The telephone has arguably done more to help sales professionals than any other invention in history. And still it is the most under-utilised tool in your toolbox. Note I don't say under-used, because if you're like most professionals, you are probably on the phone more than two hours a day. The question is, how effective are you at using the phone to move your prospects closer to the sale and going deeper with your clients/customers to generate more sales and cross-selling opportunities?
It's a fact that some people are naturally good on the phone. Others need to work at it. Here are some key skills and qualities you need to be good on the phone. You only need to be weak in one or two of these areas to undermine your performance and stop you getting excited about using the phone.
A clear voice. Talking slower and in a lower pitch has also been found to yield better results than fast, high pitched talking
Self belief. You should be confident in what you say and deliver. Just as dogs can smell fear, prospects and contacts can smell 'unbelief' and lack of conviction.
A good smile. Sounds funny, but 'smile while you dial' works. People can tell if you're smiling, and joy is infectious!
Patience. You could be the wrong idea at the right time. You could be the right person with the wrong deal. For a hundred reasons, they may not be ready for you now, or see what you see as quickly as you want them to see it. Business relationships are a long term game, not a one night stand.
Resilience. You'll get knocked back, insulted, shouted at, ignored, bored to death and rejected. Everyone does. The ones who can bounce back are the ones who tend to be the most successful in the long term.
Organisation. Get your desk sorted, your database sorted, your diary sorted and your time management nailed. You can't build and maintain relationships without investing time, and that means getting organised.
Reading people. You might say this is hard to do on the phone. But if you're honest, you can tell when people are busy, when they're stressed or what kind of a mood they're in. Make it a skill that you can gauge people's reactions and responses and your phone calls will be much more productive!
Closing skills. Can you ask the courageous questions or do you fudge round the issues? If you can't, all of your relationship building counts for nothing but good feelings.
Persistence. Can you keep going until you hear a 'no'? Resilience is bouncing back. Persistence is keeping going, through rough days, through tough times, through lean periods. Research shows that 48% of people stop after the 2nd call and Most give up after the third. However, there is a 68% success rate on the 4th call.
If you're going to use the phone as a tool for building relationships, you need to know the nature of the beast. There are seven advantages and seven disadvantages of using the phone
On balance, you'd much rather be with a phone than without one, and in the age of mobiles, we're never more than a phone call from pretty much anyone we want to talk with. So why do we still hesitate to use the phone to full potential? Sales professionals have three areas for concern;
Knowing What To Say (Knowledge)
There is only one way round this one – scripts. People worry that scripts are wooden and false. Let's disprove that. Think of your favourite movie. Now think how it made you feel. Happy? Sad? Entertained? Scared? Thrilled? Moved? Consider that every word in that film was written, rehearsed and performed a hundred times by the time it gets to you. And it still evoked that passion and feeling in you. Consider the great songs which move you and bring you to tears or lift you up. Again, all scripted, I'm afraid. Never underestimate the power of a well-crafted and well-delivered word or phrase to elicit the response you want.
"The worst time to think of the best thing to say is as the words are coming out of your mouth"
Knowing How To Say It (Skill)
There is only one way round this one – practice. Everything is difficult before it becomes easy. Think of the first time you learned to ride a bike, to swim or to drive. You get better at what you do a lot of.
Nervous About Doing It (Behaviour)
There is only one way round this one – get motivated! Here are a few reasons why you must pick up that phone;
You need the business
You need the money!
It keeps you in touch.
It keeps your skills fresh.
Others will if you don't.
If you've said in the past you'll call and you don't, what will they think of you?
How much might you lose by not making the call?
If you don't call, you'll never know.
Circumstances change – they might just need to hear from you.
Consider the lifetime value of these calls – a customer sticking with you for five years spending £500 a year means £2500 of income. That's worth picking up the phone, right?
If relationships are grown by investing time and effort, then we need to see the phone as a way to connect with people. I once saw two guys waiting for a delayed flight out of Dublin. In one hour, one read the paper and the other made 2o phone calls. Some seemed to be just to voicemail but you just know he was great at keeping in touch. The lesson here is to maintain contact.
Finally, although I've yet to meet anyone who can build a better relationship by phone than I can face to face, there are a few more strategies you can use to get people talking and go deep with your key contacts. Use what my friend Art calls 'verbal nods'. When face to face, we indicate we're into the conversation with facial expressions and body language, including nodsof the head. What do you do by phone? On the phone, these go, so a healthy sprinkling words and phrases such as 'uh-huh', 'I see' and 'interesting' can keep the kettle boiling.
Encourage people to talk with prompts such as 'go on', 'tell me more' and 'expand on that if you would'. Use good questions such as 'how do you mean?' and 'why is that?' to get under the skin of issues and problems they might have.
The last word is on smiling. As obvious as it seems, there is no doubt it works. It's tough to sound downbeat or boring when you smile. 'Face-to-face, we connect with others more easily when they smile, and perceive them as more likeable,' says Art 'The same holds true on the phone.'
So pick up the phone, pick up your relationships and pick up your sales!
About The Author
Rob Brown can help you network more effectively, build your personal brand and Turn Relationships Into Profits. For a host of great articles and resources on networking, personal branding, and referral generation, visit http://www.rob-brown.com.
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