Have you ever looked at your phone with fear? Maybe the thought of “dialing for dollars” just makes you sick to your stomach. You know you need to call to make sales, but the thought of getting rejected or the somewhat positive “let me think about it” just makes it tough for you to pick up the phone.
Even with the advancement of online conversion funnels, ability to meet prospects at in-person events, and more ways to meet prospective customers there is still the need to convert on the phone. When you are good on the phone it can bring you to a multi-six figure or sometimes even a multi-seven figure income. When you struggle with conversions on the phone it can mean looking for yet another “job opportunity” where they give you the time to build up a roster of prospects and you secretly hope that this time will be different.
In any sales professional’s career it’s possible to run into these moments where you experience the good and also experience the bad of converting on the phone to appointments or sales. When you are in a slump with conversions, it can be the time where you might blame the economy or point out features that the competition has that you don’t. Surely it couldn’t be your skill on the phone causing your slump…could it?
To get out of the sales roller coaster and eliminate your fear of the phone I invite you to consider the following.
- Everyone Wants What You Have To Offer – Before you pick up the phone understand that everyone wants what you are offering; they just don’t know it yet. The more questions you ask, the more interest piquing they are, the greater likelihood that they will come to realize that they would be insane to pass up on what you have to offer. Whether you are selling insurance or something as boring as paper supplies the same rules apply. Be confident to know that what you are selling is a great match; you just have to help your prospect see the value. Remember they won’t really see the value if you are reading the endless copy of features and benefits that marketing promises will make the difference.
- Only Ask Questions – You can’t sell someone something they don’t really want. The concept of selling “ice to Eskimos” only applies in the Summer time for the Eskimos or if maybe the Eskimos were opening an ice cream shop (you get the point). Asking questions puts you in control of the conversation. It allows you to see who qualifies for what you are offering and who isn’t. The better you get at asking questions the quicker you will get to the sale and the quicker you can eliminate the people who are a waste of time. Questions should be designed to help the prospect see that you have value to offer them. Questions should also help the prospect see that you aren’t right for every customer (and that usually makes them want to do business with you even more).
- Understand That YOU Will Reject People – It is impossible to have a 100% conversion rate each day. The reality is that the people who don’t invest in what you are offering aren’t rejecting you, YOU are rejecting them. Let your prospects know that you don’t feel they are a match and watch them reach toward you and try to convince you that they really are! As part of your arsenal of sales scripts, you should even drop hints in your conversation, like the following “I want to ask you more about X with your business, because I’m not sure my solution would even be the best fit.” Planting seeds of doubt that your solution might not be a match will have them understanding that you aren’t just trying to sell them something (i.e. product, service, etc.) but you truly are looking out for their interests as well.
There is no reason to fear the phone when you understand that you are in control. By asking powerful interest piquing questions combined with the confidence that you can REJECT your prospects you will be crushing your sales goals.