If I were to ask you where the best place to make a sale was, you would probably answer the Internet, right? You might be surprised to hear that while the 'Net is still going strong, it's not necessarily where you could be pulling the bulk of your sales from.

Even though the Internet is hotter than hot, a lot of major dot-com's are reverting to the good old telephone to make sales.
Their impressive web sites get lots of interested prospects, then use a room of veteran telemarketers to make sales.

These firms are finding they can sell small items on the Internet, but they can get the bigger sales of 0 to ,000 with a telephone call. The Internet revolution has only increased the need for telephone marketing. Many of the largest e-commerce sites ask for your phone number, then have a room of expert telephone sales reps call you for the big pitch.

Why? Telephone selling works. Here are some simple tips that will boost your effectiveness on the phone.

**Try to go directly to the person who can authorize a purchase for your product or service.

**When you get the decision maker on the line, jump into a concise statement of the main benefit you can bring her. "We have a new process that can save you 20% on production costs."

**Prospects appreciate courtesy. Begin by asking if it is a good time to talk. If not, ask the prospect when you can call back.
Have several dates and times ready for suggestion.

**Jot down a few notes before making your call, then use your talking points to keep your pitch on track. Take a few notes immediately after the call so you can remember exactly what was said when it comes time to call again.

**Don't wait too long to ask for the sale.

**Offer to send more information via mail, email, or direct them to your website.

Figure on meeting up with the 30-30-40 rule when you start telemarketing. Thirty percent are ready customers, thirty percent won't buy no matter what you say, and forty percent could go either way. The quality of your telemarketers and how skillfully they can convert the forty percent of undecideds is a big part of your success.

It is far, far easier and less stressful to call people who have already indicated an interest in what you sell. Use a free report, e-book, or autoresponder series to find prospects. Ask for the prospect's phone number when they give you their email address.

Kevin Nunley provides marketing advice, copy writing, and promotion packages. See his 10,000 marketing ideas at
http://DrNunley.com Reach Kevin at mailto:kevin@drnunley.com and 801-328-9006.