Mar 29 2009
Would somebody PLEASE answer that phone?
In our previous work on phones, we put together a phone plan geared toward outgoing calls - prospecting and follow-up calls.
But there is an equally important side of the phone - the incoming call.
Image from http://images.inmagine.com
Now, I understand that in most operations, someone else actually answers the phone. In some cases, the call is completely handled by others. But in most companies, the salesperson is going to be responsible for at least some aspect of the incoming call. Here are a few tidbits to remember when that phone call comes in:
1. It’s not a waste of time. - At one company I worked for, I actually had a veteran salesperson tell me not to bother answering the incoming sales calls - let the rookies get them, because they were just “some yahoo who wants to waste some time”. I laughed, because I thought it was a joke. He assured me that “nobody ever sells anything off of the sales calls”.
Trust me - incoming sales calls are NOT a waste of time. Nobody calls a company to talk to a salesperson just for kicks. Generally speaking, if they’ve called your company, they have at least SOME interest in your product or service. It’s your job to find a way to get that prospect off the phone and into your office.
2. TMI is bad on the phones, too. - I know, it seems counterintuitive - they’ve called you for “information”, so the temptation is to just start dumping every bit of info there is about your product or service. STOP! They didn’t call you for information……..they called because they aren’t ready to come in yet - and they need you to make them ready. Your job is to give them just enough information to get them off the couch - you can’t sell them your product until they leave their house. But you can LOSE the sale on the phone. If you give away all the info, they might just make a “decision” right then to not purchase, or maybe to visit your competitor.
Image from http://people.cecs.anu.edu.au
NEXT POST: We look at a few more specifics regarding incoming call situations.
Now go sell something!
