There’s Always A Way In!
A Real Day In The Life Of A Names Sourcer
Do you wonder how the pros telephone names-source? Ever think about what it is that actually gets said in the names sourcing process – what it’s like being down in the front line trench? What telephone elicitation techniques actually bring forth the information you’re in such urgent need of? Here’s an example from an actual TechTrak job from last year. It’s one of the script examples available in the first module of “The Magic In The Method”, the only-of-its-kind telephone names sourcing training seminar available here.
I was training a names sourcer on-site in my office. His name was Mark and he spent the first day sitting and listening to me gathering names from customer-chosen insurance companies in specific states - we needed the person selling the company’s products TO the agencies, not insurance agents selling for the agencies. For the most part, the insurance companies are very large organizations with offices in most of our targeted states. I know when we finish these first dozen or so states, there will be others.
The deal is for every name, appropriate title and telephone number he gets he gets paid $10. He’s a fourth year college student, has been working for a bank’s call center for about two years - about 50 hours every two weeks, and TAKES HOME (after taxes and everything else) ABOUT $300! Yikes – it appears to him he’s hit a bonanza, so he’s an attentive and eager student! What can I say?
Anyway, here we are on the second day of his “training”. I give him insurance companies from two states – GA and TN and tell him to have at it in another room on another telephone (I NEED my space!). At the same time he’s doing GA and TN, I’m doing CT and IL. About one hour later, he comes back in. I can see something troubling him.
“How’d you do? Let me see,” I ask suspiciously.
“Well, I got these and I got those but I really hit a roadblock here. I kept getting transferred to people’s Voice Mails and Karen (the receptionist/gatekeeper) wouldn’t tell me anything – I think she knew what I was doing.”
Paranoia strikes deep.
There were few notes written on his paper – mind you, this is a training exercise, in real life I advise everything you learn while conducting research goes into your research document, your fingers being on the keyboard while the telephone/headset is at your ear. But all poor Mark has to work with is a phone and a pen and several pieces of paper with targets on them. That’ll do, though.
“Mark, whose Voice Mails did you get transferred to?” I gently inquire.
“Uhhhh,” I can see him sensing something, he’s getting nervous, “Uhhhhh, uhhhhh, I think one’s name was Vanessa – she’s supposed to be in charge of agency management - and I can’t remember the other.” I see hints of perspiration start to form on his forehead. He’ sensing an incoming lambasting – I’m beginning to whistle through my nostrils.
“Mark, I told you, write everything down! If the janitor answers, write his name down! ‘Cleans Up = Janitor’. All the information you’re gathering about your target needs to go into your database. If not today, you’ll get in tomorrow, and having information like you just learned on your first call in is invaluable! You won’t know who’s on first, who’s on second, unless you’ve written it down – write it down!”
Mark shifts uncomfortably onto the other foot, lets out a tight, frightened breath and agrees to do as instructed in the future, as I write “Vanessa – agency management” onto the paper. But then he starts to argue with me! “Can you believe this?” I think to myself.
“It’s just impossible to get in there – the receptionist knows what I’m doing and she just won’t transfer me anywhere that answers and she won’t tell me anything!” he remonstrates, picking up and gesturing mean-fully with the paper in his hand for added effect
“How many times did you call her?” I ask. I’m trying to calm him – I know I’ve scared him enough.
“Three or four, she just won’t give me anything, he whines.
Hmmm.... three or four – yep he’s probably risen her antennae a mile high. No use going at her again.
I look at the document – I see the company listed, its’ home office and the location in TN he’s having so much trouble with. I call the main number. I could’ve gone to the company website for the info I needed but calling is usually faster.
“Do you have a sales office in North Carolina ?” I innocently inquire.
“Yes, we do, we have a regional office there for North Carolina , South Carolina and Georgia ,” she helpfully answers. “The number is 910 xxx xxxx.”
“Thank you!” I exclaim and hang up.
I call the North Carolina regional office. Mark has settled down at my side, curious as to what I’m doing.
“Thank you for calling Yadda Yadda Insurance Company – this is Michelle, may I help you?”
