Sales manager speaking on the phone. Cold calling - is this technique of selling over the phone effective? How to start a conversation with a decision maker and get him interested

The telephone is the main source of communication for any company with a client, so it is important enough to follow the right communication tactics, there is, and if you follow these rules, you will not miss it. This physiological and psychological closeness, that is, the correct telephone conversation, is an integral part of productive business communication.

1. Kindly greet the interlocutor
Start your conversation with "Good morning" or "Good afternoon" + the name of your organization. Such a formula is considered welcome and will help you to interest the client.

2. Your voice should always sound with a smile.
This technique is called "verbal handshake", which will help you to interest the client on the phone. The caller does not have the opportunity to see you, but he will evaluate the entire company, including you. About 60% of the information that you personally transmit daily and receive in person is transmitted non-verbally. Only 8% is transmitted through words, and 32% - through paralinguistic signals: intonation, voice timbre, speech volume, etc. If you understand these indicators, it will not be difficult for you to interest a client over the phone.

3. Speak slowly, friendly and clearly
If your voice sounds friendly, it will undoubtedly help you hook the client and set the conversation in the right way. A deeper voice is perceived better by ear than a higher one, this not tricky step will also help you to interest the client on the phone.

4. Speak naturally to convince the client
Natural speech is felt immediately and puts a person in a sincere and relaxed dialogue, this will help draw the client's attention to you.

6. Don't ever say, "Wait a minute!"
Such a phrase will be meaningless to the caller. Where exactly did you go? What exactly are you doing there? How much time will it take? All these questions will be scrolled in your head by your interlocutor and distracted from the topic of conversation. If you intend to interest the client, you must drop this phrase.

7. Always let the questions you ask be answered.
Don't ever express your assumptions about something. Listen carefully, then reflect on what the client has to say. You can interest the client with your attention to detail, if he sees and understands that you are listening carefully to him, this will undoubtedly set him in a positive mood.

8. Don't interrupt the caller
Interrupting a client is an indicator of bad manners and disrespect for him.

9. Never place the phone on the table during a conversation.
Modern phones have very sensitive microphones, and your interlocutor can hear you put the phone on the table, which is bad form in a conversation.

10. Know the secretary's name
Before calling another organization, get the name of the company secretary, this will put you in a very advantageous position and emphasize your professionalism.

11. Don't switch calls
If you ask the client to wait because you have a call on the other line, this may give the client the idea that you are not serious about him and there are more important clients for you than him, and this will not help you to interest the client.

12. Don't use call forwarding
The client will not feel very comfortable if he is forced to dial an additional extension number. You must understand this and create a comfortable environment for the caller.

All these 12 ways to get a customer interested over the phone, will help you in your work, and you will undoubtedly succeed if you follow them.

with requests to send some material on the basics of telephone sales to train salespeople in the department. I dug through my archives and found an article that I wrote a few months ago, but have not yet published. I present it to your attention.

There are really basics here. It is very useful to read not only new sellers, but also those. who have been working for a long time. Practice shows. What the basics need to be checked. Sellers tell you that they know all the nuances. But it is worth starting to ask with passion - they swim in elementary things.

For those who are interested in a deeper disclosure of the topic of telephone sales, I would like to offer our Almanac "Sales by phone".

This is a collection of articles and methodological materials on telephone sales - everything you need to build and manage a telephone sales department - how to select personnel for telephone sales, motivation schemes, how to deal with sales burnout on the phone, how to work with customer objections, etc. .

200 pages of up-to-date application materials written by professionals and experts in the field.

If your company promotes its products through telephone sales, I strongly recommend you the almanac "Telephone Sales".

Well, let's get back to the article.

ELEMENTS OF TELEPHONE SALES.

Phone Sales Technique: Rule of Three P's - Call, Overcome Objections, Sell.

Today, telephone sales are very common, and managers who master this art are worth their weight in gold. It would seem that this is difficult? I dialed a number, said a long-memorized text, answered a couple of questions and that's it. In practice, everything is much more complicated, and the process of telephone sales has its own characteristics, without knowing which it is easy to fail.

First you need to remember two simple things, without which it simply does not make sense to start a conversation with a client.

The first is your mental state. Not confident in your abilities? Are you afraid of rejection? Do you think they won't talk to you? If so, then it is better to postpone the call until later, when you are alert, active and confident, because these qualities are a third of your success.

The second is information. Without knowing the information, it is difficult to count on success. You must know everything about the product/service you are offering, as well as the client you are calling. Of course, it is impossible to know everything about the client, but it is not so difficult to find out in what area he works, what the name of the organization is, what it does and what its needs are. Ignorance of these things can be regarded by the client as neglect, and in this case it is difficult to count on success.

So you call the client. How should your conversation proceed?

There are three stages.

At the first stage of the conversation, it is important to establish emotional contact with the interlocutors, greet him, state the reasons for your call, and exchange a few phrases. Never start a conversation with clients with the phrase: “Hello, Ivan Ivanovich. How are you doing? ”, Especially if you are unfamiliar with Ivan Ivanovich, and, therefore, you are not very interested in the answer to this question. It is better to say something like: “Hello, Ivan Ivanovich. I am calling you on the following matter…”, i.e. let the interlocutor know that you have an important conversation with him.

At the second stage of the conversation, you must argue your statement, explain what you wanted, why the client should buy exactly your product, etc. In a word, to involve the client in a dialogue, during which to try to overcome objections, to find out the reasons for dissatisfaction with the product, if any, to prove that it actually has all the necessary qualities that the client requires.

And at the third stage of the conversation, sum up, consolidate the result.

