Using the Telephone as a Sales Tool

Virtually everybody in sales today sells over the phone at least part of the time. Perhaps it is time for you to evaluate how you use the telephone and where it fits into your sales and marketing mix. This course will show you how the telephone can supplement, enhance, and sometimes replace other means of marketing and selling, and how this personal approach can dramatically increase your sales' success. We will also talk about how to hone your communication skills, your ability to persuade, and techniques to personalize each sales call.

After you complete this course, you will be able to:

• Build trust and respect with customers and colleagues.
• Warm up your sales approach to improve success with cold calling.
• Identify ways to make a positive impression.
• Identify negotiation strategies that will make you a stronger seller.
• Create a script to maximize your efficiency on the phone.
• Learn what to say and what to ask to create interest, handle objections, and close the sale.

Course Topics:

Session One: Course Overview

• Learning Objectives 

Session 2: Pre-Assignment Review

• Self-Improvement

Session 3: Verbal Communication

• Being Yourself and Sounding Your Best
• The Masterpiece of Voice
• The Four E's
• A Service Image: What Do Your Customers Hear?
• A Service Image: What Do You Want Your Customers To Hear?
• The Good, the Bad, and the Not-to-Mention
• The Good, the Bad, and the Not-to-Mention – Our Examples
• Becoming a Customer Service Superstar

Session 4: To Serve and Delight

• What You Say and What it Means
• Your Interpretation
• Planning the Ideal Answer
• Try Out These Phrases

Session 5: Exceptional Things about Telephone Sales

• Keeping a Positive Outlook
• Give Yourself Time to Learn
• Rapport Building
• Guidelines for Remembering Names

Session 6: Building Trust

• Building Trust
• Defining Trust and Respect

Session 7: It's More Than Just a Phase

• Phases of Negotiation
• Phases of Negotiation: Preparation
• Phases of Negotiation: Exchanging Information
• Phases of Negotiation: Bargaining
• Phases of Negotiation: Commitment and Closing
• Exploring the Phases – Preparation Phase
• Exploring the Phases – Exchanging Information
• Exploring the Phases – Bargaining
• Exploring the Phases – Commitment and Closing
• Types of Negotiation
• Types of Negotiation: Integrative/Distributive
• Types of Negotiation: Inductive/Deductive/Mixed
• Types of Negotiation: Soft/Hard/Principled
• Types of Negotiation: Alternative Dispute Resolution
• Types of Negotiation: Non-Negotiable Positions and Options
• Other Negotiation Tips
• Defining the Negotiation Types
• Negotiation Experience

Session 8: Communication Essentials

• Active Listening Skills
• Active Listening
• Listening at Work
• Zero in on the Matter at Hand
• The Mission – To Listen
• Plotting Your Score
• Ten Ingredients for Good Communication
• Ingredient 1: Your Greeting
• Ingredient 2: Vocabulary
• Ingredient 3: Choice of Words
• Ingredient 4: Stop Speaking
• Ingredient 5: Control Your Enthusiasm
• Ingredient 6: Think then Speak
• Ingredient 7: Who Are You Speaking To?
• Ingredient 8: Act on Your Words
• Ingredient 9: Ask to Understand
• Ingredient 10: Paraphrase
• Using the Ingredients
• Asking Good Questions
• Closed Questions
• Open Questions
• Probing
• Probing Question Techniques

Session 9: Developing Your Script

• The Basic Script
• Speaking With Customers
• Warm Up the Cold Call
• Basic Script - Part 1: The Attention Statement
• Basic Script - Part 2: The Identification Statement
• Basic Script - Part 3: A People-Response-In-Kind Attitude
• Basic Script - Part 4: The Reason-For-This-Call Statement
• Basic Script - Part 5: A Request for an Appointment
• Basic Script - Part 6: Your Response to Objections
• Basic Script Summary
• Sample Script
• Making the Script Yours
• Notes on Using the Script
• Customizing the Basic Script: Referral Script
• Customizing the Basic Script: Rarely/Never See the Potential Client
• Polishing the Script
• My Script

Session 10: Pre-Call Planning

• Pre-Call Planning

Session 11: Phone Tag and Call Backs

• Call Tracking Plans
• Voice Mail Option 1: The Referral
• Voice Mail Option 2: The Third-Party Message
• Voice Mail Option 3: The Warm Cold Caller
• Voice Mail Option 4: The Straight-Ahead Pitch
• Voice Mail Tips

Session 12: Following Up

• Missed Opportunities?
• Creating a Template

Session 13: Closing the Sale

• Asking for the Sale
• Clearing Away Objections
• Closing the Sale
• Example Closing Strategies
• Using Closing Techniques
• Persistence Pays Off
• Thank You Notes