The Telephones Sales System

Produced as a result of their own success with telephone sales, Grunko Films' The Telephone Sales System is certainly not the "esoteric hogwash" (not to mention overpriced) business tape it claims many entries in this field are (which is true), but neither is it the carefully scripted, information-packed guide to telephone sales we hoped it would be. Divided into three parts, "Getting Started," "The Telephone Sales Representative," and "The Call," the program aims to cover eight basic steps: 1) research & verify, 2) test the market, 3) communicate with mailing list suppliers, 4) develop the plan, 5) equip the office, 6) order and organize the mailing lists, 7) hire & train the personnel, and 8) make the calls. There are some very good suggestions sprinkled throughout these steps, such as buying a mailing list on computer disk, rather than printed labels, so that the data may be manipulated and arranged to suit the business; or the idea of using hour, day, and month files as a guaranteed reminder to return calls. While the first part is pretty filling, information-wise, the second and third parts are less focused. Beginning with a long recreation of the hiring of Wendi Brown--a telephone sales rep the Grunko people are apparently pretty high on--the second part of the program moves further away from the discussion of ideas and methods for creatively solving problems, and more towards a day in the life of a telephone sales rep (specifically Wendi Brown). Watching Wendi watching Grunko Films at home as homework is a bit on the extraneous side. Still, there are samples of failed and successful phone calls, as well as ideas for hanging on to staff. Overall, the company considering telephone sales will certainly come away with a few valuable ideas from this program, and libraries will be comforted to find a reasonably good business tape for under $100. Recommended. (See WILD BODY LANGUAGE for availability.)