Telemarketing is as much an art form as it is a science. Check out these telephone sales training tips and give your team the competitive edge.
There’s more to telemarketing than good people skills. As you’ve probably learned along the way, there are skills and strategies you can practice and implement to improve your performance as a telemarketer. While you as a manager may have learned these things already, chances are your team could use some telephone sales training tips to help them boost their numbers and their confidence.
But before we get to the tips, there are a few things you might want to sort out with your team ahead of critiquing their cold-calling etiquette. For example, what goals or values do you want to instill in your team? How do you want them to come across to prospects? What kind of reputation do you want them to uphold for your company? While not specifically telephone sales training tips, these tidbits of information are vital for building a cohesive, effective team of telemarketers.
Motivation before instruction
One of the most important aspects of any salesperson is that they are motivated to sell your company’s offering. It’s easy to fall back on monetary incentives to motivate your team, but the reality is that money only goes so far. Especially in today’s world, people want to be passionate about what they do, followed by having opportunities for feedback and promotion. By all means, continue the company outings and other social functions, but remember that rewards will only take you so far.
Motivation is critical because without it, your telephone sales training may fall on deaf ears. If your marketers don’t believe in what they do, they won’t be as concerned with career development, which means they won’t be as concerned about what you have to say. Make sure you not only hire enthusiastic people, but also that you find new ways to gauge and improve their motivation over the duration of their careers.
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10 Telephone sales training tips you can use today
Once you’ve got your goals established and your motivations in place, you’re ready to implement some reliable telephone sales training. While this is a list of only ten tips, remember there are plenty of other useful bits of information to share with your team members. Think about what you would have liked to have known when you started, the things you never thought about, and the things that surprised you. Those are the tips that will be helpful for them to hear.
And now, without further delay, here are ten telephone sales training tips sure to boost your team’s performance, productivity, and morale.
1. Overcome fear, develop a thick skin
This is probably the most important foundational tip. Your salespeople will experience more rejection than not. They should be prepared for it and relatively impervious to it. Sales isn’t a business for the overly sensitive.
2. Address the prospect by name
People like to feel like more than a number. Using a name—properly pronounced—is a great way to start.
3. Eliminate background noise
This should be a no-brainer, but sometimes we get accustomed to the noises around us and forget that someone on the other end of the phone might hear.
4. Schedule your day
Plan how many calls you want to make each hour, when you’re going to take a break, and become familiar with the name and company of the person you’re contacting. You’re much more likely to get a response if you come across as organized and professional.
5. Stick to a script
Some people feel that scripts are artificial, but they keep you on point and ensure you don’t leave anything out. Rehearse your script until you know it by heart so it sounds more natural over the phone.
6. Check your tone of voice
Tone communicates almost as much as words. Be cheerful, speak slowly and in a low voice. Stay mindful of this as your call continues.
7. Use auto-dialer software
If your team is making dozens of calls in a day, auto-dialer software is a must. The technology is much more advanced today and almost sure to boost your sales.
8. Eliminate distractions
Now isn’t the time to check your e-mail. Give your undivided attention to your prospect. They’ll likely sense it if you don’t.
9. Keep personal thoughts to yourself
It’s easy, especially at the end of a call, to want to mutter something about a difficult prospect. Come to find out, the line never disconnected and they heard everything you said. That’s not good for you or the company. Train yourself to hold your thoughts and overcome feelings of frustration.
10. Never hang up first
You don’t want to miss a last-minute opportunity because you were too quick to get off the phone. Always wait for that tell-tale click before you move to your next call.
What tips would you add to this? Share your thoughts in the conversation below.
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