All kinds of clients are needed, all kinds of clients are important
It would be naive to believe that all people are the same. Each person is individual. As for your potential customers, all of them can be divided into three main groups, each of which requires a different approach.
1. Cool. Such people want to have all the best, and at the slightest suspicion of the “second-rate” service or product, they refuse to cooperate. The task of the manager is to bring to such a client that the product he offers is unique and exceptional, has all the possible advantages and will be extremely useful and necessary for the client.
2. Business. Correct, serious, polite and always knows what he wants. Pressing on emotions in dealing with such a client is useless. The emphasis should be on logic, a clear presentation of all information and only reliable data. The more information you have about the client and the product you offer, the more chances you have in these negotiations.
3. Unsure. This customer is not sure that your product is really good and worth buying. Your task in this case is to show your competence, goodwill and confidence in order to be able to manage the client's opinion. Raise his self-esteem, and half the job is done.

Call to the client. 9 rules for a successful conversation.
There are two scenarios in telephone sales: the customer calls you and you call the customer. Consider the second option, which is the most difficult. When calling a client, absolutely everything must be taken into account, up to the time of the call, since a call in the early morning, for example, is not the best move. This is due to the fact that in the morning most companies hold planning meetings, meetings, so your call will be inappropriate. You should not dial the number in the period close to lunchtime, as well as at the end of the working day.
When dialing a client’s number, it is important to think over your actions in advance, it’s good to sketch out a rough conversation plan, write down questions that you should definitely discuss. In addition to all this, there are some more points that you need to know.

So, 9 rules for a successful conversation with a client:
1. Correct speech. The only thing that a client can rely on, wanting to form an opinion about you, is your voice and speech. Knowing this, it is worth taking care that the voice is confident, and the speech is correct, excluding all kinds of interjections, "ekane" and other secondary sounds.
2. Facial expressions and posture. Despite the fact that your client cannot see you, try to smile so that he can feel your friendly attitude. Take a comfortable position for you so that no little things distract you from the conversation.
3. Voice. Not everyone knows that voice is one of the marketing tools. Skillfully using intonations, changing the rhythm, timbre, speed of speech, you can direct the reaction of the interlocutor in the direction you need.
4. Convenient moment. Don't force yourself on the client. Remember, at the time of your call, it may be busy. By ignoring this opportunity, you are setting yourself up for failure. Having called the client, it is worth asking him in the very first minute of the conversation whether it is convenient for him to talk now, whether he is busy.
5. Failure is also a result. It does not happen that always and everywhere you will be greeted cordially, there will be refusals. You just need to learn how to find the reasons for failure, then perhaps on the second or third attempt you will succeed. Moreover, the sale on the first attempt is a rare phenomenon.
6. Logic. Do not state your position chaotically, jumping from one to another. It is better to build a logical chain: establish contact - identify customer needs - offer a product / service - overcome objections - take stock - end the conversation.
7. Get around the secretary. Often, many executives only take calls that were missed by their secretary. Those. the main task in this situation is to establish contact with the secretary, explain to him why you need to talk to the manager and why your proposal is important to them.
8. Prioritize. You can, of course, call everyone in a row. But another tactic will be more effective: before calling, highlight key customers. It is better to start with them.
9. Analysis. Every conversation with a client needs to be analyzed. It doesn't matter if it was successful or if you were rejected. The analysis will allow you to look at the problem from the other side, reevaluate everything, mark successful or unsuccessful moves, which will come in handy more than once in the future.

If the secretary became your first interlocutor when calling any company, then your communication with him should be friendly. No negativity addressed to him, references to his incompetence and a request to connect with someone who understands something in this matter. Words like "disturb", "sell", etc. it is better to exclude from the conversation altogether, since your interlocutor may decide that something is being imposed on him.

When you have overcome such a difficult obstacle as a secretary, tune in to a conversation with your manager. The purpose of the conversation is to meet him. Therefore, you should not post all the information at once, you need to interest him, make it clear that meeting with you is beneficial for him. To prevent the conversation from becoming like an interrogation, try to formulate your questions correctly, avoiding those that imply a one-word answer. You need dialogue. Having discussed everything that is necessary, summarize the conversation. To do this, you can use phrases such as: "So, we agreed that ...", "Thus, we decided ...", etc. The last word must be yours. You called, you and end the conversation. And don't be discouraged even if you get rejected. First, there are many clients. Not this one, but the other one. Secondly, rejection is far from being a synonym for failure, it's just that you could choose a bad moment for a conversation, and by repeating the call after a while, it is quite possible that you will achieve your goal.

Objections. And ways to overcome them.

Naturally, such cases when clients agree with everything and immediately offer a meeting or conclusion of an agreement are very rare. As a rule, every manager faces a lot of objections, ranging from a high price to the fact that “in company N, the conditions are better and the quality is higher, and in general we need to think about it.” Someone takes these words for a refusal, and someone skillfully overcomes objections, achieving success. As practice shows, there is always a way out, and almost any objection can be overcome, the main thing is not to get lost, to have information and skillfully build a conversation with a client.

Consider the main types of objections and ways to overcome them.

