Do You Dread Selling Over the Phone? Try these 7 Techniques...
Do you ever pick up the phone to call a prospect, only for it to ring out to voicemail, and find yourself strangely... relieved?
“It’s so much harder over the phone!” I hear time and time again from excellent salespeople, even some who are masters when it comes to face to face consultations.
Yes – over the phone we have a few disadvantages, like the fact that there’s no opportunity to read body language and facial expressions. However, there are also some advantages to selling over the phone that we often don’t think about. If you are one of those salespeople who can’t seem to master their phone game, the tips below can help:
1. Prepare as much as possible
Almost every successful person acknowledges that they use all the resources available to them. The silliest thing you can do is pick up the phone before doing some research. This information can help you to devise a plan prior to the conversation, and help to build up your confidence before you make the move. Look up the relevant businesses, people and gather all the information you can – knowledge is power!
2. Put yourself into a positive state of mind
One of the biggest limitations we end up setting for ourselves is the mindset that we aren’t going to do well because it is over the phone. This negativity just breeds more negativity and a lack of confidence, which leads to less success over the phone: It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Before you dial: Say some positive affirmations to yourself, listen to your favourite song and remember the last customer you had that loved you. Trust me, it will make a difference. You will sell to this person - the only thing holding you back is yourself!
3. Utilize pauses
Another thing we tend to do over the phone is a whole lot of talking – usually more than when face to face. Actually, it’s okay to have some silence. In fact, more pauses are usually necessary because the prospect has to absorb your information without the help of any visuals. Use more pauses so the prospect has the opportunity to ask questions and make comments throughout – because you can’t see them it means you also can’t see any facial cues that indicate they want to speak.
4. Stand up
We know that we have more energy when we are standing than when we are sitting. This will transcend through the phone – standing up while talking can help you to come across with more certainty and confidence.
5. Ask more questions
It can be more difficult to keep the attention of someone over the phone. You don’t know what else is going on at the other end – they may be checking their emails, writing notes on something else or dealing with colleagues at the same time as being on the phone to you! To keep the dialogue going, engage them with more questions than you would usually ask.
6. Focus on the sale
Just like we want our prospect to be focused on our call, we need to be focused on our call! It may seem obvious, but if you’re trying to multi-task while selling over the phone, you’re certainly not going to do your best. So put your own emails and other tasks to the wayside and treat this prospect as if they were in the room with you.
7. Have a set time – and stick to it!
The final way to tackle phone sales is to actually pick up the phone and dial. The value of routine cannot go underestimated here – if you’re a call procrastinator, starting your phone calls at the same times each day can get you into the habit of consistent action.
What techniques do you use over the phone to maximize your success?
Sonia
This blog post was originally posted on my training website, Statusone.com.au, on Oct 21, 2017. I have since been moving some of my favourite blog posts from there over to here, as this is now my ‘content hub’ and I want you to have access to some of the cool stuff I’ve written about before. You can still check out the Status One site if you’re interested in corporate training if you want. Also, don’t forget to sign up for the newsletter below for updates and weekly exclusive content.