Open questions in sales conversations

By Nigel TempleNo Comments
Different types of question generate different responses. For example, an open question cannot usually be answered with a “Yes” or a “No”.  Open questions can be used to get people talking. Here is an extract from Telemarketing Results by Nigel Temple: Have you ever come across Rudyard Kipling's six honest serving men: ‘I keep six honest serving men (They taught me all I knew): their names are WHAT and WHY and WHEN and HOW and WHERE and WHO.’ Mind you, I feel sorry for poor old WHICH, who presumably was either burnt at the stake of knowledge or ran off with the Wizard. Incidentally, these questions can be prefixed with: ”It would be very helpful if you could tell me…” “I hope you can help me.” (Most human beings respond positively to a request for help) ”I was just wondering….” It goes without saying that the way in which you ask these types of questions will make all the difference to the conversation. It is best to form some rapport first. The customer...
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How to use the phone for business sales calls

By Walter Blackburn2 Comments
Nigel Temple @nigeltemple asked me the following question: "Do you have any tips for using the phone in business? What is the earliest time of day that is acceptable to start calling? Do scripts still work? What is the right way of calling a LinkedIn contact and what would you say in the opening 10 seconds? Is it OK to call prospective clients from mobile phones?" Earliest time to start calling: 8am if you’re calling someone in their office on their landline. If you’re calling their mobile I would leave it to 8.30 or even 9 because you don’t know if they’re working from home and most people don’t want to be disturbed there if they’re getting the kids off to school or whatever else they might be doing to get ready for the day. I would be careful calling mobiles if you don’t know them. Most of us are quite protective of our mobile numbers - but I believe it’s ‘fair...
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Telemarketing versus telesales – telemarketing tips and advice

By Nigel Temple4 Comments
Do you use the telephone to promote your products / services? Most businesses do, in one form or another. Here is some telemarketing tips and advice. Firstly, let's begin with some definitions: * Telemarketing: using the telephone to educate customers, arrange free trials or schedule sales meetings * Telesales: selling products / services directly over the phone Many business people don't like using the phone to sell. They tell me that they get nervous, become tongue tied and don't enjoy the experience. This is quite normal, after all, most of us don't enjoy rejection, do we? In order to use the telephone better, The Marketing Compass suggests the following strategies: 1. Ensure that you are working with a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system, as you will then have 'all of your contacts in one place'. 2. Within your CRM, divide prospective customers up into market segments, as it's easier to call a 'group of people with shared needs' within one session, than it is...
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