cold calling is in fact a big, ugly green frog to us. It is one that you are holding in your hand right now. And one that your boss just said you need to swallow. Isn’t that exciting? Part II covers just how you can swallow that ugly green frog, and learn to enjoy every minute of it.

Steve Norris is a Texas based Energy Efficient Electrical Contractor and Independent Telecom Broker for over 80 carriers nationwide, and he specializes in hardware solutions for multi-location businesses with advanced infrastructure needs. Over 90% of his clients are able to implement new Dallas Business Telephone Systems at little or no cost with his proprietary TeleTAP solution.

First Impressions – The Real Impact Of Your Business Phone System

Filed under: Business and Management,Technology and Gadgets,telecom — admin @ 2:38 pm

Every day there are fantastic new opportunities to make first impressions with new potential clients. Each new client who calls you may represent new business and revenue opportunities to impact your company for years to come. An important question to ask is “What does my phone system say about my company?”

When I make calls to inquiring companies that have requested information from me on a daily basis, the impressions I get about them run the gamut from “Boy this is a SMALL business” to “Wow that was incredible. These guys sound like a fortune 1000 Company.” What turns out to be somewhat amusing is that the two companies may very well be the same size, with the same number of employees, and they just might have a similar phone system. So what are the keys to first impression that make all of the difference? And what are some of the mistakes that companies make in an attempt to save money? Let’s evaluate:

Live Answer Scenarios:

If you insist on answering your business calls live, the person answering your phones is vital to your company. They are absolutely worth their weight in gold depending on call volume, as they are the direct representation of your company’s image over the phone. This person must be well spoken, well trained, and be able to use the features your system offers efficiently. What mistakes are made here that impact your first impression?
• Hiring the lowest dollar person possible to “just answer phones.”
• Hiring someone without proper language skills. (Including heavy accents, poor grammar, too much slang, too much casual language (y’know man, dude, etc), and someone unable to properly handle angry or upset customers.
• Not having someone properly trained to park calls, put callers on hold, transfer calls, ask if they’d like to go to voice mail, and in general able to use the phone system features.
• Not hiring someone friendly. Who wants to do business with someone who acts like they have no desire to help you?
We have all dealt with one of the above scenarios, and it absolutely affects how you view that business from day one, and for every day after that.

Automated Attendant Scenarios:

Unless you answer your telephone system live every time it rings, you most likely implement some type of automated attendant system. An automated attendant system will answer your call with a message and give your new caller some choices to choose from. Programmed correctly, an automated attendant can assist your caller to navigate your company directly easily and conveniently. Done wrong, untold amounts of frustration can occur, and it WILL cost you business. What are the most common mistakes made with automated attendants?
• Never use a TTS engine. (Text To Speech) Always use a live person with an inviting voice to make your recordings. No wants to speak to a robot. Unless your TTS engine is state of the art and sounds real, don’t even think about using it.
• Make your introductory statement brief and to the point. (Your customer does not want to know your entire company history before they can get some help, and this is especially frustrating for returning callers who just want to get to the choices, but can’t remember them.)
• Absolutely, 100% of the time you need to have a zero out option at ANY time. Some callers simply will refuse to deal with an automated attendant, and in order to not lose out on those potential customers, it is wise to have a well spoken friendly person ready to take their call and assist them. (See above criteria)
• Have an easy to use directory, and keep it updated! (There is nothing worse than pressing numbers that lead to nowhere, that disconnect you, and leave you muttering unseemly things under your breath) Time is money in business. If you waste your potential client’s time, they will NOT give you their money.
• Do not create an automated attendant hell. Keep your options short and sweet. Automated attendants are helpful in getting people where they want to go, but too many options and layers of pressing buttons will frustrate them quickly. As a rule, go no more than 3-4 levels deep.
• Keep your option tree updated, and when people are sent to the wrong options, make sure your users know how to send them to where they need to go. It is very common for users to accidentally disconnect your potential clients because they do not know how to properly operate the system they are using. If they disconnect your potential customer, the chances they bother to call back to your organization is slim and none.
• Do not ask for information in your IVR, and then ask for it again as soon as the live person answers. Either automate your systems to capture that information, or don’t ask for it in the first place. It makes your company look as if you have no idea what you are doing, and your potential clients find it maddening.
• Use Messaging on Hold. If your clients every go on hold while waiting for their party, have professionally produced recordings for them to listen to that promote your most profitable and hottest moving products and or services. The impression your company gives when you have such recordings is off the charts, and most systems are capable of supporting them.
• And most importantly, choose the voice on your automated attendant carefully. Many companies will choose to have professional voices make their recordings and upload them to their system. Doing so gives your company an edge that makes you stand out from your competitors. There is a huge difference between a radio or studio quality voice and Bob or Susie in the back office. No offense Bob or Susie, but it’s true!

