Telephone sales/telemarketing flexible 'script' for initial sales approach

There is no magic, secret or trickery involved - the process is based on straight-forward logic, and straight open, honest, professional language. It also helps to have done some research before-hand about the company, and to think about what sort of proposition is likely to be of interest, but do not make assumptions of what needs or opportunities will arise.

First you'll normally speak to the person on switchboard. Introduce yourself - full name and company - and ask to be put through to the PA (personal assistant - or secretary) of the director/VP for the function that you believe makes the strategic decision about your offering (if in doubt ask for the PA to the CEO/MD/President/General manager:

" Hello, this is (your full name) from (your company name) - could you put me through to the PA for the (relevant function, eg Sales, Finance, IT, Operations, etc) director/VP, thanks - what is the PA's name please?" (Ask this last thing while you are being put through - it will help you to know the PA's name now and in the future should you call back - this person is there to help his/her boss - don't try to by-pass him/her - ask for their help - that's their job - to be a vital link in the communications between their boss and everyone else).

When put through: "Hello, this is (your name) from (your company name) - is that (name)/are you the PA for the ............. director/VP? (depending on whether you have the PA's name or not.)

If no, ask when/if he/she is available and if applicable if you can be transferred to them. If yes -

Ask the PA: "I wonder if you could help me please?"

PA will normally say: "Sure/I'll try/it depends/what's it about?"

You say,"I'd like to submit a strategic proposition to (company) concerning (briefly describe your area of interest using professional straight language, but do not go into great detail, and try to use a description that is unlikely to attract the response: 'we've already got that covered thanks') - could you tell me to whom I should initially approach that has a strategic view of this?"

Or: "I'd like to open dialogue with (company) about (again describe your area of interest using professional straight language, but do not go into great detail, and try to use a description that is unlikely to attract the response: 'we've already got that covered thanks') - could you advise how best to do this, to whom I should write or speak, and when's the best time to reach them on the phone afterwards?"

Or: "I wonder if you can advise me on what's the best way to find out who, when and how for (company) determines strategy and decides solutions and providers in the area of (again, briefly describe your area of interest using professional straight language, but do not go into great detail, and try to use a description that is unlikely to attract the response: 'we've already got that covered thanks')."

And then take it from there - be guided by the PA. Fitting in with their communications and decision-making processes and systems is as important as your proposition and service, and the PA is the best one to help you begin to understand about this.

the appointment - open plan selling - step 3

There are some obvious things to do pre-appointment which can be overlooked, so here they are:

· establish how long the meeting will last and who'll be there

· confirm the appointment in writing - keep it brief, professional, and you can even provide an agenda for the meeting, which shows you've thought about it, and prepares the contact for what's to come

· gather any more information that you need - the willingness of the contact's support staff to help will be quite high at this stage, but don't be a nuisance

· ensure you've prepared everything that you might need for the meeting - broadly, you must be able meet the expectations that your contact has for the meeting, mainly this will be information about the company, its products and services; maybe relevant case history examples (if any exist - summaries of successful supply contracts to similar organizations)

· learn anything you need to know to avoid being late - map and directions; security gate check-in procedure; car-parking; journey and travel time - allow sufficient time for delays

The sales person's aims at the first appointment are to

· complete the gaps in the basic research and planning template, ie the basic company profile (though not necessarily any mundane points, which could be provided later, but certainly the strategic information and views)

· establish personal rapport and trust, and the credibility of the sales person and the selling organization

· learn about the prospect's business, priorities, problems, trends and issues, and especially the corporate aims and objectives of the main decision-maker(s)

· gather relevant information about the strategic needs, implications and potential benefits linked with the product/service

· understand the prospect's buying process, including people and the role of influencers, budgets, timescales, procedures, internal politics and attitudes, competitors and existing supply arrangements

· understand the trading preferences of the prospect - purchase vs lease vs rental - long term partnerships vs short term contracts - payment, ordering, lead-times, inventory, one-stop-shop vs dual or multiple supplier arrangements, etc

· agree a way forward that progresses the opportunity in a way that suits and helps the prospect, in whatever areas of help that are useful to the prospect

The sales person's aim at this stage is absolutely not to launch into a full-blown presentation of the product/service features advantages and benefits. Sales people who do this will be listened to politely, ushered out and forgotten. (They'll then wonder why the once attentive, interested prospect afterwards won't return the sales person's phone calls, let alone agree to another meeting.)

