The Payoff

Not only new sales reps but experienced ones as well can get caught up in the frenetic nature of the phone-selling situation. Salespeople often say, “I have to get it all out in a short period of time. Everybody’s busy.” So, instead of calmly and strategically approaching the call, the salesperson blurts out random benefits or loses focus during the call.

Think about how the line results of a lie detector test look. When the person in the chair is answering expected, easy questions in a truthful way, the line is smooth and flowing. But, when brain activity becomes frantic from confusion or second-guessing, the line shows up as erratic and zigzagged. Your customers perceive this seat-of-the-pants behavior in you and respond to it negatively. When you use a process, you are always in control and can remain calm and purposeful.

By using the PLAYING model, you are consciously controlling the call, and the customer is playing in harmony with you. You follow models all the time in your daily life. You don’t put on your underwear after your pants, so why would you do your presentation before you qualify your prospect? The answer is that without a solid guide, you can become lost in indecision when things don’t happen as hoped. (The word hope is appropriate here, because without a solid approach, a sale is just a hope.)