Using these tips as a guide, you can make your company sound as big as you’d like over the phone, or as small and service oriented as the neighbor business next door. You know your market better than anyone, and your system offers you the ability to cater to them appropriately. Avoid the major pitfalls, and take advantage of the impression building power your telephone system has to create the first impression of your company that will keep your clients coming back for years!

Steve Norris is a Texas based telecommunications professional that provides Fort Worth Business Telephone Systems and telecom services from over 80 carriers nationwide. He specializes in hardware solution for multi-location business with advanced infrastructure needs. Over 90% of his clients are able to implement a new Business Phone Systems Dallas without increasing their budget with TeleTAP.

September 25, 2008

Business Telephone System

Filed under: Business and Management,VoIP — Tags: — admin @ 10:45 pm

Many small businesses are either weary of the new VOIP business telephone system and others may not even have heard about it. The new Voice Over Internet Protocol business telephone systems are revolutionizing the way business is being conducted, on a global level. Large business and small businesses alike are able to take advantage of the benefits of the VOIP business telephone system.

VOIP has come along way to being portable and useful. As technology moves forward, this type of business telephone system progresses, too. In the beginning, VOIP business telephone systems required that people be at their computers to use it, and the sound quality was very poor. Now, you are able to receive VOIP business telephone systems on a standard phone and the sound quality is much better.

The major benefit of the VOIP business telephone system is that it will significantly decrease your telephone operating costs. You will be able to have one network for both your phone system and your network, so it will also save you from having to pay two separate bills each month. Plus the cost associated with changes in employee status can significantly decrease by moving to a VOIP business telephone system.

The flexibility of the VOIP business telephone system also makes it appealing to many companies. With this type of business telephone system, your phone system can go wherever you can access a broadband connection. This means that your will always have access to your phone even when you travel. You can even use the VOIP business telephone system on your laptop, as many VOIP systems have telephony software that allows you to send and receive calls using a unit connected to your laptop.

Other benefits of the VOIP business telephone system include receiving voice mail and faxes in your e-mail box. This business telephone system allows you to organize all of your messages on your computer. You will also be able to gain access to virtually any phone number in any area code without paying extra. Through a VOIP business telephone system, if you want to attract consumers in New Mexico, you can have a New Mexico phone number even if your business is located in Connecticut.

If you are considering changing over to a VOIP business telephone system, you will want to make sure your transition goes smoothly. Therefore, you may want to hire an expert to come in and help you switch over to a VOIP business telephone system, especially if you have a larger company. You can also start off slowly by only switching over a few employees first to test this new business telephone system and ease everyone into it. Also, to avoid any issues, you will also want to make sure your network security is up to date in order to avoid hackers, as you should already be doing to protect your computers.

The VOIP business telephone system can allow your company, big or small, greater flexibility and lower telecommunications bills. With this business telephone business system, you will be able to answer your phone anywhere you get a broadband connection along with having access to messages and faxes in your e-mail inbox. The possibilities with the VOIP business telephone system seem endless, so the only question is how soon you can take advantage of the benefits.

