Telephone sales. Examples and scripts of cold calls for a sales manager: how to increase efficiency? Sales manager phone calls

And today, cold calls remain one of the most common methods of promoting a company. The reason is obvious - in comparison with personal meetings for the same period of time, you can talk with a large number of potential customers, optimize sales.

Spam is easy to block, a sent email may never be read, and commercials often go unnoticed. Everyone answers personal calls. Will it be possible to interest the buyer in this way? This is another aspect. But the manager needs to try.

Critics of cold calls talk about the high labor costs of the method and low efficiency. According to the survey, the result of a cold call (the number of successful transactions, sales) varies between 3-10%.

What are cold calls?

Cold calls are phone calls to strangers in order to offer them certain goods or services. The reason for low efficiency is most often the lack of training of the manager, bad examples, wrong scripts and wrong sales tactics. As a result - a negative reaction of a potential buyer.

Many managers claim that their main goal is to call as many people as possible. The more attempts, the more likely it is that someone will agree to the deal.

This is the reason for the low efficiency of sales. It is necessary to strive to interest the interlocutor, to make the conversation useful and exciting, to leave positive emotions. It's no secret that most often cold calls cause irritation. To change this point of view, the sales manager needs to “hook” the interlocutor, arouse his interest, then present the product, neutralizing doubts about the purchase, and sell the product.

Successful cold calling tools

When a manager makes a cold call, his potential buyer hears only a voice without seeing the interlocutor. Such a client treats what he heard with distrust, and he does not always want to waste time on an empty conversation. Therefore, the technique of making cold calls should be carefully worked out and thought out.

Shell and base composition

The basis of successful work is a complete up-to-date database. It doesn't matter what you do or sell cosmetics. To replenish the client base, the sales manager needs to implement paid information programs that are formed from reliable sources. Examples of such operating bases are Interfax, Fira Pro. Various paid and free programs can be used to store and process data.

Negotiation experience and talent

Sales managers who talk about the low effectiveness of cold calls cannot properly organize them. To increase sales, you need to immerse the manager in a comfortable environment. An uncertain trembling voice, a feeling of discomfort, a monotonous voice timbre will not give the expected results, and a cold call will fail. If the manager doubts the product being sold, the potential client will definitely not buy it.

Negotiating experience is also important. Experienced managers know in advance what their interlocutor will ask or how their interlocutor will answer, which allows them to work calmly according to the developed scenario, using scripts and examples. That is why a new employee needs to undergo preliminary training and training. There is a small exception to this statement - there are people with an innate talent to persuade. They quickly establish contact with a potential buyer, pointing out the advantages and benefits of the purchase. Such an employee is very valuable, but there are very few such "nuggets", while the rest need to learn a lot about the method of cold calls.

The most important skill is to manage your emotions and get the buyer to respond to them. If the operator is liberated, can easily conduct a dialogue, the interlocutor will be interested in communicating with him.

First impression

You will never have a second chance to make a first impression. This stage is the most “fateful”. When a person receives a call from a sales manager, he usually imagines a tired person with a stone face, a microphone and a headset connected, who does not care who he communicates with. There is no desire to continue the conversation with such a person, therefore, in 99.9% of cases, a cold call is already doomed to failure.

The key task of the operator is to become interesting to the interlocutor from the very first seconds. You need to understand the course of his thoughts, be “on the same wavelength” with him, make him think, evoke response emotions (sometimes even negative ones). Asking a provocative question is enough to get that kind of cold-calling reaction. Alternatively, ask if the interlocutor is authorized to make a decision, or compare his company with a competing organization. As a result, as a rule, he begins to enter into a discussion, which, with proper management, can lead to a constructive result. But the sales manager should not abuse negative emotions, pleasant communication is much more effective.

Customer choice must be respected. Often the interlocutor already has a supplier, is used to buying the offered products in another place or in another way. No need to point to an offer that he "can't refuse." It is better to communicate, find out what he likes and what does not fit, what the client prefers when making a purchase. Include this block in the script and sample dialog. After that, offer an alternative, indicating all the benefits of your company.

Cold call script for selling services

The term "script" means a pre-thought-out algorithm of actions, a pre-compiled template. A well-chosen script is a reliable tool for successful sales. The use of scripts is especially relevant if the sales manager is making a call for the first time.

On the other side of the line is a person who knows nothing about you. In this case, it is necessary to build the most fruitful foundation for cooperation and further cold calls, or to understand that a person does not need the services of our company, that you do not need to spend your precious time on him. Then there are repeated cold calls along a pre-planned path that are aimed at the result.

Script Creation Algorithm

In the work of a manager, it is important to gradually collect cold call scripts, gradually improve sales techniques. From this moment the dialogue begins. The more important goals are set, the more professional managers are needed.

The main points in determining the purpose of a cold call:

• updating the database, determining the target audience;
• providing useful information to the interlocutor;
• offering something interesting and free (buffet at the end of a certain event, providing a trial product);
• receiving a response from the interlocutor about the company's offer.

Goal examples:

1. invitation of freelancers to a training on the topic "";
2. informing the furniture manufacturer about new equipment for the production of upholstered furniture.

Customer base diagnostics

You can chat with the interlocutor for a long time, but if you misjudge their potential, you can waste time and make a cold call useless. Therefore, at the time of negotiation, the manager needs to find out whether a person needs this service, how many units of production he needs, whether he is ready to spend money on a purchase. But you need to do it unobtrusively.

Client diagnostic example:

1. Do you plan to expand the network next year?
2. Can your equipment handle the volume of orders? Are you planning to upgrade it?

Presentation and response analytics

The presentation should be bright, interesting, concise and structured. To do this, the manager must create sales scripts.

Advice: present only the action that you want to achieve from the listener (invitation to a meeting, information about the product). You should not present the whole company and distract the interlocutor with unnecessary information. At any time, a person can simply hang up.

Examples of a targeted cold call presentation to consider when writing a script:

1. At our training, you can not only learn about, but also evaluate the activities of competitors, find out what tools and methods they use, and communicate with potential employers. Agree, for your self-development and growth, this will be a great example and help.
2. At the presentation of new furniture production equipment, you will be able to evaluate the latest developments and achievements, analyze the effectiveness of various business processes that are used to manufacture furniture. This will enable you to better assess your real potential for growth.

Call handling and closing

Since the probability of rejection during a cold call is very high, there is no need to be afraid of receiving a negative answer. When you hear an objection, you need to focus on the purpose of the call, not the objection. You need to try to get around the barrier that prevents you from achieving the desired result of a cold call.

If the listener constantly says different objections, turn them into advantages by promising to resolve all issues. The script will not be successful if you fail to interest the potential buyer in the need to implement the task set for you.

Example #1:

I already have enough orders, and I do not need the trainings offered.
- At our training, cardinally new opportunities will sound, you will learn about how to improve your skills and double your earnings. Our event will open new horizons for you, the scale of which you have not even thought about before.

