Sales trainer Renee Walkup focuses on helping salespeople to sell more over the phone, and the tips she shares today will do just that!
Yep, it's crummy, but...how do you SOUND over the phone? I ran a seminar last week and the questions came from everyone in the room. "What do I do when I am feeling so desperate to make my numbers/close sales/keep my job?"
If there is one thing I know, after being in sales for over 20 years, is that this crappy economy will pass. We've been through this before and survived. Even thrived. The key to success is threefold:
1. Remain optimistic
2. Be persistent
3. Never let the customers "hear" (or see!) you sweat
No one wants to conduct business with a person who is begging for business. Think of it like dating. When you were dating (if you aren't still), did you REALLY want to go out with a person who was too available on Friday and Saturday nights?
The problem with telephone sales is that the more tense we are, the more it comes out in our voices. The reason is that when stressed, our vocal cords tighten up making us sound desperate. If you want to transform your "desperate" voice into your "deliberate" voice, read on. Once you begin sounding more confident and upbeat, your customers will feel encouraged that your company (and you) are in for the long haul. After all, companies ARE still buying, we just need to be there first in line to get the check, right? So here you go...
1. Use the Renee-method of "three" when leaving your message. It should have three parts: WHO you are, WHAT you are calling about, and the ACTION needed. WHO, WHAT, and ACTION. This message shouldn't last longer than 17 seconds. Here's an example: "Hi, Wayne. This is Renee Walkup of SalesPEAK. We fill a training gap by helping your salespeople book more appointments using the phone. Call me at: 678 587-9911."
2. Keep your feet off the desk, your head up, and your smile ON. When your posture is right, so is your powerful deliberate voice. If you sound distracted or discouraged, your customers will hear that even through thousands of miles of fiber optics and satellites.
3. Stop arguing with the customers. If you are getting push-back "no money, downsizing, blah blah", then resist the urge to create a combative conversation. I hear more and more salespeople doing this as their sales are down during these times. Just relax and handle the objections as you always have--professionally and with skill.
So these tips should get you jump-started into sounding more confident, more in control, and most importantly, help you close more sales!
Renee Walkup is president of SalesPEAK Inc. and author of "Selling to Anyone Over the Phone". You can contact her at 678-587-9911 or walkup@salespeak.com Her website is www.salespeak.com.
1 comment:
It would be such an embarrassing situation to sound desperate over the phone line. Most likely the customer will not have any trust because you seem like you only need their money. Experienced it, and changed.
Post a Comment