Why 0870 virtual switchboards are free in the UK

Filed under: Business and Management — admin @ 11:17 am

Not so many years ago every business had to purchase, install and maintain a private switchboard. As a businesses grew and relocated it incurred the cost of buying and installing an upgraded switchboard.

Then back in the early nineties, the manufacturers of exchange switches started making them intelligent by adding the functionality of a private switchboard – music-on-hold, call queuing and voicemail as well as planned routing. As the years have gone by the cost of these intelligent switches has come down. As a consequence more and more companies prefer to rent a virtual switchboard rather than incur the costs of owning, upgrading and maintaining their own equipment.

In the UK, another development has made it possible to offer a virtual switchboard at no cost to the end user. This became possible a decade ago when British Telecom introduced numbers that were charged at the national rate and could be routed to any land line destination number. The added twist was that users of these numbers received a portion of the call revenenue. This enabled telephone services companies to offer virtual switchboard services to end users at no cost with the actual cost being met by the call rebates.

Now no business in the UK had any excuse not to offer callers efficient call handling because the whole panoply of functionality including music-on-hold, call queuing, announcement of queue position to the caller, ability to route calls to several offices and voicemail, where all available at no cost. This was especially good news for the ever increasing army of homeworkers.

Unfortunately, this state of affairs is set to end due to the behaviour of many of the country’s leading businesses who have abused their position. What has happened is that many large service companies in the business of insurance, holidays, air travel, utility provision and so on have been accused of keeping customers on hold for anything up to 40 minutes. The result is that Ofcom, the UK regulatory authority, has ruled that the cost of calling special numbers will be reduced and the rebate removed with effect from the beginning of 2008.

Nevertheless, that hasn’t stopped huge numbers of small businesses from enjoying the benefits of virtual switchboards. And even when the rebate ends, the cost of renting a virtual switchboard will be only a few pounds a month. Far less than the traditional alternative.

Author Michael Soliatis writes about telecom issues and offers essential free 0870 virtual switchboard information and a free 0870 virtual switchboard service

How To Find The Right VoIP Service Provider

Filed under: Business and Management,VoIP — Tags: — admin @ 9:06 am

The field of VoIP is growing very fast because it offers features and services that are not usually found in traditional phone service. In addition, it offers all the familiar features and benefits of traditional phone service. And it can do all this for a lower cost. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that VoIP is fundamentally remaking the way we all look at — and use — our telephones. It is a very attractive option for nearly every segment of the marketplace — commercial and residential alike.

For example, long distance calls are going to be free or nearly free on VoIP phone systems. This is because VoIP uses the Internet to send your voice messaging. And another thing: Wherever you go, as long as you have an Internet connection, you can have VoIP service. As I said before, VoIP service offers the sorts of features that we were used to paying extra for.

Here are some things that you should investigate when you’re choosing a VoIP service provider:

Does it sound good?

The newer VoIP technologies give you better sound quality, while reducing overall noise. You should expect excellent performance from your service provider. Make a test call before you make any commitments. A symptom of overall bad quality would be if you heard significant lags or delays while talking with the person you called.

If you think I’m exaggerating, think about a one second delay and what it can mean. It could mean that the person you are talking to is hesitating for some unknown reason. It could mean that the person you are talking to doesn’t understand what you are saying, or is simply confused. Or it could mean that you have a slow Internet connection. Before you commit to VoIP service, eliminate the possibility that the delay is due to technical reasons.

Can you count on it?

Business owners know: if your phone goes out in the middle of a conference call, you’re losing customers. Imagine what a disaster it would be if there were 20 people on the call — 10 at your office and another 10 around the country. Even a 15 minute outage equals five man-hours of productivity lost. So don’t cut corners with your VoIP service provider. You’ll get what you pay for — so pay for quality and reliability.

How are the customers treated?

It should go without saying that your VoIP service provider should give you 24/7 customer support. Not only that: you shouldn’t have to wait on hold — you should be able to get a straight answer quickly. Look for a VoIP service provider that offers alternate modes of tech support, like live chat.

What Sorts of Features Are Available?

