The ABCs of Tele-Selling: 26 Powerful Tips to Help You Sell More

Written by Jim Domanski

A is for "ask for the sale" or "advance the sale." Don't leave a call lingering by NOT asking for the order. Close it, for Pete's sake. Or if you have a longer sales cycle "advance" it by asking the client for some sort of action (accept a proposal, quote, attend a webinar etc.) and then getting a commitment for follow up DATE and Time. Go here for more information (http://www.telesalesmaster.com/category/closing-and-advancing-the-sales/ )

B is for "body language." In tele-sales there is no body language. The tone of your voice accounts for about 85% of your message. This means you must deliver your message with conviction. People are more convinced by the depth of that conviction than the height of your logic. (Go here for more information: http://www.telesalesmaster.com/892/uncategorized/)

C is for cross sell. Increase the average value of a sale on 20% of your orders by as much as 25% by offering a related item at the end of every call, when appropriate. You'll not only educate your customer you'll put more change in your pocket. (Go here for more information http://www.telesalesmaster.com/946/add-on-selling/)

D is for Discipline... especially when it comes to prospecting (cold calling). Schedule it. Then do it. When it's time to dial, dial. If your day starts at 8:30, start dialling at 8:30. Or earlier. Not 8:50. Not 8:45. Not 8:35. Arrive on time. Start on time. Stick to it. It is your diet to good sales.

E is for e-mail. Learn to write a better, more effective and compelling e-mail. It will supplement your voice mails and add a visual dimension to your message. Have a subject line that includes your client's name. Ask a question. Create curiosity. (Go here for more information: http://www.telesalesmaster.com/543/email-prospecting-and-tele-selling/)

F is for follow up. Almost 90% of B2B tele-sales reps give up after one follow up call. Over 97% give up after the second. Make 4 follow up calls spaced 3 business days apart. Leave a message if there is no answer. This makes you persistent without being a pest. Do it. SPECIAL REPORT: 8 Tips to a Perfect Follow Up Call

G is for goals. Have clear concise goals on a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and of course, yearly basis. Establish the number of decision maker contacts you want to reach per day. Determine the number of sales you want to achieve each day. List the revenue amount you need to achieve each and every day. You may not always succeed but you'll have clear focus and direction.

H is for help. Ask for help from your coach, mentor or co-workers or anyone if you are struggling or not succeeding. In fact, ask for help even if you are successful and see what you'll learn. You'll get better, stronger and more successful. Get feedback.

I is for invest. Get some 'skin in the game' and invest a few bucks of YOUR money every month for self improvement (books, magazines, DVDs, CDs whatever). Or invest a dollar or two to nurture, groom and delight your clients (e.g., thank you cards, bags of candy, books, etc.) When you invest your own funds you tend work a little bit harder and a little bit smarter ... because NOW you have something to lose and something to win. Start investing with Art Sobczak's book "Smart Selling" http://smart-calling.com/launch.html

J is for join. Get involved and expand your knowledge, skill set and network. Join a user group, LinkedIn, a sales association, a networking group, a Master Mind group ...anything that can give you an edge or that can push you ahead a little further.

K is for knowledge. Build your knowledge base and become a 'resident' expert on a particular product, market, process ... whatever. Knowledge is power. Take 15-20 minutes each day to read, learn and grow.

L is for listen more and talk less. Learn more by asking questions and tuning in rather than pitching your product. Find out your client's pain and gain points; determine what keeps them up at night. Don't bother pitching until you know! Shut up, let them speak. Focus. Take notes (See: "N" below).

M is for motivators. Learn what motivates YOUR client. Ask questions and determine what pains, concerns or problems they're experiencing? What gains, opportunities or advantages can they leverage?

