{sidebar id=23 align=left}It's true what they say about first impressions.  Because they have called YOU, they already know something about you and what you're offering. The fact that the prospect has bothered to pick up the phone to call you and find out more is a huge sign that they're interested in buying. The downside is that you may not be the only company they're calling.

So what do you need to do in this phone conversation to help things progress easily to the next step? The secret is to gauge what the caller really wants, and then give it to them. But you can't do that unless you first get them to open up and tell you what they really want. The most important thing to do in the first few seconds is establish rapport with the enquirer, and then....

...Get permission to ask questions. When you build trust and ask the right questions, your prospects will give you all the information you need to solve their problems, give them what they really want and ultimately win their business. At the same time, some callers may be reluctant to open up on the telephone and discuss their real needs.

If callers are reluctant to give you information it's either because they don't trust you, or because you aren't asking the right questions. You can earn their trust by demonstrating in your attitude and manner that your primary aim is to help them make an informed decision. You can't fake this.  Customers are smart and they can sense who's genuinely interested and trying to help, and who's just after a quick sale.

Ask about the prospect's needs, find out how they plan to use the product or service that they're enquiring about, and what results they hope to achieve through using it. It doesn't matter whether you're selling coaching, financial services or training, there are key questions that you can formulate to find out what they want to achieve, what they want to avoid, and how they plan to use the product or service that you can supply.

Spend twice as much time listening than talking.  Many years ago,  I conducted some research into top sales performers. One of my findings was that the most successful sales performers spent 70% of their time asking questions and listening to the answers, and only 30% of the time talking about the solution they could offer. Aim for a similar ratio in your conversations with prospects. This means preparing lists of questions to use in your calls.

That said, it's not the Spanish Inquisition! If the caller feels you are mindlessly working through list of questions without fully paying attention to them or that the questions are for your benefit rather than theirs, you'll lose rapport and credibility. It's a paradox that when you set aside your own needs to focus fully on what the customer really wants - even at the risk that you may not be able to provide it for them - you create an environment of trust that can ultimately lead to more sales than if you were focused on your own goals throughout the call.

What's the next step? Depending on what you are selling, the next step might be to book a treatment, book a trial session, arrange a face-to-face meeting, send information, or you might even take an order there and then. As the seller, it's your responsibility to make clear what the next step is, but involve the prospect in determining what they are comfortable with.

{sidebar id=5}Here's a gentle way to suggest the next step without pushing:

towards the end of the conversation say, 'At this point, what we'll normally do is (state the next step). Does that sound like a good next step for you, or do you still have questions?'. This is a useful way to surface unanswered questions and concerns whilst maintaining an atmosphere of trust.

The ideas in this article will give you a starting point, but what will really get results is being genuinely interested in helping callers make informed buying decisions that are right for them. When you take incoming phone enquiries with this mindset you'll be able to have meaningful sales conversations without scaring prospective customers away!

Sales Gravy is for Closers | The Sales Store