Your VoIP service provider should be able to give you all the standard features that you’re accustomed to PLUS free long distance calls, e-mail, fax, Web conferencing, even videophone for no extra fee at all. Some VoIP service providers may not be able to deliver, instead charging you extra for these features. Know what you need ask and for it at the best price before you make a decision.

…and speaking of price

We all feel that VoIP should be free or very cheap. At the very least you should be able to get free long distance and a low monthly service charge. But make sure you’re getting more than you pay for. A low price with low voice quality is not a good value. If your VoIP service provider offers a trial. Take advantage of it to make sure that you’re getting your money’s worth.

Even with all of these benefits VoIP still has a couple of drawbacks. The most notable drawback is that you must have a high-speed Internet connection for VoIP service to work. If your Internet is slow, or if you lose power and have no Internet, you will not be able to use your phones. So make sure that your Internet service is reliable and fast.

As for which companies are the best VoIP service providers, visit this page to find out how to make an intelligent comparison. You’ll have to do a little bit of homework and find the best VoIP service providers available to you. But you’ll find the investment of time to be worth it.

One last thing…

Review all the issues — pro and con — before making an informed decision on VoIP service providers.

For moreinformation visit Ara Rubyan’s VoIP Solution.

Business VOIP

Filed under: Business and Management,VoIP — Tags: — admin @ 5:33 am

Business VOIP offers advantages over regular telephone service that allow business more freedom and savings than ever before. Today`s technology driven society predicts that if you do not have business VOIP, you will soon. However, before you jump on the business VOIP bandwagon, you should know what business VOIP is and how it can benefit your business.

Many business owners use some amount of technology every day, but sometimes find themselves unwilling to try new technological advances due to a lack of understanding or an overwhelming amount of complication associated with certain technologies. However, business VOIP is a relatively simple technology to obtain and use that allows you more versatility in your phone uses while saving you money.

Business VOIP may seem like a very foreign term to your business. The “VOIP” in business VOIP stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol. That may sound technical, but really it just means that you will be able to use telephone services over your internet connection rather than your traditional phone lines. How does this benefit your business? Free long distance is one way your company can save money with business VOIP.

Business VOIP allows you to call anywhere in the world using your internet connection. This means that there will be no additional long-distance charges when you use business VOIP. Besides savings on long-distance, you will also be able to avoid those other costs tacked onto your regular phone bill like taxes, tariffs, and other mysterious charges. In some cases, companies already using business VOIP have reported savings up to 60 percent over their traditional phone bills.

However, the financial savings associated with business VOIP is not the only reason to change to this more technologically advanced phone system. The potential services available through business VOIP will also offer your business flexibility and communications potential that will enhance your continued efforts at growing your organization. For instance, there is technology available for your business VOIP system that will allow your computer to communicate with others via the phone, and business VOIP also opens doors to conferencing via tele-video. Imagine being able to see the person you are speaking to in real time video or being able to present a product in real time.

Another great aspect of business VOIP is that it allows you to enhance your advertising potential immediately via message on hold. Through a simple .wav or .mp3 file, you can take an audio file and turn it into an advertisement your clientele can hear via your telephone. Taking the advancement of the telephone and adding in a new kind of communication potential makes business VOIP a must for most businesses.

The potential for business VOIP can bring real results to your company. By saving you money and enhancing your communication you can use your business VOIP and a building tool. Taking advantage of what technology has to offer through business VOIP is a simple way to bring out your potential for worldwide communication.

Download the Home Based Business Manual (Free $97 Value!) and receive valuable tips, strategies and techniques designed to grow a very successful Home Based Business.

Copyright Charles Fuchs is an established online marketer who specializes in helping people start their very own Home Based Business. He specializes in showing people the Best Work at home and Best MLM Leads online.

September 24, 2008

Jabbrz, how it works

Filed under: Technology and Gadgets,telecom — admin @ 9:01 pm

jabbrz is a really simple service to use. There are just a few steps you need to go through to set up the service the first time…

Accessing the internet on your mobile phone

If your mobile is less than two years old it’s highly likely that you can access the internet from it.