Example #2:

I don't have free time for your presentation.
- At our event, issues will be considered that will save time on solving various secondary issues. In just two hours, you'll understand why you're constantly monitoring the production floor instead of focusing on strategic moments that would move the company forward.

If the client agreed (or refused), the cold call to the sales manager needs to be properly closed. Show the importance of the client for your organization, agree on further cooperation. Even if you were refused, leave positive emotions about yourself, try to be remembered as a competent employee with whom you can work in the future.

Advice: scripts should not be standardized. When compiling them, you need to take into account the specifics of the service or product being sold, the purpose of the cold call. A potential buyer could have heard the standard script many times already: “Hello! We are a dynamically developing company, 200 years on the market, etc.” To interest him, you need to stand out among the same type of uninteresting offers. To do this, take the time to create a unique script that will arouse the interest of the listener.

Cold call: dialogue example

There is no person who does not want to buy a certain product, there is a seller who cannot sell it correctly. Purposefulness, tact, result orientation - these and other qualities will be needed by a sales manager to achieve his goal. Consider an example of a cold call:

Good afternoon
- Hello!
- Limited Enterprise Company, manager Angela. Could you put me in touch with the CEO.
- He's not in now.
- When can I talk to him?
- Never, as he is very busy and cannot give you time. I am his deputy, all questions ask me.
- Great, tell me, please, what is your name?
- Maksim.
- Maxim, very nice. We are organizing a new business training on the topic "How to attract new customers and increase sales?". Are your managers looking for new customers?
- Looking for. But, unfortunately, neither I nor the CEO will have time to attend your training.
- Would you like to improve your work efficiency so that the lack of time does not bother you anymore?
- You know, while everything is in order with me, everything suits me, I consider the schemes of doing business successful anyway. Thank you.
- I understand correctly - all your sales managers are 100% loaded?
- Yes, for all 100 and even more.
- It's good that we contacted you in time. The purpose of our training is to redistribute the load on managers with higher efficiency. Just imagine - one of your managers will be able to lead 2-3 times more clients. The training will cover the topic of sales optimization and. Sign you up for it?
Thanks, but I can't find time for that.
- Well, then I will inform you about the date of the next training, so that you can reallocate your time and attend it.
- It is not necessary. I'm telling you - we are successfully doing business, all the schemes have been worked out.
- You are doing so well, but there is not enough time for development. That doesn't happen.
- It seems to me that when there is no time, it is very good. Everyone is busy, working, the company is thriving.
- That is, you have reached the pinnacle of your success and do not want to develop more. But for some reason, when your area is mentioned, a completely different company comes first. Are they your competitors?
- It is very difficult to argue with you. When and where will your training take place?

After that, the parties change contacts and agree on a meeting.

Phone sales examples

In order for cold calls to lead to the expected result and give high efficiency, the sales manager needs to get acquainted with a variety of examples, create scripts.

The first example is a ledge, used in case of a negative answer as a fulcrum and a basis for further dialogue. Consider this technology in an example (after the introduction and acquaintance with the manager).

Hello, I am the manager of Consulting Ltd, we conduct trainings for management personnel. How to improve sales efficiency, use internal resources of the organization more rationally, increase turnover. Are you interested in this topic?
- Yes, I am periodically interested in courses for self-development.

I'm sorry, but such an event is too expensive for me and my firm. You ask a lot for your services.
- So says everyone who has not attended our trainings. Many of the people we work with on a regular basis reacted the same way at first. But after the first lesson, they changed their minds, because they managed to save many times more by increasing their turnover.
- Okay, we can discuss this.

Another example of dialogue:

Andrei Vladimirovich, good afternoon.
- Hello.
- My name is Anatoliy. I'm calling you from Constanta.
- On what question?
- We sell waste recycling accelerators. They are made according to new technology, provide an opportunity to save resources compared to the equipment that is used today.
- Sorry, but I'm not interested in your offer.
- Is it possible, before you hang up, to find out - do you use accelerators on gasoline or gas?
- We at the enterprise do not use them at all.
How do you dispose of waste then?
- No way.
- But it is fraught with large fines. Especially after the changes in the law. How timely we turned to you! We recommend that you familiarize yourself with ours. Our prices are better than our competitors, and we can provide a discount. How do you look to meet and discuss terms?
- All right, come to our office.

When communicating with a potential client, immediately include him in the dialogue. That's how you pique his interest. Leave all the details of the presentation for a personal meeting, the main thing is to show the relevance of the proposed product.

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Cold calling is an actual method of sales optimization that many companies use. In order to make them effective, do not be afraid to express yourself, communicate with the client as with a kind, respected comrade. Be confident in your words. To be successful, you need to work hard on yourself. And most importantly - be able to accept failures, as there will be a large number of them. Do not be upset, take into account the mistakes, develop new sales scripts for yourself.

In contact with

One way to expand your customer base is through cold calling. How to make cold calls bring efficiency, what should be the conversation pattern so as not to scare away potential customers - we will share these and other secrets below.

This method of communicating with potential clients is called "cold calls" because usually people meet such calls with a great deal of distrust, coldly.

America's top sales instructor Steven Schiffman says that cold calling plays a very important role in sales, allowing you to build a large customer base.

Today, many techniques, methods, and scripts have been developed to make the process of communication during cold calls comfortable for both a potential client and a manager. Nevertheless, there can be no universal conversation schemes.

It must be understood that such cold phone calls in each case will depend on the nature of the product being sold, the scope of business, and their schemes will be selected individually. This technique will require considerable effort, experience and excellent knowledge of the product or service that needs to be implemented in this way.

It is also important to know about cold calling, that it is one of the most difficult sales methods, but also one of the most effective.

The complexity of the technique lies in the fact that the people on whom it is applied most often refuse, often in a rude manner, and express an unwillingness to communicate.

Thus, there will be many barriers in the way of a manager when using telephone sales techniques, which can be overcome with the help of training and improving the skill of communicating on the telephone.

When is cold calling used?

This sales tool is most often used in the field of B2B. Although it is also gaining momentum in the processing of ordinary citizens.

As an integral part of business promotion, cold calls are used for the following purposes:
• constant expansion of the client base;
• promotion of a new product, project, service, organization;
• adjusting the client base in order to clear it of unprofitable clients.

In some countries, the practice of cold calling is banned or restricted by law due to the fact that it is considered a violation of human rights.

In order for the call to become effective, it must be carefully thought out and scripted. In the language of professionals, such a conversation script is called a script. Synonyms are also used: sales script, sales chants, speech modules.

A phone sales script is a script or template for how a manager should interact with a customer from the beginning of the greeting to the end of the call. If the goal of the call is to sell, then a successful script ends with the target action of the client - a purchase.

If there is no goal of selling the goods in one call, then the interaction with the client is divided into stages, and a separate script is prescribed for each stage, depending on the target action that is predicted to end the stage.

Cold calling scripts contain an algorithm of actions, examples for the manager at various turns of the conversation and customer reactions (interest, objections, refusals, insults, etc.).

