Tag: Phone Scripts

Stop Jumping Through Hoops to Get a Sale

by mike

So many sales reps are anxious when they speak with a prospect. It seems they are afraid and think things like:

“Will they like my product or service?”

“Am I speaking with the right person?”

“Do they have the budget or is my solution too much for them?” And on and on…

As such, many reps don’t ask the “tough” questions, like:

“What kind of budget do you have set aside for this?”

“If you like what you see, what is your timeline for moving ahead with this?”

And, if they are an influencer collecting information, then:

“What is the timeline of the (decision maker) to put something like this to work for them?”

“What are they hoping to find in a solution like ours?”

And, to qualify the influencer:

“How do you get involved in the decision process?”

“Does the (decision maker) take your suggestions/advice?”

“When would YOU like to see this solution put in effect?”

The questions above are the questions that all top closers ask. They know that unless they get these “tough” questions answered, there is no way to move the sale forward. Plus, they know that most of the “prospects” they speak with don’t turn into a deal anyway, so, why not learn who is a real prospect right from the get go?

By getting the answers to these questions, you can stop spending time with non-qualified prospects, and spend more of your valuable time with real buyers.

And isn’t that what you want to do?

Need More Proven Responses to the Selling Situations You Face Every Day?

ON DEMAND SALES TRAINING THAT GETS RESULTS!

If your team is struggling with call reluctance and is tired of the endless rejection they face, then get instant access to our On Demand training today. 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.

Unlimited License: One to 100 reps can attend for one low price!

Perfect for 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
Get Access Today

Three Quick Tips to Increase Your Voicemail Callbacks

by mike

Tired of leaving tons of voicemails and not hearing back from anyone?

Incorporate these proven techniques and give yourself the best chance of hearing back from prospects:

#1: Use the “I need a little help, please…” technique. Everyone wants to be helpful, and by leading with this statement, you’ll at least peak someone’s interest, and get them to listen a little bit longer.

#2: Next, make sure and let them know you’ll be brief when they call you back. Most prospects don’t call you back because they don’t want to get caught in a lengthy “pitch,” and they certainly don’t have time to waste. By stating, in advance, that you’ll be brief, you’ll give yourself the best chance of having someone call you back.

#3: Finally, make it easy for your prospect to call you back. In other words, leave your phone number slowly, deliberately, and twice. Also, tell them your name again at the end as well.

Here’s a template voicemail that you can fit your product or service into:

“Hi {first name} (or if you don’t know the person you’re trying to reach, then just skip this and say):

“Hi, I need a little bit of help, please. My name is _______ ________ and my company is _________. Briefly, we provide XYZ. Could you take just a minute to return my call and point me in the right direction? I promise I won’t pitch you or try to sell you something; I just need to know the right person or department I should contact.

“My return phone number is—I’ll start with the area code—(919) 267-4202. (Say this SLOWLY). Once again, my number is (repeat number here), and my name is ________. Thank you in advance, and I’ll look forward to spending just a minute with you.”

Now, is this the guaranteed recipe for getting 100% of your voicemails returned? No! There isn’t one. BUT, by being transparent, polite, and promising not to waste someone’s time, you’ll be giving yourself the best opportunity to get those who might call you back, to go ahead and dial your number.

And I’ll bet that’s better than what’s happening now…

Need More Proven Responses to the Selling Situations You Face Every Day?

ON DEMAND SALES TRAINING THAT GETS RESULTS!

If your team is struggling with call reluctance and is tired of the endless rejection they face, then get instant access to our On Demand training today. 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.

Unlimited License: One to 100 reps can attend for one low price!

Perfect for 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
Get Access Today

Some Will, Some Won’t, Who’s Next?

by mike

It took me years to believe this. At first, it seemed almost rude to utter it…

But let me ask you: out of ten prospects you pitch to, how many end up actually buying?

My guess? Two.

Yep, two out of ten prospects you speak with turn into buyers.

And this means that you spend hours each day pitching to people who are never going to buy!

That’s why most people get burned out in sales. That’s why most salespeople find sales discouraging. That’s why many sales teams don’t make their quotas.

The answer, of course, is simple: Only pitch and spend with those prospects who are actually going to turn into sales—yep, those two people…

I know you still have to prospect and spend time with the other eight, but how about reducing that time? How about disqualifying them early and revealing that they are never going to buy from you?

How do you do that? You do it by qualifying and asking the tough questions and being honest about what they are telling you and being willing to walk away.

Never skip the important qualifying questions at the beginning of your pitch like:

“What is your timeline for making this decision?”

“What kind of budget do you have set aside for this?”

“Besides yourself, who else is involved in making this decision?”

“And from what we’ve just gone over, do you think they would like this?”

There are many other qualifying questions, of course, and I’ve written about them in detail and given you word for word scripts and questions to make it easy on you, but the above questions will always reveal who the two out of ten buyers are.