If you’re not sure whether you’re set up for internet access, have a look on your phone’s menu. You’ll probably see an icon like a globe or maybe a link to your service provider’s internet portal page. You can also try accessing a website like Google, to check that you have a connection.

Can’t access the internet but your phone looks like it has the capability to? You may recognise one of the icons below. Alternatively your mobile may have an icon specific to your network provider which enables you to connect to their portal or website as a starting point to connecting to the internet.

You may need to enable your phone for internet use. This is pretty straightforward to do on either Pay As You Go or monthly contract services.

Register and download Skype for free

Not already a Skype user? Don’t worry its both free and easy to get set up!

If you’re already a Skype user you’ll know about the benefits of the service and how you can call all your friends or family that are also on skype for free.

Well, with jabbrz you can now do this on your mobile. What’s more, you’ll be able to make international calls on your mobile with Skype’s SkypeOut rates – these are much, much lower than your mobile phone rates.

Just as if you were using Skype normally, you’ll need to have it running on your PC.

You may need to enable your phone for internet use. This is pretty straightforward to do on either Pay As You Go or monthly contract services.

Installing the jabbrz client

After the quick registration process (start at ‘get jabbrz now’) you need to install the jabbrz client to your pc.

There are instructions on how to do this available on the install page but after installing and running the client on your PC you will need to allow your Skype account to use jabbrz – by clicking a link that appears in your Skype console.

• Install the jabbrz client by following the on screen instructions.
• Make sure Skype is running on your computer while installing jabbrz.
• Run the jabbrz client by entering the username and password that you chose during website registration. Launch Skype to continue.
• Allow jabbrz.exe to use Skype by clicking on accept.
• A new event should appear, click on jabbrz.exe to accept event.
• Then select “Allow the program to use Skype” from the options available and click on ok.

Using jabbrz on your mobile phone

With jabbrz and Skype running on your PC, go to www.jabbrz.mobi on your mobile. Remember with jabbrz there is nothing to download to your phone, so it works on any phone, on any network, as long as it has an internet connection.

You have to use your username and password the first time you visit the site but after that you just get taken to a page to start calling your Skype or normal contacts!

About Jabbrz

jabbrz offers consumers a unique new way to make low cost international calls from a mobile phone. Our beta service uses Skype, allowing users to access Skype on any mobile phone, on any network, providing it is connected to the internet.

Unlike other services, jabbrz doesn’t require anything to be downloaded to a mobile phone. The only requirement is that a user is able to connect to the internet on it. A call is also made by calling a regular local number (not a premium or special rate number) – most likely included in an inclusive minutes package. As well as allowing the user to make cheap calls from their mobile phone, this method ensures call quality is high, just like a regular local call – mobile VoIP providers can’t say the same!

User benefits provided by jabbrz:

• cheap rates for making international calls
• Skype users can call other Skype users for free on their mobile phone
• nothing to download to the phone – so works on any handset
• great call quality – user connects as they would do for a regular, local call

Give jabbrz a go yourself and get Cheap International Calls.

VoIP and the great 911 lie

Filed under: Technology and Gadgets,VoIP — admin @ 7:20 pm

In regards to VoIP, everybody shares a common thing: buzzwords! It starts from “T.38″, and ends in “E911″. The sad truth is however, most people don’t really know what these buzzwords actually mean. It also does not help that most providers don’t bother to educate their users about the matter.

The user, is led on by various providers, quite literally like sheep to slaughter… They are being told “yes- we have E911! we are the perfect choice for you! you can count on us!” when the fact is that usually even the provider is not entirely aware of the limitations of VoIP 911. In this article, I will attempt to list some major concerns and risks when choosing to rely on VoIP E911.

There are simply too many potential points of failure:

1. Let’s start close to home – or better yet – in your home! Anything from a faulty network cable, router, adapter, or other such piece of equipment may bring your voice line down. If you’ve ever tried VoIP I’m sure you know what I’m talking about – it’s not, and will never be as reliable as POTS (Plain Old Telephone System).

