Last week we looked at selling and the importance of attitude, activities and acumen in this area.

We also touched on the importance of making those vital calls to contacts and prospects.

So this week we will look at some hints and tips to make those all important calls as effectively as possible.

It all begins with the preparation and here is a useful mnemonic to help with this.

P – Place must be business like.

R – Ready for business – have all the things you need to hand.

E – Expect a positive outcome and develop some positive affirmations.

P – Professionalism – don’t be over familiar on the call and it can also help to stand up to make the calls.

A – Anticipate opportunities and look out for them.

R – Research – ideally find out information about the company before the call

A – Attractive systems – diary systems, databases, CRM system.

T – Talk to everyone and get ideas on how best to make calls.

I –  Interest – keep sounding interested and use a warm tone of voice.

O – Overcome negatives and prepare yourself for some objection handling. What are the typical objections and what are your responses? See the rest of the blog for this.

N – Note down everything and use a template for the calls to help you structure them.

The above offers some ideas, but make your own plan for each time you start to make some calls.

 

Let us now look at handling objections in a little more detail.

Handling objections

Objections typically fall into the following categories:

  • I don’t have the money
  • I don’t have the time
  • I don’t believe you  
  • It wont work for me

 

Try and pre-frame these out before you and they get to them in the consultative sale. But if you encounter them be prepared.

You can use what are called spin patterns, which are a form of advanced “reframing” technique. Or in essence trying to get people to see things in a different and more helpful way.

Here are 12 reframes you can consider. I have used an example “Your training course is too expensive” to help illustrate this.

Here are the 12 responses for each type of reframe:

  • Shift to a larger frame – “How affordable is this in terms of what it could bring”
  • Perspectives of others – “Here is some feedback we have had off others …”
  • Higher values – “Are you and your business worth the investment?”
  • Negative consequences – “What do you feel will be cost of not doing this?”
  • Higher level of abstraction – “Not doing this may well keep the business from developing”
  • Analogy or metaphor – Tell a story of someone else’s experience
  • Transcend generalisations – “Too expensive compared to what?”
  • Turn to another issue of greater importance – “The expense it not issue but how much you and the business are worth investment”
  • Evaluations – “Where there is a will there is a way”
  • Reversal – “If you attend you will grow and afford even more investment in your business”
  • Newly define in a different way – “Not expensive but Value For Money”
  • Explore intention from behaviour – “Are you interested in wise investment”

 

Help people see an empowering viewpoint (but don’t manipulate them!).

 

And finally, here are some hints and tips to consider to raise your game further.

Hints and tips

  • Think about what your USP (Unique Selling Point) is and promote what is unique about your business.
  • Have a short 1 minute speech ready about what your service is and what makes you special! You can use this to summarise at the start of the call.
  • Use open questioning techniques to find out more about their business, issues and needs.
  • Listen to the problems or requirements they have. What is special about you or your services that will solve the issues or meet the requirements they have?
  • You can plant seeds in the conversation.  For example “it sounds like you need someone to ….…”
  • Try not to sell overtly but educate enthusiastically in a positive uplifting manner and lead them to a buying decision.
  • Focus on your services as they deliver benefits and results for them.
  • Shift from thinking about selling to adding value.
  • Become a master at closing the sale.
  • Make some notes next time someone calls you to sell something and see what worked and didn’t work for you!
  • Follow up the call with value add information specific to them!

 

If you would like to discuss how to raise your game in making those all important calls, please call me on 07912143040 or email me at tony@bb-ds.co.uk.