Saturday, February 07, 2009
Doing telemarketing right – part 2
By Mike Lake
In part one, we discussed qualifying the person you’re calling in order to determine if you have a prospect for your product or service. In my opinion, a mistake many salespeople make is trying to convince their prospect that they have the problem their product or service will fix, rather than spending the time finding people aware of their problem who genuinely want to fix it.
So, you’ve got someone on the other end of the phone who’s answered the qualifying question we discussed in part one in a manner that identifies a possible need for your product or service. At this point you might tell them a bit more about your product, but your emphasis should be on learning more about the problem they wish to solve and their level of interest in finding a solution like yours. Restrain yourself from going into the big pitch.
This article is much more focused on telemarketing as a means to set an appointment or take a next step of some sort. If you are selling a product directly over the phone, once you’ve found someone who admits wanting to solve the problem your product solves, it’s time to close and ask for payment. Simply put, it means asking a question, the answer to which provides you with a sign that they may buy. Typical questions of this sort include asking how many units the prospect wishes to own, what color, when she wants it delivered, etc. Talk less. Ask questions and close more.
Back to calling for an appointment: Let’s say, for example, you are an investment adviser. Your qualifying question (again, from part one) is… “Are you completely satisfied with the return you’re getting on your entire portfolio?”. I might add, “Is you current adviser communicating well and regularly with you about your various options as you go along?” An answer you might get is, “Well, no one can expect much these days, but I’m not thrilled with my returns.” You would then ask, “What return would you be happy with?” Assuming an answer aligned with your abilities, you might ask, “If I could demonstrate that type of return, would it be worth a half hour of your time to discuss it?” The principle at play here is: Offer the possibility of something big or satisfying, then ask for something small from the prospect in return.
If the prospect says, “No”, restrain yourself from asking, “Why not?” That often puts him in a position of having to justify his answer and you end up getting an excuse that’s not the real objection. Instead, ask something that gets to his motivations like, “Have you thought about when you’d like to retire?” This question gets him thinking about possibly running out of time to sufficiently grow his nest egg. Ask, “Can I ask you how much you’d like to have saved by then?” Listen to the answer, then perhaps ask, “Can it hurt to take 30 minutes to look at a possible strategy for reaching your goals – especially since it sounds like you don’t believe your current path may get you there in time?”
There is a technique at play here, and it’s one you can learn. It involves focusing like a laser on your prospect’s pains, fears and desires. In the above example, once you learned that he is not thrilled with his returns, and that he has specific retirement goals, you have a potential answer to his problem. If he believes that you might be that answer, getting a commitment to discuss your service becomes easier. There is obviously some need for you to explain what you do and how you are different, but if you’re like most salespeople, you probably believe that your explaining, selling, boasting, puffing your abilities, etc. is benefiting the sales MUCH more than it really is. Ask questions and focus on the prospect 85% of the time and talk about you 15%. We’ve created an entertaining 4 minute video on how to do this that you should watch.
One last tip: No matter if they buy or not, make sure to get an email address and let them know that you’d like to keep in touch from time to time. Most people not wishing to buy are so pleased that you are willing to end the call, they’ll eagerly agree to that. Our post on using email effectively will guide you through the process of keeping open the communication with that prospect. You never know – he might open his very next investment statement, see the losses, envision his shinking future Florida condo, and be glad you just sent him an email on savings strategies for retirement in a tough economy!
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