Not everybody is born a hardcore negotiator, and selling something over the phone can indeed be a challenging task. If you’re working at a call center, for instance, you often need to speak about offers and promotions with your customers. However, doing your job well can be difficult, at least if you do not have any prior experience.
You can sell just about any product over the phone as you speak to a customer. If you notice that he likes football, you could offer him sports equipment and a subscription to a sports program, for instance. If he’s into horror movies, on the other hand, you could offer him a nice poster with Jenna Ortega, the actress who plays Wednesday Adams in the Wednesday TV series.
Let’s face it: when a person who you don’t know makes you an offer over the phone, you are much less inclined to accept it compared to how you would feel if you spoke to that person face to face. That’s why selling something over the phone can be a very difficult job, but gladly, we’re here to help!
Prepare and research:
Before you make a call, you should thoroughly research your products or services, as well as your target audience, to know as best as possible what you’re dealing with. You have to understand the features, benefits, as well as unique selling points of your offerings and tailor your pitch to address the specific needs and pain points of your prospects.
Create a script or outline:
Go ahead and build a script or outline that specifies important talking points and objections. While you don’t need to sound scripted but credible, having a framework can help keep the conversation focused and make sure you cover all of the needed points.
Listen actively:
Did you know that humans in general like to speak than listen? Well, don’t be one of them, especially if you work at a call center! You can practice active listening skills by paying close attention to what the other person is saying and asking open-ended questions to uncover their needs and preferences. You should also tailor your pitch based on the information you gather and prove empathy and understanding.
Handle objections professionally:
You have to anticipate common objections and prepare effective responses in order to address them. Feel free to acknowledge the prospect’s concerns, provide relevant information or solutions, as well as emphasize the value of your offerings.
Use persuasive language:
You should incorporate persuasive language and techniques into your pitch in order to influence prospects’ decisions. Go ahead and highlight scarcity, social proof, and other persuasive principles to create a sense of urgency and credibility.
Offer solutions, not just products:
It’s also a good idea to position your offerings as solutions to the prospect’s problems or needs. It’s important as well to prove how your products or services can provide tangible benefits and deliver results.
Focus on benefits:
Instead of solely listing features, you have to focus on the benefits that your products or services can provide to possible customers. You should always highlight how your offerings can solve their problems, improve their lives, or address their needs. Nobody likes to buy the latest iPhone simply because it’s the best smartphone, if they don’t really need the product.
Follow up promptly:
After each call, follow up promptly with extra information, resources, or next steps, in order to make the customer feel that you care about his needs. You can also stay organized and keep track of your interactions with customers to ensure timely follow-ups and nurture leads effectively.
Continuous improvement:
We can also improve ourselves in every aspect of our lives, and that simple principle also applies to selling in general. Therefore, you should frequently evaluate your performance, gather feedback, and identify areas for improvement. It’s always a good idea to experiment with different approaches, techniques, and strategies to refine your sales process and increase your effectiveness over time.
Build rapport:
Nobody will buy anything from you if they don’t trust you. Therefore, it’s crucial to establish rapport with prospects. You can start the conversation with a friendly greeting and engage in small talk to create a connection before diving into your offer. Feel free to show genuine interest in the prospect’s needs and concerns. If you sound fake, surely the customer will notice most of the times.
Do you have any other tips that you can share with us? Feel free to tell us in the comments below!
Tim M. Hill helped bring Digital-Overload from a weekly newsletter to a full-fledged news site by creating a new website and branding. He continues to assist in keeping the site responsive and well organized for the readers. As a writer to Digital-Overload, Tim mainly covers mobile news and gadgets.
