What's the purpose? For some businesses, the goal is not to sell something over the phone; instead, it is to get an appointment (this could be for a services business). To this end, it is a good idea to have a customer relationship management (CRM) system to monitor and track activity. If not, things can get confusing.

Or, the purpose of the telesales could be to sell something now. In this case, it's important to focus on the features/benefits -- and show the prospect how the benefits can be quick.

Scripts: These are really guidelines. After all, a prospect will get turned off if he or she hears something that is canned.

According to Gary Cohen -- who is the field manager at Atlantis Health Plan -- you should instead try to build rapport. This can be done be asking "How are you today?" or "I'd like to help you out if I can" or "How can I be of service to you?"

Essentially, you want to lessen the barriers and allow for a free flow of information.

Finding Prospects: While you can buy a list of prospects, this can be expensive. Instead, you can focus on "warmer" leads. This is the recommendation of Amanda Puppo, the CEO of MarketReach. For example, she said you can call people you met at a trade show. Or, you can try to get the list (basically, the trade show is a point of reference to make for a better call).

Handling Objections: Expect lots of them. So, to deal with an objection, one approach is to acknowledge it and say that's a "great question." Pause and think about it (which shows you are serious).

Going for the Close: As the old saying goes, you "should assume the sale." Don't you know your product is great and will bring your customer success?

"Help them to buy and do something for them instead," said Cohen. "This is what people really want ... to buy and not be sold.

Resources: Finally, there are some helpful resources to check out, such as Telesales Tips From The Trenches: Secrets of a Street-Smart Salesman and Telephone Sales For Dummies.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook, and the founder of BizEquity, a free online business valuation tool for small businesses. You can reach him at his personal blog.