Effective Telephone Sales Techniques

Course details

A practical and interactive one to two day workshop, the course is designed for all sales staff who take incoming sales calls and customer enquiries as well as making outgoing calls for new business.

Overall Aim:

The aim of this workshop is to help sales staff achieve a greater understanding of what motivates people to buy and become more effective in their ability to influence and communicate with customers using the telephone in order to grow sales. The participants will gain a greater awareness of customer’s expectations, learning to develop the necessary skills and techniques in using the telephone to confidently increase sales whilst building valuable customer relations.

Objectives

After completing the workshop, each participant will be able to:

• Apply highly developed communications skills for improved customer relations
• Improve their efficiency on the telephone through better preparation and planning
• Learn how to handle incoming and outgoing calls in a confident and professional manner
• Become more assertive in their day to day communications by phone
• Make the most of enquiries and generate new leads through cold calling
• Portray a professional image to build trust with customers
• Have the right attitude and learn to really listen to customers
• Overcome reluctance, build confidence, know how and when to control the call
• Be able to pre-empt customers’ expectations and needs
• Ask the right questions to qualify sales and get customer feedback
• Build a case, handle objections effectively and qualify the price
• Learn to recognise buying signals and know when to ask for the order / appointment
• Write slick sales scripts to win sales and create happier customers
• Build opportunities and generate additional sales by keeping in touch with customers
• Develop personalised communications with clients generating happier customers

Workshop Content:

• Top frustrations of a caller and the reasons why people buy over the telephone
• Preparation and planning of calls to overcome reluctance and build confidence
• The importance of a positive attitude to create great first impressions
• The power of your voice to influence customers and communicate effectively
• Show empathy and build rapport through active listening skills
• Guide the customer through the 4 steps of the sales cycle to generate the appointment/ sale
• Create and deliver the perfect sales pitch to grab the customers attention and build interest
• Use open ended questions v’s closed questions to qualify leads and get the customer talking
• Understand the customer’s needs - ask the right questions and verify
• Match the customer’s needs with your product or service offering
• Talk the customer’s language, present relevant benefits and make a connection
• Handle objections, qualify the price and deal with rejection
• Avoid overselling, recognise verbal buying signals and ask for the order / appointment
• Create and use winning sales scripts
• Work the numbers in sales to qualify leads and generate sales
• Keep to a schedule, take detailed notes and analyse calls for continuous improvement

Training method

The training takes the form of a one to two day workshop, with group discussions, exercises, case studies and feedback based on individual/group needs. Each learner receives a workshop manual. A second follow up mentoring day can be provided where participants make live calls.