10 TIPS TO SELL MORE BY PHONE, PART IV
1. Co-Workers/"Time Robbers"
There are people in almost every office who like to stroll around and
plant themselves in front of anyone who will listen to them. The
topics are usually social and don't relate to how you can do better
in your job....therefore you waste valuable selling time on mindless
chit-chat. To tactfully indicate to the person that you need to get to
work, try these ideas:
* As soon as they saunter over to your desk, put your hand on the
phone, pick it up, or even begin dialing, pausing momentarily while
looking at them and smiling with a look that says, "Is there something
you needed?"
* Immediately stick your hand in a file, flip the pages of some cor-
respondence, or work on your computer, implying that there is some-
thing very important on your mind. Give them your attention with one
eye to acknowledge their presence.
* Before they get too close, stand up. By standing, or even walking
them to the door, you send the unmistakable signal that you are busy.
2. Get Them Thinking About Fear of Loss
For most people, their main motivator is fear of loss or pain. This
is much greater than the desire for pleasure. Therefore, think of ways
you can appeal to this potential fear of loss. Ask them questions to
fit your situation:
"What would happen if you needed something in an emergency and they
weren't able to provide it? Have you ever considered an alternative
source?"
"Do you have a plan in place for disaster recovery?"
"What would it do to your business if sales declined by 10 percent?"
"How have back-order situations affected you in the past?"
3. "I Want to Think About It"
Here are some ideas for dealing with the "I want to think it over,"
stall. In his book, "The Soft Sell," Tim Connor says that his
philosophy is that if the prospect knows what business he's in, and
the person agrees to see him (or stay on the line with him), they've
bought. Otherwise, why would they spend their valuable time? When
you hear the "think it over" stall, he suggests saying, "Mr. Prospect,
obviously you wouldn't take the time to think this over unless you
were really interested, would you? Just to clarify my thinking
further, what is it about my product you wish to consider? Is it the
size? The color?" Connor says that what you want to do is gradually
eliminate, point by point, everything that could be troubling them.
(SOURCE: THE SOFT SELL, Tim Connor, 800-222-9070, 313-930-0880)
4. Leave Your Toll Number Also
If your 800 number doesn't work (most don't unless you have inter-
national service), be sure you have your regular toll number printed
on all of your correspondence, ads, and particularly news releases
being sent to Canada. As obvious as it might seem, leave your regular
number if you are calling Canada.
5. Hit a Home Run With This One
Kay Oswalt, a Telesales Rep with Shamrock Optical, finds that using
a baseball metaphor helps her prospects clarify their feelings
toward doing business with her company. For example, after questioning
and presenting the benefits of working with Shamrock, she'll add,
"Mr. Prospect, if using my company on a trial basis were a baseball
game, where would I be; standing on first base, rounding third, or
sliding toward home?" This approach is friendly and non-threatening.
Prospects generally respond warmly to a mental picture they easily
identify and feel comfortable with.
6. Answering Their Brush Off
Mark Johanson with Accounting Temporary Services occasionally hears
this stall: "I don't have a need now, and if I ever need a service
like yours, I'll just use the Yellow Pages." He responds with, "You
could use the Yellow Pages, but I don't want you to, and it wouldn't
be in your best interest. Let's talk about why....." Then he gets
them involved in the conversation, which is the best way to deal
with a stall.
7. Qualify In Your Opening Statement
Some of you need to qualify your prospects quickly to have the poten-
tial to do business with you. You still need to give them a benefit,
a reason to answer your questions. Phil Wiss of the Plymouth Tube
Company came up with this approach at a recent Telesales Rep College:
"Mr. Prospect, I'm Phil Wiss with the Plymouth Tube Company. We
specialize in high-quality stainless steel and carbon tubing. If you
use this type of material, there's a good chance we could help cut
your costs. I'd like to determine that by asking a few questions."
If they don't use that type of tubing, they'll speak up right away.
If they qualify, they're interested in finding out more about the
benefit (cutting costs), and the caller has met his opening statement
objective to get the prospect to talk.
8. Find Out When They'll Get Your Message
If you must leave a message for your prospect/customer, try to find
out when they might receive it. If, for example, it's urgent that you
speak with the person, and they won't be back for two days--and that
fact isn't readily shared by the screener--you are out of luck. There-
fore, after reciting your message, ask, "When will Ms./Mr. Bigg get
this message? Will it be in person, or by phone?" You also might want
to ask the screener to attach some urgency to its conveyance in order
to position the importance. "And would you please tell him/her I would
really need to speak with him/her before noon tomorrow?"
9. The "We're Happy" Brush-Off
A response to the "We're happy with our present supplier" brush-off
was offered by Lynn Podowski, Telemarketing Manager, of Schneider
Communications. Lynn finds that she can get prospects to talk by
saying, "What have they been doing to earn your business?"
Remember, a brush-off early in a call usually is just an instinctive
attempt to get off the phone. It's not really an objection. There-
fore, your best tactic is to prompt them to begin speaking. Then
you'll have some substance to deal with. Here are other variations:
"I see. Most people I call are somewhat satisfied with whom they're
buying from. However, many of those very same people realized they
had requirements in some areas that were not being met. For
example, do you ever need any specialty items/work like (fill in
with appropriate suggestions for your business).....?"
"That's the same loyalty we also appreciate in our customers. Who
are you buying from now?"
"What type/brands/sizes, etc. of (specific product/service) are you
getting from them?"
All you're trying to do is get them to talk. Once you've done that,
their mind has forgotten their brush-off, and you then have the
information you need to continue your work.
10. When You Hear the "Not Interested" Stall
If you run into the "I'm not interested" line at the beginning of
a call, even before you've had a chance to find out anything about the
prospect, or to tell them about what you have, it's usually an attempt
to get rid of you. This technique takes some chutzpah, but it's worked
effectively for Jeff DiDomenico of TDI: (in an "Oh, my gosh! I can't
believe what I'm hearing" tone of voice). "Oh, well perhaps I'm not
talking to the right person. Is there someone else there who I should
be talking to about saving money on your computer and media supplies?"
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This resource is (c) 1996 by, and excerpted from,
Telephone Selling Report newsletter.