Telephone Etiquettes

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Sound/Look familiar? You can become confident that you are doing this part of your work correctly if you will practice the proper tele-techniques.

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Identify effective techniques for tele-calling Build effective relationships with people during telephone calls Identify effective methods of greeting the customer, obtaining customer information and concluding telephone calls. Use active listening and empathy for more effective customer interactions. Adjust telephone communication styles to suit individual customer styles. Handle Customer problems and complaints effectively. 3

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It is far more cost effective than field sales It is immediate, no appointment necessary It is one-to-one (personal) It is less formal than writing It is common thing these days, everyone uses the phone

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Introduce New Products Sell Products/Services Customer Service Service the Retail Stores Seminar Confirmations Trade Shows Inform Your Customers of New Developments Promote Events Call Your Non-Active Customers Mail Outs etc. etc.

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Inbound calls initiated by a caller and answered by Call Center

Outbound Calls initiated by Call Center and answered by the called party

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Develop a professional greeting Introduce yourself and your company Express gratitude State the purpose of your call Schedule a meeting Use the alternate-of-choice questioning strategy for a F2F meeting Thank them for their time today and for the upcoming appointment Follow up

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Answer the telephone with a proper business phone greeting Use techniques such as paraphrasing and summarizing to keep phone calls on track Think and prioritize as you speak Close and Summarize the overall call Note down important points

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Cold Calling 

Cold calling is still alive and up and running in 2009. How effective you are with it depends on the fact and recognizing ―We are in 2009‖ and we need to align our methods with prospect buying behavior.

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Aggressively target your buyers Invest in research Warm up every cold call Craft a good script — and use it Learn to work with gatekeepers Practice, Practice, Practice.. Customize your delivery

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A good script can help you clench a deal Use the prospect‘s name, in the form of a question as your opening line Identify yourself State the purpose of your call Build a benefit statement that tells your prospect precisely what he will get out of talking/meeting with you Maintain self-control by knowing what you want out of the call and asking the questions you need to ask to get there

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Many times, vendor preferences are established well before the budget or timing is clear, and to miss that early window of entry sometimes means missing the deal altogether. Know the BANT ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦

Budget Authority Need Timeline

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It's important not to "make-up" conditions for your prospect base that unnecessarily impacts your results. Calling on Mondays is a bad idea, or calling on Fridays, or calling too late in the day... Don‘t loose time, take your chances and keep learning and keep adapting

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Voicemail is a form of communication similar to email or text messages Don't let the one-way aspect of voicemail keep you from exploiting its benefits People do listen to voicemail, and you can use it to your advantage You can test the effectiveness of your voicemail by using your voicemail script to call your own phone number and leave yourself a message Listen carefully to it and then ask yourself the question, ―Would you call yourself back?‖

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Discovery based conversations work, pushy sales calls don‗t Most people don't like getting "sales" calls, but they are perfectly willing to have a conversation to see if something would be a fit for them Try to know who you're calling Anyone appreciates when you know enough about them to speak to specific areas they might be challenged with

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Feel successful Act successful Be successful  

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Focus on the customers‘ needs-not your wants ―Go the extra mile‖ Be enthusiastic Always use the prospect/client‘s name Keep records of all calls Keep your promises Follow up relentlessly SMILE

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Set personal goals What number of calls will you make today? What number of appointments will you make? What number of sales will you make? What increase on target will you achieve? How many customer service calls will you make? Challenge others to a competition Reward yourself when you reach ―your‖ target or goal

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Have belief in YOU and YOUR Products (enthusIASM – I am sold myself) Knowledge breeds confidence Uncertainty breeds uncertainty Stand up for important calls (incoming and outbound) The brain can think 2-3 times faster when you are standing up You fell more forceful and alert It can also stop interruptions from other people as they can see you are making an important call

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Listen to the customer carefully You will pick up buying signals and signs of interest the more you listen God has given us two ears and one mouth, use them in that order! Find out all you can about your customer Avoid interrupting

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In traditional face-to-face selling 60 50 the words we say the way we say them non verbal signals

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Communication

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In traditional Telephone selling 60 50 the words we say the way we say them non verbal signals

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Communication

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Don‘t Shout Don‘t mumble Don‘t talk quickly Be sincere Get the prospect to say ―YES‖ often in your conversation Nod your head as you ask a positive question

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Use POSITIVE LANGUAGE ―I am sure‖ or ―I am certain‖ or ―I know‖ Not ―maybe‖, ―perhaps‖ or ―possibly‖ Ask questions often to keep control and get feedback Use closing questions like ―wouldn‘t you?‖, ―isn‘t it?‖ and ―won‘t you?‖

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P P P P P P

roper lanning revents athetically oor erformance

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In order to make calls, get appointments, give quotes and take orders, you must KNOW:◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦

Your company sales literature Your product/service facts, features and benefits Your company‘s history and personnel Your price lists and order forms Your competitors To keep a record of all calls To update your diary regularly

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Types of incoming calls:  Orders ,Complaints,Sales Leads,General Enquiries

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Types of outgoing calls:  Sales Calls,Seminar/Event Confirmations,Customer Service,Inform Your Customers of New Developments

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FIRST impressions last You want to sound warm and friendly, positive, professional, helpful polite and courteous You do not want to sound harassed, busy, ―distant‖ or uninterested

7 steps to ending calls correctly:  

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Confirm with the caller on the agreed details Thank them for the call/enquiry/sale/lead etc Look forward to the next call Ask for help (If appropriate) Leave on a pleasant note Say goodbye Put the phone down last

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Listen and don‘t interrupt Ask for more information and clarification Summarise with caller and gain agreement Thank them for drawing it to your attention Promise action, and do call them back on time Tell the customer what will be done and when Ensure the matter is resolved Call them after the resolution is achieved

How professional, confident and friendly do you sound on phone on a scale of 1-10? (Record yourself on a tape recorder and ask yourself ―Would you buy from you?‖) 1.

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Do you know at least 4 ways to build rapport on the telephone? What is your introductory line that grabs the prospect‘s attention? Do you know the questions to ask that will make the prospect want to do business with you immediately? Have you prepared a script that can express what you have to offer with absolute clarity and impact? If not, do you know the winning formula for writing one that works? Are you reaching the decision maker easily? How prepared are you with your answers to every objection that presents itself? 29

Are you asking for referrals after every call and do you know the best way to ask? 8. Do you ensure you have a positive attitude in your voice on every call? 9. Do you have the voicemail message to leave that has them rushing to return your call? 10. Do you have a system that keeps track of all your follow ups? 11. Do you know what to say to get the best response when following up a mail out? 12. Do you know on average how many calls and contacts you have to make before you make a sale or an appointment? (If you cannot measure it, you cannot improve it) 13. Do you do cold calls each day before any other job? (if your answer is ―no‖,there may be some call reluctance going on) 7.

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