1. The product is one, but the price is different.
There are two possible options here. The first is when the product is just similar, but, for example, the manufacturers are different. Then you can refer to higher quality, environmental friendliness, or any features of your product that your competitors do not have. The second option is when the product is really the same, but your price is higher. In this case, it is more difficult to convince a client to purchase goods from you, but it is also possible. It is not worth saying that you have recently been on the market, have not yet been promoted, this is all not in your favor. Competition has always existed and will continue to exist. And you need not to make excuses, but to look for methods of fighting for customers.
Depending on the situation that has arisen, you can choose one of the lines of behavior.
If you can't change the situation, change the product. Those. if the product you offer is on the market in a huge quantity and range, then it may be better to change the product than to try to explain to the client that your floral wallpaper is better than the same one from a competitor. Yes, and to sell something that almost no one has and nowhere can be found much easier than a product, the demand for which is much lower than the supply.
All for the sake of the client. If the product is indeed the same, and you do not want to miss the client, then you can offer him a discount, agree to his terms. Here, however, it is worth considering what to prefer: to keep the client or to work at a loss sometimes.
Take not goods, but additional services. Perhaps you and your competitors really have the same product, and your price for it is higher. But even in this situation, you can save the client. In addition to the product, you must offer it the highest quality service. For example, the minimum cost or free delivery, after-sales service, promotions that allow you to purchase goods at a discount, competent advertising, high-level service. In a word, in war all means are good.

2. We are not interested!
It happens that a manager calls a potential client, and he cuts off his speech on the offer of a product already in the first words, stating that he is not interested. Then he just hangs up. The situation is not the most pleasant, and most importantly, it is not at all clear whether he is really not interested in your offer, or he is simply not in the mood. It is very difficult to advise something in this case, since the root causes of such behavior are not known, maybe the client is to blame, or maybe you somehow started the conversation wrong. Analyze everything that was said, maybe the truth lies right here. You can also try to call a little later, in a day or two, if the answer is the same again, then, unfortunately, this person is not your client.
If you were told that your offer was not interesting, but the phone was not immediately hung up, then you can try to clarify the situation. For example, ask a question why and what exactly does not interest a person, what may interest him in this case. Of course, you may not be answered. But you do not lose anything by asking a question, you have already received a refusal. And so, perhaps, it will turn out to find out the reason for the refusal and make the client a more profitable and interesting offer for him.

3. And they told me that that paint is better.
This kind of objection is very common. You offer your product, and the client, referring to someone else's opinion, declares that the competitor's product is better. In such a situation, never interrupt the client, do not say anything like: “Who are you listening to,” “they won’t tell you that.” Remember, the client is always right and he has the right to his point of view. Do you want to emerge victorious in such a situation? Listen to him, let him speak. And only then begin to act.

First you need to identify the source of the objection, for example, you offer hair dye, and the client says that he was told that it would be better to use a different dye. You can ask him: "And who advises you to use a different paint?" or “If it’s not a secret, who gave you such recommendations?”. Thus, with the help of detailed questions, you find out the source of the objections. In this case, the client says that this is his hairdresser.

Knowing your enemy by sight, defeating him is much easier. You should not immediately declare that the hairdresser is simply incompetent, such a move will cause rejection from the client, and success will not shine for you. It is necessary to generate doubts in the client. For example, having found out that the hairdresser works only with this paint, say that it is beneficial for the hairdresser to use it, since he can receive a percentage from the distributor. That is why he advises it to everyone, although your paint, unlike this one, is without ammonia, and, therefore, is less harmful.

4. This is a bad product. And point.
It happens that before you had time to call and describe the situation, the client claims that your product is bad. The task of the manager is to find out the reason for this opinion and try to convince the client. There are several methods for this:
Comparison. For example, you offer decorative cosmetics. And the client says that he has already bought it, and the quality is disgusting. Those. he already has experience in purchasing this product, and he is unsuccessful. The manager may express his bewilderment: “It's strange, you're the first one to say that. Maybe you purchased a fake or expired product? The client either agrees with this or denies it. The manager's next step is to persuade the client to try again, giving comparative examples: “My friend purchased hair dye from one company, and the next purchase was unsuccessful. But, given that before that, for several years, the quality suited her, she gave the company another chance, and is again satisfied with the quality. Maybe you should try again?"
Reverse example. The client says that the product is bad, although he has never encountered it. In this situation, you can refer to your customers, acquaintances or relatives using this product or service. For example, a customer says: “These boots are of poor quality. They will fall apart as soon as I walk down the street.” Your reaction: “What are you talking about, my sister got the same ones and has been wearing them for the second season”, “You shouldn't say that. Our regular customer bought similar shoes two years ago. I only talked to her yesterday, they still serve her well.”
View from the other side. You can look at any situation from different angles, and a disadvantage may well turn out to be a virtue of your product. The client says that the summer cottage is bad, because being near the railway tracks and the noise of the trains interferes with sleep? You can say in response that this is not a disadvantage at all, but an advantage. Since you do not have to walk several kilometers to the site, having arrived by train.

It is impossible to consider absolutely all the situations that arise in the process of telephone conversations. But almost everything can be overcome. What is needed for this? The recipe is simple and I have said it many times: your confidence and knowledge.

If the objections of the client have confused you, then just try to find out the reasons for the refusal. First, you can call him again, already armed with knowledge and prepared for the conversation: “Good afternoon. We talked about ... I carefully studied the information, and realized that I missed something. I would like to continue the conversation." Even if the client does not make a second contact, you will know how to behave when you find yourself in a similar situation. Therefore, never consider failure as a failure. Think of it as an added experience.
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Here is such an article.

And I remind you once again that to study the topic of telephone sales at a more advanced level, you can purchase an appendix to the magazine "Sales Management" - the almanac "Telephone Sales".

Successful sales to you.

» Sales by phone

© Oleg Tocheny

telephone marketing
(sales by phone)

Are you a telephone agent and are now going to dial a potential client to offer him a product or service? Don't rush. If you act head on, then for your interlocutor you will be just one of many who daily bothers him with such calls. Here you need to use a different tactic, thanks to which you will be able to attract the attention of the client to your offer.

