| |
| |
|
Go Back | About | Contact | Web Design News | |
|
|
|
Warming Up To Cold Calls
Will you do just about anything, including sending out hundreds of letters, to avoid making cold calls to your potential customers/prospects? If so, you're not alone. Millions like you have started their own businesses, only to find that the thought of making calls to potential customers/prospects leaves them paralyzed with anxiety. Believe me I was one of them. For those of you who know us and have read "Who Makes It Happen", remember what I used to go through before I would get on the telephone to cold call. However, as an business owner/entrepreneur, the telephone is one of the single most important tools at your command. The key to getting over your hesitation is to stop thinking about your call as a sales pitch, and instead begin practicing "consultative selling." This means uncovering and filling needs in a friendly, supportive way. For those in lease purchase this is very conducive. We are helping buyers and sellers. So for those of you in other types of businesses, before you ever pick up the telephone to contact a potential customer/prospect, ask yourself, "What does my potential customer/prospect need from me, and what does my company have to offer that will help this potential customer/prospect get what he wants?" Then set a goal for your call that will move the potential customer/prospect closer to a buying decision, such as gaining an appointment or preparing a price quote. According to business owners/entrepreneurs in all types of businesses, one of the biggest reasons they hesitate to prospect by telephone is they're unsure of what they should say at the outset. A short, three-part opener, including an introduction of yourself and your company and an opening benefit is the best way to start. When introducing your company, be sure you can describe what you do in just a short phrase: "This is Susan DeFiore, of DeFiore Enterprises. We are lease purchase consultants." Now mention the benefit: "We can move your home in 30 days or less with the lease purchase advantage." By stating your benefit clearly in your opener, you give the person a good reason to listen further. Effective telephone contact is made up of two components: Asking good questions and listening carefully to the answers. Ask questions to qualify prospects and overcome objections. Again, for those of us in lease purchasing, we use our telephone script to obtain all the information we need. There are two types of questions: closed-ended and open-ended. Closed-ended questions are fact-finders. They can be answered with a fact, a "yes" or a "no". An example of a closed-ended question is: "Would Lease Purchasing work for you?" Open-ended questions are used to draw someone into a conversation. They reveal the emotion behind the facts. "What do you like best about your home?" is an example of an open-ended question. So plan in advance the types of questions you'll ask prospects. Do this even before you get on the telephone. If you can, practice on friends or family. Get their input. Then be sure to record your information in a "call report" for future use. Your call report should include the prospect's contact data, answers to important questions and details on the steps you plan to take. If you find out your potential customer/prospect is already using one of your competitors, rather than hanging up or ending the conversation realize that this indicates to you this individual is a qualified potential customer/prospect. They are already using this type of service. At this point you need to point out to the potential customer/prospect the benefits of working with you, and how you will make the switch worthwhile. Let's say the seller is with a Realtor. Suppose you could still have your home listed, while we find a tenant/buyer for your home. After your potential customer/prospect has answered your questions, it's time to close. You've asked good questions, listened carefully and provided benefit-oriented information. Now ask for what you want. In lease purchasing, "When can we set up a meeting so we can start the lease purchase process?" If you can't meet your original goal, state what you will do, such as send the prospect more information and keep in touch. Then be sure to follow through. If the individual doesn't want to do a lease purchase, send out your follow up information. Relax and follow these steps. With a little bit of practice, you'll find the telephone to be a powerful ally in building your new business. Copyright DeFiore Enterprises 2002 Interested in having your own successful, home based creative real estate investing business? Chuck and Sue have been helping folks start successful home based businesses for over 19 years, and we can help you too! To see how, visit http://www.homebusinesssolutions.com for the latest FREE tips and tricks, educational products and coaching in creative real estate investing and home based businesses. No time to visit the site? Subscribe to our "how to" Home Business Solutions Digest, it's like having your own personal coach: mailto:subscribeHBS@homebusinesssolutions.