And it will also reveal who the other eight are.

Now that you’ve got the questions to help you decide who to spend time with, will you use them?

Remember, “Some will, some won’t. Who’s next?”

Need More Proven Responses to the Selling Situations You Face Every Day?

ON DEMAND SALES TRAINING THAT GETS RESULTS!

If your team is struggling with call reluctance and is tired of the endless rejection they face, then get instant access to our On Demand training today. 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.

Unlimited License: One to 100 reps can attend for one low price!

Perfect for 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
Get Access Today

Say This to Get Better—Right Now!

by mike

Want some quick (and easy!) tips that will make you better Right Away?

You’ll find them below, and I guarantee that if you use them, you’ll not only identify buyers faster, but you’ll feel more confident, you’ll close more sales, and your income will grow—starting today.

Here are quick/easy things you can say to make yourself—or your sales team—better:

Instead of saying, “I don’t know if you have any budget for this…”

Say: “And what type of budget do you have set aside for this?”

Instead of saying, “Why don’t we set up another meeting to talk about this…”

Say: “From what you’ve seen today, is this something you feel would work for you?”

Instead of saying, “The sooner you start with this, the sooner you’ll see the results…”

Say: “What is your timeline for getting started with something like this?”

BETTER: “Based on what you’ve seen today, does this sound like something you’d like to put to work for you?”

Instead of saying, “Who else needs to look at this?”

Say: “Is this something that you would recommend to (this other person)?”

And if YES, then: “And do they generally take your recommendations?”

OR: “I’m sure you work with (the other person) pretty closely, so from what you know about what they’re looking for, do you think they would go with this?”

As you can see, the point is to be more assumptive, instead of beating around the bush and not asking.

Remember, YOU are the closer, and YOU need to be leading the sale. And you can. And by adopting the questions above, you will!

And if you’d like more scripts like this, then download my Complete Book of Scripts by clicking here.

Need More Proven Responses to the Selling Situations You Face Every Day?

ON DEMAND SALES TRAINING THAT GETS RESULTS!

If your team is struggling with call reluctance and is tired of the endless rejection they face, then get instant access to our On Demand training today. 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.

Unlimited License: One to 100 reps can attend for one low price!

Perfect for 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
Get Access Today

Tie-Downs: You’re Using Them, Right?

by mike

It’s a new year, and the sooner you learn, practice, and use new habits, the faster you’ll get better results.

This is true whether you’re attempting to eat better, work out more, or make more sales.

And one easy and important habit you can develop right now is to use more tie-downs.

Ask yourself: After I give a benefit to my product or service, do I use a tie-down to see if it’s important to my prospect?

Tie-downs include things like:

“Do you find that, too?”

“How would you use something like that?”

Budget: “The investment in this is $10,000—is that within your budget right now?”

“Is that the amount you’d be willing to spend if you like what you see?”

While tie-downs are self-evident, it’s amazing how few sales reps use them. If you’re a manager or business owner, ask yourself: How often do my team members get confirmation and direction from their prospects by using tie-downs?

If they don’t, they likely just keep pitching and talking past the close. And the dangers of that are also self-evident.

So: New year, new you? If you want to get new results, you’ll need to adopt the new habits that will lead to success.

And that starts by using tie-downs.

If you’d like to know more about tie-downs and want word for word examples of them, then click here.

Need More Proven Responses to the Selling Situations You Face Every Day?

ON DEMAND SALES TRAINING THAT GETS RESULTS!

If your team is struggling with call reluctance and is tired of the endless rejection they face, then get instant access to our On Demand training today. 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.

Unlimited License: One to 100 reps can attend for one low price!

Perfect for 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
Get Access Today

How to Sell A Pencil—Or Any Product or Service

by mike

NOTE: While this article talks about using this technique as an interview question to determine what kind of sales rep you’re about to hire, it’s also a great technique for managers to use to diagnose what is wrong with reps who may not be hitting quote consistently. Simply call your reps in, one by one, and ask them:

“If I gave you a pencil and asked you to sell it, how would you go about it?”

This is one of the most basic of interview questions I use for prospective sales reps, and the answer reveals so much about their previous training, their understanding of the sales process, and ultimately about what kind of sales rep they are going to be.

So, what is the most effective way to sell a pencil? 

Let’s first look at how most sales reps go about doing it. When I’m interviewing sales reps, this is my favorite question. After letting a rep tell me how good of a closer they are, I pull out a pencil, hand it to them, and tell them to sell it to me. And off they go…

80% of sales reps start the same way – they start pitching. “This pencil is brand new, never used.  It has grade “2” lead and a bright yellow color so it’s easy to find. It comes with a built-in eraser,” etc.