Before starting the conversation, you, of course, identified a number of firms that can become clients of your firm. Find out the name of the company, the name of the contact person, other details and enter all this into the database. Now you need to think carefully about the upcoming conversation. If you write an appeal correctly and manage to arouse interest in yourself, then this company will almost certainly become your client.

Try to put yourself in the place of the client and answer the question: “Why, in fact, should I buy this product?”

There are not so many reasons why people shop

1. To save money (20% discount in the store, you need to buy jeans);
2. In order to earn money (use for the production of other goods, resell);
3. To save time (for example, the phone saves time compared to personal travel; the car saves time compared to public transport - so people pay to install phones and buy cars);
4. To maintain your social status (you need to buy a "Mere": the owner of the company is ashamed to drive a "Zhiguli");
5. And the last reason is logical considerations (by purchasing real estate, you make sure that your children, when they grow up, are provided with housing).

"Try on" this list to your potential client - and now you can come up with an introduction to the conversation.

Introduction to the conversation

The introduction to the conversation should contain no more than 75 words (otherwise, the other end of the line will have time to hang up or find an objection). To do this, you have at your disposal no more than 45 seconds - during this time you must have time to introduce the company and state the reasons why the client may be interested in your offer.

What you have time to say in these 45 seconds is very important. But just as important is how you say it. Take care of the correct intonation. You must radiate a positive attitude towards what you are doing - smile! Remember that a smile can be "seen" on the phone. If you just read something, your interlocutor will also easily understand it. Don't believe? Check with your friends. So the first thing is a smile. The second is what you actually have to say.

There are 5 stages that you need to go through in every telephone conversation with a client.

1. It is necessary to attract the attention of the interlocutor. This can be done as a greeting. As soon as you say: “Good afternoon, Mr. Petrenko!”, you will capture his attention.
2. Then you should introduce yourself. I don't think anyone should be taught this.
3. After that, you need to give the name of your company.
4. Finally, you should say something that will arouse the client's interest in your firm.

As a result, you should get something like: “Hello, Mr. Petrenko! You are concerned about Mr. Sidorenko from Service and Co. We offer talking office refrigerators that tell you which products are beginning to deteriorate and need to be used as soon as possible, to which employee they belong and how this employee reacts to the disappearance of his property from the refrigerator. A talking refrigerator will help your company save up to 20% of employees' food costs and, consequently, the payroll. In addition, this purchase excludes office duels on kefir bottles.”

5. The most difficult thing: you need to ask a question to which your interlocutor will certainly answer “yes”. For example: “Is your company interested in keeping employees productive?” Who's to say that his company is not interested in this?

But if Mr. Petrenko still says no, apologize, thank him for the time he gave you, and hang up. After such an answer, it is useless to convince him to listen to you. The likelihood that he will agree to your proposals is one chance in a thousand. It's not worth your time. It is much more useful to spend it on dialing the next number. Here you were answered "yes" - the first victory. But that's not all: most often, after a positive answer, objections follow, and below we will talk about how to deal with them.

And now a few words about how to overcome one significant obstacle, whose name is the secretary. I remind you that your task is to get through to the person who makes the decisions.

So the secretary picks up the phone. Introduce yourself, state your proposal and ask who you need to talk to. If you can't get the name, try to cheat. Pretend to be a customer, call back and ask to be connected to Mr. Ivanov from the sales department. If you are lucky and you guess right, then you will be connected immediately, if not, then pretend that you mixed up the last name. Ask for the name of the head of the sales department, and then ask to connect with him after all. Your main goal - to talk to someone who can make a decision, bypassing the secretary - is achieved. Now you can start a conversation, the result of which should be the appointment of a meeting with the client or the conclusion of an agreement.

Conversation with a client

Ten commandments of the telephone agent

1. The 20/80 rule. This means that 80% of the time you should be listening and talking only 20%. For the opening speech, you are given, as we have already said, 45 seconds. Then your task is to listen and remember the problems and needs of customers. Then you will have an excellent reason to offer the client to conclude an agreement with you, which will help him solve these problems and satisfy his needs.
2. If you want to look businesslike, never ask general questions like the weather or "How are you?". Is it appropriate to ask about the weather of an interlocutor who is at a distance of 20 km from you? Are you ready to devote the next half hour to listening to stories about other people's problems?
3. Avoid hesitations, speak specifically, accurately, observe the right intonation. Don't forget to smile! You need to speak not too slowly and not too fast, not too loud and not too soft. You must be sure that you are well heard and understood. Learn to feel when you need to pause in a conversation. Telephone agents work much more efficiently when they know how to silently wait for an answer and hang up on time.
4. Don't be upset if you get an answering machine. Your goal is to get a call back, and we'll talk about how to do that a bit later.
5. Do not rush to send information to the client at the first request, if he really does not know what he needs. In most cases, the request for information is simply a desire to keep you behind. However, there are many different ways to use this request to your advantage. You can not send anything, but just call a week later and ask if the information has reached. Usually the client answers your question and continues the conversation. You can take the prospectuses personally, citing the fact that they require explanations - here is the meeting with the client that you sought.
6. Answer objections correctly (we'll show you how to do this below).
7. Do not allow yourself disrespectful remarks towards competitors. Serious people prefer not to work with those who, in an attempt to persuade them to cooperate with themselves, point out the shortcomings of others. The client chooses partners with a positive attitude - this is how the largest companies teach their sales representatives, in particular, Kodak.
8. When working in telephone marketing, you can not miss a day. By skipping one day a week, you will fall behind so much that there is no point in even trying to catch up. Never stop calling new people - that's the only way to get new customers.
9. Never offer your firm as a "last resort" supplier. You must convince the client that your firm is the best. Experience shows that no one ever turns to the help of suppliers left "in case of emergency".
10. Don't give too much information over the phone. Remember your main goal. If you want to receive an order and you have been asked a question, it is impossible not to answer it. And if your goal is to make an appointment, it's better to use the situation to your advantage. Try to convince the client that his issue is being resolved, and your representative will be able to explain all this in person.

