How to Sell on the Phone in Today's Market

Phone Sales Video Summary:

Phone Sales Tips #1: Have a script for all of your prospecting calls. There is nothing more frustrating to a prospect than when a salesperson fumbles through a sales call without a clear objective. One of the best phone sales tips out there is to use a script that lays out exactly how you will open the call, what you're going to ask, and how you will close the call. No more winging it. When you get a good prospect on the phone, it’s a knucklehead move to just wing that call. Script the hell out of your sales calls—even those that aren't cold calls.

Phone Sales Tips #2: Take risks. For some reason, salespeople live in fear of calls. It’s as if the prospect will be able to reach through the phone and stab us in the eyes—that’s how scared we are of picking up the phone. But they can't touch us, and they can't hurt us. And you know what? If you screw up a call, so what? Big deal. It doesn't matter. The prospect won't even remember next month anyway. Be willing to take risks with your calls and if the prospect is being wishy-washy, call that person to task. If the prospect tells you to call back next month, ask, “Are you just trying to get rid of me, or do you actually want me to call?”

Phone Sales Tips #3: Don't just use the phone. This might seem like it goes against all the other phone sales tips I just shared with you. But the truth is, the phone works best in conjunction with other powerful sales tools. When you call a prospect and you don't get through, it’s time to leave a voicemail, send an email, send over a package, and then call again. In fact, planning out your entire prospecting campaign is going to make your sales calls that much more effective. This way, your prospects are going to know who you are by the time you actually get them on the phone.

Phone Sales Tips #4: Call high. If you’re going to make hundreds or even thousands of calls per month, investing countless hours in the activity, do you want to be calling the decision maker or just some lemming who’s going to have to ultimately pitch you to the boss? It's time to call high. Whoever you're calling now is probably lower level than you really should be calling. If you're calling managers, start calling directors. If you've been calling directors, start calling VPs or CEOs. The higher you call, the more you maximize your return on those calls.

Phone Sales Tips #5: Call early, call late, and call often. Now that we've established that you're going to call high, the question is, how do you actually get through to that person? And the solution is simple. (By the way, I want to make a disclaimer here: 99% of readers will ignore this tip, but the 1% who implement it will make a lot of money.) High-level prospects typically work from 7AM to 7PM. In fact, many work from 6AM to 9PM. The data shows us that almost all CEOs work a few hours on Saturday. But when do gatekeepers work? Nine to five. Maybe 8:30 to 5:30 if they're workaholic-type admins. The bottom line is that when you call your high-level prospects early and late—and even on Saturdays—they are there. And best of all, their gatekeepers are not.