Some reps can (and do!) talk about it for 5 minutes or more before they ask a question or ask for an order (more rare). As the sales rep rambles on, I begin to yawn, roll my eyes, etc. Amazingly, this just makes them talk even more!

“What’s wrong with these people?” I think.

Now let’s look at how the Top 20% go about selling a pencil. As soon as I give a top rep the pencil, they pause, and then they begin asking me questions:

“So how often do you use pencils?”

“How many do you go through in a month?”

“What other locations does your company have that use pencils, and how often do they order them?”

“What quantity do you usually order them in?”

“Where are you getting them from now?”

“Besides yourself, who’s involved in the buying decision?”

Quite a difference, isn’t it? I’ll tell you right now, I listen to hundreds of sales reps in a month, and they can easily be separated into these two groups: Those who pitch, pitch, pitch, and those who take the time to understand their prospect’s buying motives and properly qualify to understand the entire selling process. 

Now let’s see which category you fit in. When you speak with a prospect for the first time, how much of your script is focused on describing and pitching your product or service as opposed to questioning and uncovering buying motives?

If yours is like most scripts I review, then it’s filled with descriptions of what you do and how your product or service helps people. Most scripts attack the prospect with a barrage of “value statements” that turn people off and make them want to get you off the phone as quickly as possible. 

Want a better way? Then take a tip from some of the best “pencil sales reps,” and change your script and your opening so it focuses more on questioning and qualifying. Seek to discover whether or not you are actually speaking with someone who is a good fit for what you offer.

Without knowing this, you will just end up with a lot of frustration and a lot of unsold pencils at the end of the month.

If you found this article helpful, then you’ll love my Completely Updated and Revised eBook, “The Complete Book of Phone Scripts.” Now over 130 pages of powerful and effective scripts to help you easily get past the gatekeeper, set appointments, overcome objections and close more money!

Visit Here to find out why Jeffrey Gitomer, Brian Tracy, Tom Hopkins and many others recommend my eBook of Phone Scripts!

Need More Proven Responses to the Selling Situations You Face Every Day?

ON DEMAND SALES TRAINING THAT GETS RESULTS!

If your team is struggling with call reluctance and is tired of the endless rejection they face, then get instant access to our On Demand training today. 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.

Unlimited License: One to 100 reps can attend for one low price!

Perfect for 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
Get Access Today

“Can You Email That to Me?”

by mike

What’s the number one blow off prospects use these days?

“Can you email something to me?”

If you think about it, that’s the perfect stall. They aren’t saying no, and it implies that they’ll talk to you later…

Unfortunately, later becomes never, as chasing down busy professionals—especially people who now don’t want to be followed up with—becomes nearly impossible.

The solution? Be prepared with a good script and a good strategy. The one I like most is to prepare an initial email in advance (it can be generic or it can include an initial quote of services) and have it ready to send at a moment’s notice.

And then when a prospect blows you off with, “Can you email something to me?” use the following script:

“I’d be more than happy to do that – where would you like me to email that?” 

[Take their email down and then email them your information right now.]

“O.K., it’s on the way to you. What I’d like to do right now is take just two minutes to get an idea of what’s important to you, and then I can direct you to that part of the information when you get around to it.  Let me ask you:

“How do you get involved in ordering/handling/working with the XYZ?”

OR

“From a needs standpoint, how motivated is (your company/department/are you) to change/fix/replace/buy XYZ right now?”

OR

“What would you need to see in the information I just sent you for you to become seriously interested in making a change in how you’re handling XYZ now?”  

If you follow this strategy, then you’ll be ready to sidestep the email stall and get right into qualifying!

How great will that be?

Try this technique yourself and watch as you begin qualifying real buyers, or disqualifying those who just want to get you off the phone…

Need More Proven Responses to the Selling Situations You Face Every Day?

ON DEMAND SALES TRAINING THAT GETS RESULTS!

If your team is struggling with call reluctance and is tired of the endless rejection they face, then get instant access to our On Demand training today. 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.

Unlimited License: One to 100 reps can attend for one low price!

Perfect for 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
Get Access Today

The Price is Too High—Best Technique to Use

by mike

Quick tip this week.

I worked with a client years ago, and he had a one-line rebuttal to the price is too high objection.

Whenever a prospect told him that, he simply asked:

“And besides price, what else is holding you back?”

That’s it.

Simple. Direct. And powerful.

This client understood that objections are generally smokescreens hiding other objections, so questioning it in this way immediately tells you whether it’s really price—or something else.

If they tell you that something else is holding them back, then you don’t have to address price right now.

If they say nothing, just price, you can begin closing. Something along the line of:

“And what were you willing to spend?”

OR

“Where would our pricing need to be for you to move on it?”

Any of these or others will do here.

The next time someone tells you they can’t afford it or your price is too high, use my client’s example above.

And let your prospect tell you where you need to go next…

Need More Proven Responses to the Selling Situations You Face Every Day?

