{"id":30151,"date":"2012-11-15T09:00:21","date_gmt":"2012-11-15T13:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mixergy.com\/?p=30151"},"modified":"2016-06-25T06:29:00","modified_gmt":"2016-06-25T13:29:00","slug":"course-cheat-sheet-telesales","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mixergy.com\/course-cheat-sheet-telesales\/","title":{"rendered":"How to call customers (instead of hoping that they\u2019ll come to you)"},"content":{"rendered":"

James Kennedy made the same mistake for almost a decade.<\/p>\n

James, cofounder of Piehole.tv<\/a>, would work as a contractor for six months, then quit to launch his own product. When he couldn\u2019t get any sales, he\u2019d \u201cbuild it harder\u201d until he ran out of money.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can code the product all you want, but I wasn’t getting people to buy it,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t until he hit rock bottom that he discovered how to get people to buy.<\/p>\n

He was working at his brother\u2019s burrito bar and would make sales calls for two hours every day. \u201cI would sit in a 6\u2019x6\u2019 storeroom,\u201d says James. \u201c[I\u2019d] pick up the phone and I would start calling, and eventually…I started getting a repeatable sale cycle.\u201d<\/p>\n

Today James manages a sales team that helps him make those calls. They average a 20% conversion rate on Piehole.tv videos.<\/p>\n

In his Mixergy course<\/a>, he shows you how he does it. Here are three strategies you\u2019ll learn in the course.<\/p>\n

1. Be Quick on the Draw<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

When someone downloads your free ebook, you need to know if they are a good prospect. Are they interested enough to become a paying customer?<\/p>\n

But how do you find out if they\u2019ll buy? After all, you don\u2019t want to start the relationship with a hard sell. That\u2019s just going to scare away your potential customers.<\/p>\n

So how do you figure out who\u2019s a good prospect?<\/p>\n

Size Them Up<\/h3>\n

When someone signs up for your free offer, call them right away to gauge their interest.<\/p>\n

James says that the time people are most willing to talk to you is right after they download the free giveaway. So he calls them immediately.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou’re not trying to convince anyone [to buy],\u201d says James. \u201cMy first goal is to say, \u2018Did you get the ebook?\u2019 You will tell from their tone of voice right away whether it’s a good time or whether they’re really interested. Then you can go from there. That’s your first goal.\u201d<\/p>\n

2. Make a Commitment<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Sometimes inexperienced salespeople make vague commitments, like \u201cI\u2019ll follow up with you next week.\u201d<\/p>\n

But those kinds of wishy-washy statements lead to missed calls, more voicemails and emails, and a longer sales cycle. Or you might lose the sale entirely.<\/p>\n

So how do you avoid vague commitments to keep a deal moving down the pipeline?<\/p>\n

Set a Date<\/h3>\n

Always set a next action date, such as \u201cI\u2019ll call you back on Thursday at 2 p.m.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s very tempting to just hang up the phone and move on,\u201d says James. \u201cWhat I always do is rather than saying goodbye…I’ll always ask for that next date. And that gives me a sign about whether they’re interested.\u201d<\/p>\n

James says that when they agree to the next action date, then they\u2019re a real<\/em> prospect.<\/p>\n

3. You Don\u2019t Have to Be Charming<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

You need to establish credibility.<\/p>\n

But the people you\u2019re calling don\u2019t know you. And it\u2019s pretty hard to charm<\/em> them into trusting you, especially if calling prospects makes you nervous.<\/p>\n

So if you\u2019re not Prince or Princess Charming, how do you establish credibility on the phone?<\/p>\n

Consistency Trumps Charm<\/h3>\n

You don\u2019t have to be an extrovert, you just have to be consistent.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou think salespeople have to be super extroverted, but I find that not to be true,\u201d says James. \u201cAs long as you can pick up the phone, that’s all that matters.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because it\u2019s consistency that establishes credibility, not charm: \u201cI’m totally a nerd, right? A computer science degree and awkward at networking events. The key to it is…just doing what you said you’d do…turn up on time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cheat Sheet written by April Dykman.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

James Kennedy made the same mistake for almost a decade.<\/p>\n

James, cofounder of Piehole.tv, would work as a contractor for six months, then quit to launch his own product. When he couldn\u2019t get any sales, he\u2019d…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2370,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[293,295,245],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30151","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cheat-sheet","category-course-cheat-sheet","category-courses"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow to call customers (instead of hoping that they\u2019ll come to you) - Business Podcast for Startups<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"James Kennedy made the same mistake for almost a decade. James, cofounder of Piehole.tv, would work as a contractor for six months, then quit to launch his own product. 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