HOT TELESALES TIPS..

HOT TELESALES TIPS..

29 TELESALES TIPS YOU CAN USE RIGHT NOW...

By Art Sobczak
Get out your notepad. We\'re going to travel through
every part of the professional sales call, in order,
discussing proven tips that can help you right now.
Let\'s go!

Pre-Call Planning

1. Have a primary objective for every call, defined
as, \\\"What do I want them to DO as a result of this
call, and what do I want to do?\\\"

2. Prepare questions for your call using your call
objective. Ask yourself, \\\"How can I persuade them to
take this action as a result of asking questions, as
opposed to talking?\\\" Remember, people believe more of
their ideas than yours.

Before Reaching the Decision Maker 3. Treat the
screener as you would the customer. This person
determines whether or not you\\\'ll even have a chance to
speak with the buyer.

4. Gather as much information as you can from whomever
you are able, prior to speaking with your prospect;
busy decision makers get bored when they answer basic
factual questions. Say to screeners, \\\"I hope you can
help me. So I\\\'m better prepared when I speak with Ms.
Big, there\\\'s probably some information you could
provide me . . .\\\"

5. Have a reason for needing to speak with the
decision maker, and be prepared to sell this to the
screener. What they\\\'re thinking about you: \\\"Does this
person have anything of interest, or of value for the
boss?\\\"

6. If leaving a message on voice mail, or with a
screener, be certain it offers a hint of a
benefit/result that sparks curiosity, but doesn\'t talk
about products/services.

Opening Statements 7. The objective of your opening is
to pique curiosity and interest so that they will
willingly and enthusiastically move to the
questioning. You must answer, \\\"What\\\'s in it for me?\\\"
for the listener, or they will immediately begin the
getting-rid-of-you process.

8. When prospecting, don\\\'t start the call with, \\\"I was
just calling people in your area . . .\\\" People want to
feel like they\\\'re the only person you\\\'re calling . . .
not just one of the masses from a list of compiled
names.

9. Use what I call \\\"weasel words\\\" when opening
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.
For example, \\\"Depending on what you\\\'re now doing in
the area of employee benefits, I might have something
that could potentially increase the number of options
you offer, while possibly decreasing your overall
contribution. I\\\'d like to ask you a few questions to
see if this is something you\\\'d like more information
on.\\\"

Questioning

10. Get information before you give it. How could you
make an effective presentation otherwise?

11. Don\\\'t use a \\\"benefit list\\\" to present from.
Instead, use it to create questions to determine if
those \\\"benefits\\\" truly are of value to your prospects
and customers. Some \\\"benefits\\\" could actually be
liabilities.

12. Ask one question at a time. That\\\'s how many
they\\\'ll answer at a time.

13. After asking, be quiet. Resist the urge to jump in
if they don\\\'t answer immediately. Don\\\'t be intimidated
by silence. They\\\'re likely thinking about what they\\\'re
going to say.

14. After they\\\'ve finished, count to two (silently, of
course). This ensures they\\\'re done, plus they might
continue with even better information.

15. Be confident in your questioning. One reason reps
ramble with questions is that they\\\'re not prepared or
confident. Prepare your questions. Role play them with
yourself if necessary.

16. Always know where you\\\'ll go with answers.
Regardless of the answer.

17. Quantify the problem whenever possible. \\\"How often
does that happen?\\\"

\\\"How much do you think that is costing you?\\\" \\\"How much
time does that take?\\\"

18. Resist the tendency to present too soon. Some reps
get so excited when they hear the slightest hint of an
opportunity, that they turn on the spigot of benefits.
Hold off, ask a few more questions, get better
information, and you\\\'re able to craft an even
harder-hitting description of benefits, tailored
precisely to what they\\\'re interested in.

Sales Recommendations

19. Again, you should only talk about your
product/service after knowing specifically how it will
solve the problem, meet their need, etc. Then you can
tailor your remarks specifically and personally for
the listener.

20. Avoid the question, \\\"Anything else?\\\" when
attempting to upsell. Just like when a convenience
store clerk asks the same question, the answer is
usually, \\\"No.\\\" Instead, give them a suggestion, and
help them answer. For example, after they agree to buy
an item, or a service, say, \\\"Many of our customers who
get _____ from us, also find that ____ is also very
beneficial for them. What are you now
doing/using/buying in that area?\\\"

Getting Commitment (Closing)

21. This is not the major event in a sales call. It\\\'s
the natural, logical, validation of the professional
sales process up to this point. But you still must
ask. 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 commitment on behalf of the
prospect regarding that material.

22. Ask large. Think big. Buyers will often move down
from a large recommendation, but they rarely move up
from a small one. Those who ask the biggest have the
largest average order size. Never suggest more than is
in the best interest of the customer, but not making a
large enough suggestion when appropriate is actually
hurting the customer.

23. 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 and preparing questions,
surveying their existing inventory, etc., they likely
have no interest.

Addressing Resistance (Objections)

24. Objections can be avoided by doing everything else
correctly up to this point in the call. When they do
occur, resist the tendency to attack in defense. You
must back up and revisit the questioning stage of the
call. The voiced objection is simply a symptom of the
real problem. Start by saying, \\\"Let\\\'s talk about
that.\\\"

25. 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
flat-out ask, or they present price with a shaky tone
of voice. Ask the right questions, present the results
of what your product/service can do, and state the
price boldly.

Wrapping Up, and Setting Up the Next Action

26. When sending information, samples, demos, etc.,
know precisely how they\\\'ll evaluate the material. How
will they know if they like it? What criteria will
they use? This way, you\\\'ll both be clear as to what
would need to happen in order for them to buy.

Your Attitude and Self Motivation

27. You never have to experience rejection again.
After all, what is rejection? It\\\'s not an experience,
it\\\'s your definition of the experience. So, ensure
that you accomplish something on each call, and you
can hold your head high with a sense of achievement.
Remember, a decision of any type is better than
shadow-chasing someone who will waste your time with
wimpy or misleading statements that cause you to
believe there\\\'s a chance, when, in fact, there\\\'s not.

28. A good way to end a call where you don\\\'t
accomplish your primary objection (and to never
experience rejection) is to plant a seed for the
future. Give them something to look for, based upon
what you uncovered during the call . . . something
that might just cause them to call you back. For
example, \\\"Pat, it looks like we don\\\'t have a fit here,
today, but I suggest that if you ever find yourself
needing an emergency job finished, and don\\\'t have the
staff to handle it, give us a call. We specialize in
those type of projects, and would love to talk to
you.\\\" Everyone has been surprised by those written-off
prospects who later called to order. This is a way to
proactively make it happen more often.

29. As a sales professional using the phone as your
main method of communication, you perform a function
that very few people in the world could do well, or
would even want to try. And that\\\'s persuading someone
to take action and make a decision, based almost
solely on the words and ideas that come from your
mouth. It\\\'s quite an awesome feat when you think about
it. And do think about it. It takes a talented
individual to be able to do that well. You are that
person. Feel proud of what you do, and always strive
to get better!
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Reprinted with permission from Art Sobczak\\\'s
\\\"TelE-Sales Hot Tips of the Week.\\\" To subscribe, free,
visit www.BusinessByPhone.com Art Sobczak is a
salesperson first and foremost. He also is a noted
author, speaker, trainer and golf nut.