Homemade preparations

The usefulness of homemade preparations is difficult to assess until you start using them. Try it - and see for yourself. This is truly a lifesaver if you stumble and don't know what to say. Blanks cannot be read. There is nothing more unpleasant when a telephone agent interrupts you from business, and even reads something. In such cases, you just want to hang up. Therefore, blanks must be memorized.

In addition, blanks help to focus on the main goal of the conversation. By knowing what to say, you won't be wasting your time or the client's time. Thus, blanks will help you make more calls per day and effectively respond to possible objections. In this article, we do not offer samples of blanks: you must come up with them yourself, in accordance with your personal experience and the specifics of the company. Write down blanks: this is how you remember them and learn how to use them. In the course of work, you can always correct them and improve them.

Do they object to you? This is good

A person who does not know how to respond to customer objections is not entitled to call himself a telephone agent. An objection is a kind of chance the client gives you; use it to tell him what he wants to hear. In no case do not avoid objections. In telephone marketing, there is a rule of 3 "P": "REPEAT, SUPPORT, CONTINUE". Take it into service - and success is guaranteed to you. Repeat the objection in the form of a question. Say that one of your clients raised similar objections, but after the presentation changed his mind and decided to work with you.

Invite the interlocutor to continue the conversation. Thus, you repeated, supported and continued the conversation about your goal. During the first week of work, you will hear a lot of objections, most of which can be reduced to seven main ones. Each of them means an attempt by the client to end the conversation with you. But your position should be the following: I will now overcome this objection, and we will continue the conversation.

1. The client says that he has already tried what you offer and did not like it. To overcome this objection, use the 3-P rule (see above).
2. The customer states that he already has a supplier. Don't give up: keep asking questions until you find the "weakness" of this supplier - the point where your services are better than those that your interlocutor's firm has provided so far. Why not a chance to acquire a new client?
3. The client says that he is not interested in your product. Apply the rule of 3 P's. If the client again says that he is not interested, apply the "final blow" (technique, which will be discussed below). But if that doesn't work, hang up the phone.
4. The client tries to end the conversation with a request to send documentation. Ask the client what specific data he would like to receive. Try to reduce the conversation to the rule of 3 "R" and ask for an appointment. If a client asks you to send a price list, tell him that your price list is so extensive that it is completely inappropriate to send it; but if the client names the types of goods or services of interest to him, then you are ready to transfer data on the required items.
5. The client says that the savings from working with you are small and not worth the extra effort that will be required from him. Explain to him that he will not have additional worries, but on the contrary, you will do everything in such a way as to simplify his life. Using the 3 R's, end your conversation with a request for an order or appointment.
6. The client asks to call back in a month, because now he is too busy. Tell him that he could save a lot of money during this time, and ask if there is anyone in the office with whom you could talk for two minutes. Using the 3 R's, describe a similar experience and end with a request for a meeting or a deal.
7. The client says that these issues are not within his competence. Find out from him who is responsible for this area of ​​\u200b\u200bwork. If he does not want to answer, go back to the secretary and ask him again.

Conclusion: the obstacles that arise must be overcome. Try to work like this for at least a month, and you will understand that this tactic justifies itself.

Earn the right to offer

When talking to a client, one more important rule of telephone marketing should not be overlooked: you cannot simply call the client and invite him to place an order. But you can earn such a right even in one minute.

Follow the rules: make an introduction, correctly overcome 2-3 objections, and half the battle is done. Then, by asking the right questions and listening to the answers, you need to find out what the needs of the client are.

As soon as the client feels that you are imbued with his problems, you will establish a mutual understanding. Now you can offer him to place an order. In order to "talk" the client, you will have to use a certain technique of asking questions. Offer him something that will help solve his problems.

But maybe his firm has no problems at all? If all your attempts to find out have ended in failure, say goodbye and move on to the next client.

In your arsenal of ways to work with clients should be a special offer that is valid at the moment and does not imply risk to the client - we will talk about this below. But in any case, your task is to stand out from the crowd and say something that will make the client remember your company, your products and services.

Statistical accounting as a means of increasing the number of sales

Each telephone agent must work with a special form on which he notes everything he does. If the manager didn’t give it to you, it doesn’t matter: draw up such a form yourself and force yourself to use it every day. This will help you identify your weaknesses and increase your sales. Here are 10 things you should track every day:

1. calls.
2. The autoresponder entries you left (this will help you prepare your autoresponder template).
3. Gatekeepers (how many times a day did you hit the secretary).
4. The people responsible for contract decisions (how many times per day did you manage to convince the secretary to put you through to these people).
5. Sent faxes or mail (what needs to be sent, in what form and quantity).
6. Repeat calls.
7. Scheduled follow-up calls (how many calls you need to make).
8. Replies to your messages on the autoresponder (how effective is your autoresponder template).
9. Appointments.
10. Concluded agreements.

To do this, you need to leave him an advertisement for 20-30 seconds. The first four stages of the conversation are the same here (see above), but instead of the last question, you should write down a phrase on the answering machine that will make the client call you back. Advise, for example, that you will visit him on Tuesday at 14-00 in order to tell in more detail about the offers of your company. After that, leave your name and phone number.

Hearing that a person is going to come to his office, to whom he did not make an appointment, the client will almost certainly write down your name and phone number in order to call back and find out what the matter is. Your goal is achieved: the client called you.

