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Author: Justin
Go ahead, pick up the phone, and start selling. Not just yet. You wouldn't go onto a baseball field and just start pitching. Nor should you do this when you start selling. First, you've got to learn some basic skills. Here are some techniques.
Know your product. Do some research and learn all about what you are selling. Learn the features and benefits of this item. Know the price structure. Study your competition and learn what they are offering compared to your product and their prices. Your top sales pros always know their product inside out. You can't answer objections unless you can tell the customer the benefits of your product and how it will make their lives better.
Practice, practice and practice some more. Once you know your product, practice your sales skills. Record your voice and listen for its tone and pitch. The tape lets you know how well you modulated your voice to "match" that of the customer. Rehearse your presentation with a partner, one person doing the telephone message and the other listening, and making objections. The objections will help you to think quicker and will identify if you've been able to recapture command of the sale with the added benefits of your product. It will help you not to take "no" for an answer and keep the sale alive.
Listen to the give and take during the conversation. How much talking do you do? Do you listen to your customers and jot down what their needs are? What percentage of time do you spend talking versus the customer? Are you asking questions to find out exactly what the customer needs and wants?
For beginners, you may need a script that moves you through each of these steps. The script will give you the introduction. Don't' waste time. Get to the point. It will help you to move to the "benefits" of your product. Remember that the buyer must see a need and want to buy. As you gain experience, you will be able to make instant adjustments in your presentation and bring them in synch with your customer's needs. This is a judgment call and you must decide when to move forward to the close.
The close. Your success in telephone sales depends on your closing ratio. It's not how many calls you make, its how many you close. Those are the numbers that go on your performance records each day. And of course they determine how much commission you will make. You must bring the customer to the point of close with words like, "let's proceed. I'll need your credit card information. Let me know when you are ready." Here is the most important cardinal rule of the close. Once you ask for credit card information, "do not speak." The first person who speaks loses. The silence may shake you to your core. But you must let the customer tell you, "OK, here's my card number." Now go through the final steps of collecting credit card information and confirmation. Then be sure to thank the customer. You may even want to ask for referrals.
Follow up. You can send a written thank you via email. Remember that the customer wants something in writing to confirm the purchase. This process helps to cement the sale. The customer can have "buyer's remorse" and want to cancel the sale. The written confirmation fixes the sale in the customer's mind and helps eliminate this feeling.
Go ahead, pick up the phone, and start selling. Not just yet. You wouldn't go onto a baseball field and just start pitching. Nor should you do this when you start selling. First, you've got to learn some basic skills. Here are some techniques.
Know your product. Do some research and learn all about what you are selling. Learn the features and benefits of this item. Know the price structure. Study your competition and learn what they are offering compared to your product and their prices. Your top sales pros always know their product inside out. You can't answer objections unless you can tell the customer the benefits of your product and how it will make their lives better.
Practice, practice and practice some more. Once you know your product, practice your sales skills. Record your voice and listen for its tone and pitch. The tape lets you know how well you modulated your voice to "match" that of the customer. Rehearse your presentation with a partner, one person doing the telephone message and the other listening, and making objections. The objections will help you to think quicker and will identify if you've been able to recapture command of the sale with the added benefits of your product. It will help you not to take "no" for an answer and keep the sale alive.
Listen to the give and take during the conversation. How much talking do you do? Do you listen to your customers and jot down what their needs are? What percentage of time do you spend talking versus the customer? Are you asking questions to find out exactly what the customer needs and wants?
For beginners, you may need a script that moves you through each of these steps. The script will give you the introduction. Don't' waste time. Get to the point. It will help you to move to the "benefits" of your product. Remember that the buyer must see a need and want to buy. As you gain experience, you will be able to make instant adjustments in your presentation and bring them in synch with your customer's needs. This is a judgment call and you must decide when to move forward to the close.
The close. Your success in telephone sales depends on your closing ratio. It's not how many calls you make, its how many you close. Those are the numbers that go on your performance records each day. And of course they determine how much commission you will make. You must bring the customer to the point of close with words like, "let's proceed. I'll need your credit card information. Let me know when you are ready." Here is the most important cardinal rule of the close. Once you ask for credit card information, "do not speak." The first person who speaks loses. The silence may shake you to your core. But you must let the customer tell you, "OK, here's my card number." Now go through the final steps of collecting credit card information and confirmation. Then be sure to thank the customer. You may even want to ask for referrals.
Follow up. You can send a written thank you via email. Remember that the customer wants something in writing to confirm the purchase. This process helps to cement the sale. The customer can have "buyer's remorse" and want to cancel the sale. The written confirmation fixes the sale in the customer's mind and helps eliminate this feeling.
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