2. Carrying on in your home… one thing we cannot live without these days is electricity. With POTS or cellphone, you are not dependent on electricty to power your phone. With VoIP however, no electricity means no phone! Want to dial 911 during a power outage – or worse – someone deliberately cutting off the power to your house… tough luck, no dialtone!

3. And while we on to power, don’t think this problem is isolated to your home alone. A power outage can happen anywhere: your house, the node serving your DSL or cable internet, the provider’s data center, or the E911 provider’s data center. Sure- these days most providers have redundant servers and some even have geographic redundancy, and data centers have generators and other such neat equipment designed to keep you rolling. This is all great in theory- until you find out that the generator didn’t kick in, and it took 15 minutes to switch over to a backup data center. 15 minutes is not a lot – but it may become a lot when your life is on the line!

4. Let’s hang on a bit to your ISP.. we’re not done with them yet! if you’re like me, you experience an internet outage every few weeks. It can last anywhere between 5 minutes, to a whole day! No internet means no VoIP service, and no VoIP service means no E911!

5. And how about the provider’s internet? their data center? their DNS servers? their SIP servers? some providers can be very reliable… but things do happen and outages are not unheard of even with the biggest of providers.

6. Now that we’re done harping on about ISPs, why don’t we take a look at the weakest link – the E911 provider! while I am sure they do their best to ensure reliability, let’s face it – there is no competition in the field. There are a total of 4 real E911 providers in the entire country – all the rest are resellers (read: clueless!). This industry is so new that glitches are bound to happen – and continue to happen for years to come. As a VoIP provider – I can ensure proper routing, high availability, and various other methods to get as close as we can to 100% uptime – it won’t matter one bit if the E911 provider’s server is down.

7. E911 providers are not VoIP providers. This is a bad thing. Why? A VoIP provider delivers thousands, tens of thousands, or even more than that per day. If something is broken – it is soon found – and fixed. An E911 provider deliver very few calls per day, meaning they do not get the sort of production validation a VoIP provider does. Things can be broken for half a day and they’d think “just a slow day”.

8. Things about the sheer number of things that have to be in place to deliver your E911 call correctly: your gear at home has to function properly, your ISP has to function properly, the backbone along the way has to function properly, the provider’s data center, servers, and internet connect has to function properly, the VoIP provider’s interconnection with the E911 provider has to function properly, your telephone number has to be pre-input correctly in the E911 provider’s database, the E911 provider’s servers have to function properly, the E911 provider has to match your address to the correct PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point), and the E911 has to interconnect properly with the PSAP to deliver the call.

With so many factors and potential breaking points – should a user really expect to be able to pick up the phone and reach 911 in an emergency? I don’t believe so. And I think it is time providers and regulators alike stop lying to themselves and lying to the nation. VoIP is not POTS, will never be POTS, and will never be as reliable as POTS. Trying to regulate providers into offering E911 will achieve nothing but the delusion of safety among consumers. Such delusion is even more dangerous as consumers end up believing they are safe, because the regulators say so!

The bottom line is: E911 is not reliable. Do yourself a favor, and ignore the buzzwords and hype. If you want to dump POTS – get a cheap cellphone – even a prepaid one – to act as a backup for E911. Do not rely on E911 alone under any circumastances!

I wish you all a very safe, enjoyable experience with VoIP!

Nitzan is the CEO of Future Nine Corporation – a leading provider of Voice over IP Communications.

Cold Calling: Just Swallow the Frog Already! Part 2

Filed under: Business and Management,Technology and Gadgets — admin @ 4:14 pm

So you are holding that ugly green frog in your hand, the one we call Cold Calling, and your boss says to eat it? How can one eat a green frog and even pretend to like it? Here are some tips on how to not only be successful in cold calling, but to also enjoy the process.