But maybe he is just angry with you and wants to tell you this? As a rule, the indignation of the client can be neutralized. To his question about the meeting, answer that you just left information and wanted to know if it was possible to pay him a visit on Tuesday. If this time does not suit him, ask what is suitable. Thus, you returned to the rule of 3 "P" - repeated the offer of services of your company, supported the client and continued the conversation with a request for a meeting.

Now it's time to ask the fifth question. If the client answers "No", then you should wish all the best and hang up. And if the client answers “Yes, but ...”, you need to overcome the objection and again offer to make an appointment with you or place an order.

And finally, some useful tips:

1. Leave information on the answering machine for no more than 30 seconds.
2. Don't stutter or pause.
3. Call again. On average, to catch a person, he needs to call 4-8 times.
4. Think carefully about what you are going to say.

Special offers

In order to attract new customers, always keep special offers in reserve - coupons, discounts, free service, free shipping, trial period. A trial period means that the customer receives the product and uses it free of charge for, for example, a month before he pays for it. This is what you have to do when dealing with large companies that you would like to make your customers, but who will not agree to buy goods from you without a sample. However, do not forget to explain in detail to the client what a “free trial” is: the trial itself is free, but the client will have to pay for the goods, although 30 days later.

Special offers are best used at the end of a conversation in order to persuade a hesitant customer to the first order. This method really works and is liked by consumers. But make it clear to the client that this is a one-time offer.

About the most important thing - about ordering

1. Question one: Have you earned the right to offer an order?
2. How many times have you asked a customer to place an order? You need to offer at least three times, unless, of course, the client agrees immediately (in this case, just say: “Thank you. You will be pleased to work with us” and hang up). But in general, the first offer to place an order is always a trial one. The second time you will also object. It is the third request that is critical. Usually after it you receive an order. I do not mean that if you ask three times, the order is yours. It is possible that you will never receive this order. The following points will help you find out.
3. Make sure you mention the expiration date on your special offer. If you do this, the client will have an additional incentive to conclude a contract with you.
4. Have you asked probing questions that push the client to close the deal? With their help, you can feel whether the client is going to work with you at all.
5. Have you tried the technique called "last hit"? I mentioned this above and now I will explain what it is. When the client answers no to all your questions, ask him if he would be interested in even hearing your presentation. If the answer is “No,” politely say goodbye and hang up. You will not succeed with this client.

Focus - and success will not keep you waiting

There are people who, in a conversation with a telephone agent or a traveling salesman, talk about anything but sales. The telephone agent needs to avoid those who can "eat" his time. Plan your goals for the day before you arrive at work. You need to know how many calls you want to make, how many deals you want to make. And telephone marketing should be done daily, but no more than 2-3 hours without a break.

Get yourself going before work. This can be done in different ways. You can calculate possible profits on the way to work, you can listen to special cassettes in the subway or in a trolley bus, you can record yourself cheering yourself on a cassette and listen to it along the way.

Always call new customers first before making repeat calls. Many do the opposite, but if you keep repeating calls all the time, the influx of new customers and ideas will stop.

And the last rule: always start with the heaviest calls. Everything else after them will seem much easier. Do not hesitate, and you will be pleasantly surprised: in many companies you will be able to get through before the arrival of the secretary and talk to those who make decisions directly. So:

1. You need new clients.
2. Calls really help you get new customers.
3. The more customers a telephone agent brings in, the more money he makes.
4. You need to call every day.

Causes of failures of telephone agents

Now I would like to talk about the reasons why many telephone agents fail. Insurance companies in the West, for example, hire thousands of agents knowing that in a year 95% of them will leave. But those who remain succeed.

The reason for the failures is in the "SNSP". It stands for: fear, uncertainty, doubt, habits.

Fear. Telephone agents fail because they are afraid to make the next call lest they get rejected. This needs to be treated in a completely different way. Convince yourself that for 200 of your proposals there will be one agreement. And the sooner you get these refusals, the sooner you get to an agreement.

Uncertainty. You are not sure if the techniques you want to use will work. But there is only one way to find out - to try, analyze the results and improve the techniques.

Doubts. Let's say you decide to start following our advice from tomorrow. But then you shared your plans with someone else, and you were told that nothing would come of it. Then doubts may arise in your soul, which will cause your defeat. Don't give in to them until you try it yourself.

Habits. If you change your habits for 2 hours a day, in a month, using the techniques described by us, you will get rid of fear, insecurity and doubt. Write down your results, and if after a month they do not noticeably improve, then you are doing something wrong. Now start calling. I wish you success!

"Career", No. 2, 2000

Every manager should master the technology of telephone sales, since about 70% of transactions originate from a telephone conversation. Moreover, almost every trading enterprise tries to keep in touch with regular customers, periodically notifying them of discounts and expanding the range, and also widely practices direct search for new customers by phone.



The very technology of sales through the phone can be divided into two conditional types - when the client calls the manager and when the manager calls the client. In the first case, the manager's task is to keep the client and make him permanent, in the second - to find a new buyer, reach out to contact persons, collect basic information, etc. Accordingly, it is best to develop two regulations, prescribing the main points of telephone conversations in them and disassemble with employees tactics of behavior in a given situation.

Client manager
So, first, let's look at the basic technique of telephone conversations in the case when a client calls a company.

Greetings

Before starting a conversation, you must skip a few rings, then pick up the phone, say hello, give the name of the company and your name. Ideally, speak with a smile and keep the timbre in the most pleasant range, which is in the lower register for men, and in the middle register for women.

