Call center outsourcing is a smart choice for many healthcare companies. It allows you
to focus your energies on the main facets of your business as well as your core competencies and in a cost-effective, efficient manner.

Healthcare organizations considering call center outsourcing need to understand that there are many call center vendors from which to choose. And while many of them may be qualified, some are more qualified than others. You may find one that has state-of-the-art technology but less than state-of-the-art service providers. Or you may find exceptional remote call monitoring but account management skills that aren’t remotely helpful.

That’s why it’s imperative to do the research before diving into the health care center pool head first and hiring a vendor that may not suit your specific needs.

When researching healthcare call center outsourcing, it’s important to consider several factors. You’ll want to make sure that the company you go with has substantial health care industry experience. That may seem obvious on the surface. However, you’d be surprised at how many healthcare call centers out there that don’t exhibit a sure-fire understanding of the intricacies of healthcare.

What’s more, it’s crucial that the healthcare call center referral service you entrust with your business has worked with major HMOs and pharmaceutical companies, handling their telesales, telemarketing, and inbound call center requirements using the latest call center technology.

You’ll also want to go with a call center that has a track record of success. More often than not, these will be call centers that are staffed by service providers who are more than just knowledgeable. They have practical experience to better serve your customers. For example, there are some healthcare call centers who have licensed health care agents working for them as well as many who are HIPAA compliant. These service providers will ensure that the service they provide is of the highest quality.

When you hire a qualified health care call center referral service, you can be assured of receiving world-class service along with a wealth of services that will serve you well in the long term. Surveys are a major part of the work that is done. These include surveys for physicians, hospitals, and patients. They are invaluable when it comes to learning what you can do to improve your business practices.

The right healthcare call center will also be proficient in dealing with a wide array of programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid. Winback programs and retention programs are also a top priority for maintaining your customer base while top-of-the-line lead generation will expand that base exponentially.

Clinical trials and drug launches require special treatment and know-how. Experienced health care call centers can handle these sensitive topics with the utmost professionalism and confidence for the most desired results.

Other capabilities include event and class registration, patient scheduling, health plan update notifications, database updating, message management, pharmacy support, and information request handling. Most of all, healthcare call centers provide their unsurpassed services 24/7.

The benefits to healthcare companies from using a qualified call center are innumerable and cannot be overstated. Overall performance will be optimized, which, in turn, will improve the all-important bottom line. An enhanced competitive and strategic position will be realized as well.

But wait, there’s more.

Customer relationships will develop more positively and consistently. Timeframes for projects will be reduced. Labor costs will be cut. Ramp-up time will be decreased. Time to market will be increased. Market share will be gained. Lost clients and patients will return.

In short, outsourcing to a dependable healthcare call center will minimize costs and maximize quality, consistency, and accountability.

Telesales Services is an acclaimed call center referral agency. They represent over 100 of the best call centers in the USA, matching you with the right call center at the right price for your telesales and telemarketing outsourcing requirements.http://www.telesalesservices.com

[tags]call center outsourcing for healthcare, health care call center outsourcing[/tags]

Ask yourself this question - when you call a prospect or client back to close a sale, do you open your call up with, “I’m just calling to follow up…”?

If you’re like most sales reps (80% or more), then I’ll bet you do, and, if so, then you’re making a big mistake because you are setting yourself up for rejection and you’re allowing your prospect to put you off.

Here are some equally weak opening most sales reps use when calling their prospects back:

“I’m just calling to follow up,” or

“I’m just calling to see if you got the information,” or

“I’m wondering if you had time to go over it.”

All of these openings (and I bet you can think of a lot more!) hand control of the close over to your prospect, set you up for a put off or blow off, and immediately communicates to your prospect that you are weak and would be happy to go away…

Want a better way to open the close?

Then do what the top 20% do and use carefully scripted openings that give you control and that put you into the closing arena right away.

Use either of these two scripts:

Sample Opening #1:

“Hi, (prospect), this is (your name) calling with the ABC Company. I’ve been looking forward to speaking with you, and I’m sure you’ve looked at the information I sent and probably even have a few questions.

Do me a favor and grab that, and I’ll hold on while you do.”