As a rule, it consists of two blocks: ideal communication (from greeting to closing a deal, sale) and getting out of a problem situation (objections, difficult questions, requests, etc.). Answers to typical questions are prescribed, formulations that should forestall bickering.

The script is prescribed taking into account factors such as the line of business, product and typical client.

Why are scripts needed and what role do they play for each of the participants in the sales technique? Firstly, the script of a telephone conversation makes the sales manager more confident - he knows what to say in the next second, he is prepared for undesirable reactions, has a set of tools to prevent them, bypass or solve them. In addition, the seller needs to strain his brains less in order to pick up the answer or the next sentence in the conversation, to achieve the desired result, because part of the work is served to him on a plate. Plus, this work can be done simply by good performers who have mastered the technique. It is not necessary to be a master of the highest class.

Business owners prefer to use cold calling scripts in their phone sales technique because they can really increase sales and profits significantly. They also allow you to save resources and time on trainings and teachers for staff who talk about how to learn how to sell by phone. After all, it is much easier and easier to teach ready-made templates than the art of building a conversation.

Scripts are rigid and flexible. The former are mainly used in the sale of simple goods and services, offering discounts, free goods. In this case, a minimal set of questions and answers is used, the manager communicates harshly, without using special skills and imagination.

Flexible scripts are used if it is necessary to sell a complex product, an ambiguous offer.

Detailed algorithm

To make it more clear what sales scripts are by phone, we will give examples.

A typical conversation template consists of the following items:

• say hello,
• make a self-presentation
• get to know the client;
• describe the purpose of the call;
• identify customer needs;
• convey the benefits and benefits of cooperation;
• if the client has doubts and objections, use wording that is conducive to persuasion;
• make a commitment;
• announce agreements;
• finish the conversation.

In this case, the client's attention will need to be held, starting from the first phrase and throughout the conversation, using evaluative and interrogative statements.

When compiling a cold call script for the sale of services or goods, its ultimate goal or the desired target action of the client should be at the forefront.

The algorithm is built in such a way that the answers to correctly posed questions that encourage the continuation of the conversation can lead to the result necessary for the manager.

When to call

In the event that the final desired result of the call should be access to the office of the decision maker (DM), then it is necessary to call only after full information about his company and his products has been collected. This gives a much better chance to establish and maintain contact with the client, as well as win him over.

For example, if a company has recently made headlines in the press about, for example, launching a new product or a good deal, then you need to start the conversation with congratulations. In this way, you can show the client that he is significant, his activities are interested not only in order to promote his own product or service.

If we talk about a specific time, then it is better to call when competitors usually do not call:
• Most often, cold calls to the office are made between 8:00 and 9:00.
• Individuals call in the late afternoon.

If the purpose of the phone call is not to sell, but to meet with the decision maker in person, then you will need to use tricks to bypass the secretary when cold calling. Here are some of them:

• it is advisable to find out the name of the person who is needed for communication before calling - a request to connect with a specific official in an official tone greatly simplifies access to him;
• speak confidently and clearly, briefly answer the secretary's standard questions like: “Introduce yourself”, “On what issue?”;
• pretend that you are not calling for the first time, speak with knowledge of the matter. For example, correctly indicate the name of the department with which you need to be connected;
• schedule a call for a time when the secretary has a lunch break, or at the end of the working day, on a short day, etc.

When communicating with the secretary, you should not waste time explaining in detail the reasons for the call. The goal can be formulated in advance in one short phrase.

Bypassing the secretary during a cold call, examples:

Manager: “Good afternoon, tell me, please, Stepan Andreevich is there, has he left yet?”

Secretary: "Yes, right there."

Manager: "Put me in with him, please."

Manager: “Hello, tell me, is the director in place, has he left yet?”

Secretary: "No, he didn't."

Manager: "I can't reach him on my cell phone. Switch me, please."

How to start a conversation with a decision maker and get him interested

It is necessary to start a conversation with the decision maker (decision maker) in order to keep his attention. And the main thing in this case will be the first minute of the conversation. From what the manager will say, the answers of the decision maker will directly depend.

It is very rare when a person does not answer the question posed, but the nature of the answer will follow from how correctly it is posed. The main thing in this case is to start a conversation, which means that the first response of the client should be in the affirmative. In addition, it is necessary to start the conversation in such a way that the client cannot recognize from the first minute that he has become a member of the cold call.

The duration of the first telephone conversation should be no more than five minutes.

Typical phrases during a cold call that allow you to interest a client can be, as an example, such as:

Manager: “Good afternoon, my name is Svetlana, I represent the company “…”. Tell me, do you use mobile Internet services?

Client: "Not really."

Manager (if yes): “Which company do you use?”

Client: "(Company name)."

Manager: “Tell me, are you completely satisfied with the quality of services provided by your operator or would you like to improve or change something?”

Client: “I have been using her services for 15 years, I like the service, they have a low price and good speed…”

A competent manager will extract from the information that the client will provide in this phrase, “hooks”, on the basis of which he will build a further conversation, leading to the presentation of his product or offer.

If we talk about the cold call scheme, then in this example of a dialogue, the manager says a greeting, introduces himself, learns about the needs of the client and interests him with his offer.

Remember that the purpose of the call in this case is not to sell "right away", but to establish contact and achieve a personal meeting.

Dealing with customer objections

First you need to see the difference between rejection and objections. For example, if a client says that he does not have time to communicate with you or take the time to meet with you, then this is not a refusal, this is an objection. And you can try to work with him.

It won’t work with a refusal, it’s better to just politely end the conversation. The manager should clearly know the line between assertiveness and importunity. Annoyance, as a rule, causes aggression and never leads to the desired result.

After the phrase in which the client says that he does not have time to talk, you can say, for example: “Yes, I understand you perfectly. But I can come personally, and we can discuss this with you at a time that is convenient for you. Let's say Thursday at 10:00 or Friday at 16:30. What time will suit you?

To prevent objections, you need to show more interest in the client and his needs, problems that can be solved by purchasing your product or service.

Here are a few more examples of working with objections over the phone, prepared scripts:

Client: "We have everything, we don't need it."

Manager: “I understand that everything suits you, but we have a proposal that will allow you to simplify (improve, make profitable, develop ...). New is always development.

Client: "We're not interested."

Manager: “Okay, but I contacted your company because you are in the trucking business, right?”

Client: "Yes, we do."

Manager: “Here, and our product is focused specifically on companies that are engaged in cargo transportation. With a very high probability, this product will be of interest to you. Let me briefly talk about it, and then you will decide for sure whether your company needs it or not.”

Client: "Thanks, we don't need it."

Manager: "Are you sure? The fact is that this week I heard similar answers from 15 companies, but yesterday we signed a supply agreement with three of them. Let me briefly talk about what we offer, and you will decide whether you need it or not. Fine?"

The given examples of cold call scripts are the most effective in overcoming customer objections and achieving the desired result.

There are options when nothing is offered during the call, so there is no chance of refusal or objection. However, in this way an agreement is reached on a personal meeting.

