We're presenting a quick three-part series on effective selling over the phone. I ran across these wonderful tips by telesales expert Jim Domanski, who has been consulting with businesses and sales teams since 1991 in making them more effective at selling over the phone. He has a wealth of resources at his website, www.TeleconceptsConsulting.com.
We'll focus on the problem of a prospect telling you, the sales pro, that they want to think about it after you've presented them with an offer or proposal. See if this tip, and the following two tips (Tip 2, Tip 3) would help you the next time you're locked in a phone battle with a wishy-washy prospect:
My first recommendation is to say nothing.
I love this technique, particularly for dealing with a prospect over the phone. Here's how it works: when the prospect tells you he wants to think about it, say nothing. That's all there is to it. Just wait patiently.
Silence over the telephone creates a vacuum. Most people becomeuncomfortable with the silence. After two, three or four seconds, most people feel compelled to fill the void with words. You will be amazed how well this technique works. The trick is to discipline yourself to hold your tongue for a few seconds.
Typically, the client will elaborate on the "let me think about it" objection which often uncovers the real objection. For example, he may explain that he has to speak to his boss or partner. Suddenly you discover another player in the game. He may reveal that he is looking at other proposals; now you know you are in a competitive situation. Or he may simply not be interested at all. In any event, you have more information upon which to base your next step.
Its a great technique. But like Jim says, you have to be able to bite your tongue and not say anything, which is tough (we sales pros love the sound of our own voice, don't we?)
Dan - great set of articles on phone selling. I know that most people don't like to say "no", so when I hear a prospect say "I would like to think about it", my ears perk up and I wonder if I have failed to effectively qualify the prospect or properly develop and close the business. As you point out, scheduling the next meeting in advance is very effective for drawing this out and to make sure they call target is serious. I will often say, we are both very busy, so let's schedule it now. It works....you may want to check out my blog post, in which I wrote about the time of day that you make your calls What time do you start calling?
Eliot Burdett
www.peaksalesrecruiting.com/blog/
Posted by: Eliot Burdett | April 10, 2007 9:06 PM | Permalink to Comment