This works because:

It’s assumptive

You’re in control

It overrides any initial resistance

Or try:

Sample Opening #2:

“Hi, (prospect), this is (your name) with the ABC company, how are you doing today? Great. (Prospect), it’s been an exciting morning here, and I’ve got some updates I think you’ll be interested in regarding that (quote/brochure/information/demo) I sent to you.

It’ll just take a minute to bring you up to speed, so do me a favor, can you please grab that (quote/brochure/information/demo), and I’ll be happy to hold on while you do.”

Now while at first glance these openings may seem a bit direct and to the point, what you’ll immediately learn when you use them is they work.

First, they help you identify who the buyers are and who the non-buyers are. Interested prospects will either get the information, or ask a few questions, or they will set up a time that is better for them.

Non-buyers will fight with you, become vague on setting up another time, or will flat tell you no. This is a good thing because you’ll know up front where they stand without spending all that time on a lengthy presentation.

If you want to Double Your Income Selling Over the Phone, then check out Mike’s Award Winning 5-CD Series and learn the techniques and strategies of Top 20% producers. Visit: Order now and receive over $400 worth of free sales tools and resources as well as a FREE copy of Mike’s “The Complete Book of Phone Scripts.”

I want to expand on telephone scripts a little bit because I’ve been getting so many emails asking how to be effective in today’s market.

Let’s start with some basics. First, as we all know, things are tighter today than they were a year ago, but that doesn’t mean businesses have stopped buying and using your products and services.

Now more than ever, however, it’s crucial for you to Practice Perfection, and to make sure that your skills are as sharp as they can be. Because of the added rejection you’re likely to face, they had better be.

In addition to that, you actually have an opportunity to build up one of the most important aspects of your sale - the relationship you develop with your prospective client. Let’s face it, even real buyers today might not be ready to pull the trigger, but that’s going to change. The thing you need to do now, is put your prospects at ease, overcome their initial resistance, and get in the door and develop the relationship which will lead them to turn to you when they are ready to buy.

Here’s how you do this. When you get the objections:
“We’re not in the market now”, or

“We don’t have the budget now”, or

“We’re waiting for things to get better”, or any other put off that is tied to the economy, use this:

“I didn’t expect you to be, and that’s not what this call is about. I’m more interested in seeing if and how we might become a valuable resource for you down the road.”

And then either:

“You see, we’re a fit for some companies and they really love working with us, and for others, we’re not. Let me ask you…” (Then begin your qualifying questions). Or,

“Do you mind if I ask you a couple of quick questions to see if we could help you?” (Be careful with this - it could set you up for a no. I’m listing it as an alternative, but I prefer the first one!).

Once you’ve used this and gotten past their defenses, you can now qualify and identify a real buyer for your product or service, or you can disqualify those who would never be a buyer for your product or service.

And once you have identified a buyer, you can use the “Next in line script”. This is the perfect way to make sure that when this prospect is ready next time, they will think of you first.

That’s how you deal with those buyers who would normally buy from you right away, but now might need a few extra weeks. You’ll still get the sale, and those sales will add up. And using this technique will assure you do.

Have a great week, and keep focused on success!

If you want to Double Your Income Selling Over the Phone, then check out Mike’s Award Winning 5-CD Series and learn the techniques and strategies of Top 20% producers. Visit: Order now and receive over $400 worth of free sales tools and resources as well as a FREE copy of Mike’s “The Complete Book of Phone Scripts.”

Why is it that 80% of the sales and revenue in any company or industry is made by the Top 20% of the producers? And, more importantly, what you begin doing today to move into that elite group?

Here are 5 key concepts and techniques you can begin using today to take your sales to the next level:

1) Be Prepared with Scripts: Isn’t it true that 90% of the time you get the same brush offs, put offs, and objections when you’re dealing with prospects and clients? 80% of your competition is still ad-libbing their way through their presentations and they sound like it. The Top 20%, though, are completely prepared with proven scripts, rebuttals, and techniques that get them past gatekeepers, past smokescreen objections and to the sale.

2) Stop Qualifying leads and start Disqualifying Them. So many sales reps and companies still believe in the Sales Pipeline idea. “If we put enough leads into it, some will turn into deals.” That attitude leads to a closing rate of about one in ten - and drains your energy and confidence. The Top 20% use a sales cylinder instead and understand that “You can’t close an unqualified lead.”

