Professional sales phone etiquette is the way you represent yourself and your business to prospects you reach on the telephone. These can include your word choice, listening skills, and tone of voice. Phone etiquette is built around the idea that the telephone is the first touch-point people have with a business. People still prefer to speak with a real live person to get answers. A good first impression will improve your chances of engaging prospects in further conversations. However, having a poor experience with a salesperson over the phone will likely persist in the mindset of the prospect for the foreseeable future.
The Essentials of Professional Sales Phone Etiquette
To be successful with your professional sales phone etiquette, there are certain skills that you will need to develop. You should have enthusiasm while speaking with clients and have the patience to listen while the prospect is speaking. You should have passion for what you are selling while also having the confidence to speak about your service and remember to always stay positive. If you happen to reach your prospect on the phone, start with a short introduction about yourself, why you are calling, then ask them if now is a good time to speak. If they respond by saying that they do not have the time, propose a time for later that day or another date for a follow-up call. Always remember to speak clearly but avoid speaking too quickly. For more essential tips on selling over the phone consider this article. Should the client need more information, ask them to head over to the company website and make sure that you keep the content of your web-based platforms updated. For information on creating effective content consider this article.
Do Your Research
Always remember to know a few basic things about the prospect you are calling. Ideally, these would include information about what kind of business they are in, current clients who are also in the same industry, or any relevant news regarding their business. You should also know who their competitors are, gathering this information should only take a short amount of time. The goal is to use this information during your conversion to help you build a rapport with the prospect. The truth is, most of the professional sales phone etiquette goes into actively listening to prospects. Try to engage the prospect with open-ended questions that avoid yes or no answers. These questions are designed to allow the client to tell you more about their needs or if they are truly a fit for your services. The key to asking questions is active listening when they deliver an answer to you. For more information on some tips on conducting research consider this article.
Call-to-Action
If you spoke on the phone with a client and they seemed open to learning more information about your service, it is important to deliver a call-to-action for them. This means that while speaking with them, there should be an agreed-upon action that will be taken by either yourself or the client. This could be such things as passing along further information to the client or proposing a follow-up meeting with the client. You should always identify what the next steps are and what information or action they should be expecting from you. Keep in mind that if you plan to set up a future meeting, it is important to get a specific date and time from the client. It is best to avoid the tactic of blindly following up with them in a week or two, so always get a specific date whenever possible. The goal of a call-to-action is to progressively move clients through your qualification process to identify opportunities. For more information on calls-to-action you can read this article.
Remember that the goal of proper professional sales phone etiquette is to present yourself and your business in the most positive way through the eyes of the prospect. If you need help with your professional sales phone etiquette you can always reach to me for a conversation.