The sales person must be prepared to talk about the relevant technical aspects and benefits if asked, but typically this will not happen in major account situations, because the prospect will know that the sales person is in no position yet to present a relevant solution or proposition of any kind.

The sales person will be expected to know about and refer to some examples of how the product/service has produced significant strategic benefits (profit and/or quality - making money or saving money) in similar organizations and in similar industrial sectors to the prospect's organization. This is more proof of the need for good industry knowledge - beyond product knowledge and FABs - this is knowledge about how the prospect's organization could significantly benefit from the product/service.

It may be also that the sales person is able to convey and interpret issues of legislation, health and safety, or technology, that have potential implications for the prospect's organization. This is a great way to build both credibility and added value for the sales person and the selling organization.

At the beginning of the appointment explain what you'd like to achieve - broadly a summary of the points above (essentially to understand all the relevant issues from a strategic perspective - and to what end - which is to identify how best to progress the situation in a way that will be most helpful to the prospect.

And then you're into the questioning phase, which has already been outlined in the Seven Steps of the Sale.

Where questioning differs in major accounts selling compared to the style within the Seven Steps, is that the prospect's perspective and situation are wide and complex, so more care and time needs to be taken to discover the facts. If the appointment is with a senior decision-maker the breadth of implications and issues can be immense. Any product or service can have completely surprising implications, when an MD or CEO explains their own position. For example, a purely technical product sale lower down the organization, where specification and price appear to be the issues, might have enormous cultural and cultural implications for a CEO. A new computerised monitoring system for example, would again simply have price and technical issues for a middle-ranking technical buyer, but there could be massive health and safety legislative compliance issues (threats and potential benefits) for the CEO.

Only by asking intelligent, probing questions (mostly open questions, and use of the phrase 'why is that') will the issues and opportunities be uncovered.

Sales people really only need a pad and pen for the great part of the first meeting (ask if it's okay to take notes - it's a professional courtesy). The sales person should actually try to adopt the mind-set and style of an 'expert consultant', specialising in the application of the particular product or service to the prospect type and industry concerned - and not behave like a persuasive sales person. The appointment process and atmosphere should be consultative, helpful and co-operative. Steven Covey's maxim 'Seek first to understand before you try to be understood' was never more true.

Senior experienced decision-makers will provide a lot of relevant information in response to very few questions. Lower ranking influencers need to be asked more specific questions, dealing with an issue at a time, and they will often be unable to give reliable information about real strategic decision-making motives and priorities, because they simply do not operate at that level.

There is twin effect from asking and interpreting strategic questions: first, vital information is established; second, the act of doing this also establishes professional respect, rapport and trust. Combine these two and the sales person then has a platform on which to build the next stage.

agree audit or survey - open plan selling step - 4

For anything bigger than a simple small business prospect, normally the stage after the appointment is to survey, audit or gather necessary data to be able to produce a sales proposal. Therefore at the appointment it is important for the sales person to agree the survey or audit parameters: exactly what is to happen, how it is to be done, whether a cost is attached (rarely, but can be if significant expertise and input is required), a completion date, who is to be involved, and what the output is at the end of it, which is normally a detailed sales proposal.

The survey will normally take place some time after the appointment; it would be rare in a large account situation for the sales person to be able or to be asked to carry out a survey immediately.

Therefore, after the appointment the sales person needs to summarise very concisely the main points of the meeting and the details of the survey, particularly focusing on its purpose and outputs, from the prospect's viewpoint. This confirmation must include all necessary parameters to ensure no misunderstandings develop and that seller's and buyer's expectations match.

