Telephone sales have individual place in the work of the manager of any modern company, Ilya Zinoviev, head of the sales department of TOPsharing.center, told about ins and outs of this direction.

The main feature of a telephone conversation is that the manager does not see the interlocutor. Therefore, the conversation should be expert and impulsive. Manager has only two tools - they are voice and time. In order to keep the initiative, the voice has to be lively, and the speech must be active and interesting. And it's great if the manager resembles to shorten the deal cycle. It is important to catch the client's interest from the first minutes of a telephone conversation for this.

Despite the fact that a person does not see a sales manager, a smile is important. Yes, I didn't misspoke. A positive attitude is important in telephone sales. Client understands the manager's mood, their disposal by intonation, timbre and voice. The outcome of the call and the deal as a whole largely depends on this.

Common mistakes of sales managers during telephone conversations:

A protracted seller's monologue. Client is not interested in listening to a monotonous template presentation for 5 minutes. Even if it's actually interesting. I recommend managers to involve a potential buyer in dialogue, ask leading questions. Interlocutor will be interested in the process, because they will be involved in it. Both the sales manager and the client should have an active position. At the same time, the seller must keep the initiative.

Scripts and templates. Clients understand whether the manager speaks from a pre arranged text or they're really an expert in the product, and do not need crib notes. Obviously, in the second case, there will be no problems with establishing a trusting contact. In addition, the script turns the manager into a robot. They're stop thinking. And if a client asks a question that is not in the script, it is instantly lost. Client leaves.

Poor knowledge of product also reduces the chances of success in a deal. If manager understands what they're selling, it will not be difficult for them to let the buyer know why a particular product or service covers the needs and pains of the buyer. There are no long pauses in a telephone conversation. Manager does not need time to answer the question of the interlocutor. A dialogue becomes lively and constructive. Client understands that they're talking to an expert in this segment, and trust arises.

What types of customer bases are there?

There are several types of customer bases in which manager works out telephony: cold, warm and hot.

The most difficult thing is to work with a cold base. And there is important to identify the client's need. Making sales on cold calls is the most difficult. But if manager knows how to work with such clients, they're professional.

But not only pros should be admitted to such a base. Cold calling is an excellent practical school for beginners. Nowhere else a novice manager will learn how to sway the objections and establish contact. And even if the conversion rate on the cold base is usually the lowest (20-30%), this is a good opportunity for a new employee to turn theoretical knowledge into practical.

The highest conversion rate (60-70%) is found in warm and hot databases. There are no difficulties. Managers call clients who have already formed a need. A person already wants to buy. And the seller's goal is only to divert the buyer's attention from competitors and choose their product.

I will give you an example of working phrases that help to establish a trusting contact:

"I know you're busy, so I'll get right to the point".

"Using my 7-year experience, I recommend you..."

"Hello, my name is Konstantin, I'm here to help you with your choice".

"I know what you need".

"Thank you for your time. Have a great day!"