For many professionals in today’s sales world; the process of making a sales call is one of the most nerve wracking and frustrating parts of the job. There are times when the sales call can go well; and times where you can expect to face a great deal of rejection. One of the most important parts of the sales call involves effectively opening the sales call. The first minute you are on the phone and opening the sales call is very important and can help you develop a great first impression that will keep the prospect on the line and give you time to really sell your product or service. Here is a 5 step process to opening a sales call.
Step One: Begin With a Friendly Approach
From the moment your prospect answers the phone, they will be developing an impression of you and typically you only have about 20 seconds for the prospect to make up their mind about you. This is why you will want to start with a very warm and friendly tone and a friendly greeting that will put the person on the other side of the line at ease; this will help get your opening off to the right start. Make sure to greet them formally while still staying friendly and personal.
Step Two: Warm Up and Building Rapport
After your initial greeting you have a few seconds to warm up the buyer and to start building rapport. Remember the first 30 seconds are important and if they like you then they will let in information that will reinforce their initial impression of you. If they do not like you in this first few seconds then they will screen out anything that contradicts their first negative impression of you. Friendly conversation is always a great way to ‘warm up’ your opening.
Step Three: Establish Credibility
The opening of your sales call is an important time in the sales process because it helps you establish credibility and to show the potential buyer that you are a professional in your field and a credible source to be selling them what they need. The buyer should feel as though you are a professional they can turn to.
Step Four: Revealing the Needs of the Buyer
You should know the buyers needs before you start the sales call. Know what your prospect or buyer does and make sure that you quickly reveal the problem that they could be having and let them know that its a problem that your company can fix with your product or service.
Step Five: Identifying the Solution
The final step in the opening of your sales call before you begin asking questions and really trying to sell your prospect; is letting your buyer know, briefly, that you have a solution to the problem that they are dealing with and that your product or service can help them.
Resource Box: If you are looking for more information on ways to effectively open your sales call then visit the professionals from The Sales Coaching Institute online today. They can be found at salescoach.us where you can get more tips and learn more about their sales coaching services.
