The Honey Badger Sales Magazine 40

Good morning everyone.

Rome

It’s been a busy week here at HB Towers. I’ve just gotten back from a business trip in Rome, Italy. What a place! It’s my second visit to the “Eternal City." As would be expected, the people are warm and friendly (like the weather). Pizzas are amazing, and the coffee... Don’t get me started. €1.50 will get you a “proper” coffee experience. Rich in taste, creamy froth, served in an appropriate china cup (not a bloody paper one), and you get to leave without paying with a kidney. Coincidentally, I was in a corner shop downtown after walking 40 minutes past the Vatican (astonishing) to buy a bottle of mineral water and got charged €3.50. “No Garzie”

A Negroni will do nicely

Fortunately, I opted to stay outside of the city centre, as it’s just too crowded. This approach rewards greatly. Allowing the Honey Badger to hang out with the locals in cafes and restaurants while people watching. After a day spent working, there is nothing more therapeutic than sitting outside in a café courtyard under a parasol, watching the sun set, and having a Negroni before supper. Service for locals in local places, I find, is by far a better bet than drinking downstream from the rest of the herd.

Why am I here? You ask? I’m in the process of setting up a potential deal which will yield a very good commission. It will take time, but then again, doing deals at this level always does. I’ll keep you posted.

Here we go

My trip reminded me of when I do a tele/video meeting with someone for the first time. (Take a look at my previous newsletters), it’s very important to try and take a measure of “buyer vibes”. After this follows and converts into a face-to-face meeting, it’s even more imperative. I had already made countless video calls, getting to know the client, understanding their needs, discussing terms of engagement, pricing, commissions, marketing plans, timelines, setting expectations, and so on. So, to be fair, picking up on “vibes” did not really affect our first get-together as I already knew what was coming. No abrupt mannerisms, genuinely interested in processes, and easy-going yet inquisitive lines of questioning. In other words, a dream prospect, because I had already laid down the groundwork, explained via video call, and followed up in writing. All good stuff.

But what happens if you feel you're losing a prospect before you’ve even started to engage? Here are today's thoughts.

1. Picking up on prospect vibes

2. Dealing with rudeness

3. How to keep your prospect engaged.

4. Not knowing how to answer a question.

“Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” – Bill Gates

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Picking up on prospect vibes

Picking up on prospect vibes is an invaluable skill that can significantly boost your success rate. It involves the ability to discern the subtle cues and emotions conveyed by the prospect during a phone call. These cues can include tone of voice, pacing, enthusiasm, and hesitation. By “tuning” in to these signals, you can tailor your approach so much better.

Always have a pen and paper handy to write down anything that you can go back to or use in the call.

Active listening is at the heart of picking up on prospect vibes. When a prospect speaks, listen not just to their words but to their underlying emotions. For instance, if they sound excited and curious, you can capitalise on that enthusiasm by offering more details about your product or service. Conversely, if they express hesitation or scepticism, you can address their concerns and provide reassurance before moving on. Remember, a prospect will not buy or listen if you have not addressed their concerns.

Building rapport is key to helping close a deal. Starting the conversation with a warm greeting and asking open-ended questions can encourage prospects to open up. One word: empathy! Adapt your pitch and tone based on the prospect's mood. This ability to pivot in response to their vibes showcases your genuine interest in addressing their needs, making the conversation more engaging and gives the call better “sea legs”.

Dealing with rudeness

Unfortunately, rudeness is sometimes an inevitable part of phone sales (BTW, I’ve noticed that it’s virtually zero on a video call), but how you handle it is what matters. When faced with a rude prospect, it's essential to maintain professionalism and composure and use the two ears and one mouth approach.

Write stuff down!

One of the cardinal rules is to remain polite and calm. Avoid reacting defensively.

Now, having said that, there is another way.

In my case, on occasion, if the call has started off with a really angry “I get these calls all the time” and “Let me guess, a client cancelled their order and you need to resell at a huge discount. Yes?” Start by saying his or her first name, first. Why? Because it shows that you too are just as important and as high-ranking as them. I usually say, “You sound like you’re having a bad day already worse than mine, which is having to listen to people like you! Tell you what, let’s compromise, and in return, I’ll give you two of my minutes if you give me two of yours, {first name}. OK? Wait for an answer. This approach works nearly ten times out of ten. Use a friendly tone.

Empathy is a powerful tool, and if you can inject some humour into the call with a degree of firmness, it will bear fruits. The last way to save the call is to acknowledge that the prospect is clearly miserable and in need of a Scotch and water! “What address shall I send this to? Do you want peanuts with that!?” If that does not work, then suggest a better time to call with an "either, or” option. “I can do Tuesday afternoon at 3.30 p.m. or Wednesday at 11 a.m., which works best?"

How to keep your prospect engaged

Ask questions. “Alan, do you know what I mean by..." And pause for an answer. Engaging your prospect throughout the telesales conversation is vital for achieving a sale. An engaged prospect is more likely to remember more, ask questions, and ultimately buy.

Strategies to keep your prospects engaged:

Actively listen to what the prospect is saying. Don't just wait for your turn to speak. Respond thoughtfully to their comments and questions to show that you're really paying attention. By doing this one thing alone, you’ll be doing something that most salespeople will never understand. You could be speaking with the business owner (if not, why not?). How many salespeople do you think who call up sound genuinely interested in a prospect's business? Close to zero, make it part of every single call for the rest of your life. No excuses. Actively listening.

Encourage engagement by asking questions that require more than a simple "yes" or "no" answer. Open-ended questions invite prospects to share their thoughts and provide you with valuable information.

Write everything down.

Engage prospects with compelling stories. If possible, share success stories related to your product or service to make the conversation more relatable and memorable.

Lastly, mention their name loudly during the conversation. It wakes them up.

Not knowing how to answer a question

In the realm of telesales, encountering a question to which you don't have an immediate answer can be a daunting moment. However, this challenge can also be an opportunity to showcase professionalism, build trust, and ultimately turn a potentially difficult situation into a positive experience.

For me personally, I keep it short and simple and move on. “No idea on the most recent XYZ; I’ll get a copy and email that over when confirming the minutes of our call in writing.”

The most important thing to do is acknowledge the question sincerely. Avoid the temptation to evade or provide a vague response. Just be transparent about your current limitations. (I’m out and about; I’m travelling; I don’t have that to hand; not at my desk, et cetera.) Fess up and admit that you don't have the answer readily available. Of course, if possible during the call, you have access to resources or colleagues who can help you utilise them. But do ask yourself if this will help or hinder the call.

In conclusion, not knowing how to answer a question in telesales is no big deal, especially if you’ve done your homework before hand and have covered everything you could think of. Ok. That’s it for this week. Next Wednesday, we’ll continue our journey together towards phone sales mastery. Happy selling.

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How we doing. Did we rinse it? Trip the light fantastic? How can we do better? Wanna talk? Drop us a line: [email protected]