N is for notes. Take notes when you're on the phone and while you're listening (See: "L" above). Grab a pencil and a pad, put your head down, focus on what the caller is saying and jot down key points. You'll make fewer mistakes. You'll identify more opportunities. The quality of your call will increase. You'll sell more products and services. http://www.telesalesmaster.com/729/questioning-skills-and-techniques/

O is for objections. Don't be surprised by them. Don't be caught off guard. Don't fumble about and babble like a brook. Expect them. Create an objections job aid to use as a quick reference guide. Question the objection before responding to determine if it's real or if it's false. Check out this article for great tips: http://www.telesalesmaster.com/460/objections-handling/

P is for planning. Plan your follow up calls. Know your objectives (See "S" for Secondary Objectives below), develop a strong opening statement, have questions and key points prepared ahead of time so you won't forget. Think of the possible objections you might encounter so you're not caught off guard (see "O" above). Have your voice mail prepared ahead of time if you plan to leave a message. Use logic. Plan your call like Mr. Spock and go here for your downloadable PDF Mr. Spock Call Guide (http://www.telesalesmaster.com/wp-content/uploads/Spocks-Follow-Up-Call-Guide1.pdf )

Q is for question. Question more. Talk less. Questioning is the key to EVERYTHING in a sale. And the trouble is most telephone sales reps are not good questioners. Buy a good book on questioning and learn how question more effectively. I recommend Paul Cherry's book "Questions That Sell." Go here http://www.pbresults.com/Questions-That-Sell-book

R is for referrals. Referrals close faster. Referrals close easier. Referrals close at higher rates. Why? Because trust has been almost instantly created by the referrer. Ask for referrals and get more sales. (Go here for GREAT information: http://www.telesalesmaster.com/934/questioning-skills-and-techniques/ )

S is for secondary objectives. Secondary objectives are the 'nice to haves' once you've accomplished your primary objective (the #1 item you'd like to achieve on a specific call). It might be a cross sell, a referral or testimonial or whatever but leverage your call. They're also great to have if you don't achieve your primary objective. Salvage what you can. (Go here for a great article: http://www.telesalesmaster.com/426/pre-call-panning/)

T is for thank you. Never forget those magic words. When you get a sale, pause and sincerely thank your client. Let them know you don't take them or the sale for granted. If it's a big sale, send a hand written thank you note. It shows you took the time; it's distinctive; and it's remembered.

U is for up sell. Or cross sell (see "C" above). If you have a product that compliments the original purchase or if you have volume discounts, tell the client. The worst she can say is no. But about 25% of clients say YES. And that means an increase in the average value of the sale. (Go here for more information: http://www.telesalesmaster.com/category/add-on-selling/)

V is for voice mail. Make it your ally and not your foe. Learn how to avoid voice mail completely by being more clever and creative at getting around it. Be more persistent when you have to leave a message by leaving 4 messages spaced 3 business days apart. Go here for the most definitive guide on managing voice mail:10 Ways to Get Past Voice Mail

W is for work a little harder. Just a little. A little can mean a heck of a lot. If you stay an extra 12 minutes a day you've worked an extra hour in a week. That's 4 hours more per month. That's 48 hours in a year. That means an extra six DAYS to sell, generate revenues and improve YOUR bottom line.

X is for Xerox. Copy from others. (Okay, I was stretching it a bit with this one but there's only about a 100 words that begin with X!) Know this: thousands of others have run into the same selling issues as you and have developed skills and techniques that work. Learn from them and avoid the 'land mines' of selling. Look for processes and procedures in telephone selling that work, copy them, master them and stick with them.

Y is for you. Ultimately YOU work for yourself. The moment YOU take personal responsibility for your success (or failure) is the moment you'll start taking the right actions to succeed. Create "You Inc." Work for yourself. Invest in yourself. (Click here for your downloadable poster "So, What are YOU Going to Do About It?" http://www.telesalesmaster.com/wp-content/uploads/Posters-So-what-are-YOU-going-to-do-about-it1.pdf

Z is for zeal and zest. Attitude. If your attitude is positive, good and strong you can tackle just about anything. A good attitude = good sales = a good career. Approach your calls with zeal and zest.

Jim Domanski -
	Jim Domanski is president of Teleconcepts Consulting and works with B to B companies and individuals who struggle to use the telephone more effectively to sell and market their products. The author of 4 books on tele-sales, Jim has been seen on various radis and television programs such as CBC’s Venture Magazine. Dubbed by the Financial Post as “Canada’s reigning tele-management guru…” For over 17 years he has worked with companies big and small throughout the US, Canada and parts of Europe. Read More >>
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