If you are a sales manager and want to train your sales reps in handling sales calls, here are the steps you need to take:
1. Work on the field of play. As a sales representative, your students need to be able to modulate their voice so that they sound great on the other end of the line. Work in the field through constant practice. Ask your students to lower their voices (modulate) and to avoid using a high pitch, as this will make them sound like children. While you’re at it, you can also work on pronunciation, enunciation, speed, and volume, as these can have a big impact in promoting better comprehension.
2. Sales skills. Show these people how they can be more persuasive without sounding too pushy. They must have in-depth product knowledge so that they can easily relate the needs and demands of their prospects to the features of the products they are selling. It is also important that you teach them to have a lot of patience, since selling over the phone is much more difficult than selling face to face.
3. Handling objections. Your sales rep should know exactly what to say when prospects raise objections like “It’s too expensive,” “I really don’t need it,” “I’ll have to think about it,” “I’ll get back to you.” , “I’ll have to talk to my wife about that,” etc. Help these people write canned responses that they can use to easily address common objections.
4. They should not sound hyphenated. Most sales reps read everything they have to say when they talk to prospects. Well, there’s nothing wrong with that, as long as they don’t sound like they’re reading. Teach them to break monotony by using voice inflections. They should also sound upbeat and enthusiastic throughout the call; this can definitely influence the buying decision of your target market.
5. Close the sale. Your sales representative should not use closed questions when closing a sale. Instead of asking “do you want to make a purchase now?” they can say, “What credit card are you going to use today?” Or “Is your billing address the same as your shipping address?” Using closed questions is like ending the sale. Your sales rep is bound to find himself on the losing end if he asks, “Are you going to buy?” and the prospectus says “no.”
