Today and tomorrow we will be featuring sales trainer Jim Domanski and his tele-prospecting advice. Specifically, how you can avoid asking the worst tele-prospecting questions ever! I know I've been guilty of a few of these at some time or another, so you probably have too. Don't worry - they're easy to fix!
Questioning a prospect is a good thing, right? Questioning builds rapport, uncovers needs, gathers information, and identifies possible objections. There are lots of benefits.
Or so it would seem.
But the truth of the matter is that there are some questions that telephone users should utterly avoid. They annoy your prospects and they can threaten the success of your call. Here are the four most maddening questions of all time. Purge them from your calling process.
Worst Question #1: How are you today?
Nothing, absolutely nothing, puts a prospect on the defensive faster than this question!
While YOU might think it's a real rapport builder the vast majority of your prospects think just the opposite. When surveyed well over 90% of prospects felt that the question is trite and insincere. They found it 'wastes time' but perhaps more significantly, it puts them on their guard because it creates a stereotypical (and negative) image of an invasive "telemarketer" who is trying to sell them something.
Look, the bottom line is this: you don't really care how the prospect is, do you? You want a sale, lead or an appointment. And they KNOW that. They know you don't care. They know it's a filler question.
So why would you use it?
It buys you absolutely nothing and it may cost you a lot. It may tarnish your 'professional' image.
Worst Question #2: Did I catch you at a good time?
This question is a real sales killer. Hands down.
While asking a prospect 'is now is a good time' is polite and considerate, what it really does is provide a ready-made excuse to terminate the call. Picture the scene: how many times have you asked that question and the prospect says, 'Ya, sure...It's a great time! I wasn't doing anything important. In fact, I was just sitting here with my feet on the desk hoping that a sales rep would give me a call and pitch me?"
Rarely happens, right?
Of course, some prospects do say yes but the majority don't. At the moment they say 'no' you flounder and stumble around a bit and murmur something about calling later or 'when is a good time.' If the prospect does give you a time, they are never there when you make your follow up call. Waste of everyone's time and energy.
I am all for polite and courteous tele-prospecting. But instead of putting your call in the chopping block, try this, "_____, If I have caught you at a good time what I would like to do is ask you a few questions, get a feel for you situation and see if there might be a way ...(insert your benefit).'
Positioned this way, the client gets a feel or a sense that you have been polite about the 'time' thing but you are not really asking about the time; you're asking about questions. If you move seamlessly into your first question, your client will likely answer.
This subtle but extremely effective technique can dramatically change your contact rate and help you convert more contacts to sales or leads. Use it.
By Jim Domanski of Teleconcepts Consulting. Please visit Jim's web site at www.teleconceptsconsulting.com for additional articles and resources for tele-sales professionals.
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