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Sales - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Leads, Prospects, and the Huge Gap Between The leads marketing delivers to the sales team never seem good enough. Either the leads are "bad" and are wastes of a salesperson's time, or there are just not enough "good" ones. Dead Silence From Your Prospect: The Worst Sound Of All Could this be the worst moment in your selling cycle?You've done all the right things with your prospect:? You've identified a real need and developed a reasonably solid relationship.? You've determined that your prospect is interested in your solution. Dont Let Rattlesnakes Scare You Recently I was out trail running along the South Fork of the Yuba River. The Yuba River is in a beautiful canyon running east-west through the middle of Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. How to create your own Unique Selling Proposition Why would a prospect buy from you rather than from your competitor?How do you outsell your competitors?Your unique selling proposition (USP) is very important as part of your business planning. This is especially so if you decide to set up a home business in the highly competitive internet arena. Youve Got a Great Business, but Nobody Cares! I would like to share a disturbing little secret with you. Almost 70% of the people you do face-to-face business, with will never speak to you again!It's not that they didn't like you or get value from your services, but they just don't care. Selling Your Business - Step by Step Process So it's finally come time to sell the business. After investing years of your time and uncounted thousands of dollars, it has become successful, providing for your needs and wants, and it's time to enjoy the fruits of your labor. If I Wanted To Sell For A Living, I Would Of Majored In It In College By a show of hands, how many of you grew up as a kid saying to yourself, "I can't wait to grow up until I become a salesperson"?Why do people go into sales? Here are some reasons people have given to me and sales managers when they apply for a sales position:? I don't know what else to do in life, so I might as well sell.? I'm tired of my present job of (you fill in the blank), so I guess I'll go into sales; anybody can do it. How to Revive a Dead Lead It's easy to spend days, weeks, or months speaking with a prospect, working up to a decision to buy. This is especially true if your prospects are in larger companies. "The Power Of Consumer Opinion, & How To Profit From It!" Selling is just a whole lot easier when you know what people really want.But unless you're psychic, or know how to do the Vulcan mind meld, "getting into their brains" is HUGE!I can't tell you how many times I've racked my brain trying to make sense of consumer opinion, & up until this point, I have to confess. The "Write" Way to More Sales The sales letter you can't put down?the advertising copy that makes you want the product?the resume that prompts you to call the job candidate this second?all these are examples of exceptional business writing. While you certainly know good writing when you see it, can you write with the same pizzazz the professionals use to hold your attention for pages on end?In today's selling arena, writing skills have taken a backseat to other seemingly more important professional development activities. 7 Ways to Stop Selling & Start Building Relationships Sometimes we can all use a friendly reminder to keep us from backsliding into old ways of thinking about selling that lead us down the wrong path with potential clients.I was inspired to write this article after a few coaching sessions with a client named Michael, who sells a technology solution. Do Your Customers Buy On Price Alone? Here are four simple things you can do to take price out of the equation!It's frustrating when people appear to be focused on price alone. All they talk about is the price. 6 Creative Questions To Move From HOW Are You To WHO Are You Imagine you just met someone new. The formalities of names, jobs and the like have been exchanged and you seem to be getting along famously. What Not To Do With Your Leads Anyone that works in sales knows just how important it is to have lead sources to keep your pipeline filled. But it is not only how we obtain the leads that is important, it's what we do with them once we get them. 6 Ways To Get More From Your Promotions 1. Settle On The Right Way ForwardThe purpose of your promotions is to get more sales, not to soley enhance the image of you or your company. SPIN, Relevant To Both Salesmanship & Advertising! Neil Rackham turned the world of high-ticket salesmanship on its ear. By observing over 35,000 actual sales calls, he scientifically isolated & identified the specific behaviors exhibited by successful salespeople. Recommending Products Vs. Selling Them Some of the best sales people I have ever met, were able to meet all of their sales goals without ever selling a thing. They simply recommended their products to their customers. Cold Calling Pressure Reduction Who likes cold calling? Most salespeople don't like cold calling, and do as little of it as possible. There are a number of reasons why most of us don't like it. Overcoming the Fear of Selling For many of you the Fear of Selling is a huge challenge and obstacle for you from day to day. The first thing you need to do is find out exactly what it is you're afraid of. Dropped Jaw Syndrome, Your Fastest, Most Reliable Market Test Business owners should be more like doctors.Forget selling and start asking your customers where they hurt.
|
ChicagoAnimation's Acquisitions: Market Polls - 1pennyStock.com
Sponsors: Paving | VTL's | Religious Statues