For example, a sales script by phone can be done in the following way:

Manager (welcome and clarification of needs): “Good afternoon, tomorrow we are testing the Internet in your office for speed and failures, will you be from 15:00 to 16:00?”

Client: "Yes, I will."

Manager: “Ok, then we will drive up from 15:00 to 16:00.”

During the arrival, the master tests the speed and offers new opportunities, new tariffs, a new service.

What should be the dialogue

After establishing a contact, you need to briefly tell about your company. The numbers and specifics of the proposal must be left for the meeting. The dialogue should be conducted in a confident voice, kindly and with a smile - even on the phone you can read the mood of a person.

How to make an appointment

If during a cold call from a decision maker it was possible to achieve a targeted action in the form of agreeing to a meeting, it is necessary to clarify the date, time and place, specify the participants in the event, its goals and receive confirmation from the client.

Conversation ending

At the end of the conversation, you must indicate your contact phone number, discuss the meeting arrangements and say goodbye, including positive words like “It was nice to talk”, “I hope for the same pleasant communication in the future” in the farewell phrase, etc.

Watch a detailed video training on the topic of scripts:

One cold call script

Before writing the script, it is necessary to specify the ultimate goal of the call - to send a commercial offer, make an appointment, introduce the product, find out the client's needs, etc. All techniques will be formed under the goal.

Here is a successful cold call script, made according to this model:

Manager, greeting, self-presentation, customer interest:
"Hello. Andrei Petrovich? Very nice. My name is Yuri. I am a leading specialist in work with clients of the company “…”. I was told that I can talk to you about the purchases, is that right?”

Client: "Yes."

The manager shows interest in continuing the conversation:
“Andrey Petrovich, the fact is that 15 companies from your industry have recently contacted us, who were interested in our offer ... I would like to present our samples to you and find out which ones ... your company uses?”

Client: talks about his company.

Manager: looks for "hooks" in the text and offers his product.

The video shows an example of a cold call, an algorithm of actions and responses:

How to organize cold calls

Whether to organize cold calls on their own by recruiting and training managers, or to provide this procedure in the form of professional firms, call centers, the head of the trade organization decides. At the same time, he clearly weighs the advantages and disadvantages of this sales method for his company.

If we talk about the delegation of cold calls to call centers, then the advantages of such cooperation will be savings on staff and its training, the absence of the need to prepare scripts, ready-made reports on the work that has been done.

At the same time, you need to understand that the head of the company will not be able to personally control this process. Call center employees do not have in-depth knowledge of your specific product or service - they usually work on several projects. Therefore, the effectiveness of such calls will be somewhat lower.

Typically, the method of selling by phone is outsourced to companies with a small staff of people.

Advantages and disadvantages

If the head of a trading company decides to entrust the functions of cold calls to his employees, then the main advantage will be a motivated focus on results, which means better efficiency.

The benefits of cold calling include:
• preparing the ground for more effective personal communication with the client;
• elimination of misunderstandings that may arise;
• the ability to use cheat sheets, prepared templates.

The disadvantages of such communication include the fact that such calls are often encountered by clients as an obstacle that distracts from important matters and which you want to immediately brush aside. The sales manager needs to be prepared for the fact that the interlocutor at any time can go to end the conversation and hang up the phone, refuse, or be rude.

When using this sales technique, it is impossible to clearly determine what kind of reaction your potential client has, since his facial expressions and gestures are not visible. Cold calls are often misunderstood.

Conclusion

So, we have opened the curtain for you on the topic of what a cold call is and for what purposes it should be used. In conclusion, it should be noted that today there are many companies and specialists who can help you write scripts for your staff for your client and your product.

This will significantly simplify your activities, increase sales and expand your customer base. Even today, cold calls are considered an integral and effective part of the telephone sales technique among specialists.

Often we are faced with a situation where the head of the company wants to use scripts for the work of managers, measure and improve the workflow, but does not know how to do it.

And here it is worth saying that the call script is just the tip of the iceberg. It represents the whole experience of a company in conducting telephone sales in the form of a conversation structure with a client. In other words, the fact that the manager decided to use the script is good, but for a really significant improvement in telephone sales, you need to work on all their components, on the methodology, and already reflect the results of such work in the script as in a repository that is easy to understand.

Moreover, such a process is not done once, it must be continuous.

In this regard, we decided to write several articles detailing the consistent improvement of the company's telephone sales methodology.

The article that is now in front of you is a kind of “skeleton” of an organism called “telephone sale”. It will discuss the standard semantic blocks that make up the structure of the sale.

Types and stages of telephone sales

First, let's define what telephone sales are.

The most favorite ones are, of course, “hot” ones – when the client wants to buy the product himself. (Let's give credit to the marketing department for such customers) The most important thing here is not to do something stupid and not "merge" the sale! But alas, ah! How many mistakes are there!

Cold (warm, cool) - no one is waiting for you, but at the very least they know about your company. You just want to sell to someone who has previously bought something or to someone who himself gave his number in exchange for a card, information, registration, etc.

Regardless of the type of sale, one way or another, there are always standard stages in the conversation that are repeated over and over again.

The classics of the telephone sale genre are 5 stages:

1. Identification of needs
2. Presentation
3. Completion of the deal

No matter how monster, god, unique and sales professional you consider yourself, following these steps is a must! Otherwise, you are always waiting for an unpredictable result! And, even worse, "draining" the client.

So let's take a closer look at each of these steps.

Greeting, making contact

Stage, at first glance, is not the most significant. But! The course of the transaction, the tone of the conversation and the general mood of the client depend on it! You have about 10 seconds to not be sent. And those are the most important 10 seconds. There are three parts to this stage:

• corporate greeting
• Acquaintance
• Calling Interest

The essence of the greeting is clear: The interlocutor needs to know who you are, where you are from and why you are calling at all.

Meaning of dating: you need to clarify the name in order to understand whether you got there at all and how you can contact a person.

The essence of the call of interest: make sure that the interlocutor gives you a chance to talk about his proposal. You need to ask a question that sparks interest, or at least doesn't make you want to hang up. And, of course, it is important to set a time limit. It is important to have a conscience! Don't ramble on about your product without knowing if the person even has time to discuss it. It is better to ask, to be refused and offer to call back, than not to ask and be sent away for a long time. Experts recommend avoiding one-word questions that can easily be answered with “no.” Better use open language: “Tell me, username, how much time can you spend on our conversation?”

Identification of needs

When we do not know what the client needs, we are engaged in pushing! On the contrary, when we can define "pain", a problem, a person's need, we help him - we give him a solution. And accordingly, when we identify needs and offer a solution, it is easier for us to present a specific product or service, since we obviously talk about what is important to the client!

Let's imagine a situation: a person wants to buy a mobile phone, but if the needs are not identified, he will have to tell about all models, all manufacturers, etc. And having asked a few questions about how the client will use this phone, we will greatly narrow the circle to one or two models. Only by understanding the true need of a person, we can easily sell him the product he needs.