The next time your prospect tells you to “Send some information” ask them,

“Sure, and if you like what you see, when will you place an order?”

3) Use Assumptive Questions: 80% of your competition actually create smokescreen objections by asking closed ended questions during the first call. Instead of asking, “Are you the decision maker on this?” you should use the Top 20% technique of:

“Besides yourself, who else is involved in making the decision on this?” This eliminates the “Well, I’ve got to show this to…” objection that will come later because you’ll know in advance who’s involved in the decision process.

4) Isolate Objections, Don’t Answer Them: The Top 20% wouldn’t think of wasting their time chasing after smokescreens and so question and isolate objections instead. The next time someone objects to your price, say:

“I understand ________, and let me ask you: if the price on (your product) was right where you wanted to spend (or within your budget), but if price weren’t an issue on this, do you feel this is the solution you’d go with - would you go ahead and place an order with me today?”

Any answer other than yes and this isn’t the objection!

5) Practice Perfection: Practice doesn’t make perfect, it makes permanent! Only practice of perfection makes perfect. That’s why the Top 20% invest in, learn and use the most effective sales techniques.

If you want to Double Your Income Selling Over the Phone, then check out Mike’s Award Winning 5-CD Series and learn the techniques and strategies of Top 20% producers. Visit: Order now and receive over $400 worth of free sales tools and resources as well as a FREE copy of Mike’s “The Complete Book of Phone Scripts.”

In today’s economy, where prospects are quick with the brush off, you’ve got to find a way to instantly establish rapport, differentiate yourself from all the other sales reps who are calling them, and build trust and credibility for yourself and your company.

While this sounds like a tall order, it can be even harder when you realize that you’ve got to do all this in the first 30 seconds of the phone call!

Here are three techniques you can begin using today to create ease, build rapport and get the person on the other end of the phone to trust you.

1) Resist the urge to cut your prospect off - especially if they are giving you an initial negative response.

Your prospects get a lot of calls and they are good at, and quick to, blow sales reps off. The problem that 80% of your competition is making is that they cut their prospects off and start combating their prospect’s initial blow off response.

The Better Way: Hear your prospect out and be prepared to agree with them by having a scripted response that deals with their initial resistance. Something like:

“I understand (prospect’s concerns), and I’m not calling to sell you anything today. Rather, I’m here to see if there might be a fit between our two companies and if there is, then to offer you an additional resource you might be able to use later on. Let me ask you…”

Hearing your prospect out, agreeing with them, and then offering a non-threatening value statement instantly allows your prospect to be heard, and distinguishes you from the other sales reps who are jumping all over them.

2) Empathize with your prospect by asking how they are dealing with the economy.

Hey let’s face it, we’re all in the same boat regarding the economy, and if you’re feeling the strain, so is your prospect. Rather than try to bulldoze them, why not empathize with them and try to see things from their perspective? Try:

“I completely understand, how are you dealing with the economy these days?” or

“I’m sure it’s rough for you as well, tell me, how are you making things work in this business climate?” or

“I’m with you. How long have you been working in that position? What changes have you had to make to survive in today’s economy?”

Getting your prospect talking by showing genuine interest will go a long way to building trust and credibility for yourself and your company.

3) Be prepared to be positive.

At the end of a phone call - no matter how short - somebody’s attitude has been transferred to the other person. Unfortunately, the prospect’s negative doom and gloom attitude usually infects the bottom 80%. That’s why it’s so hard for them to pick up the phone.

The Top 20%, on the other hand, understand this, are prepared for their prospect’s negative responses and attitudes, and make it their goal to enter the call on a positive note and to transfer their positive, enthusiastic attitude to their prospect by the end of the call.

They do this by being prepared with positive statements they use in response to the negativity they get all day long. Things like:

Prospect: “We’re not spending any money on that right now.”

Top 20%: “Some companies aren’t, but there are many who recognize that this is the ideal time to capture market share and position themselves for the economic upturn that is coming. Let me ask you this - if you saw a way to earn an immediate ROI on just a small investment, where could you clear up $(amount) to take advantage of it?” or

“Prospect: “In today’s economy I’m just lucky to have a job!”

