Six Critical Telephone Sales Skills

Throughout the five steps of SkilCheck’s Telephone Sales Evaluations, GREETING, INQUIRY, COUNSELING, INVITATION, AND CLOSING, you will repeatedly apply the following critical sales skills:

• Presence
• Relating
• Questioning
• Listening
• Positioning
• Checking

How you apply these skills will determine your effectiveness and adaptability in your telephone sales skills. These skills come into play repeatedly throughout the sales process. As you greet the customer, identify their needs, select the right product size, address any objections, and ultimately close the sale. You will become an exceptional salesperson and trusted customer consultant by mastering these skills.

Be Present During the Sales Call

Presence can be challenging to define but can lead to positive outcomes. Your “presence” reflects the level of confidence and comfort you project. During a sales call, your voice presence significantly influences your success in telephone sales. This voice presence is shaped by tone, pace, diction, inflection, enthusiasm, confidence, wit, and your ability to think quickly.

It’s Important to Build Rapport

Relating to a customer involves building rapport. While rapport may develop naturally, it often needs to be earned. Showing genuine interest in your client’s needs, thoroughly understanding your product, and providing exceptional customer service are crucial elements of relating to your customer.

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask Questions!

Questioning and building rapport are central to the sales process. Salespeople who ask more questions tend to increase their sales. However, it is easy to fall into the trap of merely “talking” about your product over the phone. Many salespeople hesitate to ask questions because they fear that:

– They will lose control of the conversation.
– The customer might express objections.
– They may offend the customer by invading their privacy.

While these concerns are understandable, the cost of not asking questions is too high. Questions are essential tools for uncovering customer needs and initiating dialogue.

Callers are often surprised and impressed when you ask detailed questions about their requirements.

It’s Vital to Listen, Listen, and Listen!

Listening is a vital skill in telephone sales. Since you cannot see the customer’s nonverbal signals—such as facial expressions and body language—during a phone call, you must rely on nonverbal cues. Paying attention to the customer’s tone of voice, emphasis, pace, and diction can help gauge their response to your presentation. To maximize the effectiveness of your conversation, focus on not only what the customer says but also on “how” they convey their message.

Consider how your customer’s voice might indicate their interest or attitude:

• Is their voice relaxed or anxious?
• Do they sound interested or disinterested?
• Is their tone formal or friendly?

Concentrate on what the customer says rather than what you plan to say next.

What Does the Customer Really Need?

Positioning involves narrowing down the customer’s needs after questioning and listening. By understanding the customer’s perceptions, preferences, and needs, you can effectively demonstrate how your product can address those needs. Positioning is essential for a successful sales presentation because it shows the customer that you genuinely care about their needs. Callers are frequently impressed when you ask detailed questions about their requirements. Unfortunately, many salespeople do the opposite by focusing solely on telling the customer about the product, which can move them further from understanding the customer’s needs. Positioning allows you to personalize, tailor, and concentrate on the customer’s requirements.

Check-In with Your Caller

Checking involves obtaining customer feedback on the topics discussed during the conversation. This means asking questions to gauge the customer’s reactions, and it is a crucial skill in telephone selling. Checking allows you to avoid waiting until the end of the call—and sometimes missing the opportunity—to determine your customer’s feelings. Checking is an effective way to understand the customer without pressuring them to decide. Use open-ended questions like “How does that sound?” to assess their reactions. It’s crucial to differentiate checking from a high-pressure tactic or a scripted presentation. Checking questions are not intended to force a “yes” response; they are designed to explore how the customer feels about your product. This practice is essential for salespeople to gather feedback and better understand customer needs.

How you utilize these skills will greatly impact your effectiveness and adaptability in telephone sales. These abilities are vital at multiple points throughout the sales process. Each telephone sales skill is important, from welcoming the customer and understanding their needs to choosing the right product size, overcoming objections, and successfully closing the sale. By honing these skills, you can become a standout salesperson and reliable customer advisor.

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