| Phone sales skills with the prospect: Once you get | | | | up." |
| past the Secretarial Screen and begin talking to | | | | Sales professionals think of this first phone |
| the Prospect or Decision Maker you enter into the | | | | contact as the "Call up, fix up, hang up" phase. |
| "Call up. Fix up. Hang up" phase. | | | | The point is to make the call, arrange a meeting, |
| This IS the time to briefly introduce yourself and | | | | then get off the line without getting bogged down. |
| ask for an appointment to meet. It is NOT the | | | | Obviously, you don't want to seem brusque during |
| time to get into prolonged explanations, or to try | | | | the conversation, but you also don't want to get |
| to make the sale over the phone. (Unless, of | | | | into a long conversation at this point. For busy |
| course, you are doing tele-marketing... and we do | | | | Decision Makers, phone calls are, by nature, |
| not get into tele-marketing here.) | | | | interruptions, so the shorter, the more |
| At this stage, you have one crucial objective to | | | | business-oriented, and the more to-the-point the |
| accomplish: to persuade that prospect to invest | | | | interruption is, the better. |
| time in meeting face-to-face with you. Time is | | | | Another reason for being succinct now. |
| money to effective Decision Makers, and they | | | | -- you CAN LOSE the chance to meet with the |
| are not inclined to waste it in long phone calls or | | | | Prospect if you talk too much, but the reality is... |
| unproductive meetings. | | | | -- BUT, no matter what you say, you CANNOT |
| When you speak with the prospect, be friendly | | | | MAKE the sale over the phone. |
| but get to the point. Don't chat about the | | | | Phone sales skills: The first 30 seconds |
| weather or how their day is going. | | | | Once the prospect picks up the phone, you have |
| Nor is it the time to talk in detail of what your | | | | two crucial tasks to accomplish in about 30 |
| product is, nor of your background. All that will | | | | seconds, or perhaps even less... that is, before the |
| come later. | | | | prospect's interest flags, or before another |
| DO ask,"Is this a good time to talk?" DO NOT | | | | in-coming call takes priority. |
| ask, "Is this a bad time." | | | | In these opening seconds, you need to, |
| When you get the prospect on the phone, do not | | | | 1. Introduce yourself and your company, (if you |
| ask, "Is this a bad time to talk?" Why not? Think | | | | operate under a company name), and, |
| how easy it would be to say yes to that question. | | | | 2. Present concise reasons for your phone call, as |
| Instead, take the positive approach: expect good | | | | well as for why the Decision Maker should invest |
| news. Use your phone sales skills to phrase the | | | | time in meeting with you. |
| question with a positive expectation: if you sense | | | | That may seem a lot to do in 30 seconds, but |
| the person on the other end of the call is | | | | here's a model script that you can adapt: |
| distracted or harried, ask with a positive spin: "Is | | | | "Mr. Robinson, this is Tom Gibbons of Productivity |
| this a good time to talk?" Again, it is easier to | | | | Services. I'm calling because I believe we can |
| reply yes. | | | | increase your firm's profitability by reducing office |
| But if the prospect says, "Actually, no, it's really | | | | overhead -- perhaps by as much as 20% in the |
| not a good time," then you are well positioned to | | | | first year. I'd like to meet with you for about a |
| ask, "I understand. When will be a better time to | | | | half hour to explore the possibilities. Would later |
| talk?" | | | | this week be convenient, or would early next |
| Phone sales skills key mantra: "Call up. Fix up. Hang | | | | week be better for you? |