The document outlining the survey parameters and aims should be copied to the relevant people in the seller's and buyer's organizations.

carry out the survey or audit - open plan selling - step 5

This part of the process will depend on the type of product or service, and the process of the selling organization. Some will have dedicated survey staff; in other situations the sales person may carry out the survey.

For a large prospect organization this survey stage can be protracted and complex. It may be necessary for reviews during the survey process to check understanding and interpretation. Permissions and access may need to be agreed with different sites or locations in the prospect's organization, and this should all be managed sensitively by the sales person.

It is essential that the sales person manages this stage properly, thoroughly and sympathetically. This is because the way that a survey is conducted serves as a very useful guide to the prospect as to the potential supplier's quality, integrity and professionalism.

write the product/service proposal - open plan selling - step 6

The sales person is responsible for writing the sale proposal, which should reflect the findings of the survey.

Some sales organizations have dedicated people who write project proposals or quotations. In this case the sales person should ensure that what is written is relevant and concise, factually correct, and outlines the organizational benefits clearly stemming from the product or services being proposed.

It may be possible for the sales person to involve an influencer or decision-maker in the drafting of the proposal, so that it is framed as suitably as possible to meet the requirements of the prospect organization. Getting some help in this way is ideal.

Proposals that are necessarily lengthy and very detailed should begin with an executive summary showing the main deliverables, costs and organizational benefits.

The sales person should always try to present the sales proposal personally, rather than send it. The prospect may agree to, or actually ask for, a presentation to a group of people in the prospect organization including influencers and decision-makers, which is ideal.

The sales person should try to avoid any situation where a proposal is presented on the sales person's behalf in their absence, by an influencer to the decision-maker(s).

If the open plan process has been applied thus far then it's actually unlikely that the prospect would not want the sales person's involvement at the presentation stage.

See the tips on writing.

present the sales proposal - open plan selling - step 7

The aim of the presentation must be based on whatever is the next best stage for the prospect, not for the seller. Large organizations will not be pushed, and to try to do so often risks upsetting the relationship and losing the opportunity altogether.

It may be that just one presentation is required and that approval can be given there and then, or the sales process may warrant several more refinements to the proposal and more presentations or meetings. It could be that the decision-maker is advising and needing the sales person's help in how to achieve positive approval for the proposal from the influencers. Or the decision-maker may have given agreement to the concept already, subject to cost and being able to implement without disruption. Whatever the aim is, the sales person needs ensure that the presentation is geared to achieving it.

The presentation can take place in widely different circumstances, depending on what suits the prospect.

Groups of influencers and decision-makers need to be handled very carefully, and the sales person must by now understand the roles and motives of all the people present, in order to present and respond appropriately.

The presentation must be professional and concise, whatever the format. Adequate copies, samples, reference material must be available for all present.

The sales person must enlist help with the presentation from colleagues if required and beneficial, which will generally be so for large complex proposals, in which case all involved must be carefully briefed as to what is expected of them, overall aims and fall-backs etc.

The presentation must concentrate on delivering the already agreed strategic organizational needs. People's time is valuable - keep it concise and factual - don't waffle - if you don't know the answer to something don't guess or you'll lose your credibility and the sale for sure. Preparation is crucial.

See the page on creating and giving presentations.

negotiate/refine/adapt/conclude the agreement - open plan selling - step 8

In open plan selling it is common for agreement in principle to be reached before all of the final details, terms and prices are ironed out, and if the opportunity arises to do this then such as understanding should be noted and then confirmed in writing. Moreover, in very complex situations it is certainly advisable to try to obtain provisional agreement ('conditional agreement' or 'approval for the concept in principal') as soon as the opportunity arises.

In this event the sales person must agree and confirm the various action points necessary for the conclusion of the agreement to the satisfaction of the customer.

