Sam picks up the phone for what feels like the 100th time.
“Here we go”, he thinks. “How many people can I annoy today.”
With a sigh, he dials the number.
“Hi Andrew. Its Sam,” his voice is tired and apologetic.
“I know you are busy. Just wondered if you have time to discuss our new range of eco boilers?”
“No? Ok, No worries.” He puts the phone down.
“You see, I knew it would be a ‘No’,” he sighs and looks at the next target on the list.
“I just knew it.”
Selling is as much about your mental resilience as it is about your selling skills. In fact, the attitude you hold and your ability to bounce back can be the difference between life and death on the sales playing field.
Here are 5 telephone sales tips to make you mentally strong and keep you bouncing back when on the phone.
1. Think success
Expect failure and you stand a higher chance of creating the very outcome you’re worried about. Expect success and you are already on the path to making it happen. This is because whatever you expect to happen becomes a ‘dominant thought’ in your head. These dominant thoughts then impact the way you speak, the way you hold yourself, your confidence and naturally how you are perceived by the prospect (and thus how likely they are to buy).
If you call a prospect whilst you are expecting failure, you become apologetic and disheartened, and when the “no” comes you accept it. After all, you were expecting it. If you call a prospect whilst feeling certain you can help and with good intent, then your voice is positive and helpful, and your confidence gives the prospect confidence in what you are selling.
2. Use powerful language
When you are selling on the phone the most important tools you have in your toolbox are the words you choose and the way you say them. Language can plant either a positive or a negative impression in the prospect’s mind. Compare these two examples:
“I’m sorry to bother you…”
“Could you bear with me a second…”
“Unfortunately we can’t do that but…”
“I hope…”
“OK, no worries… no problem…”
And
“Thank you for taking the call…”
“Yes I will get those details for you…”
“At present, we can do…”
“Great, I am confident…”
“My pleasure”
Which caller would you have more confidence in? Which caller would you be more likely to stay on the line with?
Become aware of the language you are using. Are you helping the customer see you in a positive and confident light? Or, is the conversation building a negative impression purely by your choice of words?
3.Truly believe in the value you bring
The best salespeople have genuine belief in what they are selling. When talking to your prospects, your voice needs to overflow with confidence and belief in what you are selling. True belief speaks from the heart; you truly believe what you are offering will drastically improve the customer’s life.
Some people have difficulty believing in the product. Some people just cant get excited about selling (for example) the latest Pro 760 Eco Boiler with increased hot water flow rates. However, what they can get excited about is the warm home their customer will enjoy for the next 25 years and the fact they can go on holiday twice a year with the money they save from their heating bills.
To develop belief, ask yourself, “What is the big end result that my product brings,” and get excited about that.
4. Stop taking it so personally
Learn to separate yourself from what happens when you are on the phones. People can be rude. People may tell you to go to hell. They are not having a go at you personally. You play many roles in life. You may be a son, a daughter, a mother, a father, a friend, a footballer, a foodie and a salesperson. When they say no, remember that they are just rejecting what you are selling, not you as a whole person.
5. Be bold
You only need a few seconds to be bold. However, being bold is not about being pushy; it is about having the courage to always take action and assertively move your prospect to the next step. Remember, if they are a prospect they will remain that way unless you take action.
So:
Dial the number of that prospect.
Qualify the opportunity with the decision maker.
Prepare for success.
Ask for the business.
Challenge yourself to be bold 5 times more than yesterday. It will soon become the norm.
A lot of the time people worry that being bold will risk losing the prospect. This is just an illusion; in reality you do not “have them” yet, therefore, you actually have nothing to lose. Also, if you phone with the intent to genuinely help this will come across in your voice and you will not drive them away.
In fact, the only thing you risk by being bold is your own ego.
And by being mentally strong you can control how much you let your ego be dented.
Mental strength is something that takes time and repeated effort, however by using the telephone sales tips above you will start to become stronger, bounce back harder and develop the confidence to be even more effective.
