Keep it short
Keeping your calls short and to the point can help to show that you value and respect customers’ time. While it is important to establish a connection with customers it is equally, if not more, important to get to the point fast. At the end of the day you’re not calling them to catch up with an old friend, you’re calling to help grow and support each others business. When you keep calls short and targeted, customers may feel a sense of urgency to move things forward.
Learn their needs
While there may be similarities in contacting customers and discovering their needs, each customer will have a unique set of challenges and goals that you must help them overcome and accomplish. Build a relationship with each customer or prospect to break down their walls and figure out what their needs are. Sometimes, a customer needs more than just a specific product; they may need training for their sales team, help creating a private label brand or even organizing their current product segment. When you uncover each customer’s specific needs you are better able to help their business.
Think Positive
Keeping a positive mindset is pertinent to success in sales, and any field. Nobody wants to buy something from someone who sounds like they hate their job. Stay positive, both internally and externally. Internally, you need to ask yourself what success on this call looks like and how you can achieve it. Externally, you need to put out a positive aura and respond to people in kind, stay friendly and engaged but not overly excited. With a positive mindset even the hardest sell is possible.
Be aware of competition
You are likely not the only person a prospect or customer has spoken to. While many companies have a healthy relationship with their competition it is important to remember just that, they are the competition. Customers and prospects may use information you’ve discussed with them to further conversations with your competition. This is why it can be beneficial to leverage your solutions against the competition. Ask questions to better discover who your competition is by customer. Examples:
- “What has your experience been with [their current provider] and why did you seek it out?”
- “Why do you need another solution?” “Do you hope to replace [their current provider] or use it with another product/service?”
- “What do you think about how we compare to other solutions you’re interested in?”