The latest in our Lessons Learnt from Telemarketing series, this week on how no sale is guaranteed!
We all know that telemarketing can be a difficult industry to work in and it’s important to remember that, until the dotted line has been signed, no sale is guaranteed. Much as there may be a verbal agreement in place or all the signals are pointing towards a successful sale, potential customers can still back out at the last minute.
It’s also important to ensure that you or your team don’t become unfocused or complacent if they have a lead that fits the demographic, and as such doesn’t put as much effort as they perhaps could into the sale process. This increases the risk of losing a sale or lead purely because they not be reading the signals correctly or they may be assuming that the person they are speaking with will sign up with no real research or discussion.
Losing a sale at the last minute is always demotivating and it can’t always be helped or avoided – human nature as such, people will always change their minds for a variety of reasons and it isn’t always down to the sale or handover process. This does play an important role in getting potential customers over the line though and anyone who is finding a repeat rate of client loss at the last minute should review their approach and how they are handling calls, especially follow ups. Often it can be the little things that cause issues, such as the lack of a call, or not being able to answer questions well enough, so these should also be reviewed.
Maintaining Confidence & Rapport
We’ve said for years that reading from a script does not lead to success, and this is further backed up by the fact that this method can mean the caller may not know how to overcome any fears their prospects have, beyond the first call. This is where the art of small talk comes strongly into play, as this is a great way to go beyond a simple caller/receiver relationship and give reassurance through simply making prospects feel at ease and that they can relate to their caller.
Telemarketing teams also need to ensure they keep up with their own and prospects’ industries – they need to be well prepared for any questions that may come their way, either about the product/service they’re selling, or about how it will benefit the prospect. They need to be equipped with the right tools to answer questions quickly and thoroughly, at least top level.
Good account management is key for forming long term relationships and should be fostered right from day one of any telesales or marketing campaign. If a prospect feels that they can rely on their suppliers for support and reliability, it will go a long way to getting them over the line and building their confidence for a successful partnership in the future.