A similar process takes place when the prospect seeks to negotiate aspects of the deal before finally committing. Some situations develop into negotiations, others into more of a co-operative mutual working together to agree points of detail. Generally the latter is more productive and by its nature avoids the potential for confrontation. However some prospects will want or need to negotiate, in which case it's essential at this stage to follow the rules of negotiating.

It's critically important at this point to establish conditional commitment for the sale in principle, ie., that subject to agreeing the points to be negotiated, the deal will proceed. Do not begin to negotiate until you have provisional or conditional agreement for the sale.

As with the other stages of open plan selling, it's important to adapt your responses and actions according to what the prospect needs, especially in meeting their specific organizational needs in the areas of operating, communicating, processing and implementing the decision.

Management of the introduction, change, and communication of implications (specifically training) are all likely to be important (and often late-surfacing) aspects of the prospect's requirements when agreeing any major new supply arrangement. So be on the lookout for these issues and react to meet these needs. The supplier's ability to anticipate and meet these requirements quickly become essential facets of the overall package - often extra potential added value - and actually contain some of the greatest potential perceived benefits of all.

When the negotiation or agreement is concluded it is the sales person's responsibility to confirm all the details in writing to all concerned on both sides. Deals often fall down in the early stage of implementation through the sales person's failure to do this properly. Expectations need to be clearly understood to be the same by both sides at all times.

The modern sales person needs to be an excellent internal communicator these days (ie., to the selling organization's people, as well as the prospect's). All big deals will invariably be tailored to suit the customers needs, and this will entail the sales person being able to agree and confirm requirements and deliverables with the relevant departments of the selling organization.

This implies in turn that the sales person has a good understanding of the selling organization's strategy, capabilities, costs, prices and margins, so as to know what is realistically achievable, strategically desirable, and commercially viable. The customer may always be right, but this does not automatically imply that the supplier should do everything without question just because the prospect needs it - often there are limits, and these need to be managed and explained. (See ways of saying 'no' in the negotiating section.)

oversee the sale's implementation/fulfilment/completion - open plan selling - step 9

Even if the concluded sale is to be passed on to another department in the selling organization for implementation, the sales person must always remain the guardian of that customer and sale. The sales person will have won the sale partly by virtue of their own credibility and personal assurances, so it's unforgivable for a sales person to 'cut and run' (see the derivations section if you're interested in the origin of this expression).

The sales person must stay in touch with the decision-maker and give regular updates on the progress of the sale's implementation. There may be ongoing issues to manage - in fact there will be.

If the implementation is very complex the sale person must ensure a project plan is created and then followed, with suitable reviews, adjustments and reporting.

Upon implementation the sales person must check and confirm that the prospect is satisfied at all levels and at all points of involvement, especially the main decision-maker and key influencers.

feedback/review/maintain ongoing relationship - open plan selling - step 10

In many types of business, and especially major accounts selling, the sale is never actually finally concluded - that is to say, the relationship and support continues, and largely customers appreciate and need this enormously. Good sales people build entire careers on this principle.

Arranging regular reviews are vital for all service-type arrangements. Customers become disillusioned very quickly when sales people and selling organizations ceased to be interested, communicative and proactive after the sale is concluded or the contract has been set up.

Even for one-off outright sale transactions, with no ongoing service element, it's essential for the sales person to stay in touch with the customer, or future opportunities will be hard to identify, and the customer will likely go elsewhere.

These days, most business is on-going, so it needs looking after and protecting. Problems need to be anticipated and prevented. Opportunities to amend, refine, develop and improve the supply arrangement need to be reviewed and acted upon. This must always ultimately be the sales person's responsibility - and it should have been part of the original product offer after all. Even if a whole team of customer service people are responsible for after sales implementation and customer care, the sales person must keep a strategic 'weather eye' on the situation - not to manage day to day issues, but to ensure that the supply arrangement and relationship remain high quality, better than the potential competition and relevant to the customer's needs.

Date: 2015-01-11; view: 890