How To Open Up an Inbound Telesales Call (II) Blog Feature
Molly D Protosow

By: Molly D Protosow on April 5th, 2013

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How To Open Up an Inbound Telesales Call (II)

selling | prospect | Sales Tips | Sales Training | strategy | phone | Objection Handling | Pipeline Management

Thanks for staying tuned. In today’s post, we will be covering the final two considerations to have when successfully opening up a call.

3. Our “First Questions.” 

This breaks down into two components.  The first is to “qualify.”  In other words, not everyone that you speak with is going to be able to be serviced by you.  They may have called the wrong number, wrong division, wrong department, but aside from that, what you should aim to do each time is to engage them in a conversation.  Do not just find out why they’re calling and give them an answer because that would be giving up the opportunity to engage

The second is to explore the possibility that before the person ever called you, a change took place in his/her life.  This could have happened anywhere from a few minutes to perhaps months ago.  Maybe he’s thinking about going on a vacation or about to commit to a purchase.  He is thinking that something needs to be done now or in the future because something is changing or will change.  He has either been looking into solutions for some time now or will begin his quest to do so.  The only things you can assume to be certain are: (A) something has changed and (B) however long it has been since he began his quest, he hasn’t found anything yet (lucky for you!). Why not explore this territory of opportunity while you are talking to him and ask,

  • “Have you looked at anything else?” 
  • “Why haven’t you already made a purchase decision?” 
  • “How long have you been doing this?”
  •  “What was the reason you called me?  What was the reason you called me today?”

red_phone_receiver_call-1

 As you begin to ask these kinds of questions, you will have a better conversation. 

4. And finally, consider the “First Answer.” 

If someone were to ask you to explain something and gave you all the time you needed, utilizing all the media help in the world, you could probably fill an hour or more answering questions about what your company does and what makes it outstanding.   

What we are faced with is the more difficult task of relaying the benefits in the fewest number of words possible. 

one_more_call

You  must alert your ears and listen to why the person is calling and clearly explain the benefits, not the features of what you are selling.  How will the benefit absolutely translate into what the individual needs that day?  The more easily the prospect can see the connection between what he is looking for and what you are selling, the more often you will successfully close sales.

 

 

 Remember to reinforce the 4 necessary things to consider when opening up a telesales call: 1. The Blend of Qualities  2. First Words  3. First Questions  4. First Answers

 

About the Author:

Steve_Bookbinder

Steve Bookbinder is Co-founder and CEO of Digital Media Training, a training partner to some of the most successful sales organizations around the world.  DMT delivers training which treats sales as a competitive sport and changes behavior needed to help sellers consistently win.  DMT is a leader in M-learning training reinforcement with a proven track record of improving sales through training. Steve has delivered more than 500 keynote speeches at national sales meetings, conducted more than 3,000 training workshops and trained, coached and managed more than 35,000 sellers and managers from leading companies around the world for more than 20 years.

 

About Molly D Protosow

Molly Protosow is the COO and Training Strategist for DMTraining. She manages the day-to-day business and training operations while helping research and develop new training programs as well as refreshing signature programs to reflect the newest sales trends, technology, and best practices. Molly utilizes her wide-range of skills to create sales and marketing assets focused on delivering value to DMT’s clients. Molly has a passion for learning and leveraging new knowledge and experiences. Outside of DMTraining, Molly is a hard core Pittsburgh sports fan, enjoys staying active by running and golfing, and unwinds by reading and playing the piano.

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