With national “do not call” lists and the over saturation of telephone soliciting in the recent past, is selling on the phone a near impossibility these days?
We don’t think so.
In fact, many thousands of B2B sales are closed over the phone every day. But you can bet that the vast majority of those deals were not consummated without the thoughtful use of good telephone sales skills.
Here are three critical pointers you’ll need to use if you want to get better at selling on the phone:
Use the first few seconds wisely: Depending upon which study you believe, you may have as little as three seconds to create the right first impression with a client over the phone. The primary factor in that disadvantage is clear: your prospect isn’t sitting in the same room with you, so your voice is the only attention-getting tool you have. Add the fact that most people are wary of telephone salespeople, and you certainly have your work cut out for you. The only way to navigate around these challenges successfully is to speak with a clear, authoritative tone that conveys enthusiasm and personality. That also means you have to avoid sounding too “salesy” or as if you’re reading from a canned script.
Respect your prospect’s time: One good way to get the conversation started off on the right foot is to ask the client for a few minutes of their time, instead of automatically assuming that right now is just as good a time as any. Your client is just as busy as you are, so respecting their time is a very good way to get some respect for yourself. Some telephone sales “experts” believe in an opposite theory that suggests effective phone sales can only happen if the salesperson plows right through without asking permission. We think that being specific about how much time you are asking for, then sticking to that estimate, is crucial. Even if your client asks to reschedule for another day, you will earn valuable points merely for demonstrating that you respect their time.
Encourage your client to talk: As always, salespeople who do more talking than listening also do more talking than selling. To be effective at selling on the phone, you must get your prospect actively involved in the conversation. You do this by asking open-ended questions that require more than a simple yes or no. And by all means, your client will talk to you a lot more readily if he or she perceives that you are actually interested in what they are saying.
Despite any negative connotations associated with telephone sales, it can still be a very successful way to generate new business. Observe these three tips, and you will put yourself in a position to maximize your results over the phone.
One call at a time.
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