Avoid these Telephone mistakes.

This is one in a series of articles on approaches to enhancing sales performance. The articles include presentation skills, cold calling, closing, questioning skills, territory management, progressing the sales and many others.

MISTAKE 5: NONEXISTENT OR INADEQUATE QUESTIONING

If a doctor writes a prescription without proper diagnosis, it would suggest malpractice and yet salespeople suggest treatment without diagnosis all the time. This offering of solutions or products before questioning to uncover real needs is usually disastrous for the salesperson: There is an immediate lose of credibility in the listener's mind, since the caller foolishly rambles on about what he/she wants to sell, not what the listener might be interested in buying. What happens is that prospect/customer channels energy into thinking of how to get the caller off the phone, instead of participating in a meaningful conversation. Ultimately, prospects and customers bring up objections or stalls to end the pain the salesperson is causing them.

Action Steps: Map out your questioning strategy before your call.

• Take all of your benefits and write them, one beneath another, down the left-hand side of a piece of paper.

• Then draw two columns down the page to the right of the words.

• Label the first column "Needs Filled/Problems Solved."

• Then for each benefit write out what need or problem the corresponding benefit satisfies. Label the right-hand column "Questions to Ask."

• For each need or problem write a question that would determine whether that situation existed.

Use these questions during your call.

For example, your business offers overnight delivery on orders received by 5:00 P.M.., while all the other competitors cut off their ordering time at 12:00 noon for next day-delivery. The "Needs Filled/Problems Solved" would be the prospect often has last minute orders they require the next day, and their existing vendor isn't able to meet those requests, therefore it causes inconveniences, and maybe even lost business. Only in these situations would the overnight delivery be a main buying motivator. Otherwise it might be a "nice to know" feature that the prospect might be able to take advantage of in the future if he needed it, or worse, the prospect might think, "I never get in a situation where I need something that quickly. I don't care about that feature at all. Maybe that's why their price is higher." (See how presenting what you think is a benefit could actually create an objection?)

Make sure you don't present what you "think" is a benefit until you've confirmed it by asking the corresponding questions. Here are some examples:

• "How quickly do you normally need delivery?"

• "Do you ever need next-day delivery on orders you realize you need to place
  later in the day?"

• "What do you do in situations like that?"

• "What happens when you need it the next day, but have to wait for two days?

• What kind of inconvenience does that cause?"

• You can see in this situation, if the questions uncovered the need/problem, the "benefit" would then truly be of value.

4. POOR PREPARATION

Consider if an airline pilot got on the intercom just after takeoff and said, "Ladies and gentlemen thank you for flying with us today. We're going to fly somewhere, I'm just not sure exactly where, but I hope it's the right place."

Absurd, right?

Now consider another scenario. A salesperson plops down in the chair, flips on the computer or pulls out prospect names, while at the same time dials the first number. If you'd ask him/her what's to be accomplished on the call, you'd hear a vague response about a sale, appointment, lead, and so on. But that rep wouldn't be able to tell you any more about how he/she planned on getting there than the hypothetical pilot could about reaching his destination.

Poor preparation ensures sloppy, rambling calls.

Action Steps: Set your Primary Objective.

• This means knowing where you are before the call and determining where you want to be at the end of the call.

• Ask yourself what you want to do at the end of the call, and what they should do at the end of the call.

• The objective must involve ACTION. If nobody's doing anything, then why are you making the call?

• After you've set your objective according to this definition you simply fill in the blanks with what needs to happen for you to travel from point A to point B. You'll realize what information you'll need, and the information you'll want to present based on those needs.

3. MISUNDERSTAND OBJECTIONS

Before I go into companies and deliver sales training programs I always ask managers the areas they feel their reps need the most assistance. When they say, "We need the most work on overcoming objections," I'm in for a lot of work. The reason is, more objections are caused by sales reps than by any other factor. People object when reps don't question effectively, when they talk too much and basically present features the person isn't excited about.

Action Steps: The best way to deal with objections is to prevent them from arising in the first place.

Ensure you have a fit before making a presentation. However, when objections do arise, the only way to professionally address them is to understand for the reasons behind them. Only then can you begin to understand it, and then perhaps answer it. I said perhaps, because there isn't an answer for every real objection, despite what some sales evangelists preach. My favourite response to an objection is,

"I see. Well, let's talk about that."

This lets the person know I won't pounce on them for their beliefs, but I do intend on sincerely discussing it with them. Try the same approach and then question to figure out why they said what they did. You’ll find that this is a painless, non-adversarial way to deal with objections.

