| As a trainer and consultant in the area of | | | | improving your skills at the beginning of each call, |
| Telephone Sales, I am often asked - what are | | | | that might give you 2%. If you improve just one |
| the secrets of success in the Telephone Sales? | | | | aspect of your product knowledge, that is |
| Of course, this is a very complex question! But | | | | another 2%. Thinking positively about your Callers |
| here I give just a few common factors that I | | | | is another 2%. This is a lot easier figure to focus |
| have found in the best Telephone Sales people. I | | | | on that10% or 15%, much more doable, and all |
| have also used these methods in Telephone Sales | | | | your 2% bites will soon add up! |
| Training to coach and train Telephone Sales | | | | Focus Areas for Improvement |
| Teams who have gone on to much higher | | | | Identify your goals very clearly - where |
| performance. We focus here on the area of | | | | EXACTLY your batches of 2% will come from. If |
| incoming enquiries, and how to convert more | | | | you focus on too much, you will achieve nothing. |
| enquiries to sales. | | | | Plan what you will work on. Write down your |
| Work at Your Craft | | | | focus areas on a small card and pin it on your |
| One of the most fundamental characteristics that | | | | computer - e.g. you might put a list of positive |
| distinguishes the mediocre Telephone Sales person | | | | phrases up today and a list of good questions |
| from the Best of the Best is that the Best | | | | tomorrow. |
| always want to get better! They work at their | | | | A few Telephone Sales Skills that will definitely |
| craft. This is generally not true of poor | | | | contribute to your 2% increase are - |
| performing Telephone Sales people. They are | | | | 1. Work on your Telephone Call Handling Skills - |
| often focused on reasons why they CAN'T get | | | | and start with the BEGINNING of the Call. First |
| better, like poor quality products, disinterested | | | | impressions count, and it takes just 10 seconds |
| callers and better competition. | | | | on a telephone to for that caller to decide 'I like |
| The Best Telephone Sales people are focused on | | | | this person, and I want to work with them' or 'I |
| getting better, on finding some edge that will | | | | am out of here! Ensure your caller gets a warm, |
| ensure they can meet or exceed their targets | | | | professional greeting, like you really are pleased he |
| today, this week and this month. What one thing | | | | or she has called. Use positive listening responses, |
| can I work on next week that will improve my | | | | verbal nods to encourage your caller. Get and use |
| focus with my Callers? Which of my skills on the | | | | the caller's name, being carefully to use it |
| call will I work on today? What can I do to | | | | appropriately for your culture. Focusing on the |
| improve my ability to close more sales? What can | | | | beginning of your call for one week will be |
| I work on to improve my positivity, my | | | | guaranteed to improve your conversion rate that |
| motivation, my ability to believe that I can be | | | | week. |
| successful? | | | | 2. Work on your product knowledge. Ensure you |
| What the poor performer doesn't appreciate is | | | | really know your products and what edge your |
| that all these are Telephone Sales Skills! How to | | | | products have over the opposition. Have regular |
| make myself more positive, or increase my belief | | | | blitzes on your product knowledge e.g. working on |
| that this caller will say 'yes' - these are skills to be | | | | one product area per week for 4 weeks. |
| worked on, practiced and improved! | | | | Improve not only your knowledge of the product |
| Focus on the 2% Increase | | | | itself, but what VALUE it is to different Customer |
| One of the skills of the successful Telephone | | | | types. Think through the Customer's eyes to get |
| Sales person is the ability to set themselves | | | | a sound understanding of the benefits of your |
| realistic targets, and to plan HOW they are going | | | | products and how to explain these positively to |
| to achieve those targets. These are their own | | | | your Customers. |
| personal targets, not the Company's, and they will | | | | 3. Profile your Customer types - every line of |
| set themselves a target for the week, and for | | | | work has different Customer Types. A poor |
| each day. The focus of their target will vary. | | | | Sales person will usually be able to build rapport |
| They might set a target of the number of sales | | | | and sell effectively to just one Customer type - |
| today, and their conversion rate tomorrow. They | | | | and they will be incapable of working with the |
| won't set themselves a huge jump in figures - like | | | | more 'difficult' types. The good Sales person will |
| 10% increase in your conversion rate. | | | | work at improving their sales skills with each |
| A huge increase can actually be de-motivating, | | | | Customer type in turn - perfecting their ability |
| and it is very difficult to see HOW you could | | | | with each one. Work on your approach, the |
| possibly achieve this. Set yourself bite size chunks | | | | language style, the benefits you offer and how |
| of increase in your telephone sales conversion | | | | you explain these to each different Customer |
| rate. | | | | Type. This will lead to more closed sales with |
| A method I use in Telephone Sales Training is the | | | | each group. |
| 2% rule. Why just 2%? Well, according to an old | | | | 4. Believe that Callers DO buy! Work at building |
| Telephone Sales Trainer I once had, 2% is the | | | | this positive belief. Remember, it is POSSIBLE to |
| perfect target to achieve real difference. Think of | | | | sell to any qualified prospect - someone is going |
| the Titanic, the ship that went down taking all | | | | to do it! The real difference between your |
| those poor souls with it. How much would it have | | | | Company and your major competitors is the |
| to move to have AVOIDED that ice berg? | | | | quality of your Sale people. In one of these |
| According to my old mentor, just 2 degrees of | | | | Companies is a Telephone Sales person who will |
| movement would have saved all those lives. 2 | | | | close the sale with this Customer. The competition |
| degrees is a small amount, but it can have a huge | | | | is between you and 'John Doe' or 'Jane Doe' - |
| impact on our lives. | | | | make sure you are better! |
| We use the same thinking in improving sales | | | | Remember, plan to work on one focus area per |
| results with incoming calls. Look for just 2% | | | | week and you will improve your results from |
| improvement here, 2% there, and it soon adds | | | | week 1! |
| up. For example, if you focus for a week on | | | | |