To identify needs, there is a simple tool - a question! Questions are different: open, closed, alternative and combined. This topic is so extensive that it can safely be (or even a whole series).

But, like everything else, the art of questioning has its own foundation. And in this article we will discuss it.

The key is to understand what asking questions in and of itself is for:

• a specific offer (narrow the search from many similar products);
• we offer not just anything, based on our own considerations, but what the client needs;
• by asking questions, we sell ourselves as an expert of our product, because we clearly know how and what to ask and, accordingly, what to offer.

Presentation

The presentation is the sweet spot of the whole sale. The most important stage. There are a few simple rules, following which, you doom yourself to success:

1. The presentation must comply with the "property-benefit" rule! It is not enough just to describe a product or service, you NEED to talk about the specific benefits that the product or service brings. Property + benefit. For example: a green dress (property) will accentuate your green eyes (benefit).
2. The presentation should match the needs identified. If you find out that a girl likes green and has green eyes, it makes no sense to offer her a blue dress, just because it is taken more often! Because your proposal will not meet her needs, desires, and you will simply face either rejection or objections.
3. When presenting a service or product, return to the identified needs. For example: “Remember, you said that your favorite color is green (returned to need), so, the dress that I offer you is green (property) and it will emphasize your green eyes (benefit). The example may be silly, but that's how it works. Your task is to write a specific benefit for each property of your product!

A common mistake: the stages are confused and mixed up. Identify one need and present for each. And it may happen that the next contradicts the previous one. You need to identify all the needs at once, ask 3-4 questions that will allow you to offer something specific and not waste time on a presentation for each need. Here's what the error looks like:

Manager: What color do you like the most?
Client: Green.
Manager: Great! There is a beautiful floor-length green dress with rhinestones! What length do you want?
Client: Just above the knee.
Manager: Eeeeeeeeeee, only blue ones above the knee.
Client: And yes, I hate rhinestones!

A curtain…

The right questions to ask are:

What color do you love the most? (Closed in essence, requires a closed non-expanded answer)
Do you have a length preference? Maxi, mini, medium length? (Alternative)
Is there anything else I can consider when choosing a dress for you? (Open, there may be several items here, including about rhinestones)

And only after these 3 questions it was worth making an offer and presentation of the dress.

Work with objections

The situation when the presentation does not meet the needs, most often leads to rejections or objections. Neither the first nor the second are not the best scenarios. After all, it is easier to anticipate objections than to fight them! Yes, and “fight”, in our opinion, is the wrong definition. Fighting means arguing with the client, and the client is always right!

First you need to understand what is the objection?

When we ask this question in training, we usually hear the following answers: disagreement, resistance, refusal, distrust, unwillingness to buy, etc. And only a few out of a hundred say that an objection is a doubt. Here it is, the stumbling block: those who believe that an objection is disagreement begin to argue with the client; and those who understand that an objection is a doubt simply try to dispel it and help make an informed decision.

It is important to understand that only doubt stops the client from making a decision, and it is important to determine what exactly this doubt is, dispel it and give more than the client expects.

For example, a variant of a "dispute" with a client:

Manager: Why is it expensive? 5000 is expensive for you?

It is obvious that such a statement of the question implies that the client is not wealthy enough and cannot afford a dress for 5000 rubles! And, after all, the point is not that it is expensive, but that she doubts that it will suit her! Here's what a good manager will do:

Client: The dress is too expensive, moreover, it may not suit me, since I order it via the Internet.
Manager: Yes, I understand that I don’t want to pay for something that doesn’t suit you, but our delivery is free, we can bring you several different models, different sizes, and if nothing fits, it’s okay, the courier will take everything back , Fine?

This is a variant of working out an objection according to the rule "attachment + objection in doubt + argument". Here is another example from another area:

Client: Your cleaning services are too expensive.
Manager: Yes, I understand (joining), it may be expensive compared to doing your own cleaning (the objection was questioned), but a professional will come to you, in a short period of time, will do a general cleaning with environmentally friendly products, and if you find what find fault, we will refund the money (an argument for objection).

Here is an example from insurance:

Client: I don't need insurance, nothing will happen to me!
Manager: Yes, I understand (joining) when everything is good, it is difficult to imagine something bad (the objection was questioned), but does something have to happen for you to think about insurance?

Train your managers to work with objections using this formula! It is incredibly effective, since not everyone knows how to aggressively or with questions remove objections (also a separate topic for the article).

However, before working with clients according to this rule, you need to clearly understand that there is a true objection! After all, as you know, there are two types of objections:

1. True
2. false

With the true, everything is clear, it reflects the essence of doubt: it is expensive, specific conditions do not fit, there is no trust in the company, there is no trust in the manufacturer, etc. True is something for which there is a specific argument, but what to do with false ones is often not clear.

For example, everyone’s favorite “I’ll think about it” is most often answered: “Well, think about it - if anything, call!” And this is nothing more than a "drain" of the client ... forever. What to do in this case? It's simple: get to the true objection. Imagine that the false objection is a bubble, and the true objection is the inside of the bubble, and to get to it, you need to burst this bubble. For which there is one simple trick: to make a “fork” out of two of your assumptions.

Client: I'll think about it.
Manager: Yes, I understand (connection works here too), it is important to think about it, but tell me for my understanding, maybe you are not satisfied with the price or the delivery time is not suitable?

(In this case, most often, two developments are likely: either the client refutes your options and reports his own, or confirms):

Client: No, it's not about the price or timing, it's important for me to consult with my wife!

And now we know the real objection, bingo! :)

Manager: Yes, I understand it is important in the family to consult (joining), but we are talking about family insurance and your wife would be happy that you took care and insured her and yourself (questioning the importance of discussing with the wife). Moreover, if your wife is against it, you can turn off the insurance program within 7 days, and we will refund your money (argument).

By the way, with cold sales, a common objection from millennials and just an advanced part of the audience is a request to think and study the offer on the site. It is important here not to fall into the dirt by not being able to name a direct link, but at the same time, you must also try not to “merge” the client by directing him to a page that does not correspond to the offer that you voiced over the phone! After all, there is nothing worse than deceived expectations.

In this situation, the best solution would be a landing page (landing page). After all, only on the landing page you can calmly and in detail study the essence of the trade offer and all its advantages, without being distracted by secondary things. In addition, the purpose of the landing page is rarely a sale: usually it is just a platform for getting acquainted with the product, as well as collecting contacts (email) of interested people for further work.

Therefore, do not be too lazy to create a separate landing page for each offer in order to give a link to it in time if asked. Many people are not good at listening to information or even simply do not like talking on the phone with strangers - consider their needs too! Moreover, it is very easy to develop your own landing page with the help of . Choose from hundreds of ready-made templates, a conversion optimization center, analytics tools, and numerous integrations for marketing automation:

Completion of the deal

The most valuable stage of the transaction, in the sense that it brings money!

