|
Turn
Inquiries Into Solid Sales
By
Virden J. Thornton
The first few minutes of an incoming telephone call
are critical if you want to turn an inquiry about your company's products or
services into a long term customer relationship. Research shows that you only
have about seven seconds in which to take charge of the call and capture the
prospective customer or client's attention. If you don’t gain immediate
control of the conversation you could lose the chance of developing business for
your company. The following examples show you how key phrases can turn a common,
every day price inquiry into a selling situation, that in turn produces a new
customer for your company or firm.
The Introduction:
Typical opening: "Good
morning, ABC Company."
The caller will now ask a question and basically
take control of the transaction. It's best to answer the call with a question.
An effective approach: "Good morning (smile,
it can be heard in your
voice). Thank you for calling ABC Company.
This is Mary Stevens, how may I help you?"
By thanking your prospect you build rapport and make
her feel good that she called your company. By identifying yourself, prospects
are no longer dealing with an institution, they are now working with a “real
person.” Then, by asking a question you are taking control of the
conversation. In a transaction of any kind, the person that asks the questions
is in control of the process.
The Inquiry:
Customer:
"What is your price on one grundle of your 301
Widgets in black,?"
Typical response: "I’ll have to
look that up. Just one moment
please. . . The price is $ _______ for a
minimum
order of one grundle."
A better approach: "I’d be glad to give you
the pricing on Widgets,
but may I first ask, are you looking for an
overnight delivery on the entire grundle or are
you planning to receive them
in incremental
shipments?"
First you make a statement to transition into other
questions.
Customer:
"Well, I’m looking
to get the best price I
can find."
Typical response:
"Well, our prices are competitive. A
grundle in black
costs $ ______ if
shipped as a whole."
A more effective approach: "Where are you
purchasing your
Widgets at this time?"
Now use additional questions like this one to find
out more about the customer and her specific needs. Here are a few samples to
review:
on your shipping approach?
How do you use this style of widget in your
production?
If you felt you could get a competitive price
on
a grundle of black widgets and possibly lower your shipping costs, would you consider
purchasing our 301s?
Tell me about your specific Widget
storag situation at your production
facility?
Take some time after finishing this learning guide
to write down some questions that you might ask about your products or services.
Keep this list of questions where you can use them during future price
inquiries. Refer to your list often until the questions are firmly set in your
mind and are used on a regular basis.
The Close:
Typical close: Well our prices are competitive and
we’d love to do business with you. Best approach: We have several approaches
to help you get the best pricing and delivery on Widgets, but I need to take 15,
no more than 20 minutes to discuss them with you. Would it be possible for you
to come into our plant or we could have a representative meet you at your office
so that we could discuss these options further?
Realistically, many of your callers will decline
your offer of assistance. Most prospects will just push you for your prices and
then hang up. However, from time to time, this approach will strike a chord with
a prospect. This caller will sense that you really care about his needs and will
be willing to let you set an appointment.
Even though this approach may only attract a few new
customers or clients out of the hundreds of people who call for information,
over a period of several months, these few will begin to add up to a significant
number. And remember, these are customers and accounts that may never have been
attracted to your company if you had just given the caller your prices.
By putting a time frame of 15 no more than 20
minutes on your meeting with the prospect, your offer of help will appeal to
more of these callers. People are concerned about time, so by setting a time
frame for them, you help to reduce their concerns.
The fear of sounding foolish or being rejected may
keep you from doing much more than giving out prices. But for true
professionals, the approach outlined above can help you to establish new
accounts (or sales) over a year's time, simply because you took the time to show
an interest in the needs of your caller.
Turn Your Sales Technique Mistakes Into Methods And Systems That
Produce Non-Stop Sales Success! Click here to => Order
Now!
If your
looking for
a tool that
will help
you to
achieve the
9 to 12
impressions
Stanford
University
researchers
say are need
to make a
sale today,
check out
this site: http://www.instantsalesletters.com/go/Edge
 |
|
VIRDEN
THORNTON is the founder and President of
The
$elling Edge®, Inc.
a firm
specializing in sales, customer relations,
and management training and development.
Clients have included Sears Optical, Eastman
Kodak, IBM, Deloitte & Touché, Bank
One, Jefferson Pilot, and Wal-Mart
to name a few. Virden is the author of Prospecting:
The Key To Sales Success and the
best selling Building
& Closing the Sale, Fifty-Minute
series books and Close
That Sale, a video/audio tape
series published by Crisp Publications, Inc.
Menlo Park, California. He has also authored
a Self-Directed Learning series of sales,
coaching & team development,
telemarketing, and personal productivity
training guides. To obtain a substantial
discount on two of Virden's new manuals, 101
Sales Myths and Organizing
For Sales Success, just click on
either of the titles above.
Note:
You
can contact Virden at virden@TheSellingEdge.com.
You can also see an expan- ded biography
at http://www.TheSellingEdge.com/bio.htm.
All
of our training guides are
copyrighted. However, you have
permission to reprint the training
ideas on this site on a non-exclusive
basis providing the following two
conditions are met.
The
copyright symbol and the byline in full
must be printed along with the article,
and Author's name and contact
information must be included.
If
an article is to be republished on an
electronic web site, the copyright
symbol and the byline in full must be
included including the author's name and
contact information and the www address
linked to this website.
|