One of the most fun activities in the day of the life of a bookkeeper is probably dealing with sales calls. You know the ones I’m talking about...they ask for certain department, claim to have spoken with them before, and yet have no clue as to who is over said department?
Let me give you some tips as to how to divert unwanted calls. Some of these tips are ones I have figured out over the past few years, others were given to me by my very own boss.
1. Remember: you’re “paperless”.
No one likes to deal with unwanted paper suppliers and oftentimes the salesperson will be relentless if you try to explain you’re already happy with your current supplier. In times like these, it may become necessary, for sanity’s sake, to lie. Simply tell them your company has decided to partake in the green initiative and you are now paperless.
2. Don’t divulge employee names
As I mentioned above, a lot of salespeople will call and try to manipulate you into giving them the name of the person over your purchasing. Avoid this. Unless they are from a company you are familiar with in doing business, and there has been a recent change in staff, or your superior has specifically mentioned the company and making an inquiry, do not give out anyone’s name except your own in the phone call.
3. Some people can be rude
When it comes to sales calls, sometimes they may start out very nice and inquisitive but may realize that you are not an easy target. This tends to infuriate some salespeople and they were hoping for a simple sale. Keep your wits about you and remember that not everyone has excellent customer service and a salesperson realizing their projected commission has gone down will probably get testy.
If you’re having difficulty getting a particular person off the phone, and you’re far too busy to deal with the call at that time, simply explain that you have an incoming call and ask if they would like to leave a message.
5. Sometimes it’s worth the call
Occasionally, you’ll get a call that will actually help your company. If you know your boss has been looking for a new supplier for say...printer ink, and you happen to get a call from a company offering discounts, take some information down. Make sure you look into the company and make sure they’re a legit and trusted business before providing the information to your purchaser.