10 Quick and Easy Ways to Make the Absolute Most Out of Every Customer Contact

Written by Jim Domanski

In telephone selling reaching a live decision maker is getting tougher and tougher. In fact, over 70% of the time, decision makers are not available for your call. So it makes good sense to maximize every moment of a call with your customers when you reach them. At the end of every call, look for the opportunity to leverage, squeeze and extract just a little more. It may mean additional sales or opportunities. Here are 10 ways to do just that.

1. Offer a cross sell. Get this: about 20% of all clients will buy a related product when offered. And, on average, that increases the average value of a sale by an additional 25%. Not bad!

2. Ask for a referral. How many times have you heard this one? And how many times have you taken the time to ask? The fact is a good referral can have a closing rate as high as 70%. In addition, the sales cycle is faster. Start asking and see what happens.

3. Offer an up sell. If you have quantity discounts, offer them to your client. If you have an upgrade, mention it. One of the prime reasons why clients don’t buy more or purchase upgraded products is because they don’t know you offer it.

4. Gather ‘market intelligence’ about your competition. Get curious. Ask your client about other products that they don’t buy from you. Learn about your competition and see if you can get a wedge in the door.

5. Offer ‘packaged’ deals to increase the value of the sale. A packaged deal is like the Cadillac of cross sells. Get marketing or your boss to ‘package’ three or four products and services and make it enticing for your customer. Everyone loves a deal.

6. Ask your client something personal to help bolster your relationship. People buy from people they know, like and trust. Learning about your client helps foster trust. Don’t be intrusive. Start simply, “Kelley, I’m curious, where were you born and raised,” is friendly without being too nosey.

7. Survey your client on you, your products and services. Develop a list of 3-5 questions (no more) to gauge your customer’s level of satisfaction in certain key areas. Be proactive and nip potential problems in the bud.

8. Ask your client for a written testimonial. If a client really ‘loves’ your company, ask if they’ll provide you with a written testimonial. One line will do. For instance, get them to complete this, “What I really like about ABC Company is …” Use it for marketing, web site, promo pieces, signature files… the whole gamut.

9. Ask your customer if there are any projects 3-6 months down the line. Learn what might be coming down the pipe in a few months. It helps you better prepare and plan for future sales. It can also help you fend off your competitors.

10. Ask you customer if they’ll act as a reference for prospects. Different from a written testimonial, a reference is a client who will actually speak to a prospect and tell them about the merits of your company, product or you. Powerful, powerful stuff.

How to Leverage More from Your Call – 4 Simple Steps

Leveraging your call is easy if you follow this 4-step process.

First, complete your primary objective. An add-on is a secondary objective. It comes at end of a call when you’re wrapping up. It is meant to be a quick and spontaneous tactic.

Second, use the client’s name and a verbal bridge to get their attention. For example, “Thank you for that order … Oh…and Clayton, while I have you did you know…”, “Jennifer, before I let you go…”, “Tracie, one more thing before we wrap up…” Using the client’s name gets them to focus and listen while the verbal bridge adds a ‘casualness’ to your add on.

Third, ask your question or present your offer (i.e., lay out your cross sell, package or up sell, ask your questions, ask for the reference or referral etc.) Make it short, casual and easy to grasp. Your offer or request should be no more than a single line or two. The client should not need to spend a lot of time making a decision or replying to your request.

Fourth, go silent. You’ve asked a question or presented an offer now let the client digest what you’ve said and respond. If they’re not interested in your offer or your request don’t belabour the point, simply thank them and wrap up.

Make the very most of every call or contact your make or take. By doing so you’ll give yourself a heck of an edge.

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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