Telemarketing Lessons From Pawn Stars

I love watching Pawn Stars. While I do not really have any love for reality show programming, I have to admit that watching Rick Harrison manage his pawnshop in Las Vegas, haggle with customers, and display cool merchandise he just earned, is really entertaining. I just find it so interesting how he juggles closing deals, deal with the Old Man, his son, as well as his son’s friend who works under him. They can give out great lessons how to make our telemarketing campaigns better. After all, it does not hurt to learn a thing or two from a traditional business, if it helps our own business get more sales leads. So, what can we glean from the show?

Learn to walk away – walking away is probably the most difficult option that we could ever make, but if it means saving ourselves from the trouble of a difficult client, or merchandise we could not sell profitably, then you should do so. Rick has shown us just how important making this kind of decision. In lead generation terms, you are actually gaining more if you know when to back off.

Stay professional and open – sure, you need to make a profit, but that should, in no way, be a reason for you to squeeze the last cent out of your customers. Be open with them about change in prices or fees. If you try following Rick’s example, you will see that a little honesty can go a long way in building a positive relationship with all those doing business with you. And even if you get some nasty jabs from disgruntled customers, do not take it seriously.

Maintain fairness at all times – Pawn Stars showed that it is possible for everyone to leave as winners. If not a winner, then at least they do not feel like sore losers. For example, even if the price is way less than what the customer expects, Rick has a way of explaining his reasons why. This is a quality that a lot of marketers seem to lack. The success of an appointment setting campaign depends on how well you explain any issues thrown your way.

Stay real – this is not just with the direct-camera discussions , but it also extends to those marketers who create fake names or accounts in order to attract more customers. Not only is this an outright deception (when the real identity of these personas is revealed), but it also makes it more difficult for us to establish a positive relationship with them.

Having fun – even if Rick wants to pull his hair at times, the Old Man stays grumpy, his son messes up a deal, or his son’s friend loses a valuable merchandise, you can tell that everyone is enjoying what they do. It is a good lesson for us in the B2B leads business as well. As long as you are enjoying your work, then you really cannot say this as work anymore.

Just think about it. You can really take a page out of the show. Your telemarketing team might benefit from it, after all.

This content originally appeared at Callbox Blog.