Prospects are being bombarded daily with sales emails and social selling campaigns. Their phones used to ring constantly with sales calls. But now, their email inboxes and social networks are full. This means prospects don’t get as many phone calls as they used to. Modern sellers have an enormous opportunity to stand out among the crowd. Pick up the phone and dial your prospects’ numbers.
Telephone sales are still one of today’s most powerful selling tools for those who know how to cell phone calls. It’s not enough to get your prospects to pick up the phone. Once they are on the phone, you need to grab their attention and gain their trust. These five tips will help you beat your competitors in sales and make your voicemails and calls productive.
Do the opposite of what you expect.
Although prospects may receive fewer calls from salespeople than ever before, they still receive them weekly. They are on the defensive and trying to avoid unnecessary sales calls. You’ll sound like any other salesperson as soon as your prospects answer the phone.
It would help if you were different from “salesy” calls by speaking the opposite of what is expected. Don’t sound like any other salesperson. Instead, tone down your enthusiasm and speak in a calm, natural voice. Don’t be too cheerful with prospects or speak loudly. Prospects should not be too cheerful or loud during the initial few minutes of a call.
Be provocative.
Salespeople will say and do whatever they want, but it is better to be provocative than boring. It doesn’t mean that you should make every phone call with a joke, but it does mean that you should be open-minded to challenging and surprising prospects.
Try opening your next call by sharing some of the major problems you have seen in the prospect’s market. Find out if your prospect has the same deep frustrations. If they challenge you on something, be prepared to stand firm and ask probing questions.
Similar to the previous point, being safe in sales voicemails will not get you far. Your approach should be risky to make you stand out. Discuss a problem you have seen in their lives or something you know about them.
Put contingencies in place.
Unfortunately, even the ideal prospects will attempt to hang up on you as soon as possible. While some prospects can be more difficult, you can still keep most prospects on the line and move closer to closing the deal. It’s up to you to plan for the unexpected.
If a prospect says, “I don’t have the time to talk right now,” reply with “Okay, that sounds fair enough. But can I ask one more question before I hang up?”
This will instantly interrupt the sales call and disrupt the prospect’s thought process. If the prospect agrees to answer one more question, prepare something provocative and powerful that will ignite further discussion.
Do your homework.
Do not rely on a script that asks you to have the same conversation with all prospects or leave the same voicemail. Personalizing your message is crucial, especially when selling to CSU buyers.
Never call to “check in” with prospects. Be specific about your purpose. Sending a prospect a report is a good way to start. Then, call them to follow up and leave a voicemail stating that you would love to discuss the report. Prospects will remember you if they know why you are calling them and can see that you have valuable information.
Do not try to get a return call.
To increase your prospect’s likelihood of responding, make the next step as simple as possible. Prospects find it too difficult to call back. Don’t leave your number in the voicemail, and don’t bother to ask for a callback.
Instead, tell prospects that you will follow up with them in an email. This is a way that they are more likely to reply even if unavailable. You can say, “I’m sending an email to you now with this report.” Send me a message if you find this useful.
You only want to get in touch with them again and continue the conversation. It is easiest to get in touch with prospects by following up with emails they will open and read.