The tone when answering the call should be as friendly as possible, it must be remembered that at this moment the manager represents the entire company on his own behalf and is responsible for its image and reputation. If you need to switch the client to another employee, delays of more than 20-30 seconds should not be allowed - it is better to ask for a call back.

Talk

At the first exchange of phrases, it is necessary to show interest in the client's questions - listen carefully and clarify the details. It is important to stick to the golden mean here - without delaying the conversation, to delve into the essence of the issue, to give an adequate answer and the necessary information. After the client has learned the information, he is offered a product or service, and this one must be presented as if it ideally fits his requirements.

In a conversation, you need to carefully monitor the emotional state of the client, you can use psychological methods of persuasion and even something from neuro-linguistic programming, while you can borrow a lot of tricks from the technique of "live" sales.

If some information is not available at the time of the call, you should take the contact details from the caller, promising to call back by the specified date. At the same time, the term must be stipulated real, since a company that does not fulfill its promises immediately falls heavily in the eyes of the client.

End of conversation

According to the rules of etiquette, the conversation ends with the one who started it. To bring the client to the end of the conversation, you can indicate the results of the conversation. After that, you need to say goodbye, wishing, for example, a good day.

Manager - client
But, in the case when the manager calls the client, while not previously contacting him, it is necessary to use maximum cunning.

The purpose of any sale by phone is to reach the competent person of the manager, or the head of the supply department. Therefore, before calling, you need to collect as much information as possible about the structure of the client company and its needs. This can be done by a series of clarifying calls that colleagues will make (it is important only to do this not at the same time), after reading information on the Internet or getting to know one of the client's employees on social networks.

Starting a conversation

For example, a manager is interested in selling parts for a client's fleet. By collecting information, he learns that the potential client uses Volvo cars, and the director's name is Ivan Ivanovich. The beginning of the conversation may look like: “Good afternoon, can I talk to Ivan Ivanovich? This is from Autolux about problems with a Volvo transmission in your fleet." In this case, the manager has much more chances that he will be connected with Ivan Ivanovich than if he simply asks: “This is from the Autolux company, do you need spare parts?”.

Continuation of the conversation

Ideally, it's good to give the conversation a little informal coloring. For example, after reading on the forums about the problems of Volvo cars from the 2000s, you can start a conversation about them. At the same time, it is important to use open-ended questions, to which the client will give a detailed and complete answer. Talking to the client is the most important thing, let him tell as much as possible about his problems and needs.

What follows is to offer your services as delicately as possible, ideally solving his problems and needs, but at the same time avoiding imposition. It is necessary to imagine that the interlocutor is the same person, in many respects tired of the official form of communication and endless monotonous commercial offers, and base your conversation on this.

End of conversation

It doesn't take much of the client's time. The most important thing is to make contact. Therefore, the end of the conversation should be based on positivity and hope for future cooperation or communication. And do not despair if you refuse - the first time you rarely manage to sell anything. In any case, even the fact that the client learned about the company is very good, and the manager received another point in the experience of conducting telephone conversations.

Telephone sales are not easy to master, requiring experience and knowledge of the psychology of trading. But even experienced managers understand that in this case, the sales statistics will most truthfully reveal the Pareto law - out of 100 customers, only 20 will make contact, and out of these 20, only 16 will turn out to be real buyers. However, a good command of the technique of telephone conversations will enhance the reputation of the company, harden employees and make them more experienced.

Also, a deep analysis of telephone conversations can help marketing research in some way. And, of course, profitability will increase in any case, if the product is in demand, then the client will even be glad that he managed to make a bargain through a phone call, and the seller himself came to him, saving him from wasting time on unnecessary searches.

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From this article you will learn:

• How to start selling during a phone call
• How to name a price in a telephone sale
• How to handle objections in phone sales

Any product has its own value and costs a certain amount of money. If the consumer believes that the price of the product you are selling is too high, he will not buy it. The essence of selling by phone is to give the maximum value to the product, using a competent presentation. According to statistics, losses of up to 90% of possible profits for entrepreneurs are associated precisely with the inability to establish contact with customers. In this article, we will show you how to sell by phone correctly.

How to start selling during a phone call

Need to make a first impression

In the first 3-15 seconds from the beginning of a telephone conversation, the client already has an impression of you, which cannot be changed later. If your interlocutor does not like something in your voice or intonation, then the dialogue is unlikely to end in your favor, and you will be able to sell something. Therefore, the first 15 seconds of a conversation are very important: during this time you should be able to win over a person to yourself.

If you have to sell by phone, it is recommended to build a conversation in the following sequence:

1. Company name.
2. The department you work in, your position.
3. Last name and first name.
4. Greetings.

For example: “Azimuth Company, Sales Department, Irina Sokolova, hello” or “MTS Company, Account Manager Kirill Sibirtsev, good afternoon.” By naming the name of the company, you increase the level of trust.

When you voice the organization you represent, it gives the interlocutor a sense of reliability and stability. And when you indicate your position in a conversation, the person understands your direct involvement in this company, which further increases the level of trust and security.

After you have introduced yourself, you need to say a greeting. When selling by phone, you should say hello at the end of the phrase, because if you greet the interlocutor at the beginning, he will have to interrupt you to say hello in return, or hold back to say hello when you complete your text. Therefore, to avoid unnecessary embarrassment, it is better to introduce yourself first, and then say hello.

needs to be identified

At this point, we determine what exactly the interlocutor needs in order to:

1. Choose the most suitable product or service.
2. Figure out what to focus on during a presentation to meet the client's wants and needs, taking into account their individuality. If we identify the needs of this person, we can show all the benefits of the product and the benefits of purchasing it, which will significantly increase the likelihood of a deal.
3. Gather information that will help make strong arguments in favor of purchasing the product. This will help to qualitatively work out his objections with the client.

