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Tag: phone

  • The Easiest and Hardest Part of Phone Sales

    The Easiest and Hardest Part of Phone Sales

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    The Ask. Yes … both the easiest and hardest part of the phone sale. Quite an interesting enigma, right? Yes again, but let's unpack this further. Phone selling is both an art and science and it follows a logical path (maybe a little nonlinear at times, but nonetheless there's an end goal). Depending on the solution you're offering to the prospect, there's usually a lead up to the Ask.

    Present the Purpose of the Call Clearly and Directly
    For starters, remember to accomplish (when and if possible) the goal of making the call. This can be to set up an appointment, to introduce yourself, your business, and product and / or service, or to speak with the Decision Maker. By stating the purpose of the call (and thus moving toward the goal of the call), you minimize wasting time with uninterested and unqualified prospects and you maximize your ability to make more calls, reach more people, and close more sales. Here's some great advice: it often helps (actually, the value of having this is more than I can put into words) to have a script available during the call just in case you get off track. Scripts aid you in staying focused and moving the call forward.

    Listen Prior to Making the Ask
    Unless you're a telemarketer and are intent on blasting your prospects with a "canned" message regardless of their responses, then by all means, spray on. OK, kidding aside, prior to making the Ask , listen … listen … listen. Here's the key in listening when conducting a sales call: don't, I repeat, don't answer the prospect in your head while they are talking. Don't do it. Here's why: you'll learn that by keeping your mind still and clear without interrupting the prospect in your head or verbally, you'll have given the prospect something that will often be reciprocated to you in full measure: "uninterrupted time for response" . Sounds weird … yes, but does it work? oh yes. I learned this technique from Stephen Schiffmann and it really works.

    Remember, plan the call (set a goal and use a script), initiate contact, state the purpose of your call directly and clearly, and listen. After listening both consciously and subconsciously, if and when appropriate, make the Ask .

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    Source by Pierre Pinkerton

    Views: 0

  • Email, Phone Or Live Chat Support – How to Best Serve Your Customers

    Email, Phone Or Live Chat Support – How to Best Serve Your Customers

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    In technical support there are generally 3 options for providing the customer support services needed by your customer: Email, Live Chat, and Phone. Each one has its own advantages depending on the nature of your products or services. As a rule of thumb, you should choose the support system(s) that will make your customer most comfortable and satisfied. But how do you know which form is best for your company? Here are some advantages of email support, live chat support and phone support.

    Email Support:

    Cheapest form of support

    – No need for expensive telephone equipment or land lines

    – Best for companies with global customers

    – Free for customer to receive help

    Does not need to be 24/7 support

    Will lead to reduced number of phone or live chat contacts

    – Customers who have requests or need solutions that do not need to be solved immediately can use this form

    Provides a clear written solution to questions or requests

    – Can clearly explain instructions

    Easily recorded

    – Possible to transfer conversation if further help is needed

    – Can improve on quality by reviewing conversations

    Flexible time frame

    – Does not require immediate response

    Lessens the need for native speakers

    – Foreign accents are no longer a problem

    Live Chat Support:

    Cheaper form of support

    – No need for expensive telephone equipment or land lines

    – Best for companies with global customers

    – Free for customer to receive help

    Provides real time support

    – Solutions can be provided immediately

    – No “on hold” waiting time

    Creates trust and reliability

    – Customers feel confident that they can receive help immediately

    – Customers feel that serving them is important to you

    Customer representative receive all necessary information

    Can ask the right questions and receive information immediately

    Easily recorded

    – Possible to transfer conversation if further help is needed

    – Can improve on quality by reviewing conversations

    Saves time

    – Representatives can handle more than one customer at a time

    Lessens the need for native speakers

    Foreign accents are no longer a problem

    Phone Support:

    Provides real time support

    – Solutions can be provided immediately

    Creates trust and reliability

    – Customers feel confident that they can receive help immediately

    – Customers feel that you appreciate their business

    Customer care representative receive all necessary information

    – Can ask the right questions and receive information immediately

    Customers feel comfortable

    – Most customers are most comfortable with phone support

    – Helpful to people who are less technologically savvy

    Personable

    – A helpful friendly voice can calm irritated customers

    Secure

    – Does not depend on the internet to provide customer support

    How you provide technical support services depends largely on your clientele. In most cases, providing a multitude of customer care support service options is best so that the customer can choose what they are most comfortable with.

