Most of us learned telephone manners from our parents or at an etiquette class in school...but with sales, there are some different rules you need to follow, especially when you are dealing with prospects. The telephone as a means of communicating with prospects is still a pretty effective tool. Here are a few telephone prospecting tips for being better and more effective.

DON'T RUSH IT

No one likes being on the phone all day- speaking to one prospect after another about the same product or service can be exhausting. But when you speak to your prospect, don't rush the call and rattle off a marketing speech that sounds rehearsed and jaded. Since you are not physically present, accentuate your speech, putting emphasis on what is important and using a tone which is assertive and professional. Take the time to ask your prospect enough questions, and be sure to listen and ask intelligent follow-up questions. Add enough pauses between your sentences so the prospect can understand what you have to say. Make your phone call stand out from the uninspired ones. Remember- you are on the phone, not face-to-face: so there is no body language, persuasive smile or powerful handshake you can rely on. Heighten your listening skills, enhance your tone and put thought into what you have to say.

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

This may seem silly, but it does help practice your call and run a few mock scenarios before you make the actual call, especially if it is a big prospect. This not only ups your confidence, but it also helps you focus on the important points of the conversation. Make a note of the key points you would like to cover and practice introducing those points in the conversation. You can also practice how to handle possible objections or questions they may have about your product. The more you practice, the less you will have to worry about how to respond when the call is in progress.

TRACK YOUR PROGRESS

An important aspect of telephone prospecting that should not be ignored is keeping track of your conversations. While email correspondence is already in your inbox and can be backed up as well, with telephone conversations it is up to you to remember what has been discussed, what needs to be done before the next call and whether any significant decisions have been made. If you do not keep track of the outcomes of each conversation, you will not be able to take the deal further the next time you make a call. Keeping track becomes a cinch with Salesvue. Our simple one-click call screens allow you to log calls quickly and easily and can save sales representatives upto 90 minutes per day in logging activity. Save the details of each conversation; including the time, date, person spoken to as well as a short summary of the outcome- which means that the next time you pick up the phone to call, you know what needs to be done. Salesvue helps you easily track proposals, conversations and outcomes, so you can recreate the steps that lead to success.