C-Level Selling, 4 Steps for Closing Phone Inquiries

Interest and credibility are the keys to successfully leading incoming callers to buy your products or services. When someone calls into your business, be it your, receptionist, multi-person phone bank or home office with an inquiry, obviously interest is high. However, you have to keep that interest burning while developing credibility and avoiding frustration. So how you answer and your next few statements are critical to moving this opportunity forward.



Step 1 – Create Rapport with Your Greeting



Rapport starts with friendliness, respect, and being polite. For example, Ring! Ring! "Hello, thank you for calling Sales Mastery. My name is Sam. May I ask what your first name is?" Notice, "Thank you for calling," (polite); offering up your first name, (friendly); "May I ask your first name?" (respect). You can also ask for his/her phone number just in case you get disconnected or need to call back for any reason (thoughtful and helpful).



Step 2 – Build Trust by Getting the Prospect to Take over the Conversation



Getting the prospect to explain, while you listen with an ear to understand is what builds trust and keeps interest high. Once s/he has outlined the challenges or problems s/he is having, keep asking "What else?" This gets her to open up more which will build her trust in you while you build an arsenal of information you can use later in your presentation. Additionally, the prospect will now know, you understand her situation because s/he told it to you. If you really want to enhance credibility, feedback your interpretation of what s/he said and then say, "Is this correct?" Nothing builds rapport and trust more than this simple confirmation technique.

Step 3 -- Show Them Your Expertise



You're probably already very good at telling prospects how you can solve their problems. However to differentiate and show expertise be as specific as possible, using numbers names and details. Numbers names and details create a vivid picture, and showcase your competence. Ambiguities leave the prospect with doubt and concerns.



Step 4 -- Ask the Prospect for His or Her Feelings



Use these exact words after your presentation. "How do you feel about what I just explained to you?" This is the most important sales question for a salesperson. It indicates position with this prospect. If the prospects says s/he feels great/good, go directly to closing.



If the prospect gives the indication s/he doesn't feel great, she has some issues that you have to pull them out of her. Once s/he starts telling you, listen, and don't argue or try to address them. Then you can address them. Then ask her again how she feels.



Call-ins should close 70% of the times or higher. Follow the steps above and you'll see how easy and rewarding converting incoming calls into sales can be.



And now I invite you to learn more.



Bonus Tip: FREE E-book Getting Past Gatekeepers and Handling Blockers . If you can’t get to the powerful decision makers, you’re depending on others to do your selling at the high levels. The problem is you won’t know what they say, if they say anything at all.