Top 20%: “I know what you mean, and if you want to keep that job, now’s the time to be proactive and show some real initiative. Here’s what other managers I’m speaking with are doing to strengthen their position and even build value in their services…”

By being prepared with positive statements to the constant negativity you’re getting all day long, you’ll not only stay positive yourself, but also spread that vibe throughout the economy. And that’s the real economic stimulus plan this economy needs.

These three techniques will work for you if you begin using them. The bottom line is that if you don’t adapt what you’re doing and how you’re doing it, then you will continue to get blow off the phone and you’ll struggle to make sales.

If you do begin using these techniques, then you’ll position yourself to become a Top 20% performer. Try them for yourself and watch your confidence - and sales - grow.

If you want to Double Your Income Selling Over the Phone, then check out Mike’s Award Winning 5-CD Series and learn the techniques and strategies of Top 20% producers. Visit: Order now and receive over $400 worth of free sales tools and resources as well as a FREE copy of Mike’s “The Complete Book of Phone Scripts.”

I was up in Oakland last week training some inside sales software reps, and I asked the pivotal question - “Out of 10 leads you send out, how many end up buying?”

Answer? One or two.

Sound familiar? It may be surprising to some of you, but you would be amazed at how many times I hear that ratio (or something similar), from the hundreds of sales reps I work with each year.

The awful thing is that all the reps spend most of their time chasing and pitching leads that ARE NEVER GOING TO BUY! No wonder most reps (80%) leave work on Fridays beaten down and dreading Mondays.

It’s not like that for the top 20% though. In fact, in the same group of sales reps one of them told me about a top producer at Hewlett-Packard who earned seven figures. His secret? If a prospect didn’t answer 8 or 9 out of his 10 questions, he didn’t pursue the lead. Period. It is that simple, it really is.

So what can you do to get better at identifying non-buyers? Ask what I called “The Disqualifying Question.” It goes like this:

If, while you’re qualifying a prospect, you begin getting too many red flags (search my Inside Sales Solution blog for this article) instead of going on and on trying to generate a lead, ask this question:

“________ if I get this demo, info, etc., off to you, what do you think might/could happen that would stop you for moving ahead with it?”

Then shut up and listen. The answer you get here will be the same one your prospect will give you when you call back and lose the sale. The top 20% would rather know this in advance.

Important note — I realize this is a negative question and one you would normally never use. You use it only when your gut tells you there’s going to be a problem here — when you get too many red flags. Make sense?

The problem with 80% of your competition is that they ignore these red flags and send out junk — Remember the Golden Rule about leads: LEADS NEVER GET BETTER!

The Top 20% would rather know on the front end. And really, wouldn’t you? So use the disqualifying question today. You’ll get out less leads, but your closing ratio will improve. And you’ll make more money!

If you want to Double Your Income Selling Over the Phone, then check out Mike’s Award Winning 5-CD Series and learn the techniques and strategies of Top 20% producers. Visit: Order now and receive over $400 worth of free sales tools and resources as well as a FREE copy of Mike’s “The Complete Book of Phone Scripts.”

So many sales reps send me emails all asking the same thing, “How can I sell against my competition and win the deal?” They tell me it gets more and more difficult as there is always someone who has a similar product for less money, or who can offer their kind of service with more bells and whistles, etc.

What can they do?

“Slow down,” I tell them. Let’s look at a few facts and then let’s put together our sales strategy. To start with, if your prospect hasn’t bought something yet, then it means they haven’t found exactly what they’re looking for, right?

And, as always, only your prospect knows what the magic “it” is (their true buying motive), and, as always, it’s up to you to ask the right questions to figure out what it’s going to take to close this particular prospect. I’d start with these:

1. If your prospect is telling you they can get it cheaper somewhere else, ask:

“Why haven’t you gone ahead and placed your there yet?” Or,

“Yes, that is a good price, just curious, what’s preventing you from going with them on the?” Or,

“What were you hoping to gain by talking with me (or with my company)?”

All these questions will force your prospect to tell you what their real buying motive is and will give you a chance to then earn their business.

2. If your prospect says they have been doing business with X, or that XYZ offers more service, or better add-ons, etc., say:

“Yes, I’ve heard about their offer — what about it has you still looking around?” Or,

“Yes I know, in fact many of their customers call me as well. What motivated you to call me?” And,

“Yes, _________ I know all about the other companies and their promotions. Just out of curiosity, why haven’t you made a decision on this yet?”

