How good (or bad) does your sales team sound when prospecting over the phone?
Have you recorded and listened to their calls lately?
On Friday, (Jan 3rd), I received a sales call that went like this:
Me: “Good morning, Mike Brooks here, how can I help you?”
Rep: “Ah, could I speak to the owner of the business?”
Me: (I was in a good mood, otherwise I would have hung up right there): “That’s me, Mike Brooks, how can I help you today?”
Rep: “I’m calling with Jackson Tax Prep Services (Not the real company name), and what we do is simplify tax preparation for companies with 25 employees or more. We’ve been in business for over 15 years and I want to know how I can set up an appointment to speak with the owner about this?”
Me: (My good mood fading quickly), “As I said, I’m the owner.”
Rep: “Oh, ah, do you have time right now?
Me: “Well, I’m kinda busy…”
Rep: “What about tomorrow?”
I won’t go on (although this sales rep was willing to…).
In this day and age, with all the voice recording technology, the sales training and scripting, the A.I. technology, there is simply no reason for sales reps to be so totally unprepared.
And yet many of them are. What gives?
Sadly, in my 35+ years of inside sales management and training, what I find is that companies still spend more time on training sales reps on their products and services then than do on actual sales training and messaging.
In fact, actual, structured, word for word messaging is largely ignored, and sales reps are encouraged to “go with the flow” by following a suggested, bulleted outline of features and benefits.
And when they do, what you get is a version of the call listed above.
Want to change your results this year? Want to make your 2020 the absolute best year of your career or company?
You can. And one proven way to do that is to enroll your team in my upcoming, 7-week, live, inside sales training. It’s affordable (as low as $399 per rep when you register 5 reps), and it will provide your team with proven and effective messaging to handle both prospecting calls and closing sales.
Next course starts on Tuesday, January 28th. See it here.
Another way is to script out proven openings and responses to the common sales situations you get into over and over again. Search my blog for tons of word for word messaging that can make your very next call better.
If you want to sound more professional in 2020 (and make more income), then you’re going to have to put in some effort and make an investment to get better. But don’t worry: It will pay you huge dividends for years to come.
Need More Proven Responses to the Selling Situations You Face Every Day?
Join Our Next Training:
If your team is struggling with call reluctance and is tired of the endless rejection they face, then this live, interactive online B2B & B2C inside sales training is exactly what they need to get excited & confident about selling again! We provide the exact talk tracks, templates, and proven tools your team will be motivated to apply, all structured around an award winning comprehensive inside sales approach that gives your team the confidence to succeed in every selling situation they face today.
Who Should Attend?
Any sales reps dealing with the following issues:
- Reps struggling with call reluctance
- Getting screened out by the gatekeeper
- Overcoming blow off objections like, “Just email me something”
- Identifying decision makers
- Qualifying prospects
- Setting call back appointments that stick
- Giving successful presentations and dealing with objections
- Staying motivated