And it's a shame that most often the conversation does not even reach this point. Managers don't even try to close the deal. They are just consultants! How often do we hear: “Thank you for the consultation, you are an excellent consultant, I will call you as soon as I decide!”.

You should not take such phrases as "insult", although it is very insulting. You can’t shout into the phone: “Please, wait, I didn’t sell you anything!”. Instead, you need to learn how to make an attempt to close the deal. It's simple! The script should contain a phrase that is a confirmation of the transaction, for example:

"Which address should I ship to?"
“Which is more convenient for you to pay: in cash or by card?”

Or at least:

“Which email should you send our offer for detailed study?”

BUT! Under no circumstances should it be:

"Are you interested in our offer?"
"Would you like to buy it?"
“Well, how do you like our offer?»

By including blocks for all stages in your call script and following the sequence, you will definitely increase the number of sales.

In the following articles, we will tell you what to do next:

1. How to write a sales script from scratch.
2. Launching a script in a company - how to implement a script so that employees accept it.
3. Quality control of telephone sales - how to constantly improve the method of sales and the work of employees.

Telephone sales technique - 5 rules and 8 secrets + how to behave + illustrative examples of conversations.

Any company is interested in selling its product or finding new customers who want to use its services.

To do this, entrepreneurs constantly use various marketing tools.

And one of the popular types of communications to attract and retain a client is telephone sales technique.

In the hands of a truly intelligent specialist, it becomes a powerful weapon, and such people, as a rule, are worth their weight in gold.

The success of the use of telephone sales can be determined by three criteria:

• the profit they brought;
• whether the client was satisfied with the conversation;
• professional pleasure from work.

And if you want to see the effect of making calls, then continue reading this article.

Phone Sales Technique: 3 Stages of Conversation

In Europe and America, the practice of using telephone sales techniques is commonplace.

Clients quite calmly respond to calls and always show interest in what they are offered.

Moreover, buyers do not hesitate to provide information about their payment cards, because they know that the next day the coveted product will be at their door.

In our country, this concept appeared relatively recently, but let's be honest, it has not yet fully taken root.

Firstly, calls to private individuals are prohibited, and secondly, not every resident will be able to devote his time to a dialogue with a stranger who (according to the address) offers him all sorts of nonsense.

As for working with legal entities, telephone sales techniques in this case will be the very tool.

And here you can work both with your customers, thereby notifying them of new products, and look for new ones.

The conversation itself between the sales manager and the buyer consists of three stages.

Let's consider each of them:

Greeting and Establishing Emotional Connection

Here you need a positive attitude, while it is important that the interlocutor feel it.

Naturally, the conversation should begin with a greeting and introduction.

After making sure that the person on the other side of the wire can speak, it is necessary to say what issue will be raised in the dialogue.

Argumentation of the statement

At this stage, it is important to concentrate the attention of the interlocutor, who can be busy with anything - write a report, write a letter, or even surf the Internet.

After that, the manager is required to start a dialogue with the client, because this is not a one-way relationship.

The interlocutor should start asking questions and express his thoughts about what he thinks about cooperation.

Summarizing

This may be an agreement to meet for negotiations or the refusal of a potential client.

But despite the result, the conversation needs to end on a positive note.

Telephone Sales Techniques

The very technique of telephone sales is based on the rule of three "P" - call, overcome failures and sell.

Most often, telephone conversations boil down to the fact that a potential customer wants to get acquainted with a commercial offer.

This is quite natural, and does not mean that such a request is a reason to get rid of the caller.

In fact, this is a desire to perceive information from the other side, because by ear it is not always possible to remember everything and catch the essence.

Therefore, the telephone sales technique must be accompanied by a well-written commercial offer.

But this does not mean that all applicants need to send the same electronic file.

Firstly, in the greeting you need to indicate the name of the addressee, and secondly, the letter should clarify the issues that were discussed during the conversation.

The preparatory stage for the implementation of the technique of telephone sales is certainly important, but the main goal is to get the effect of the call.

5 rules for a successful client interview

Compliance with time limits.

This rule is due to the fact that the employees of the company with which the supplier intends to work also do not have too much time for empty talk.

After the phone is picked up at the other end of the line, the specialist has 45 seconds for his opening speech.

It is desirable to fit it into 70-75 words.

A little more than a minute and a half should be allocated for the discussion of the proposal, and 30 seconds are enough to complete the negotiations.

When using the telephone sales technique, it is important to maintain a proportion in which only 20% will be the speech of the one who makes the offer.

The rest will have to listen to the potential buyer.

This emphasizes the fact that it is important for the supplier not only to sell something himself, but also to listen to the wishes of his client.

Scripting a conversation.

Telephone sales technique should be built logically and concretely.

Speaking in vague phrases and jumping from thought to thought will not lead to anything good.

The script should include a greeting, product presentation, and answers to common questions.

You can even write yourself a cheat sheet, but this does not mean that the prepared text should be read in one breath.

Find a convenient moment.

To do this, a simple question is asked: “Are you comfortable talking now?”.

If the answer is no, you can ask about a convenient time and not be imposed.

Don't give a potential buyer a wide choice.

If, during the use of telephone sales techniques, it becomes clear that there is every chance of face-to-face negotiations, you do not need to give free rein to your interlocutor in terms of choosing the date of the meeting.

You just need to offer 2-3 days and it is better to hear a specific answer: “yes” or “no” than to get a blurry one in the style of “we will call you later”.

8 Essential Secrets to Successful Phone Sales Techniques

It's good to follow the rules, but you also need to be a bit of a psychologist and know some secrets on how to apply the telephone sales technique.

So what if the interlocutor does not see his opponent?

But he is able to capture his emotions.

Harsh tone, boring speech - it can really repel.

A friendly tone and a smile (where it is appropriate) can set the buyer up for a conversation.

Performance.

Commercial offers may be different, but the presentation of oneself in using the telephone sales technique should be honed to automatism, but it should not sound like an answering machine.

We remember emotions and a smile.

In the beginning, you need to introduce yourself: give your name and position in the company.

Address by name.

Addressing the interlocutor by name, you have him to yourself.

But it is important to call a person correctly.

This is especially important with a difficult to pronounce name or patronymic.

If you manage to clearly pronounce them, then you can consider this a bonus in the "piggy bank".

List of objections.

It is necessary to have in your arsenal a list of phrases that your opponent will use as an objection or refusal.

Then you can prepare speech templates that can still convince a potential buyer.

Three requests.

This does not mean that you need to repeat them in a row or verbatim in a couple of phrases.

The point here is different, that the first request will sound during the presentation of the product, the second when the interlocutor made contact, and the third at the end of the conversation in the form of a fix.

No template phrases.

Most often they look like memorized text.

For example: “Who is working with you…” can be replaced with “How to contact…”, “Would you like…” with “You can…”.

Focusing on the buyer.

During the use of telephone sales techniques, it is necessary to show the importance and desire to hear the opinion of the buyer.

For example, you can ask about what he wants to see, how he evaluates efficiency.

Thus, the interlocutor is included in the conversation, and not just listening.

Knowing your client.

Before using telephone sales techniques, you need to familiarize yourself with the company with which you plan to cooperate.

Thanks to this knowledge, you can “press” and show how and how important it (cooperation) will be.

Incoming phone sales techniques

The use of telephone sales techniques may be needed not only for outgoing calls.

And in this case, the sales specialist must adhere to the following rules:

Pick up the phone after 2-3 rings.

During this time, you can tune in to negotiations, while not making the caller wait long.

Introduce yourself and name your company.

This must be done so that the caller is sure of exactly where he went and wrote down the name of the interlocutor.

Get the caller's name.

As a rule, many introduce themselves, but situations are different, so it’s better to ask yourself.

Contact the caller.

Call him by his first name periodically to show the importance of the conversation.

Answer questions promptly.

The specialist must know his product, so various hesitations and hitches can confuse the customer.

Focus on benefits.

If any promotions are currently being held, then it is better to say about them during the presentation of the product.

Take the caller's coordinates.

This is necessary not only to arrange a personal meeting, but also to enter the caller into the database.

The video provides situational examples of telephone sales:

Telephone Sales Techniques: Examples and Scenarios

Now we can move on to some visual examples of how telephone sales can work, as well as consider how to respond to customer objections:

The client agrees to cooperate	The client does not agree to cooperate	The client has his own supplier
Specialist (C): “Good afternoon, Igor Pavlovich (remember that you need to find a way, find out the name of the specialist). My name is Ivan Vladimirovich. I am a specialist of the company "X", engaged in the production of silk fabrics. Are you comfortable talking now?
Client (K): “Yes, tell me more”	Client (K): “No, we do not work with silk fabrics”	Client (C): "We have our own proven supplier"
S: “Our company has been operating on the market for 10 years. We use state-of-the-art equipment and continuously develop to increase strength...”	S: “Sorry, but we would be honored to work with you, because you are one of the strongest companies in tailoring. Aren't you interested in trying something new?"	S: “Great, so you will have a reason to compare the quality. In addition, we now have a profitable promotion for new customers: every 20 running meter of material is free.”
K: “Interesting. How are you doing with the color palette?	In this case, a foothold + a nice compliment makes the company think about experimenting. K: “You know, this is an interesting idea. We will talk to our designer. Leave your contacts"	K: “Yes, the action is quite profitable. Can you send us samples for review and comparison?
S: “We can realize any of your ideas. What colors are you interested in?	Here you can immediately offer a meeting so that the client, in which case, does not forget about the conversation. S: "Okay. Let's meet on Wednesday or Thursday so that you can look at the samples and start from that when deciding to create a new collection."	This vagueness needs to be offered a meeting. S: “Tomorrow around 14.00 I will be near your office. Maybe we can meet and we can discuss all the details. Perhaps you would like to express your wishes.
K: “It all depends on the desires of the designer. Could you send me your price list and a detailed description of the material?”	K: Send me your price list. And then let's go on Wednesday at 14.00"	K: "That's a good idea"
At this stage, you can arrange a personal meeting so that the client can compare price and quality.

Objections can always arise in a dialogue, so we offer examples of how you can answer them in order to still agree on a meeting:

Objection	Solution
Drop the price, if everything suits us, we will call you back	The quantity of our goods consists of more than 100 units. We do not think that you have so much time to study them. During a personal meeting, I will be able to advise you on the positions that interest you. Prices are tailored to each client, as we work to order.
You are far from us	Delivery has not been cancelled. We can drive up to you.
No money	But the meeting is not worth the money. Perhaps when you have money you will be looking for a suitable option, and this is the time. And so you will know that we are.

telephone sales technique not everyone can do it.

But only through careful preparation, practice, patience and knowledge of psychology, it can be comprehended by many.

Also, don't forget to analyze every conversation, regardless of how it ended.

Thanks to this, it will be possible to learn how to respond quickly to questions and refusals.

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There is no business without sales. An employee who owns effective cold calling techniques is valued by the company's management and receives a good salary.

Cold calling is one of the most difficult yet effective sales methods.

What are cold calls on the phone

Cold calling is the initial phone call to potential customers who have never worked with your firm before, in order to attract them into the ranks of your buyers.

The client is not waiting for a call. The call is called "cold" because the interlocutor on the other end of the wire treats him coldly. Even if he needs the offered service or product, he needs to try hard to get him interested.

The cold sales technique is complex and requires effort, experience, and good knowledge of the product or service being offered from the salesperson.

Video - how to make cold calls, examples for a manager:

Mastering the technique of cold calling is not easy due to the many barriers that must be overcome in order for the call to end effectively. Often you have to listen to the refusals and objections of the interlocutor, unwillingness to talk.

All this affects the mood of the manager making cold calls. To make such calls more effective, you need to constantly train and improve.

In what cases are used

This active sales tool is essential for B2B sales. Recently, cold calls have become more often used in working with ordinary people.

Cold calls are needed:

• to constantly increase the number of new customers;
• when starting a new project, to inform the market that a new organization has appeared;
• to update a large database of potential customers: when there is a list of potential customers, and those that are most beneficial for work are selected from it.

Cold calls in Russia are more often used in the following business areas:

• forwarding companies - advertising rarely works, and customers are scattered throughout the country and abroad, there is no possibility of a personal meeting;
• advertising agencies, magazines, print publishers - use calls to find new advertisers;
• manufacturing companies selling goods for business - to find new markets, expand the customer base;
• wholesale companies selling goods for organizations;
• real estate agencies - for the purpose of selling commercial real estate.

Conversation scheme

In order for a cold call to be successful and give the desired result, you should prepare in advance for the conversation and draw up an approximate scheme. The conversation itself can be divided into the following stages:

• call to the secretary, switching to the decision maker (DM);
• getting to know the decision maker, representing your company, establishing contact;
• clarification of needs, presentation of the company, product or service, processing of objections;
• end the contact and make an appointment.

Video - how to overcome the fear of making cold calls:

Do not call all customers in a row indiscriminately. Before calling, you should study in detail the potential client, his portrait, possible needs. According to only 20% of customers give 80% of the profits.

How to bypass the secretary

In working with organizations, there is often an obstacle between the sales manager and the person who makes the decision - a secretary or a personal assistant. A lot of calls pass through it throughout the day. Often people who call offer something.

In order not to distract the manager, the secretary does not connect with him, but answers that nothing is needed and hangs up, even if the product and service are really useful for the organization. The larger the company, the more difficult it is to get around the secretary.

In such cases, techniques are used to bypass the secretary. Here are some of them:

• first find out the name of the decision maker and when calling the secretary, ask to contact the right person, calling him by name and patronymic. The secretary will decide that the call is repeated and will connect without asking unnecessary questions;
• use swiftness and suddenness, in a confident tone, say: "Hello, connect with the commercial director." Further questions should be answered briefly and confidently. For example, to the question: “Who are you?” we answer: "Serey Ivanov." "What company?" - "Company A";
• make sure that you call not the first time. You can say: “hello, company A, switch to the purchasing department”;
• call at a time when the secretary is not in place. It can be lunch time, the end of the working day, or 30 minutes before the start.