Once again, these questions (and all the other ones I know you’re thinking of right now) will reveal what your prospect’s true buying motives are, and until you know them you’ve just the shooting blind.

Kind of like 80% of your competition does.

Once you understand what’s it’s going to take to sell them, you may want to build the value of doing business with you and your company.

I hope this helps - and believe me it will if you use it!

If you want to Double Your Income Selling Over the Phone, then check out Mike’s Award Winning 5-CD Series and learn the techniques and strategies of Top 20% producers. Visit: Order now and receive over $400 worth of free sales tools and resources as well as a FREE copy of Mike’s “The Complete Book of Phone Scripts.”

One of the biggest mistakes 80% of salespeople make when qualifying is to overlook or not react to obvious red flags prospects give during the initial call.

In their haste or desperation to “generate a lead” or to “fill their pipeline.” most sales reps hope that the possible objection they just heard will miraculously go away once the prospect sees their information or product or service, etc.

But you all know from experience — it never does. In fact, the law for calling back leads is that:

“Leads Never Get Better.”

What appears to be an objection or deal killer always is.

Someone wrote me once about a prospect who wasn’t calling him back only to find out the prospect was leaving the company. He wrote me and said, “I guess intuitively I knew he wasn’t the right guy to make the decision anyway.”

And I’ll bet he knew intuitively because he heard (but didn’t question) the red flags that came up during the qualification call.

What to do? Do what the top 20% — as soon as you hear something that triggers your intuition or that gives you that feeling in your gut, stop and ask the tough questions!
Examples:

If someone says that they usually buy from ________, but would like to see your information, ask:

“Why would you switch vendors?” Or

“How many other companies have you looked at in the last six months?”

And then: “And how many did you go with?”

If someone says that they will pass it on to ________, say:

“Thanks. So that I make sure I’m not wasting her time it’s best that I speak with her for just a few minutes. Can you please tell her that (your name) is holding please?” (If you’re then told they are not available, make sure and get their direct line or the person’s extension and keep calling until she picks up.

If someone says that they’d be glad to look at over, ask:

“Great, after you do, is you think that it can help you (or your business, etc.), when would you move on it?”

And so on.

The bottom line is that if you want to close like the top 20% then you have to start questioning the red flags.

Remember: It’s better to disqualify the non buyers early then to spend your time and energy chasing and pitching people who are never going to buy.

Plus it means that you have more time to find real buyers.

So this week, write up questions to the red flags you currently get and begin using them! You’ll feel so much stronger as a closer, and you’ll begin making more money. Believe me, it’s a win/win.

If you want to Double Your Income Selling Over the Phone, then check out Mike’s Award Winning 5-CD Series and learn the techniques and strategies of Top 20% producers. Visit: Order now and receive over $400 worth of free sales tools and resources as well as a FREE copy of Mike’s “The Complete Book of Phone Scripts.”

One of the most common brush-off’s inside sales reps get all day long is the “I’m not interested” response from prospects they are cold calling (or even calling back). The reason this is so common is because it works!

Most sales reps - 80% — haven’t a clue how to deal with it, and so prospects can get rid of that 80% and go about their day.

The Top 20%, however, have proven an effective scripted responses that allow them to sidestep this and other objections and that allows them to actually pitch their products or services. Here’s one of the ways they deal with the “I’m not interested” brush off.

First, before I give you the script, you have to understand why it works — prospects get a lot of sales calls, and they have to say that they aren’t interested or else they’d never get anything done! So the way to deal with this is by first acknowledging that they get a lot of these kinds of calls. And that is why the following script is so effective.

You see, the problem 80% of your competition is making is that they try to bulldoze their way into their pitch. They are so afraid they are going to get blown off that they just the barrel through, never acknowledging or connecting with their prospects. This turns prospects off (how would you like it?) and elicits the reflex response, “I’m not interested”.

Here’s what to say to act like a Top 20% sales professional, and how to connect with and earn the right to present your product or service.

“I’m not interested”

“I understand _________ and I’m sure you get a lot of these kinds of calls don’t you? Well I do too, and believe me I don’t like getting them anymore than you do. But I’ll tell you, every now and then I listen to one because it turns out to be something really good that ends up benefiting me — and this is one of those calls for you today.

