Hiya
It is human nature to believe, that anything being offered for free is worth little value, which is why its so important to sell the benefits of what is being offered...
To make a perfect sales call, you must put yourself in the mindset of the client. There are many factors to consider for e.g. the type of pressures your client maybe facing on a normal working day, the amount of staff they have to manage, the tasks they need to perform and the amount of outside influences they need to contend with.
Then they get a sales call from a complete stranger, they maybe bombarded with many similar calls each day.
possible solutions, I used in the telemarketing industry...
1. Preparation
Although team targets are set it is important that any individual in a target driven job set themselves goals at the start of the shift. Example, I will make 2 appointments before lunchtime. Once this has been achieved the individual should set a higher target for after lunch, e.g. 4 appointments.
This self-motivation will assist your performance and can be discussed with team leaders, so they can support you in reaching these goals.
2. Welcome
You only get one chance to make a first impression, make sure it is always a great one.
Be enthusiastic and warm, it is essential to introduce yourself clearly and make sure that you fully explain why you are calling. If the customer is unsure why you are contacting them, they may be hesitant in providing you with information or booking an appointment.
You must be confident and polite when on a call, if you hesitate and sound like a programmed robot, the customer will switch off.
Be polite, conscientious and bring parts of your own personality into the conversation. You are using the telephone so there is no opportunity for eye contact or body language your voice is essential.
Therefore it is necessary to create that connection with within the first 20 seconds. Refer to the customer as Mr/Mrs or Sir/Madame. During the call you will probably be able to call them by their first name.
3. Listen
Really listening to the customer will allow you to pick up on clues for sales or appointments.
By establishing the customers needs, you can help meet their demands; this can be applied to inbound lines as well as outbound. You are the professional in the relationship and by ringing you, the customer is asking for help.
4. Honesty
Customers have a strong need to feel they can trust and have confidence in service givers and their organisations. This is especially true today because so many customers have been victims of broken promises and poor services.
These apply to customers in general, use the information to your advantage and understand and determine which needs are most important to the customer.
You do this by asking those questions to determine what their primary needs are and by actively listening to what your customers tell you and how they say it.
5. Close and exit
Once you have all the relevant details, close the conversation politely and move onto the next call.
Being passive and unprepared will not achieve the sale or appointment. Similarly pushy and aggressive or untruthful will not be successful.
Successful telemarketers/appointment setting etc need to see themselves as supportive, empathic and friendly to the customer but crucially controlling the call, leading the customer to see the benefits they obtain by saying yes.
Note:Objections are usually raised when unanswered questions are floating around in the customers mindset and try to listen more to them than talk.
Note 2:Remember sell the appointment, dont try and sell the products or services.
For more information, just leave me a message.More than willing to share more insights from my book while I was working in the telemarketing industry.
