Selling Over the Telephone

Nashville Business Journal – Nov. 2007
by John Boyens

Most people don’t like to sell over the telephone.  The number one reason…Rejection!  Our research shows that you have 15 to 18 seconds to get someone’s attention on a tele-prospecting call.  That doesn’t mean that you talk faster or louder!  Remember, buyers are thinking, “What’s in it for me?  Why should I care?”  Whatever you say needs to be quick, targeted and engaging!

Let me start off by highlighting three basic telephone skills that all successful salespeople have mastered.  They are:

1. Rate of Speech…If you speak too rapidly, you will tend to lose the customer and you will lose the call objective. The converse is also true; if you speak too s-l-o-o-o-w-l-y you have a tendency to bore the person the other end (remember their time is valuable!) and will again jeopardize your call objective.  The ideal rate of speech is between 180 and 190 words per minute.  This rate will allow the prospect to understand what you are saying and maintain interest.  This is the same rate of speech taught to, and used by, most radio and television announcers.  If you practice speaking at the 180-word/minute rate you will significantly improve your communication…and, in selling, that translates into more sales and commission for you.
2. Be conscious of your “volume” …Just as rate of speech is important when speaking to your customer on the phone, so too is your volume. While this may sound like a first grade instruction you would be surprised how often professional salespeople fail to adjust their volume during a telephone conversation. It is important to speak at a volume that will allow the other person to hear you with little or no difficulty.  This will normally be the same volume that you would use to speak to someone who is seated across a table from you.
3. Voice Inflection…This is the art and skill of creating the perception of confidence, knowledge and experience through the use of voice inflection (up and down) tonal quality and emphasis on key words.  Often salespeople can be identified when calling a prospect because they don’t use proper voice inflection or worse yet, speak in a monotone!  Inflection and/or emphasis does work and can effect what the client hears. USE IT TO YOUR BENEFIT!

Top performing salespeople do their homework before they pick up the phone.  They start off by targeting their prospects.  They identify companies, industries or geographic areas that they would like to sell.  They also identify potential business problems that the prospect can relate to based upon the prospect’s job description, title and/or industry.

Research shows that most phone calls are made to people who can’t buy.  In other words they are end users or influencers but not decision makers. And yes, while they may be able to influence the decision maker but when push comes to shove they can’t make the decision to buy and rarely will push their boss for the decision you want.  They will usually be available to talk and talk with you but rarely does anything significant come out of these sessions other than consuming a lot of your time that could be better spent with another prospect.

What you need to know is that selling to decision makers is easier because they are burdened or challenged with solving “business problems” day in and day out.  Not only are they burdened and challenged they are looking for solutions to these problems.

It’s imperative that you plan each call on a worksheet prior to dialing the telephone. In other words, think ahead and plan what you want to discuss.  Some of the elements included on a worksheet are:

• Two or three reasons for making the call
• Two or three product topics that you’d like to discuss with the prospect
• A “lead in” statement
• A “generating interest” statement (Make sure that you highlight why it’s in the best interest for the prospect to listen to what it is you have to say
• Identify the prospect’s anticipated need from your perspective
• Identify the prospect’s motivation to buy
• Identify any anticipated stalls

Once you’ve completed the call you’ll be able to use your pre-call worksheet to document the prospect’s “real” needs, the results of the call, the next steps and the time-lines for follow up.

Lastly, I’d like to highlight the five keys to good listening.  They are:

1. Limit your own talking…You can’t talk and listen at the same time.
2. Put yourself in the customers shoes…Your client’s problems and needs are important and  you’ll understand and retain them better if you listen to their point of view and from their perspective, not your own.
3. Ask questions…If you don’t understand something or feel you may have missed the point their trying to make, clear it up now before it embarrasses you later!
4. Don’t interrupt…A pause doesn’t always mean they are finished saying everything they wanted to say or explain. They may just be catching their breath!  Wait four seconds before speaking.
5. Expect objections…You can learn a great deal about the prospect from the way they say things or the tone of their voice when responding.  Trust your instincts and don’t forget it’s natural to get objections or to hear doubts expressed or inferred.  The key to overcoming objections is to come across as a consultant versus a “pushy” salesperson.  The bottom line is to enable the buyer to buy!