In Our SuperStars
Telephone Sales Training
Seminar You Will Learn, Among Other Things, How To- Understand the
Telephone Selling Process
- Learn to handle difficult objections
- Focus on the consultative approach to
selling
- Get past gate keepers and voice mail jungles
- Recognize the
factors that affect buyer behavior
- Identify “hot buttons” and recognize verbal cues
- Create and practice using Feature, Advantage, Benefit statements
- Differentiate their product or service from their competition
- Understand how to deal with complex sales structures
- Cold call, get past gatekeepers and schedule appointments
- Learn how to speak with distinction, articulation, enunciation, pacing & vocal variety
- Learn how to develop rapport over the telephone
- Use the Socratic approach of asking questions to lead the conversation
- Understand the difference between telephone and face-to-face selling
- Use the telephone selling process to create long-term relationships rather
than low bids - Interview customers instead of pitching products
- Be able to present your company's Unique Selling Position
- Anticipate objections before they are brought up and answer them during the
presentation - Think and respond like a business consultant--using a sales consulting approach
- Understand different buyer (personality) types so you can adapt to each
personality type - Determine an optimum strategy for advantage over the competition
- Learn how to create artificial urgency on every call
- Learn several closing techniques and trial closes
- Deal with multi-level sales structures
- Handle objections and close the sale
TELEPHONE SALES TRAINING TIPS
Telemarketing, telesales, cold calling-- whatever you want to call it, is just the
professional use of the telephone in sales. It is a methodical sales process
that leads to a buying decision.
PRE-CALL PLANNING
1. Have a primary objective for every telemarketing call-- "What do I want them to
DO as a result of this call ?"
2. Prepare Socratic questions for your telesales call. Ask yourself, "How can I use
questions to persuade them to take this action?
3. Also have a secondary objective for each telephone sales
call, like qualifying
the prospect or company on the ability to buy, figuring out who is the real decision
maker, etc.
BEFORE REACHING THE DECISION MAKER
4. Treat the gate keeper as you would the customer--this person
determines
whether or not you will get to speak with the head decision maker.
5. Gather as much information as you can prior to speaking with your prospect.
Use others in the company to provide qualifying questions and information.
6. Before cold calls, think of a good reason for needing to speak with the decision
maker, and be prepared to sell this to the gate keeper.
7. If leaving a message on voice mail, or with a gate keeper, create curiosity.
Don't make your pitch to his voice mail and don't say too much. Less is more.
INTEREST-CREATING OPENING STATEMENTS
8. The objective of your opening statement is to pique curiosity so they will give
you an opportunity to make a presentation. You must answer the question,
"What's in it for me?" for the listener.
9. Don't use worn out circus phrases, like, "If I could show you a way to _____,
would you ____?" Remember the primary purpose of the opening statement
is to cause the listener to allow you to
continue speaking with you.
10. When cold call prospecting, don't start the call with, "I was
just calling
people in your area..." People want to feel like you are calling them from a list
of names.
11. Use "conditional phrases" when opening cold prospecting calls: "depending
on," "might," "maybe," "perhaps," and "possibly." These are non-threatening words
that intimate you might have something of value for them, but you really need to
ask questions first.
12. Have something of value to say on every telemarketing call, particularly
on
regular calls to existing customers. Avoid, "Just checking in with you to see if
you needed anything," and, "Just calling to touch base." Call with news they'll
have an interest in or ideas you've heard from other customers they might be
able use.
Socratic Questioning
13. Get enough information about the potential buyer before you give your sales
presentation. How could you make an effective presentation otherwise?
14. Avoid asking silly or pointless questions like, "Is everything going
OK?" or
"Are you having any problems now?" or "What are you looking for in a vendor?" I
nstead, get them emotionally involved in your product or service.
15. After asking a question, allow them to answer fully. Shut up. Resist the urge to
jump in if they don't answer immediately. Don't be intimidated by silence. If possible, l
et them do most of the talking. Most sales people talk too much and listen too little.
16. Always know where you are going with his answers. The person asking the
questions is in charge of the conversation. You can steer the conversation anywhere
you want simply by asking pointed questions..
17. Quantify them about the ability to purchase your products or services. There
is no purpose served by making a presentation to someone who can't say yes.
Most telemarketing calls are wasted on people with no authority to buy or no interest in
the products or services.
18. If you are selling a big ticket item, learn more about the decision-making
process at that company. There are generally many behind-the-scenes influences
on the decision. Who is the real decision maker? Who else must you get on
board before they can say yes. It may not be a committee decision, but often
others must give their blessings first.
19. Get feedback during your discussion of benefits: "Do you feel
that would
work for you?". "How do you feel that would solve your problem?" You must create
dissatisfaction with the status quo. You must create a problem with their current
situation or vendor. If they are happy with the situation as it is, you can't get them
to change. .
20.This is the logical, validation of the professional sales process. But you still
must ask for the order. Some form of commitment must be gained on every
contact in order to move the process forward. If there is to be a follow-up contact,
and information is to be sent or faxed, there must be some commitment on behalf
of the prospect regarding that material. You are not in the business of mailing
out materials. You are in the business of making sales. So often a
prospect will
request some information just to get you off the phone.
21. When in doubt, ask for a decision! Get some movement. A "no" today is better
than one six months and 15 additional calls from now. Move them forward, or move
them out.
22. If you're going to schedule a follow up call, get a commitment of some type.
Why would you call back otherwise. If they won't commit to doing anything--reviewing
your literature, surveying their existing inventory, or something, they have no real
interest. Lots of people will string you along
because they don't want to hurt your
feelings by saying "no."
23. Most price objections start in the mind of the salesperson. Many
sales reps
aren't 100% sold on the value of their product, therefore they're apt to offer price
concessions even when the prospect doesn't ask, or they present price with a
shaky tone of voice.
24. Listen carefully and figure out when to send literature, and when it's just a brush off.
25. Never say, "I'll send you out some stuff, and we'll go from there." From where?
Summarize agreed-to actions by both parties, including what happened, what they're
interested in, and what will happen next. And set the agenda for the next call. Don't
ask stupid questions like "I sent you the material, didja get it?", or "Whatdidja
think?"
Both of those question invite a no response. They are likely to say, "I got it but I
haven't had a chance to read it." Assume they got it. Assume they like it.
Restart your presentation where you left off.
26. Go for a YES or NO. Remember, a decision of any type is better than chasing
someone who will waste your time. They often suggest there is a chance they will
buy, when, in fact, they won't.
27. Imagine every day is the end-of- quota-period day. Most sales people tend to
pick up the pace and get serious when they reach the end of the month, doing
whatever is necessary to squeeze out those last few sales. Pretend every day is
the last day of the month.