ON DEMAND SALES TRAINING THAT GETS RESULTS!

If your team is struggling with call reluctance and is tired of the endless rejection they face, then get instant access to our On Demand training today. 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.

Unlimited License: One to 100 reps can attend for one low price!

Perfect for 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
Get Access Today

Don’t Make This Mistake When Prospecting

by mike

I watched a sales rep making cold calls the other day.

He was making one crucial error that was leading to him not getting very far with prospects. I want to share with you what this common prospecting error is and how to immediately fix it.

I contacted him and offered to do a complimentary coaching session with him to help correct this fundamental error. Prior to the call, I asked this sales rep to send over recordings, so I could play and point out exactly what he was doing wrong.

Here’s what it is: He was calling prospects and his pitch went like this:

“Hi, this is {first & last name} with {his company}, and I know you’re probably busy, so I just want to ask you a quick question to see if it makes sense for us to talk…

“If you could wave a magic wand and change two things about your online marketing, what would they be?”

The responses he got were generally negative, along the lines of, “Look, I’m in the middle of something right now and can’t talk to you…”

As you read this article, can you identify what the mistake in this approach is?

I told the rep the problem was that he wasn’t making any connection in the beginning and wasn’t allowing his prospect to engage with him at all. Instead, he was barging in on someone’s day and asking a question that required the prospect to stop doing what he was doing and then give a ton of information he probably didn’t want to give.

I said it was analogous to saying, “Hey, you don’t know me, but give me your time and tell me how to sell you.”

I also told him that my reaction as a business owner would have been, “Who are you, and how dare you ask me to tell you that!”

What was missing was the common currency of human interaction to set up the call. Plus, what was missing was a value statement of what might be in it for the prospect. I suggested he revise his opening to:

“Hi, this is {first & last name} with {his company}, how’s your day going?”

[Wait and respond accordingly—engage!]

“{first name}, I know you’re probably busy, so I’ll be brief. The reason for the call is that we provide affordable SEO services to small companies like yours so you can have a big footprint on the Internet and drive more qualified leads.

“Would you mind if I asked how you go about doing that right now?”

Note: this is just one of many different qualifying questions I would ask based on how they sounded to me. The point is to 1) Make a connection first, 2) Give the reason for your call—your value statement, 3) Ask an appropriate, quick qualifying question. This is the best practice approach.

After our coaching session, I received an email the next day from guy. He said he listened to the recording of the session several times and something clicked. He told me that he attends many face to face networking events, and he realized he would never use his phone prospecting script with anyone in person. It would be inappropriate and even rude!

Instead, he said, he would make conversation first, connect and interact with someone. He figured it would probably be true in sales over the phone as well. It told him that was the perfect analogy! I couldn’t have said it any better.

So, for all you inside reps and companies that are making outbound prospecting calls, just ask yourself: Would your technique work face to face? If not, then change it so it would. You’ll do much better when you do.

Need More Proven Responses to the Selling Situations You Face Every Day?

ON DEMAND SALES TRAINING THAT GETS RESULTS!

If your team is struggling with call reluctance and is tired of the endless rejection they face, then get instant access to our On Demand training today. 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.

Unlimited License: One to 100 reps can attend for one low price!

Perfect for 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
Get Access Today

Inbound Leads: Slam Dunks or Looky-loos?

by mike

What is a sales person’s dream? An inbound lead.

Someone has found your company, responded online or sent an email, and wants to know more about how you can help them.

A slam dunk deal, right?

Not so fast…

If you’ve been fielding inbound leads for a while, then you’ve probably noticed something: Not all inbound leads buy.

But how can this be? Didn’t the prospect reach out to me? Shouldn’t he/she be a deal?

Many sales reps today still make the mistake of taking “implied interest” in your company or service, to mean someone is interested, qualified, and ready to buy.

The way to capture a deal in this situation—if there is one—is to treat an inbound lead like any other: you need to qualify them.

Here are a few questions that will help you separate the slam dunks from the looky-loos:

“Thanks for reaching out to us today. Tell me, what motivated you to contact us?”

And

“I’m sure you’re looking at other companies, just out of curiosity, what is most important when choosing a company for this?”

And

“Who, besides yourself, is involved in making this decision?”

And

“After you’ve found the company that you think is best for you, what is your timeline for purchasing this?”

The next time you get an inbound lead, make sure and ask the questions above. It will help you decide who to spend your time with, versus who to let go of. And knowing that will save you a lot of aggravation later on.

Need More Proven Responses to the Selling Situations You Face Every Day?

ON DEMAND SALES TRAINING THAT GETS RESULTS!

If your team is struggling with call reluctance and is tired of the endless rejection they face, then get instant access to our On Demand training today. 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.

Unlimited License: One to 100 reps can attend for one low price!

Perfect for 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
Get Access Today