2. RELUCTANCE TO GET COMMITMENT

This is the activity that takes the least amount of skill to execute, but yet is the hardest for many people to actually perform: Asking for the sale or asking for commitment to take action.
Even if prospects are leaning in your favour, they might not volunteer the action you want unless you make it easy by inviting them to do business with you. I've seen a lot of money left on the table, and hours wasted on unproductive follow-up calls, both a result of not asking for the business, or at least asking for some commitment from the prospect.

Action Step: Build the asking habit.

Very simply, if you want to get different results, you have to change your routine. If you're not asking for commitment or for the sale as often as you should, you need to analyse why, and then make the change.

If your problem is rejection sensitivity, modify the way you define rejection. Don't look at no's as rejection; look at no's as learning experiences that move you closer to a yes.

Begin in all areas of your life. Get out of your comfort zone and ask for more of what you want. Better tables in restaurants, discounts on merchandise, whatever . . . just do it! And on the phone, ask for the sale more often. When someone is going to "talk it over," ask if they're going to recommend it. If they try to put you off by saying they'll "think about it" and call you later, ask them what the chances are they'll buy. Sure you'll get more "no's." But the positive answers you'll get save you time, and result in more business. Plus it will build the closing behaviour.

MISTAKE 1: OPENING STATEMENTS THAT BUILD RESISTANCE, NOT INTEREST

Within the first 15 seconds, you create one of two emotions within the person you're speaking to: Resistance or interest.

Nothing else.

Unfortunately, most callers create resistance. And that results in what they perceive as morale-killing rejection, along with an early exit from the phone call.

They start with an uninspiring line like,

"We sell _________ and I'd like to talk to you about them."

The listener then justifiably thinks, "So what? Why should I listen?"

Here's another sure resistance-builder.

"I sent you a letter and was wondering if you got it?"

So what if they did? What are they supposed to say? "Oh yes! Glad you called. I was just sitting here thinking that I should buy from you!" Yeah, right.

What SHOULD you say during an opening to evoke interest? Here's the simple three-step success formula.

1. Introduce yourself and organization.

2. Most importantly, state an interest-stimulating, curiosity-piquing benefit that appeals to their desire to gain, or avoid loss, and,

3. Get them involved in a conversation. Remember, you want to do more listening
than talking. Tell them that in order to deliver the potential benefit you alluded to, you need to get information. Here are examples,

"I'm Steve Smele with Atlantis Industries. We specialize in working with retail stores to lower overall advertising expenses while generating more store traffic. I've got a few ideas I'd like to discuss to see if this would be of any value to you and your company . . ."

Another,

"This is Bob Jenkins with Acme Cleaning Supplies. The reason I'm calling is that there's the possibility we might be able to help you cut down on your expenses for the exact same cleaning items you're now buying. To determine this, I'd like to find out what you're using.."

If you asked questions of the screener as we mentioned earlier, and received good information, you could use that in your opener to personalize it even more.

"Ms. Davis, I'm Paul Walker with Widget Engineering. I understand that your division is now looking at upgrading your finishing process on ultramagnetic components. We have a process that has worked well for other manufacturers, and, depending on your requirements, might be something that would fit in nicely with your system.."

Your calls to regular customers must have an attention grabbing opener also. Every time you call, without exception, have a Value Added Point. It's anything that allows them to feel they've gained by simply talking to you. It can be good news, useful information, notification of a sale, ideas you have . . . anything they will perceive as useful.

"Sally, it's Paula with Mori Services. I was studying what you've been buying from us over the past two years, and I've got an idea here for a program that might just make your job a little easier."

You could also use,

"I heard some interesting information, and you came to mind as someone who could really profit from it."

The real test to be sure you have a winning opener is to put yourself in the position of the person hearing it. Ask yourself if you would want to hear more if you were the buyer. Would you set aside whatever you were doing and willingly participate in the call? If not, go back to the drawing board before you fail the quiz with a real prospect.

And, be sure your opener says as much as possible, with as few words as possible. ONLY by appealing to their desire to gain, or fear of losing something, will you cause them to spend productive time with you, and eventually buy from you.

By avoiding these mistakes and following the Action Steps, you have the foundation for a professional presentation that both you and your prospect will feel good about. However, we've just scratched the surface of the Action Steps, and if you'd like more information on making yourself a better salesperson, I invite you to take the time to talk to me about some additional training by clicking on the link below.