Teleselling Mistakes: 5 Things to Avoid When Making a Sales Call
Most organizations today are aware that telesales is an essential part of a company’s overall sales and marketing effort. Sales agents know that using the telephone is a good way to find new customers, get in touch with old ones, reduce the cost of sales and expand the business.
Still, despite a large amount of time and money invested in training to earn the essential skills, some telesales agents make a few mistakes when talking to customers over the phone. These are the following:
1.) Sending Unnecessary Literature. Most sales agents make the mistake of calling to get information to simply send the brochures of whatever they are selling. What most of them do not understand is when they do not get to know their potential customers and understand what they need for the moment; those brochures are useless and costly. A good way for sales agents to fight this bad habit is to listen to the contact person because from the conversation alone, they could already assess what the company may need or what other services they could provide that would prove to be beneficial.
2.) Lousy Listening. Maybe this time they did not actually send unnecessary literature, but it still is pointless when they do not make the most out of the conversations with their contact person. Sales agents also make the mistake of taking for granted some information that could be beneficial with closing the deal in the future. To counter this, sales agents should assert themselves and ask questions to ensure that they understand things correctly.
3.) Inadequate Questioning. Are you sure you are asking the right question? There may be times when questioning can be entirely pointless, especially when the questions presented to the customers are futile. Sales agents should also keep in mind that too much asking only brings them to no good. Keep the questions straightforward closed and to the bare essentials only.
4.) Poor Preparation. Before making a sales call, telesales agents should definitely do their research first. Another good way to avoid the first three mistakes is by getting to know their potential customers in advance. By utilizing the internet, it’s possible for sales agents to know who to look for, what to offer or even if they should make the call in the first place.
5.) Opening Statements that Build Resistance, Not Interest. For some sales agents, they still find it impossible to even get the information they wish even if they did their research and asked the right questions at the right time. So, what went wrong? The first few seconds of the phone call is crucial because this is where they give out their opening statements. These statements, if not properly constructed, can build resistance instead of interest. A good way to catch the attention of the customer is to present your opening statement in such a way that it is precise, straight to the point and in line with their needs.
To learn more about Telesales Excellence Skills click this link.