The first step for success in cold calling is taking on a paradigm shift. You need to view cold calling in an entirely different light than you ever have before. If you related to part 1 of this article, you may have found that you actually view the process of cold calling as regularly interrupting people, dealing with a terribly mundane task, taking on massive amounts of rejection, and using the very methods to contact people that you find disruptive to your day. So how does one take that information, reorganize it, and throw a positive spin on it to the degree that it becomes a positive experience? And how do you turn something you detest into something you can actually look forward to?

By definition, a paradigm shift is a completely different way of looking at the same situation. You may have all heard of a Stephen Covey example story of him being on the subway on a quiet Sunday morning. I’ll review it for an example, as it demonstrates the point well. As he sat there on the subway that quiet Sunday morning waiting to arrive at his stop, people were reading newspapers, sitting were quietly waiting for their stops, etc, as people do, and a family came on board the subway. The family consisted of a father and several children.

Suddenly the atmosphere in the subway completely changed. The father had sat down next to Covey, but the children were running loose being noisy and disruptive. They ran around pushing and yelling, and in general were causing a great disturbance. After several minutes, this bothered Covey enough that he suggested to the man that he might consider controlling his children better, as they were disturbing everyone on the subway. The man slowly looked up, as if coming to, and said, “I suppose I should. We just came from the hospital and their Mother died less than an hour ago. I don’t think they know how to take that, and I’m not sure I know how to either.”

Suddenly the feelings of irritation surrounding the children instantly turned to ones of sympathy and understanding. The mindset of harsh criticism turned to one of gentle compassion for suffering individuals coping the best way they knew how. There was a paradigm shift. A completely new way of looking at the SAME situation based on a new perspective and some new information.

Based on the concept of that example, the only way to change your thoughts about cold calling is to have that paradigm shift, that new perspective. But in order to successfully have that paradigm shift, you need some new information or a new way to look at the situation. Here are some helpful hints that will apply to most industries that deal with cold calling.

1. Sales is in fact the most honorable profession and the oldest profession in the world. Some think that something else is the oldest profession, but it is simply a subset of selling. Without sales, the wheels of industry cease to churn, and the world as we know it would no longer exist. Progress completely stops. No product sells itself. It has to be sold. The role you play is vital to the economy. We need to bring this up number one, as many sales people take too much to heart the criticism or rejection they receive while cold calling. Isn’t it ironic that the very person that dishes out those feelings of ill will actually depends on your counterpart at their company to make sales and keep their job intact? Yet they have no qualms belittling you? Their company depends on people just like you to continue to exist. If they cannot make a sale and create revenue, they no longer can operate. Take heart! Your role is valued by those that matter most. In times of downturn, companies cut back on all kinds of support, but rarely would they ever say, “Let’s cut back on sales!” Companies will always need sales. You are vital in the role you play for your company and in the economy. View any criticism from those you call on as inconsequential, as the people giving you negative feedback do not understand the big picture. Their jobs in essence depend upon your success.

2. You are a professional problem solver. Sales is not manipulation. If you think it is, please get out quickly! Many misinformed think the role of salespeople is talk people into something they don’t want or need, whether they can afford it or not, and to overcharge them at every opportunity. They think salespeople buy books of voodoo and manipulation techniques that help persuade you with NLP. Anything to get you to sign the dotted line. How sad. The truth is that to be successful in sales, the number one topic you can read about and the number one skill you can learn is the ability to listen, to understand, and address the needs of your client. You are a professional. You do not use high pressure tactics. You provide a high quality solution for your clients, but only if it is a fit. You do not ask them to buy if it is not right for them. If the fact that some people view sales as manipulation bothers you, don’t let it. They simply haven’t met with you yet, or they have not received the kind of professional service you provide. Sales, at its essence, is the ability to solve problems with a product or service. You are a professional problem solver. Your clients are the ones who benefit most by using your solution and having you as part of their team. Remembering this while cold calling makes it easy to deal with those who don’t understand your role.

