Phone Sales Training – What’s The Big Deal?

There are many organizations that rely on telesales to reach their goals but very few understand what needs to be done to maximize on its’ full potential; especially when it comes to phone sales training programs.

Costly misconception

For starters there is a common misconception that proves to be an obstacle to progress and ends up costing many organizations a lot of money in lost sales. And this is the assumption that telesales training is not much different from any other kind of sales training. Admittedly there are many similarities between face to face selling and sales over the phone but a failure to recognize and leverage the distinct differences will always provide less than the desired results and will reduce the likelihood of hitting key telesales targets.

Making up for the absence of body language

Perhaps one of the biggest disadvantages that must be constantly overcome by the telesales professional is the lack of body language in helping them read and gauge a prospects’ response to their sales interaction. They need to constantly find and capitalize on an edge they can use to turn the odds in their favor. For example the telesales professional in this case has to be a much more attentive listener. This high level of active listening that is required means listening out for changes in tone, sighs or long pauses. These are all vital signs in successful phone sales interactions. Pauses and long silences for instance will in a vast majority of cases communicate much more than actual words spoken and a seasoned well trained telesales professional should be able to correctly interpret these responses and accordingly shift their approach and emphasis. It is seemingly small details like these that add up to the dramatically different results the individual team members will end up with and ultimately the overall results against the set goals and targets of the business.

Questions must be a lot more targeted

Also, the kind of questions that the telesales professional asks must be a lot more targeted because a person selling over the phone has much less time. The window of opportunity to win or lose the sale is much smaller. While in a face to face interaction a lot more questions can be asked; in phone sales they must be a lot less, brief and more direct.

Most telesales professionals find it easier to hone and develop these extremely important skills in an environment of continuous training, coaching and reward for positive display of the desired skills.

The truth is; selling over the phone hardly comes naturally and is in fact a very different kind of selling that demands lots of attention and follow up from sales leaders. The telesales professional must be constantly aware of precisely what gets, keeps and directs their prospects’ attention and supports moving the sales process forward.

Conclusion

Appreciating the fact that phone sales training is different from any other kind of sales training is the first step in dramatically changing the fortunes of any business or organization that sells over the phone. This kind of understanding will enable the telesales professional to leverage the right skills at the right time in the sales process.

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