Just this week, one of my coaching clients asked me this question:

“Do you think we can sell our product by telephone?”

It’s a question that I’ve been hearing for years in my seminars. Can X or Y be sold this way?

Finally, I wrote the best-selling book, YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE!

I stand by this claim; you can still do it, and the onus is on others to prove you cannot.

But here’s the key, what I didn’t reveal in the title: You may or may not be able to do it, profitably.

For example, a client that I had done a great job for in the security alarm business decided to buy an interest in a well known consumer electronic technology, and he called me and asked, “Can we sell this by phone?”

Quickly, I calculated that it would be difficult, but achievable. In other words, yes it can be done; but no, it cannot be done, profitably.

My instincts told me you just won’t get the number of sales to make this a paying proposition, when compared to using alternatives, such as direct mail, and retail sales channels.

Anyway, he pushed me for a simple yes or no and I told him it would cost him a day of my time so I could hear more about the pricing, packaging, promotional accompaniments, and so on.

He declined to retain me for that, and he went on to lose millions trying to sell this device by phone.

As you can imagine, I use this example in many ways, to not only demonstrate something about the telephone as a sales tool, but also something about the value of information and reasoned, seasoned judgment.

So, the next time you hear or ask this question, appreciate the answer is yes, but there is always an asterisk next to the word!

Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of Customersatisfaction.com, is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone® and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service, and the audio program, “The Law of Large Numbers: How To Make Success Inevitable,” published by Nightingale-Conant. He is a frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide. A Ph.D. from USC's Annenberg School, a Loyola lawyer, and an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School at Claremont Graduate University, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations in the United States and abroad. He holds the rank of Shodan, 1st Degree Black Belt in Kenpo Karate. He is headquartered in Glendale, California, and he can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com.