Progressive Distributor

Take control

How to stay in control of the sales call without being pushy.

by Art Sobczak

I frequently tell salespeople they should control the call but at the same time spend most of their time listening, not talking. How can salespeople remain in control if all they do is listen?

It seems unusual that you can control the call by listening, but that is how it is done. You establish control through the use of effective questions.

Prior to the call, prepare your questioning plan. Know exactly what information you need from the prospect, and what questions you will pose to gather that information. You must also know how you will react to each answer, regardless of the response.

Through this questioning and listening process, you identify the prospect’s needs and, at the same time, engineer the direction of the conversation.

At times, the prospect may try to seize control by objecting or getting off on a tangent, but you should be able to re-direct the presentation with more questions. Further, it is to your benefit to control the call by listening because prospects will feel you are truly concerned about their needs. Nothing bores them more than a salesperson droning on about irrelevant features.

On many calls, salespeople lose control because they can’t seem to pinpoint a real objection. The prospect manages to get them off the phone without buying, although they claim some interest. How can salespeople fix this?

Don’t let someone brush you off with fuzzy responses such as, “We’ll consider it” or “There’s a possibility.” What you need to do is clear up their vague language and define specifically what they mean. For example, if a prospect says he will look it over, ask him, “What exactly will you be looking for?”

Sometimes it’s best to come right out and ask the prospect, “And what does that mean, in specific terms?” If a prospect really is just a suspect, it’s best to find that out before you waste several calls. If he or she does indeed have interest, pinpoint where the interest lies so you can concentrate on filling those needs.

Don’t be timid
Another way salespeople lose control is by being timid.

Some people have the habit of prefacing questions with, “May I ask,” as in “May I ask how many locations you have?” This not only wastes words, it also implies that the inquirer is tentative and anxious about asking for information.

Don’t let the screener steal control.
Your attitude plays a huge role in determining if you’ll get a return call. After you provide a screener the details of your message, your name and number, say, "Approximately what time should I expect this call?" The power of this technique is that you let the screener know you mean business, and you expect the person to call you back. Further, it puts the screener in a position where she needs to make a commitment to you.

Command your
prospect’s full attention.
What should you do when your prospect answers on a speaker phone? Unless you are selling to a group at the other end (and you know it), trying to sell to someone who is on a speaker phone is not the best option. Normally, it indicates the person is engaged in some other activity and not focused on your conversation. Therefore, you need to tactfully ask to be taken off the speaker. Here’s a question that works:

"Mr. Prospect, we seem to have a terrible connection with the speaker phone. I really don’t want to miss anything you have to say. Would it be a problem to use the handset?"

Salespeople who are guilty of using this technique argue that they don’t want to appear pushy with their questions. Nonsense. As long as you’ve shown prospects what you can do for them, you’ve earned the right to ask for information. Plus, you can make your questions sound non-threatening with your tone of voice.

In a sincere tone, simply say, “How many locations do you have?”

Another bad habit some people have is ending questions with “or,” giving the impression they have more to say, when in fact they’ve stopped. For example:

“Would you say your department will meet your objective for this fiscal year, or . . . ?”

“Is that something you’d like to take a look at, or . . . ?”

This can confuse the listener and, as with any poor habit, can be irritating if it persists.

Art Sobczak helps salespeople use the phone to prospect, sell and manage accounts more successfully. Call (800) 326-7721 or reach him via e-mail at arts@businessbyphone.com.