However, selling a product or a service over the phone is also a very difficult task. Many customers do not answer a call or react aggressively. Staff turnover in departments working with cold calls is very high. However, agents with good telemarketing skills stay in the industry for a long time, bringing good revenue to the company and having a high personal income.
Telemarketing and sales by phone is a very competitive industry. Most agents never meet customers face to face, so they have to be very good in catching prospect’s attention and introducing the product. While good communication is a key skill, most selling skills can be trained. Here are some suggestions for how to become a cold calling guru:
Study the product
To be able to sell the product to a customer you need to know everything about it. Learn as much as possible about what you are selling. Understand how it works and how it can be useful to your client. Find and repeat key advantages of the product several times. Think of why it is different than the product of the competitors.
Be ready to close a deal. Study the sales process from start to finish: how to make an order, payment, shipping, refund policies, customer support, etc. Be ready to explain to your customer all of these details.
Practice your script
Study your script or create one if you don’t yet have one. Read it several times loudly. The aim of this is to prepare you for negative customer comments and rejections. With a good script you always know what to say.
Sound natural
Knowing the script is good. However, try not to read it word for word while talking to the client. Sound natural. The client should not notice that your speech is rehearsed and that you are used to repeating it. Follow the script, but improvise.
Be confident
If you know your product and understand it’s strengths, you will sound confident. Customers will hear confidence in your voice and will trust you. Consider your job as not selling something, but as trying to help people by offering them a useful product that will improve their lives.
Introduce yourself to your customers confidently. Explain the purpose of your call. Explain your product's advantages. Tell enough, but not too much. Sound friendly and carefully listen to responses.
Practice communications skills
Rehearse a call with your friend or colleague and tape it. Listen to the recording. Do you sound pleasant and natural? Do you talk slowly enough, loud and clear, so a customer can easily understand you?
Is your voice too high? Speak from the diaphragm. People feel comfortable listening to a calm, low, and pleasant voice.
Do not speak too loudly or harshly. Avoid mumbling and vocalized conversation spacers such as “ah”, “um”.
Work on interesting delivery. Do not sound monotonous; talk with energy and enthusiasm. Practice your talk until you have a tone that you would buy from.
Be positive
Remember that most people you reach do not expect your call and are not ready to buy anything at the moment. Stay positive. It is normal that you get several rejections before finally reaching a prospect interested in your product.
Smile in the beginning of the conversation. People feel your smile and react in a friendlier way to your offer.
Try to close a sale early on
After you explain all features and advantages of the product, attempt to close a sale. Offer the customer an opportunity to fill in the order information.
If the prospect is not ready to buy, overcome objections, answer questions, re-explain the product. Make sure the customer understands all product options.
Try to control your presentation. Don’t let a client lead you away from your main target – sale. Follow your plan, look at the script.
Be persistent
Set a goal to make certain number of calls per day and work on it. In cold calling and telemarketing, numbers are very important. In order to reach these numbers you need to be determined and practice your skills constantly.
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