suggest a value
engage a person to participate
lead to a next step on the road to a sale
make frequent use of the person’s name
Show enthusiasm by frequent use of “great” and “wonderful.” At the same time, avoid making claims that border on outrageous.
Treat the process as a game. Know that you will win some and lose others. But each failure should be evaluated for lessons learned so that you can do better next time.
Take all seriousness out of your voice — talk to them as you would a neighbor over the fence.
Don’t prejudge your prospects. Believe that they are nice people who would benefit from using your product/service, given sufficient information.
Fake it ’til you make it. Prospects can feel your unease and you don’t want to come across as a desperate, anxiety-ridden salesperson calling.
Let your prospect guide you. If your prospect raises objections, don’t defend your price or throw out a million reasons to buy your product. Learn specific techniques — ones that will shift the pressure back to the prospect because it was he who raised the objection in the first place.
Focus on the key issues. Don’t get sidetracked by small issues that detract from key benefits.
Making the call
Invest in a headset; it will give you freedom to be more animated.
Before you call, don’t forget to take three deep breaths. Relax. You’ll feel better, and be calm and more alert. Sit straight up in your chair. Look up at the ceiling and laugh loudly — the louder the better. These small exercises oxygenate your blood, which goes to the brain and increases alertness.
Find a phone position that works for you. If necessary
lean back in your chair and put your feet up on your desk
look up at the ceiling or out the window
Follow these steps as closely as possible:
Introduce yourself. This is not a time for modesty, but neither is it a time for bragging. Saying “I’m Joe Soap, senior sales associate of Acme Break” is better than “I’m Soap, a salesman for Acme Break.”
Capture attention. You have only a few seconds to overcome emotions ranging from preoccupation with other tasks to outright anger at having to deal with yet another unsolicited salesperson. The first words you utter had better be engaging.
Let the prospect know why you have called. The reason should be compelling and not sound scripted. If you can point to someone else suggesting you make the call, so much the better. “Mr. Bean, your colleague Joe Fine suggested I call you as I’ve been able to reduce his costs by 23 percent. He felt that you would be interested, too.”
Don’t ask the prospect whether he has read the information or if he has any questions about it. If he hasn’t read it, these types of questions might only embarrass him.
Refresh the prospect’s memory by presenting a brief overview.
Engage the prospect. Ask open-ended questions when necessary. These could include the following:
How do you handle these issues at your company?
What would it take to make you change suppliers?
Never ask a closed-ended question that could lead to a “no” answer. The answers to your questions will give you information that will identify a need. Your need is to set up an appointment to demonstrate how his need will be met.
Listening to the words only will be misleading. Listen to the nuances — the tone of voice, the pauses, the pitch, the strength or softness — and respond accordingly.
Inject pauses periodically. Give the prospect opportunity to speak if she wants to.
As soon as the prospect expresses interest by starting to ask detailed questions, begin to sell the appointment.
Ask for the appointment by giving the prospect a choice between two days.
Educational Events
If you think education is expensive, try ignorance!
DEREK BOK, AMERICAN EDUCATOR, AS QUOTED IN 1,911 BEST THINGS ANYBODY EVER SAID
Conducting an educational event projects an image of being leading edge and adding value to clients at no cost. But everyone knows that they are there for a reason — to be exposed to a new concept or product that they might need to buy. Here are some tips to get the highest number of sales from such an event:
Find a new product or angle that may be different from anything potential clients might be aware of.
Create a mailing list of people who have the power to make decisions to buy. Such lists can come from
existing databases
local chambers of commerce
industry associations
organizations specializing in the creation of generic lists
Design a covering letter or e-mail that informs the readers
why they should attend
what you will cover
the length of the program
venue, dates, and time
how to confirm their attendance
Make it easy to register by using a toll-free number or by allowing readers to register electronically.
Book an attractive meeting place, one that will project an image you want to be associated with.
Pick a venue that is central to most people who are likely to attend.
Set a time that will be least invasive to the time of attendees. Often, an early breakfast meeting will allow attendees to get back to their offices and still put in a good day’s work.
Consider having a guest speaker to add legitimacy to your presentation. The speaker could be
a well-known expert
an author
a client with a proven track record of having used your product/service
Before the presentation, conduct a dry run in front of a critical audience. Ask them to rate the presentation from the point of view of the customer.
Ensure that the program is designed to provide useful information most of the time, rather than a continual sales pitch. The idea is to provide people with the kind of information that will make them open to a subsequent meeting.
Include a client testimonial that can demonstrate benefits. That will allow you to concentrate more on features.
Provide adequate take-away material to ensure that all features and benefits of your offering are covered.
End on a positive note. Thank people for attending. Invite those that want to stay behind for further discussions to do so. Indicate that you will follow up with attendees.
Telephone Techniques to Speak to the Buyer
I’ve suffered from all the hang-ups known, And none is as bad as the telephone.
RICHARD ARMOUR (1906–89), AMERICAN POET
Have you ever had problems contacting the right person? Played endless telephone tag? Here are some strategies to improve your chances of connecting.
Call early in the morning. If you call before 8 a.m., people are more likely to be available than they are late in the day.
Find out and use the buyer’s cellphone number.
Ask for permission to call them at home if you can’t connect during regular business hours. Some people even put their home phone number on their business cards, thereby inviting you to use it if all else fails.
Don’t leave more than one message on a voice mail. If the phone is not answered the second time, hang up. If you leave another message, you may come across as desperate or pesty — neither of which is good.
If you are calling a direct line and the voice mail comes on, try pressing “0” to be put through to a receptionist or assistant. Ask the person if he would be kind enough to find your party. Or, ask if there is a good time to call.
You may be told that the person is in a meeting. Ask whether the meeting is with a staff member or an outsider. If it is with a staff member, ask the person if they can be interrupted.
If you reach a receptionist after dialling “0,” ask if she would mind trying to track your party down, or page them, or both. If she agrees, ask for her name and thank her.
Send an e-mail to your potential buyer and ask for a time when you can call.
Rely more on e-mail. You will get a response more often than not, even if it takes a day or two.
Referrals
A large number of acquaintances is like an orchard full of fruit waiting to be picked.
UNKNOWN
Your sales strategy can increase sales by 25 percent if you leverage the people who know and trust you. It’s simply the fastest way to improve your credibility and increase sales.
Referral selling has several advantages, including these:
You win instant trust. A referral from a credible source will immediately reduce the prospect’s apprehension of dealing with someone new.
You expand your network of people, all of whom are potential clients.
You reduce your cost of sales. Opening new accounts is extremely costly and time-consuming. It costs five times more to open an account “cold” than it does to get business from an existing client.
You make the person who gave you the referral look good, particularly if he is delighted with the service you have provided.