The Telephone Contact
A telephone call provides a quick and inexpensive method of scheduling an appointment. Appointments are important because many busy prospects may not meet with a salesperson who drops in unannounced. When you schedule an appointment, the prospect knows about the sales call in advance and can, therefore, make the necessary advance preparation.
Some salespeople use the telephone exclusively to establish and maintain contact with the customer. As noted in Chapter 1, inside salespeople rely almost totally on the telephone for sales. Telesales, not to be confused with telemarketing, include many of the same elements as traditional sales: gathering customer information, determining needs, prescribing solutions, negotiating objections, and closing sales. Telesales usually are not scripted, a practice widely used in telemarketing. In some situations, telesales are as dynamic and unpredictable as a face-to-face sales call.
Capturing the customer’s full attention is a major objective of the approach. Attention has become a very scarce resource in today’s fast-paced world.
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In Chapter 4, we examined some of the factors that influence the meaning we attach to an oral message from another person. With the aid of this information, we can see that communication via telephone is challenging. The person who receives the call cannot see our facial expressions, gestures, or posture, and, therefore, must rely totally on the sound of our voice and the words used. The telephone caller has a definite handicap.
The telephone has some additional limitations. A salesperson accustomed to meeting prospects in person may find telephone contact impersonal. Some salespeople try to avoid using the telephone because they believe it is too easy for the prospect to say no. It should be noted that these drawbacks are more imagined than real. With proper training, a salesperson can use the telephone effectively to schedule appointments. When you make an appointment by telephone, use the following practices:
Plan in advance what you will say. It helps to use a written presentation plan as a guide during the first few seconds of the conversation. What you say is determined by the objectives of the sales call. Have a calendar available to suggest and confirm a date, time, and place for the appointment. Be sure to write it down.
Politely identify yourself and the company you represent. Set yourself apart from other callers by using a friendly tone and impeccable phone manners. This approach helps you avoid being shut out by a wary gatekeeper (secretary or receptionist).
State the purpose of your call and explain how the prospect can benefit from a meeting. In some cases, it is helpful to use a powerful benefits statement that gets the prospect’s attention and whets the person’s appetite for more information. Present only enough information to stimulate interest.
Show respect for the prospect’s time by telling the person how much time the appointment may take. Once the prospect agrees to meet with you, say, “Do you have your appointment calendar handy?” Be prepared to suggest a specific time: “Is Monday at 9:00 a.m. okay?”
Confirm the appointment with a brief note, e-mail message, or letter with the date, time, and place of your appointment. Enclose your business card and any printed information that can be of interest to the prospect.18
You should anticipate resistance from some prospects. After all, most decision makers are very busy. Be persistent and persuasive if you genuinely believe a meeting with the prospect can be mutually beneficial.
Effective Use of Voice Mail
The growing popularity of voice mail presents a challenge to salespeople. What type of message sets the stage for a second call or stimulates a return call? It’s important to anticipate voice mail and know exactly what to say if you reach a recording. The prospect’s perception of you is based on what you say and voice quality. The following message almost guarantees that you will be ignored:
Ms. Simpson, I am Paul Watson and I am with Elliott Property Management Services. I would like to visit with you about our services. Please call me at 555–1500.19
Note that this message provides no compelling reason for the prospect to call back. It offers no valid item that would stimulate interest. The voice mail message should be similar to the opening statement you would make if you had a face-to-face contact with the prospect:
Miss Simpson, my name is Paul Watson and I represent Elliott Property Management Services. We specialize in working with property managers. We can help you reduce the paperwork associated with maintenance jobs and provide an easy way to track the progress of each job. I would like the opportunity to visit with you and will call back in the morning.20
Note that this message is brief and describes benefits that customers can receive. If Paul Watson wants a call back, then he needs to give the best time to reach him. He should give his phone number slowly and completely. It’s usually best to repeat the number. If you are acting on a referral, be sure to say who referred you and why.
Effective Use of e-mail
Many prospects and established customers like the convenience of e-mail correspondence and prefer it as an alternative to telephone contact. Your challenge is to make it easy for your correspondents to read and handle your e-mail. Always use a meaningful, specific subject line. People who receive large amounts of e-mail may selectively choose which ones to read by scanning the subject lines and deleting those of no interest. An e-mail with a subject line titled “Action Steps from Our 9/28 Meeting” is more likely to be read than a subject line like “Meeting Notes.”21
The e-mail message should tell the reader what you want and then encourage a response. Identify the main point of your e-mail within the first or second paragraphs. Format the e-mail so it’s easy to read. This may require the use of headings (with capitals or boldface print) to identify the main elements of the memo. Proofread all e-mails for proper grammar, punctuation, and spelling.22 Always use the grammar and spell-check tools. Messages that contain errors may misrepresent your competence. Finally, use a signature file—a small block of text that automatically follows each e-mail you send. A typical signature file includes full name, title, affiliation, phone number, and in some cases a slogan.
Effective Use of Text Messaging
Connecting with your customer is more important than ever and in certain situations text messaging can be a highly effective technique. There are two trends that make text messaging more important than ever. First is the total integration of mobile devices as the primary communication device in our lives, and second, most people feel compelled to read and/or respond to text messages immediately.
It is important that you identify yourself and your company early in your message so your customer doesn’t delete an unfamiliar message. Text messages should be very focused and to the point; however, avoid abbreviations, acronyms and slang, as these can appear unprofessional. Keep the message to 1-4 sentences and less than 250 characters when possible. It is critical that nothing in your text message might seem slick and promotional. Before clicking “send,” as is the case with emails, be sure to read your message a second time.