How To
Sell On The Phone
By Tom Egelhoff
 The Internet, fax machines, email, FedEx®
are the principle tools for many businesses large and small.
But the most used tool, by far, is still the telephone. A great
number of small town customers still let their "fingers
do the walking" when they look for your business.
So, it's critical that you understand
how important the phone is and how to use it to it's full potential
in your business.
The Phone Is Conversation And Communication
The First Rule Of Using The Phone is to realize that you are having a conversation
with someone. When you meet a friend on the street, do you talk
to them in the same way you do on the phone? Most people would
say no. You are having a face-to-face conversation with someone.
You are smiling as you are talking. Smile when you talk on the
phone. Pretend they are right there in the room with you.
The Second Rule Of Using The
Phone is that the person asking
the questions in any conversation is always in control of the
conversation. If the customer is asking the questions, they are
in control. They have you on the defensive. You can't sell effectively
until you regain control.
The Third Rule Of Using The Phone is to understand that it is physically and
emotionally impossible to be polite and courteous and aggressive
and pushy at the same time. You are either one or the other.
You can't be polite and courteous at work if you are naturally
aggressive and pushy at home.
Discovering Your Customers Needs
If you were going to purchase a car
would you just pick a dealer, call them up, and ask, "Hey,
how much are cars today?"
Probably not. Why? Because there is a lot of information you
don't know. Here are some questions the car dealer might need
to know the answers to:
1. Mid-Size, Compact , Luxury?
2. Color?
3. Brand Name?
4. Car, 4-Wheeler, Mini-Van?
5. Two-Door/4 Door?
6. Accessories?
7. In Stock/Special Order?
8. New or Used?
9. Available Financing?
10. And yes, you might even want to know the price.
Notice that Price is not the number
one question on the list. Why? Because price is a perception
of value. If I were to simply ask you, "How much is a car?"
, you would have a hard time coming up with a price until you
had more information.
You Can't Give Information If You Don't Have Information
The sales person should be responsible
for a variety of information. Customer service, product sales,
product promotions, accuracy of order or customer information
along with courtesy and diplomacy.
Here are some areas your phone people
need to be trained to do:
- Sales orders
- Inquiries of merchandise or services
- Dates of delivery or service scheduling
- Follow-up or service calls
- Policies re: returns or exchanges of
goods or services
- Complaints
- Customer Services - price adjustments,
follow-up calls, replacement merchandise.
In order to be effective, phone salespersons
must be familiar with all departments and products the company
offers. Some things the sales person might need:
- Copies of all current marketing and
adverting promotions and ads.
- Copies of competitors ads (to match
offers)
- Order/Shipping/Credit Card Forms
- Calculator/Scratch Pads
- Pricing Guides
- Product or service availability and
schedules.
- Company policies and legal disclaimers
Steps To The Sale
1. Introduction:
When answering the phone give:
Company Name
Your name.
"Good morning; Smith Realty; Mrs. Anderson speaking"
Remember, this is your "first impression"
with the customer. This one area is very important. The customer
may decide whether or not to do business based on how they are
treated when they call your company.
2. Finding A Need:
Ask "open-ended" questions. Questions that can't be
answered by a yes or a no. Let the customer talk as much as they
want without interruption. Remember, the person asking the questions
is in control of the conversation.
What are they asking for? Have they
done this before? What did they like about their last experience?
What didn't they like? What was the level of service? Each product
or service should have a group of questions that are commonly
asked. Brainstorm with each other for answers to these questions
without losing control of the conversation.
3. Recommendations And/Or Up-Selling:
As with our car analogy above, you can't recommend a car without
asking a few questions. To present the product , you might say
something like, "Based on what you told me, here is what
I recommend...."
As an up-sell, "I have had several people add.......to this
package."
4. Overcoming Objections:
An objection is not really an objection. It is a request for
more information. The point to keep in mind is that there are
only two kinds of objections:
Valid Objections - I'm a size 18
this is a size 6, is a valid objection.
Invalid Objections: - Most common
is "It costs too much." Or, "Well, it sounds good
but I need to think about it before I spend that much."
In most cases this is not a valid objection. If they couldn't
afford it why bother looking?
What they are really saying is, "You
haven't shown me enough benefits to justify the price."
If they really and truly can't afford it, they are not a valid
customer. You haven't lost anything. If they can't buy from you
they can't buy from the competition either.
5. Closing The Sale:
The First Rule Of Selling Anything:
"When logic and emotion come into conflict, emotion always
wins." If you think customers are going to sit down and
make logical comparisons of the merits of your product or service
against your competitor...you are mistaken. They will purchase
on emotion and create a logical argument to justify their decision.
Remember the "fact-finding" section? This is where
you show the benefits of the items they said they wanted.
No one wants a one-inch drill bit, they want the benefit that
the one-inch drill bit will give them. They want the one-inch
hole. As a result price is seldom an issue. It is usually a defensive
excuse or an invalid objection. People buy benefits and benefits
are almost always emotional. Benefits give a feeling of "well-being"
and "well-being" is an emotional "feeling."
The Second Rule Of Selling Anything: Ask for the order. The reason most often given
by people for not buying is, "No one asked me to."
An easy way to ask is, "If you have your credit card handy
I can start processing your request."
Some Do's And Don'ts On The Phone
- Have a pleasant and sincere, positive
voice.
- Have a smile on your face as you talk
on the phone.
- Work on your vocabulary. Remember,
you're on the phone, you have to create a positive "mental
picture" in the customers mind of your product or service.
- Synchronize your rate of speech with
the rate of speech of the person to whom you are speaking. Don't
talk too fast or too slowly.
- If you are calling them, ask if it
is a convenient time to talk.
- Make your conversation brief, easy
to understand, and to the point.
- Make sure you have all the information
in front of you to handle your customers questions. If you have
to put them on hold, you may lose them.
- Don't ask anyone to place a call for
you unless you are ready to talk. The person on the other end
of the line is busy too.
- Don't do all the talking. Give the
person on the other end of the line an opportunity to answer
you, to ask questions, or to make comments. Never interrupt your
customer.
- Be as courteous voice-to voice as you
would be face-to-face.
The Last Word About Selling On The Phone
The phone is instant communication. No waiting for it to boot
up. Many customers are calling on an impulse. They have developed
a sudden need and want that need filled. You have a great opportunity
to bring additional revenue to your business. People buy where
they feel comfortable and appreciated. Give them that feeling
when they call. It's just common courtesy.
(Return
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This article may be reproduced for your non-profit
group or organization provided it is not altered in any way and
the following is attached:
©1998 - 2004 Eagle Marketing PO Box 271 Bozeman, MT
59771-0271
http://www.smalltownmarketing.com - (406) 585-0219 - Toll FREE
(888) 550-6100
email: tommail@smalltownmarketing.com
Based in Bozeman, MT, Tom Egelhoff is the author of How To Market, Advertise & Promote Your
Business Or Service In A Small Town, and The
Small Town Advertising Handbook: How To Say More And Spend Less.
He is also a seminar and workshop presenter
and trainer. He may be reached at 888-550-6100 or PO Box
271 Bozeman, MT 59771-0271
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