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There is a tendency to despise the telemarketer, and with good reason, we all know what it's like to receive those annoying cold calls when you're bang in the middle of your favorite soap; having dinner; very early in the morning; or when you're busy at the office. Unsolicited calls suck. There's no doubt about it, but I'm going to show how telemarketing skills can turn around your home business to give you an unfair advantage over your competition over the telephone.

Having worked in telesales myself, I know exactly what it's like to be at the other end of the phone where people yell at you, take the mickey, and not forgetting... hang up on you. It is tough work. Part of your telesales training is to condition you to not take rejection personally (which is great for the home-business entrepreneur). They teach you to dust yourself off, pick up the phone and make your next call. Often criticized for being unethical due to high-pressure sales techniques used by telemarketers, the positive side to being exposed to this industry is the training you receive that will coach you to manipulate people and situations over the phone. It may sound cold and ruthless, but I find this part of telesales training, particularly, critical in teaching you the techniques that can get you closer to closing a deal even when your prospect has told you they weren't interested. On countless occasions I have witnessed an outright no turning into a yes just by handing over the phone to my supervisor at the sales floor. That by itself illustrates just how easily human beings can be manipulated (not that I'm encouraging you to become a control freak!). It all boils down to the voice, the attitude and the ability to subtly having your way with people. I was amazed! But that training was a great help to me. I already had a great voice -- which is a great asset in this business -- but telesales training did help me discover the power within that voice that I never knew I had. And although I don't apply cold calling to my home business, what I learned in telesales is applied to great effect when I speak to my network marketing team members, prospects and business associates across the board.

Before I recommend something you never imagined I would dare do, I'll give you a couple of handy tips on how with just a tiny adjustment to your voice and attitude when you grab that phone, you can easily turn those sales calls into cash.

Your attitude comes across over the phone. The people you're calling can't see you, but they can sense what mood you're in or the level of confidence in you with that call. So: raise your voice and wear a smile whenever you're on a call... and stand up. Sitting down slows you down. Standing up gives your voice more power as it better extends your vocal range. Look at it this way: A singer doesn't belt out a high octave number sitting down (not unless they're miming). And there is a very good reason why. One word. Power.

And now for what I said I was going to recommend you do that you would've never imagined I would dare do: get a telesales job! You heard that right. Because the staff turnover rate in this line of work is unbelievably high (well, you can imagine why), there are always telesales jobs being advertised in the newspapers in most major cities. In most cases (perhaps 99.99% of the time), they really don't care what you look like (coz nobody is going to ever see you), and they don't care what your educational background is. Part">All they need is a good voice that sounds great over the phone. If you posses that quality alone, you're in. Now one very important tip: when you make that call to apply for the job, bear this in mind ... that that call is in fact your interview. So you'd better make sure you speak loud and clearly so that you sound good and confident the other end. If you don't qualify over the phone, you won't be called in for a one-on-one interview. So do make sure you do this properly.

Why work in telesales?

Because it is the best place I know of that provides the best training there is to market goods and services over the telephone. Nothing else out there even comes close. Working on a real telesales floor (even for just a few weeks) would be the perfect environment for you should you wish to acquire the skills that will show you how and why telesales training can grow your home business.