Many managers, when selling by phone, do not find out the true needs of a person. As a result, he is told about the benefits that are unprincipled for him, missing important points. In this case, the client is unlikely to be interested in the purchase.

Consider a situation where a smartphone is sold by phone in an online store:

Buyer: "Hello! I need a smartphone for a teenager.”

Manager: "I would advise you this option."

Customer: How much does it cost?

Manager: "That's it."

Customer: "OK, I'll call you if I think of it."

What is the reason that the client ended the call? Probably, the seller tried to sell a smartphone model over the phone that did not interest the buyer. Perhaps the consumer was looking for something specific - a certain color, size, cost, etc. The manager did not specify his wishes, and therefore could not interest him. For example, a client had a negative experience of owning an LG smartphone, and if you offer him this brand, he will not want to buy and will lose confidence in you.

When you sell by phone, you first need to find out the preferences of the consumer, ask who and under what circumstances will use a smartphone. If, for example, a phone is chosen for a teenager, it is not enough that he just calls: the design, the power of the camera, and the availability of all kinds of functions are important here. It is necessary to proceed to the proposal of options only after identifying desires.

Most popular questions:

1. Tell us more about what interests you?
2. Should the product have certain characteristics?
3. When would you like to receive the product?
4. In what price range are you considering the product?

Your job when you're selling over the phone is to get as much detail as possible about what the prospect wants. The success of the transaction depends on this.

Making a presentation

If you're selling over the phone, pay attention to the importance of presentation. It depends on how well you conduct it, whether the client will purchase the product or not. If the potential buyer does not describe the full value of the product, he will not be interested in it and will not make a deal.

During a telephone presentation, the following should be said.

Focus on those benefits that are of interest to the consumer. For example, the buyer says that the smartphone should be small and have a good camera. During a telephone presentation, you need to mirror the client: “Great, we just have a small smartphone that is comfortable to hold in your hand. It has very good cameras, and even the front camera is 8 megapixels, which allows you to take high-quality selfies ... ".

Thus, you should talk about all the benefits of the product and show the client that this option meets his requirements. So the buyer will see that you offer exactly what he needs.

In the next step of your phone sales presentation, you need to list the pros of the product. Once you've covered all the features that meet the client's requirements, it's time to talk about other features that you find important and attractive. It should be noted why this model is better than the others, what other buyers say about it, if such reviews already exist.

A competent presentation increases the value of the product, and in order to properly sell by phone, in no case should you neglect this stage. After it, you can already begin to discuss the terms of the purchase, talk about the price and method of payment and delivery.

If during the presentation the interlocutor interrupts you and asks questions about the cost of the product, you should proceed as follows:

1. Name the minimum price to satisfy the person's interest and reassure him.
2. Take the conversation to the next stage: set up a meeting (often sales are made only in person, when the level of trust reaches its maximum level).

How to name a price during a telephone sale

If you are faced with the task of selling goods over the phone, you do not need to voice the cost immediately. Otherwise, you will not be able to identify customer preferences and add value to the product during the presentation. The number can scare off a potential buyer and negate his interest in your offer. With this approach, you will not be able to effectively sell over the phone.

When calling, do not rush to directly answer the question about the cost of the product. First, try to identify the client's preferences to give yourself the opportunity to make a quality presentation and work through objections. Then move on to other benefits of the product, increasing its value in the eyes of the buyer. And the final stage during the sale by phone will be the announcement of the price and terms of the transaction.

An exception is if the client persistently asks to name the cost. In this case, you need to tell him about the price or go to the next stage of the presentation. When you sell by phone, you need to observe the mood of the interlocutor and act according to the situation.

The best option is not to voice the cost during a telephone conversation, but to set up a meeting at which the terms of the purchase, including the price of the goods, will be discussed. In a personal meeting, the level of customer confidence increases, as does the likelihood of the transaction itself. If we are talking about an online store and you sell by phone, then all the conditions are discussed during a conversation without additional meetings.

It may happen that the consumer wants to know the approximate cost of the goods in advance. Here you need to act according to the situation. If you feel that the buyer is not ready to come to a meeting to discuss the terms of the transaction without knowing the estimated price of the product, you need to provide it when talking on the phone. How well you manage to prepare the client for the cost depends on how long and how professionally you sell. Let's look at two examples of how to voice the price of a product.

1. When you are selling over the phone. If the cost of the product may vary depending on the configuration, functionality, quantity, do not give the exact figure. Say the minimum price of the goods with the preposition "from". For example, "Such a car will cost from 500 thousand rubles."

To make it clearer how to sell by phone, let's look at an example. Let's say you sell custom-made furniture, and your client wants a built-in wardrobe filled with shelves, hangers, and other accessories. To the question: “How much will the closet cost?”, - you need to answer that such an option will cost from 15,000 rubles (minimum price), and the final figure will depend on the size, selected fittings and other factors. Say that it is possible for a specialist to visit your home, who will take measurements for free, take into account all wishes and calculate the exact cost. It turns out that we did not immediately scare away the client with the price, but gave ourselves the opportunity to meet with him and increase the level of trust.

If your task is to sell goods over the phone at a fixed price, then you can no longer use the preposition "from". This will not help warm the contact or prepare the client for the deal, but will only cause mistrust.

1. When you sell in person. In this case, you can talk directly about the price of the goods and not try to avoid the answer. At this stage, the level of consumer confidence in you is at the maximum level, a competent presentation has already been made and the buyer is interested in the deal.

During a telephone conversation, it is better to limit yourself to identifying needs and submitting a presentation, and discuss all the nuances already in a personal meeting, when contact with a potential client has been established.