Let me ask you one thing (now ask about a problem you know they are having — briefly - and ask them how much your solution to that problem would mean to them)

Using this technique allows you to connect with your prospects, sidestep their initial resistance, generate real interest, and qualify — all with one sentence. Not bad, huh?

Use this for the rest of this week and watch your results completely change for the better. The bottom line is that Top 20% sales performance is easier than you think as long as you are using the right scripts and techniques.

If you want to Double Your Income Selling Over the Phone, then check out Mike’s Award Winning 5-CD Series and learn the techniques and strategies of Top 20% producers. Visit: Order now and receive over $400 worth of free sales tools and resources as well as a FREE copy of Mike’s “The Complete Book of Phone Scripts.”

Whenever the subject of scripts come up, people usually have definite opinions — they either love them or hate them.

Those who wouldn’t be caught dead using scripts like to point to those pesky telemarketers will call at night and sound stilted and computer like. “I hang right up on them” they say. “I’d never read the script. It’s totally unprofessional.”

On the other hand, there are people like me who understand that some scripts, used in the right context, are exactly what separates the top 20% from the other 80% who are ad-libbing their way through their presentations and careers.

The bottom line is that even if you’re not physically reading a script, chances are you say the same things over and over again. And, chances are, if you haven’t taken the time to plan out and script the absolute best, most effective, proven responses to the situations, objections, red flags, and reflex responses you get day in and day out, then you truly are winging it, and I’m here to tell you — that’s not a good thing.

I’m big on scripts. Oh, not every word — that would only work if you gave your prospect a script, too.

But to be successful you have to be prepared, you have to know what to say, how to say it, and you must know how to effectively deal with the objections and responses that blow away 80% of your competition.

Here are five key areas you absolutely must have scripts for:

#1 Gatekeeper Scripts. How successful are you at getting around gatekeepers? Do you cringe when you are asked, “Will he know what this call is about?”

If you aren’t using proven scripts to get past gatekeepers, then I know you’re hating life. It doesn’t have to be that way! Use this — it works:

“Can I tell him who’s calling?”

“Yes, please tell him Mike Brooks with XYZ company is holding please.”

The combination of please (twice!), and an instructional statement will eliminate 80% of any further screening. Try it!

#2 Reflex Negative Responses Scripts. How do you feel when you hear this: “I’m not interested,” or “We do business with XYZ,” or “We don’t have the money now.” These negative reflex responses usually mean the end for 80% of sales reps.

The Top 20% are prepared for these, however, and have proven scripted responses. Use this:

“That’s exactly why I’m calling, you see…” And then list a benefit other clients are enjoying.

This is a proven and effective way to get past your prospect’s negative reflex responses, and a way to earn the right to find out whether or not your prospect really is or isn’t right for your product or service.

#3 Voicemail Scripts. Have you scripted a powerful voicemail message that provides a benefit, creates curiosity, and gets your prospects to call you back?

The worst thing you can do is, um and uh your way through a voicemail message. You can get “The Five Golden Rules of Voice Mail” by investing in my “Complete Book of Phone Scripts” but I’ll give it to you here for free: Visit My Blog.

#4 Rebuttal Scripts. Believe it or not, 80% of inside sales reps are still ad-libbing and fumbling their way through rebuttals. And most of them are not getting the deals. You must script or rebuttals! Must, must, must!!

If you don’t already have proven and effective rebuttal scripts that will help you overcome objections AND make more money, then pull out your credit card and invest in yourself! Buy my “Complete Book of Phone Scripts” by Clicking Here.

#5 Taking Your Prospect all the Way Through the Close Script. This is a Top 20% favorite, and I wrote a whole article about it a while ago. Because you’re a subscriber to this Ezine and because you read all the way through, you can get it here for free: Visit My Blog.

So, do you need to use scripts? My answer is, “Only if you want to be a Top 20% producer!”

If you want to Double Your Income Selling Over the Phone, then check out Mike’s Award Winning 5-CD Series and learn the techniques and strategies of Top 20% producers. Visit: Order now and receive over $400 worth of free sales tools and resources as well as a FREE copy of Mike’s “The Complete Book of Phone Scripts.”