The top 25 tips to improve your telephone acquisition!
Telephone acquisition is today regarded as a subject in its own right. A subject that, as an entrepeneur, you will need to master to a greater or lesser extent, as it helps you to keep your client portfolio healthy. After all, it’s all about acquiring new business. However, selling your service or product is not always easy.
Cold calls and rejections
That is why most entrepeneurs are reluctant to pick up the phone. A cold call to a potential client is scary and the possibility of being rejected due to lack of interest is big. Nevertheless, telephone acquisition is still one of the best ways to acquire new clients.
Telephone acquisition can be learned!
Is telephone acquisition really that difficult? I don’t think so. I believe that telephone acquisition can be learned: if you know how to do it, it will be a lot easier! Before you start, it is important to define your profiling, your positioning. Besides that, you also need a little bit of courage and especially perseverance in order to call potential clients. Nobody is waiting for your call and rejections are pretty normal in the area of acquisition. And just like with everything else in life: practice makes perfect. If you spend every week a few hours cold calling, you will gradually extend your client portfolio. At the same time you work on your confidence, so that the telephone conversations will become more specific. You will get less rejecting answers and will book more successes.
25 tips
In this column I will give you 25 tips which will help you to turn each cold call into a fun and more successfull acquisition conversation.
Good luck implementing these 25 tips. I wish you good and useful conversations. If you still struggle or encounter difficulties, do let me know.
Cold calls and rejections
That is why most entrepeneurs are reluctant to pick up the phone. A cold call to a potential client is scary and the possibility of being rejected due to lack of interest is big. Nevertheless, telephone acquisition is still one of the best ways to acquire new clients.
Telephone acquisition can be learned!
Is telephone acquisition really that difficult? I don’t think so. I believe that telephone acquisition can be learned: if you know how to do it, it will be a lot easier! Before you start, it is important to define your profiling, your positioning. Besides that, you also need a little bit of courage and especially perseverance in order to call potential clients. Nobody is waiting for your call and rejections are pretty normal in the area of acquisition. And just like with everything else in life: practice makes perfect. If you spend every week a few hours cold calling, you will gradually extend your client portfolio. At the same time you work on your confidence, so that the telephone conversations will become more specific. You will get less rejecting answers and will book more successes.
25 tips
In this column I will give you 25 tips which will help you to turn each cold call into a fun and more successfull acquisition conversation.
- Prepare for the call. (does cold calling give you cold feet?)
- Think in advance which questions your potential client can ask you.
- Plan ahead: who are you going to call on which day?
- Determine at which time of the day you will be calling. Start in blocks of two hours.
- Think very well about a good, professional opening line.
- 'Smile when you dial'. People hear your smile through the phone.
- Always be kind and sit straight up.
- Make sure you come across enthusiastically, but talk quietly and not too loud.
- A call script is a good tool to have the telephone conversation, but do not read the script out loud.
- Introduce yourself with ‘Good morning / afternoon, my name is ... and I am calling on behalf of company’. Close the call with ‘good morning’ or ‘good afternoon’.
- Write down immediately the company name and the name of person you are speaking with.
- Make sure you get in touch with the right person, who has the power of decision.
- Become friendly with the gatekeepers within the company (the receptionists and secretaries). They will put you through to the right person!
- Ask the person you are speaking with if you may borrow a few minutes of his/her time when you call. If it is not convenient, propose to call back at another time.
- If the person you want to speak to is not available, ask when he or she is in the office again. That way you keep the initiative in hand and you call back.
- Be clear of your goal, when you call. If you want to be introduced, then say so. Always deal respectfully with the time of another person.
- Take a proactive attitude and show sincere interest.
- Keep your eyes on your goal and focus on the telephone conversation.
- Ask the right questions.
- Do not give up at all the NO’s you will undoubtedly hear. With cold calling rejections are pretty normal! At telephone acquisition being turned down is part of the game.
- Respect the fact if your potential client is not interested in your service/product.
- Speaking is silver, asking and listening is golden.
- Honour promises and appointments.
- Always say goodbye in a positive way at the closing of the call.
- Learn from your mistakes and make sure you have a follow-up strategy for the successful conversations.
Good luck implementing these 25 tips. I wish you good and useful conversations. If you still struggle or encounter difficulties, do let me know.
More blog articles
- Doing cold telephone acquisition yourself?
- Outsourcing your cold telephone acquisition? Why not!
- Speaking at SPARK 2016
- Cold calling during the school holidays
- Does cold calling give you cold feet? It doesn’t have to!
- Telephone acquisition: preparation is half the battle!
- 7 tips for cold calling
- How do you stay true to yourself during cold calling?
- Cold Acquisition is a Process
- The Quality of Appointments