“Probably,” I think to myself.
“Yes, Michelle, this is Maureen Sharib – I can’t get through in the Tennessee office – do you know anyone in that office?”
“Well, I know Karen is the receptionist there – did you try her?”
“I did but I can’t get through. I’m trying to reach Vanessa – do you know her group?”
“You mean the AMSs – sure!” she offers.
"AMS, AMS" My mind scrambles and I look at the notes – AMS...I saw/heard that somewhere...agency management something...agency management! Here it is! Vanessa – agency management...
“Yes, Michelle, I’m working on a list - I need the AMSs in Vanessa’s group – can you tell me who they are?”
“Let me pull Outlook up here – let me see - I know most of them but I don’t want to leave anyone out in case they’re new - I just got back from vacation,” she volunteers.
“Where’d you go?” I ask.
“We went to visit my mother in the Poconos – it was fun,” she said. I could hear she’d elaborate if I continued to ask - I didn’t. “That’s nice” I said. I waited quietly, patiently on my end. I realized a long time ago any awkwardness I felt in these long pauses was in my own head. There’s a lot of power in the silence. I glance at Mark - he’s shaking his head, wonderingly.
“There’s two groups – which one are you looking for?” she asks.
There’s a zinger – which group? Well I’m in for the whole pot at this point.
“I'm not sure - both, just in case please,” I plead and hold my breath.
“Let’s see – the first group has six and the second group has eight – you want me to fax these to you?”
“Uhhh...(like I’m debating) No, just give them to me - I’m a fast typist and you don’t have to waste any paper,” I truthfully answer. I’m wondering to myself why she didn’t offer to email it?
“Well, the first group is under Rick Jones – he’s the AMS Supervisor and he has six and they are...” Furiously I’m typing them in on my silent keyboard, not daring to interrupt for spelling and then she gives me the second group of eight. Fourteen total. Do the math – Mark is stunned, I can see it out of the corner of my vision.
After she’s given me all of them, I fine-tune it – I ask about the spellings on a couple of the names, then I
dare to ask her if she has extension numbers for them! She does and she gives them to me. Not all would continue to be so helpful beyond this point – her phone is ringing and I let her go.
“Thank you Michelle, I know you’re busy and I do appreciate your help. Good bye.”
I hang up the phone. I look at Mark. He bursts into laughter, shaking his head some more.
“Sheesh!” he exclaims.
“Never say never, Mark. Learn to think around your target. There’s ALWAYS a way in. Once you understand the overall structure of the company you’re targeting one fruitful way in is to go to a nearby office, like we just did, and ASK about the other office. It works more often than not. Word crafting is extremely important here – so you need to have your wits about you and remain calm. You have to learn to control your emotions and not let them dictate your actions. You became frustrated and exasperated and Karen, I’m sure, heard it in your voice. Once you understand the rituals you’ll be able to grasp more of the process. We do have one question left, though.”
He looks at me questioningly.
“I don’t know what AMS stands for – do you?”
“No, I think AM is for “agency management” but I don’t know what the S is for.”
I turn to my screen and I type in the company name in my browser and we’re swept to the website. I click on Careers and scan the Jobs listings – there it is – Agency Management Specialist – reading it, sure enough, these are the marketing reps for the company’s products – exactly what we’re after. Thank goodness.
About seven minutes. On top of the hour or so he probably spent mucking around in the target office and sweating the delay in bringing the sad sorry news to me.
"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself - nameless, unreasoning, unjustified, terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance." ~ Franklin Delano Roosevelt, First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1933
Maureen Sharib is a seasoned telephone names sourcer, names sourcing since 1997. She and her husband Bob own the names sourcing firm, TechTrak, and Maureen teaches telephone names sourcing in her only-of-its-kind-online telephone names sourcing course "The Magic In The Method". She can be reached by email at maureen at techtrak.com or by phone at 513 899 9628.
Get the NEW and FREE Telephone Sourcing GLOSSARY by e-mailing maureen at techtrak.com
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Old Man Sumser offered some very sobering facts in his August 24 ERNIE post - the number of people born during specific eras:
