A sales conversation with a client is not a thing of the past! Popular for a century, it is still one of the easiest ways to reach customers directly at a low cost. Below are pitfalls to avoid and examples of good practice.
After the sales meeting, on average, you need to make 8 phone calls to get a response from your interlocutor. And yet, live and phone calls are still the most popular form of contact between salespeople and customers. You can read about how to do them below.
Effective sales conversation with the client
Conversation between a telemarketer and a customer - an example There is no one-size-fits-all scenario, unfortunately. However, there are a few basic rules that govern an effective sales conversation with a client:
- The best time to make a phone call is 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
- Thursday is the best day for an interview. Monday - the worst.
- It is worth asking for commands and using your own contact network. "Friends of friends" buy more willingly than random people.
- Sellers use such marketing communication channels like Twitter, Facebook or e-mail. However, there are still industries where most sales are finalized over the phone or in person.
- The term "customer sales conversation" is contractual and does not mean that it must end up at one meeting. The more expensive the item, the longer the customer has to think before buying it. In 80 percent. cases, it takes as many as five phone calls to finalize the transaction.
For many companies communication strategy is crucial. They forget that, in a sense, its most noticeable medium are salespeople who make hundreds of phone calls on a daily basis or hold meetings with important decision-makers. It is worth acquainting them with the general vision and mission of the company. A slight change in the style of conversation or the tone of speech can greatly increase the authenticity and commitment.
The average salesperson after joining the company trains for a week or less, but only after 10 months does it become fully productive. The training should therefore be as extensive as possible to speed up this process and improve the effects. Some people like spontaneity, but most people prefer to have a framework on which a sales conversation with a customer can be based.
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The course of the sales conversation
Most retailers are familiar with the term SEES:
- Smile - smile
- Eye Contact - eye contact
- Excitement - excitement
- Sales - sale
The success of the conversation often depends on the seller's attitude and energy level. After a certain handshake and smile, the first step should be to introduce yourself. It may take even a few seconds. It is important that the interlocutor knows the details of the seller, the company he represents, and the purpose of the meeting. Nobody likes meetings under a different pretext, which turn into a sales conversation during the course of the meeting. In the next step, the seller provides the customer with information about the basic features of the product. Then, when your customer is a little more curious about your product, you can move on to the presentation. This is the time to show the greatest advantages and answer the questions.
A sales conversation with a customer can also be summarized as AIDA. It comes from the world of marketing and content marketing, but also reflects the steps described above well:
- Attention - getting the customer's attention
- Information - providing information
- Desire - development and awakening of desire
- Action - joining specific arrangements.
Sales conversation - what to avoid?
A sales conversation is the first training point in any call center. The Internet is full of tutorials on this topic. Ready scripts can be learned at trade studies and in schools for marketers. It is certainly worth getting acquainted with the basic formulas. However, a really good salesperson is one who can forget about scripts. Most customers can buy something online. If they choose telephone or personal contact, it is because they enjoy a sales conversation with a nice person. At the same time, the average city dweller is more busy today than ever, and from the outside he is bombarded with advertising messages.
So smooth formulas and manipulation techniques prove to be worse and worse. Clients are sensitive to any form of hard persuasion, coercion or concealing facts. Even a subtle attempt to use unfair arguments may meet with a violent reaction. For the same reasons, the salesperson should forget for a moment what he learned in the telemarketing course before asking when he can call his interlocutor.
The company's director may be glad that he will effortlessly set a date for another interview on a matter of interest to him. The average Smith who did not ask for a marketing phone, however, can only be annoyed by the suggestion of calling back at a convenient time.
New tools effective in a sales conversation
To some extent, new marketing tools make the work of salespeople easier. The so-called cold calle, i.e. phone calls to completely random people. In the case of conversations with skilfully selected interlocutors, the conversion rate increases from a few to even a dozen or so percent. Big data and artificial intelligence help in selecting people. The best seller of the past could write down a few facts about the customer in a notebook. Today, he can refer to his database and obtain information that will make it easier for him to sell.
A classic example is a cellular salesperson who calls you when the subscriber's telephone contract ends. He probably knows anyway that a trip to the point of the net is waiting for him. There is a good chance that he will want to make his life easier and take advantage of promotions or special offers. Such modern systems are acceleration and sales support. At the same time, you should not be afraid that artificial intelligence will harm sellers and take away their jobs. Sales people should remember what is their greatest asset in an increasingly digital world. Kindness, personal contact and a smile - more and more people will be happy to take a break from the computer for a moment to talk to such a seller. contact us and find out what to do to make your sales team reach maximum efficiency.