3. You are calling on future friends and clients. Your approach to your cold call is quite possibly the biggest paradigm shift you can make in how you feel about cold calling. And the approach you take will heavily depend upon the industry that you find yourself in. Are you a one call close? Do you get repeat business? Are referrals important to you? Many of these things will come into play. When you can view your client as a future friend, the need for sleazy sales techniques goes out the window, and you can present your solution in a very up front and honest manner. People only buy from people they like when there is a need to be addressed, so fancy talk will do little for your cause. Most can see right through those methods anyways. Even if there is no need at the time of your call, if you have handled yourself in a respectful and professional manner, you will be welcomed to call again in the future because of your approach. The key is to treat people well, and to be respectful of their time. Everyone from the receptionist to the CEO should receive your best efforts, as you never know who your next referral or opportunity is coming from. If you never call on a client more than once, please do yourself and all other salespeople a favor. Leave the conversation politely and respectfully, as we can’t help everyone all the time. Do your best to leave a positive taste in their mouth, as someone just like you may be calling on them later. The bridge you may be burning may be your very own.

4. People buy your service everyday. So why not buy from you? It is true that someone will be buying what you have today somewhere in your market. Maybe they have been looking for what you have, haven’t had time to look for what you have, have been thinking about what you have, or just haven’t found the right person to buy from. It is encouraging to think that there is someone who actually needs to address what you have today. Self marketing is a great way to help yourself be found by potential prospects, but by daily putting yourself in front of people, either in person or over the phone greatly increases your odds of being able to address those needs. The people who don’t need what you have may not say so in the nicest way, but isn’t it amazing how nice they are once you have something they need? Focus on the ones that need what you have, and let the others slide off your back. You will need to be in a positive frame of mind once you find someone who does need what you have. You are only looking for the ones who need what you have.

5. Smiles are contagious. In person AND over the phone. There is nothing as contagious as someone with a smile so bright that it makes you want to ask,”Why are you so happy?” It is actually very hard not to smile back to someone with a big smile on their face looking right at you. Just try it. You’ll feel like a big dud if you don’t smile back. You actually feel better when you smile, and the person who can put that smile on your face is worthy of a moment of your time. I view it as my personal duty when I cold call to brighten people’s day. When I come in with a bright smile, it’s amazing how their desire to ask you to leave just melts away. And if you are on the phone, and you have a contagious happiness about you, the other person cannot help but gravitate towards that. Isn’t there usually a shortage of happiness around any office? We like to be around people that are happy. We don’t like to be around gloomy people. If you are the serious type, then get a joke book and read a few jokes before starting your day. Get some comedian programs and listen to comedy routines. Put a smile on your face and brighten the world with your presence. No one buys anything from depressed people, but a person with a smile opens doors….. and it’s amazing how it lifts your day when you purposely brighten the days of others.

6. Take a different approach every day. Cold calling may be something you need to do every day to be successful in your job. If so, are you using the same approach every day? That is quite possibly the speediest way to becoming stale and burning out. Mix up your approach a little. Have some fun with it. Create new ways to say the same old things to make them sound more exciting and give them some pizzazz. For instance, I might not be interested in your approach to an offering of “computer repair” for my business, but I might respond to “essential data recovery and maintenance services.” Or how about instead of “I sell phone systems and computer systems” saying I provide next generation voice and data infrastructure solutions.” There are a million ways to say what you do. Find some of them and experiment. It’s actually pretty fun!

The paradigm shift you make in your view of cold calling can turn the process from a chore into something quite enjoyable. It will still require discipline and effort, but the mindset you take into cold calling with you can change your whole perspective on your job. Brighten people’s days, make new friends, take new approaches, address the needs of those who need you, solve people’s problems, and most of all, know that you are a part of the greatest profession in the world.

Steve Norris is a Texas based Energy Efficient Electrical Contractor that shows business how to implement Dallas T8 lighting to save electricity and a Telecommunications Broker for over 80 carriers nationwide. He specializes in hardware solution for multi-location business with advanced infrastructure needs. Over 90% of his clients are able to implement a new Business Telephone System Dallas without increasing their budget with TeleTAP.

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Filed under: Blog — admin @ 2:31 pm

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