To get the result, you should follow the following rules in communicating with the secretary:

• speak confidently;
• no need to tell the secretary about your proposal, as he does not make decisions;
• before calling the manager, you should find out his full name, this will help to bypass the secretary much faster.

Video - how to get around the secretary when cold calling:

How to start a conversation with a decision maker and get him interested

The conversation with the decision maker is the most important stage of the call. The overall result and prospects of working with this company depend on how it goes. When you first call, you should not try to sell. The main purpose of the first telephone conversation is to collect information to draw up a profitable offer and an appointment.

Here is an approximate scheme of a conversation with a decision maker:

At the beginning of the conversation, you should introduce yourself, designate your company. Briefly describe what she does. It is better not to mention the position of a sales manager, as it causes unnecessary associations in decision makers, the fear that something will be imposed on him.

After the introduction, it will be right to clarify whether the person has time to talk. You can start like this: “Hello, my name is Sergey, I represent company A, which produces raw materials for companies like yours. Are you comfortable talking now?

If the decision maker says that he has time, then we continue the conversation on the sales script. If not, then you will have to clarify what time it is convenient to call him. You should offer the person several options for the time of the call so that he can choose from them. We call back at the agreed time.

At the first conversation, you need to arouse the interest of a person: tell about your company, the benefits of working, say that you work with the same companies as the one you are calling. Try not to talk about numbers and a specific proposal, this information should be left for the meeting.

Basic rules for talking to a decision maker:

• the main purpose of the first call is not to sell, but to get to know each other, to interest and make an appointment;
• the recommended duration of the call is no more than 5 minutes, as the time increases, the effectiveness of the call decreases;
• you need to speak confidently, smile when talking, as the client feels the mood of the caller;
• your interlocutor should be called by name;
• The key to successful sales is to feel the mood of the client and be able to adapt to it.

To make a presentation that might be of interest to the decision maker, offer something interesting that makes the product stand out from the mass of other offers and explain how the client will benefit from the offer. It could be:

• promotion or super offer;
• cost reduction;
• increase in sales;
• time savings.

Dealing with customer objections

At the very beginning of the conversation or after the presentation, objections can be heard from the interlocutor. The main types of cold calling objections are:

• “we already have everything”;
• “we are not interested in the offer”;
• "I don't have time to talk to you";
• "Submit an offer, we'll consider it."

Having heard such phrases, you should not convince the client of the opposite and prove the benefits of your offer. This is a common mistake and can lead to termination of the conversation.

To avoid objection:

• from the beginning of the conversation, try not to give reasons for objections, ask more, be interested in the situation of the interlocutor, his concerns, which can be solved thanks to the product or service you offer;
• if an objection has been raised, it is necessary to answer them easily, causing the interlocutor to be interested in continuing the conversation.

To the client’s answer: “We already have everything,” you can answer: “I understand that you don’t want to change anything, everything is debugged and works great for you. But we can make an offer for your company that will be profitable, because new is development.”

Video - how to deal with objections:

How to make an appointment

Once the objections have been worked through, it is necessary to end the call with an appointment, which is the main goal of the first cold call. You can offer several options for the time so that the client does not have an alternative - to meet or not. You should also clarify the nuances:

• date and time;
• place;
• meeting participants;
• discuss the purpose of the meeting;
• receive confirmation from the client.

At the end of the conversation, you need to leave your contact phone number, once again talk about the meeting and say goodbye on a positive note.

Cold calling scripts

A call script is a pre-thought-out or programmed sequence of a conversation with a client, established by the company. It is convenient to use ready-made modules during the initial call to the client. Distinguish between rigid and flexible scripts.

Video - 24 tips on how to create your own cold calling script (part 1):

Rigid- are used when selling a simple product, where there are not many options for customer responses. Such a script does not require a lot of knowledge and skills from the operator.

Flexible- used for complex products that involve ambiguous offers. Such scripts require managers to be creative and prepared.

Video - 24 tips on how to create your own cold calling script (part 2):

When developing a script, it is necessary to take into account the specifics of the industry, the peculiarity of customers. Standard familiar phrases annoy people, cause rejection, so you should develop a unique script that is different from other organizations, which will arouse the opponent's interest.

How to organize: full-time managers or a call center

An entrepreneur may face the question - what is better to organize: cold calls based on their organization and include them in the functionality of their managers or provide a call to the call center. To determine this issue, allocate and consider all the pros and cons of these options.

The main advantages of transferring cold calls to call centers:

• there is no need to recruit and train your staff, in the call center the staff is already trained in such calls and has experience in conversations;
• no need to write sales scripts;
• receive a full report on the work done.

The disadvantages include:

• lack of personal control;
• lack of specific knowledge of your particular product. Call center specialists manage several projects in parallel, their employees manage only your order and know everything about it;
• minimal focus on results. Own staff, if motivated, is more focused on results than call center specialists.

Contacting a call center is beneficial when justified by calculations and cost-benefit ratio. In small organizations, where it is unprofitable to hire an additional employee and train him, it is worth contacting a call center to increase sales.

Video - an example of a cold call according to the scheme:

If the organization has a lot of employees who communicate with customers, then investing in systematic training and motivation of their own staff brings good results over time.

In this case, it is better to choose the option of training your own staff and including cold calls in the functionality of your employees. At the same time, managers should be financially motivated to achieve good results.

Pros and cons of cold calling

The main benefits of cold calling are:

• saving time and money, due to the absence of the need to travel when first meeting with the client;
• faster communication by phone compared to correspondence;
• the ability to understand the client's reaction on the phone to the information received;
• the opportunity to ask clarifying questions in a conversation, to eliminate misunderstandings;
• the opportunity during a telephone conversation to lay out cheat sheets and the necessary documents in front of you and look into them if necessary.

Cold calling also has limitations that need to be overcome:

• the interlocutor perceives the call as a hindrance, distracting him from his affairs;
• it is easier for the client to refuse or come up with excuses over the phone;
• the opponent can end the conversation at any time and hang up;
• it is impossible to track the reaction of a person, since gestures, facial expressions are not visible, it is possible to draw conclusions about the reaction only by intonation;
• there is no way to back up the words with graphs, images;
• when making a phone call, there is a high probability of misinterpretations.

Conclusion

Mastering the technique of cold calling does not come to most managers immediately. This requires experience, patience, constant learning and motivation.

Having learned the technique of conducting such sales, writing scripts, methods of working with objections and other elements of a cold call, an employee improves his financial situation and increases the profit of the company in which he works.

A short summary will help you understand the difference between the two.

What should you pay attention to when the act of acceptance of work performed.

With the help of cold calls, it is unlikely that it will be possible to sell equipment for the production of self-tapping screws; in such cases, several meetings will be required.

Video - examples of real cold calls by phone for the purpose of scheduling meetings: