Making better sales calls means practicing and developing the skill. At first, you may find your sales calls quite awkward. With time, they will become much better. Here are a few very important tips for making better sales calls.
Start Sales Calls With a Bang
As with most advertising, you only have a few seconds to get your client interested. People get dozens of sales calls a week, and they need a reason to listen to yours. Make sure you’re able to start your sales call with something catchy, but not too pushy. Be direct, concise, personal, and positive. Try asking your client about their day: people like to talk about their own experiences.
Don’t Bad-Mouth Competitors
When you speak negatively about the competition, it’s uncomfortable. Speaking negatively at all is going to associate your company and its brand with negative things, and no one wants to be associated with negative things. Avoid bad-mouthing the competition; instead, focus on all the positives about your brand. It’s fine to say that your brand has something that another brand does not. It’s not okay to say that another brand is bad because it doesn’t have those things.
Use Awesome Labels
You want your clients to think in your words and with your jargon. Use distinctive turns of phrase to get them thinking about your brand in a unique way. Create a brief pitch about your company’s brand and focus heavily on the language that you’re using. Language is how your clients are going to connect with your brand.
Set the Agenda and Stay in Control
Conversations have a way of drifting. You don’t want to spend all your time making small talk, even if a little small talk can improve your results. Make sure you stay in control of the conversation and you don’t meander, because when you lose control of the conversation, you also lose control of the sale. Write down a step-by-step agenda and refer back to that agenda at intervals, to make sure you’re covering everything that you need to cover.
Stand Up
There’s a reason why people use stand up desks. You can stand up while on the call to feel more active and engaged. It will prevent you from zoning out during the conversation, thinking about other things, or losing track of where you were. Pacing and walking around can also keep your mind more active, and it’s good for your health. Standing up has an additional effect of making you sound more confident.
Use Emphasis Wisely
Study people who frequently talk, such as orators. You’ll notice that they don’t speak like a normal person does. They put emphasis on specific words: words that are particularly meaningful. You can also join groups that are centered around speaking engagements. By studying your own patterns of speech, you can learn to speak more convincingly. When you’re on the phone, all you have is your voice: you can’t rely on body language.