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It takes practice to sell successfully over the phone and you need a stellar sales pitch to capture customers. Have you or your sales reps ever experienced phone choke? It's a pernicious malady that strikes most sales reps at one time or another. You know the symptoms: a quivering voice, a dry mouth, shaky hands, and a brain that goes utterly blank while you're on the phone with a prospect. To inoculate your sales force against phone choke, crafting a sales script may be the prescription.
- Don't be too rigid. A natural script may sound like an oxymoron, but a well-sculpted script can flow organically. The reason a canned script sounds too stiff is because the salesperson delivering it didn't write it. One way to beat wooden script delivery is to let your reps customize their own scripts so they come across in their unique voices. Provide a template, and plan to review and approve each rep's version before it goes into circulation. - Get to the point. You have less than the time of TV spot to establish a connection. According to sales book author George Ludwig, from the moment the buyer picks up the phone, you have 20 seconds to reduce tension and create interest. The sales rep's number one aim should be to rapidly create curiosity to start rapport building and lessen anxiety. - Be a movie star. When you watch a good actor in a movie, you don't think of him reading lines. A talented actor nails his part, the words sound natural, and there's no evidence of a scripted performance. - Learn it, live it, love it. Reps must know the script cold to prevent fumbling from point to point. Reps should practice reading the script aloud, rather than just to themselves, until it sounds like their own style of speaking. - Don't ask stupid questions. Research prospects in advance to avoid posing irrelevant questions. Asking a question that doesn't fit a prospect shows a lack of preparation and eradicates credibility. - Skip trite language. Don't launch a conversation with the threadbare, "How are you doing today?" The phrase is clichéd, and everyone hears it as a signal for a sales call. Try something like, "Can you spare a minute?" instead. - Look for business beyond the call. Closing is not the only goal of a sales call. Sometimes, moving the relationship along a step so you can be closer to closing on the next call is a better approach than trying to close right away. - Hush up. Don't be in such a rush to deliver your message that the prospect cannot get a word in. Though you're working from a script, a sales call is a dialogue, not a monologue. Use call outlines, which are interactive and give prospects the floor often. The more you learn about a prospect's needs, the more you unearth sales opportunities.
Tips to Become a Top Notch SalesmanEvery company relies on its sales in order to thrive. Among other things, the success or the failure of a business depends upon how much it has sold over a certain period of time. And, if you really look at the data closely, you will see that the wealthiest people in an organization are those people who make up the sales group--aside from the president, of course. Salesmen are given substantial commissions on each completed transaction they produce for the company. Thats aside from the basic paycheck they receive every month and doesnt include any bonuses and incentives given to them when they hit the target. But not everybody succeeds in sales because selling is rather challenging even though it is an exciting job. So, do you want to be a salesman? Here are some good tips to help you climb the ladder of selling success. 1. Know your product. Youve got to be familiar with your product both inside and out. A good salesman must be able to convey what his product has to offer to his prospective customers. Nobody will buy from a salesman who has no idea what he is talking about. 2. Handle negative reactions well. A person will not be sold on the idea of buying your products right away. In fact, even the most interested buyers may not pay any attention to what you are offering. But, with the right words and the proper enticement, you will be able to close a sale even with the most negative buyer you encounter. 3. Be jovial. Friendliness, warmth, and the ability to talk to anyone are just some of the essential qualities of a good salesman. The key is to capture the trust of your customers. Once you gain that trust, everything else will follow. 4. Be honest. If you sell because you lie to your customers, for sure, they wont be happy with their purchases. Give your customers realistic expectations from your products. Customers do not like to be deceived. 5. Be accommodating. Being a salesman does not start and end with acquiring a sale. You also have to attend to your customers possible needs. Support, either technical or otherwise, should be apparent in the products that you sell. 6. Do not dwell on failures. Nobody will tell you that being a salesman is easy. There will be frustrations. There will be people who are too unkind to talk to you. There will be some who slam the door in your face. It is just a matter of how you treat these disappointments. Get these tips working and you will soon get your new car, your new house, and a big, fat, paycheck. All you really need is sheer determination and the full desire to succeed. Giving Powerful Sales PresentationsLet's face it. Most of the sales presentations we see today are extremely boring. People are tapping their feet on the floor, impatiently waiting for the session to end, while others are doodling aimlessly on their notepads, secretly hoping that an elephant would suddenly burst into the room and chase the presenter away. If you want to close a deal with your prospect, you have to invest time and effort in making sure your sales presentation is something that he or she will never forget. Recall is a very important feature of powerful presentations. And if your particular product or service is a little short of what your client is looking for, a good presentation might just be what will transform his or her disinterest into a realization, an eureka moment, a "Hey, I DO need this" moment. How do you deliver a sales pitch that will have your prospects asking questions and dreaming about it for days? Here are a few tips you might want to try out. 1. Get psyched, yourself. When you are delivering the presentation, you are given the limelight and all eyes in the room will be on you. Take advantage of this opportunity and give a powerful performance. You have been given the wheels to steer for a while, so you must work at motivating your listeners to also go where you are heading. Show interest and excitement over what you are offering so that your listeners will be psyched themselves. Positive energy is contagious. You don't have to be a clown to entertain your prospects. What you need to be is psyched and pumped up before the presentation starts, and your positivism will naturally emanate throughout the rest of the session. Your goal is to make your prospects feel good that they set aside time for you. 2. Exploit audience participation. Most people expect meetings and presentations to begin with boring introductions and end with equally ho-hum conclusions. Why not try a different route and begin by seeking participation from the audience? Ask them questions that would pique their interest in what you are offering. For instance, if you're trying to propose a new car model, ask the audience first what they want to improve in existing cars, or what they absolutely hate about the present models. Do this in moderation, though, because too much can be annoying. Not everyone likes to participate in "small talk" during a presentation so you have to keep this at moderate levels. 3. Make eye contact. This shows that you know what your are talking about and are not simply reading off a memorized spiel in your head. Eye contact signals sincerity. This is what most clients are looking for in sales persons. 4. Don't make unnecessary movements. Too many hand gesticulations and constant movements will distract your audience and prevent them from listening intently to what you are saying. Limit your movements to a minimum and gesticulate only when necessary, like if you want to stress a point. People who move too much during sales presentations give off the impression that they are unprepared and very nervous about what they are doing. Plant your feet firmly on the floor and stand with your back straight. Dont be a stiffy, either. 5. Listen. Your voice is not the only one that counts during a presentation. If somebody wants to make a comment or a suggestion, listen. Don't try to contradict if you don't agree. Instead, present an alternative, or highlight the positive aspects of your product or service. Arguing with your client is a major no-no. You want to close a deal with him or her, not engage in a brawl.
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