In today’s sales environment, our sales teams here at Acquirent knows just how rare face-to-face sales calls can be. It often seems that buyers are more focused on conquering his or her mounting email inbox than taking an in-person meeting and, ultimately, moving his or her business needs along.
With that said, the truth of the matter is that much of your entryways to the truly effective conversations for your sales pitch will have to begin over the phone, and may remain so for a few weeks at least. So how do you make this fact work to your advantage?
While it’s not necessarily simple, it is nothing short of crucial for you to develop a knowledgeable, natural tone that doesn’t hint of selling over the phone, and experience in training our skilled outsourced sales team has informed the following list of tips to help you nail down this approach.
- Begin your call by using the prospective client’s first name. This may be a somewhat modern suggestion, but we think it’s a great way to begin the conversation on even footing, and it’s a surefire way to prevent the person on the other end of the line from assuming immediately that you’re trying to sell them something
- Always proceed with politeness. Whether you’re talking with your prospective customer directly or attempting to get at him or her by way of an assistant or even an operator, politeness should be a prime goal at all times. The way you say things is often as important as the words you’re using to say them, and when you’re trying to convince someone why your goods and services are worth a portion of their budget, you had better count on courtesy to help you close the deal.
- Don’t share everything up front. Just because you’ve finally gotten on the line with – or even in the voicemail of – the right contact doesn’t mean it’s time to launch head first into your sales pitch. Rather, use this time to share a broad explanation of what it is that your company can do for theirs. Once they understand the role you are trying to fill in their business, they will be more open to follow-up conversations that will enable you to delve into the “how” part of your pitch.
- Use what you know to discover what they need. It’s no secret that every client wants to be treated like your only client, and it’s also no secret that this is downright impossible. Instead, draw upon the challenges that similar clients are facing and open the door for your new, prospective client to share his or her unique situation. In doing so, you will both demonstrate your knowledge of the current business landscape and acknowledge the individual needs of your prospective client straight from his or her own mouth.
- Finally, use your phone calls to stop talking and start listening. Talking too much on the phone can encourage your prospective client to tune you out and focus more on getting you off the phone than hearing you out. But when you leave more time for listening, what you are actually doing is opening up more of the conversation to his or her needs. Listening is one of the best ways to build trust and confidence in both our personal and professional lives, and there’s no better time to put it to greater practice than during a sales call.
We spend many training hours at ACQ learning how to master skills at phone sales and believe practice makes perfect. Practice these steps with a manager and listen to your calls so that you are ready to hit the phones with success.
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