Selling to Anyone Over the Phone

The Phone is the most important tool a sales person will ever utilize. In the Book Selling to anyone over the Phone Renee P. Walkup and Sandra Mckee explore all of the ways that a salesperson can utilize the phone to close more sales.

1)      Build Rapport- It is always very important for sales people to build not only a business relationship with their clients but a personal relationship as well. Clients should get to know you and you should get to know your clients. Great business relationships never stop after the credit card has been processed; this in fact is where it begins. By building a rapport on a personal level with your clients, you leave the door open for future business not only with this individual but with friends and family of the individual as well as people he/she may know seeking your particular product or service.

2)      Identify and adapt to all personality types- Everyone is different and a good sales person is able to identify the type of consumer that they are attempting to sell to right off the bat. We all know that we have our impulse buyers and we have people that are extremely diligent in ensuring that your product is in fact the right product for them. Being able to adapt to these situations and having an understanding of the type of person you are trying to sell to gives you a head start in the sales process, you will be more prepared to either go for that one call close or realize when you need to back off and let the person look over the information for a future sale.

3)      Generate excitement about your business or product- You should always be excited about your product and your business, always be enthusiastic about what you are trying to sell. Passion is a big part of this business and if you’re passionate and excited about what you are doing than people will be excited with you. Nobody wants to hear a robotic voice on the other end of the line selling them CLE or anything for that manner so be animated and let your personality shine.

4)      Listen for the information that will lead to a sale- The most important aspect of selling over the phone is listening for main objections. Very rarely will you call a potential prospect who will buy right on the spot without an objection unless they have looked into your service in the future or have used a similar service, so be prepared to be able to answer all of their questions. Buyers always have those one or two objection that if answered appropriately will more than likely put them over the edge so focus on those. Never change the subject or answer a question that was not asked, answer directly and professionally.

5)      Control Voice inflection and tone- This is a must as it could make or break a deal right at the start. We need to remember that it is very important to stay excited and positive about your product, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we need to be loud about it. People are generally uncomfortable right off the bat when a sales call comes on the line, so the last thing we want to do is start off the conversation by screaming all the information at a potential prospect all at once, you need to control your voice to make the person comfortable. As Rob always say’s “People naturally mimic other people” and we all know this is true, if you sound panicked on the phone that naturally your prospect will feel panicked and probably just hang up, but if you stay calm and control your tone and inflection than the person on the other end will be more likely to do so, and more inclined to speak with you about your product.

All of these techniques are utilized by all of the most successful sales people in the world; it is proven that they are effective in helping sales people consistently close more deals.  By following these few basic steps we can close more deals, help our company grow, and make more money.