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    Source by R Van Herpen

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  • New Book Removes Fear From Sales With Practical, Easy-To-Implement Techniques

    New Book Removes Fear From Sales With Practical, Easy-To-Implement Techniques

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    As a small business owner, I found Greg Andersen's Small Business Sales, WTF (Without the Fear) full of practical advice, new ideas, and down-to-earth common sense to help me rethink my sales approaches. Andersen has been in sales for many years in the printing business, but the advice he offers is applicable to anyone in sales, especially small business owners who may be wearing all the hats themselves or unable to focus on sales because they're too busy looking after everything else.

    Small Business Sales, WTF is divided into two sections: Pre-Sales Planning, in which Andersen discusses products, going to market with products, creating a sales environment, and then The Sales Process, in which he explores how to find customers, make contact , get the opportunity to sell to the customer, execute the sale, and then follow up with and retain the customer long-term. Andersen walks readers through each step of the sales process, providing practical and personal examples of what has worked for him that readers can easily model or put their own spins on.

    Andersen writes in a humorous but tell-it-like-it-is style to dismiss myths about the sales process and cut through sales jargon to get to what the reader really needs to know. For example, early in the book, he has a list of "Words / Phrases you will not hear in my book." Among the phrases included is "Belly-to-Belly" to which he responds, "Gross. How about face-to-face." Another phrase is "Low Hanging Fruit," which he says does not really exist, and still another is "Hook," which he finds insulting because it assumes customers are suckers or fish. Instead, Andersen prefers to treat his customers like human beings and rather than "close the sale" come to an "agreement" between two parties who trust and respect each other.

    For most people, sales can have a bad name. No one likes being sold to, and people who reluctantly take on a sales role are aware of that and often fearful of selling. Andersen teaches readers how to remove the fear of sales by rethinking what sales really is. Most people dread the "cold call," so Andersen talks about instead viewing sales as "demand generation." It's about looking for where there is a demand for your services and then providing the product or service to fulfill that demand. It's also about listening to customers.

    Andersen states: "When all is said and done, only a few methods of outreach will really get you in contact with a prospective new customer-the phone, letter writing, a trade show, and email. What really counts is the technique you employ . " He then provides creative examples of how to handle sales through each of these approaches, as well as discussing social media as a sales strategy. His examples are drawn from personal experiences, from his days as a shoe salesman at Nordstrom to his current sales role in the printing industry. Best of all, he even includes copies of letters he has sent to clients. His techniques are simple and straightforward, so anyone, no matter how scared of sales, can implement them.

    Of course, there will be difficult clients or people who don't want to hear how you can help them. Andersen provides strategies for getting past the gatekeepers to the decision makers. He reveals his research techniques, which are quite clever and even include looking at prospective customers' job postings to determine who in a company is or will be in a buyer position for his product.

    When facing resistance from a potential client, Andersen realizes it's not always about him, his approach, or his product. I loved the following invaluable point he made: "Another way I like to approach these challenging situations is to remind myself that all these excuses mean the customer is probably protecting his current vendor. If he is being loyal to his current vendor, some day he will be loyal to me. Stay positive. " Personally, I know this is true as a business owner. If I have a vendor providing me with a good service at a good price, I feel loyal to that vendor and am not willing to change. Such clients may be resistant to change, but they are the ones you want because they are loyal. Andersen shows how persistence pays off in these situations. Sometimes he makes contact with customers who are not in need of his services right then, but years later, he secures business with them, and even if at first he doesn't get the level of business he wants, they often will give him some business as a trial and then he can work his way in to larger sales with them.

    Perhaps what I liked most about Andersen's approaches is that he truly believes in being responsive to clients. I cannot stress enough how frustrated I feel when I send an email to someone who does not reply to me for several days. I am personally always very responsive to my clients and usually reply within hours if not minutes. Andersen points out that even if you don't have an answer to a client's problem or you can't take the time to respond to a question at that moment, a simple response like, "I'm on it," lets clients know you will get back to them and then they can quit worrying about their problem and go on to the next item on their to-do list until you do get back to them. In other words, Andersen is always in favor of reassuring the client that you will do what you say and provide reliable and quality service.

    Altogether, Small Business Sales, WTF does take a lot of the fear and stress out of sales. I believe most readers will be pleasantly surprised by this book; they'll read Andersen's stories and examples and say to themselves, "I can do that," and even find ideas of their own popping into their heads as they build off of Andersen's advice. Whether you are a small business owner with absolutely no sales experience, are just starting out in sales, or have been in sales for years, there are plenty of nuggets of advice here that can make your sales process easier, more lucrative, and all around more enjoyable.

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    Source by Tyler Tichelaar

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