1. Turn off your television and radio. Stop reading the paper. Above all, stop listening to the doom and gloom about the economy. The economy is what the economy is. If you spend all of your time listening to bad news, it gets more and more difficult to sell. Instead, take action. Call a prospect. Call a current customer and ask for more business. Call a current customer and ask for a referral. Call someone and sell something.

2. During difficult economic times vendor loyalty can be shaky. This is a great time to go after accounts that have previously been locked up and held tight by your competition. If you know your competition, you know their flaws. Where might they be susceptible? Go after those accounts. 

3. Qualify your prospects. Far too many sales representatives spend far too much time chasing after prospects that will never buy. Don’t be shy. Ask the hard questions that determine whether or not you’re speaking with real prospects. Qualify your prospects out. Then, if you are not speaking with a real prospect, move on.

4. Focus on value. Make sure that your prospects understand the value that you represent. How will your product/service help your prospect? How will it help your prospect achieve their goals? How will it impact their bottom line? Your prospects will not figure it out for themselves. It’s your job to help them understand. Ultimately, your customers want to know WIIFM, “What’s in it for me?” Make sure that you help them understand.

1.  Your practice time should include practicing your answers to objections and/or questions you may hear. If you practice ahead of time, you will not have to stop and think when a prospect offers an objection. You will know the answer–it will be automatic.

2.  Building an introductory calling technique has a great advantage. When you are having a good day, it is very easy to be “on.” Technique will give you a way to get yourself “on” when you are having a bad day. Building technique gives you a process to pull yourself together and get to where you need to be to do your work. That “autopilot” process will kick in, allowing you to leave your bad day behind.  

3.  One of my colleagues refers to telephone prospecting as “telephone theatre.” I love that description because when you are making calls, you need to decide what it is that you want your prospect to hear and also to feel. How will you get them to hear and feel what you want them to hear and feel? Which words will you emphasize? Which words will you move through quickly?

4.  To better your “telephone theatre” performance, record yourself. It’s very valuable to hear how you sound to others.  If you do not like the way you sound, you can work to change how you say what you say.

2. Make sure that your telephone has a clear sound. If you are not sure, use someone else’s phone to call yours and have a colleague standing by to answer it. This way, you will know for sure.

3. Set up your system to keep track of every single lead. And make sure that you use it, every time.

4. Along with the company name, prospect name, address and telephone number, you need to track dates of contact; what was discussed; dates to call back; if marketing materials were sent, which ones; if samples, which ones; etc. You want to make sure that you have the correct spelling of your prospect’s name (everyone likes to have their names spelled correctly) and her full title. And make sure to keep notes of everything. Flag prospects with which you set up meetings and prospects that require follow-up calls.

1. How much do you think this would help you make?

     This question justifies expense. Use this question, or depending on the circumstances, use the following question

How much do you think this would help you save?

     This question also helps justify expense.

2. What would motivate you to change?

     This question creates the rationale a prospect will use to justify their purchase

3. Do you have a preference?

     If your prospect has a preference, you need to know what it is how they arrived at that preference. Having a preference also moves the prospect one step closer to saying, “yes.”

4. What has been your past experience?

     If you can exploit a bad experience with a competitor, that’s terrific. If the bad experience was with your company, you need to know about it and if possible, fix the problem.

2. Take breaks when you need them. There is no sense in blowing leads simply because you are tired. You must, of course, distinguish between a legitimate need for a break and procrastinating and trying to put off making calls.

3. Be persistent. Keep making telephone calls. Prospects actually appreciate persistence. They frequently see persistence as an illustration of how you will deliver when you get the account.

4. Do not ask your prospect, ‘How are you today?’ Generally, they will answer, ‘I am fine; what do you want?’ This immediately starts your conversation off on the wrong foot. Simply identify yourself and your company, and say what you have to say. If this is not a good time, your prospect will let you know

2. People buy from people they like and people with whom they are comfortable. In the same way, your prospects schedule meetings with people they like and with whom are comfortable. So, be courteous, be genuine, and listen! Give your prospect your complete attention. When your prospect tells you of her concerns, try to repeat them back to her. This does two things: it shows your prospect that you are listening, and it makes sure that you get it right! If you do not, your prospect can correct you, and then you will get it right!
 

3. Think of your prospect as someone you know, someone who is open and interested. Visualize a customer that you have, someone with whom you have a good relationship and someone who is open and receptive to you. When you make calls, pretend that you are speaking with that customer and not a stranger.
 

4. If you are having difficulty getting into a ‘conversational rhythm’ with your script, try deliberately speeding up at the beginning and end of sentences and slowing down in the middle. This will give your delivery a more conversational feel, along with the added benefit of making it more difficult for your prospect to interrupt you. People will generally interrupt at the end of a sentence. By speeding up at that time, your prospect will not hear a place to jump in.