[Jeewhizz]

Scenario:

Prospective client calls and leaves a message, asking to be called back, as they'd like a new site.

So I call them back, listen to what they require, offer some basic advice, and then go from there.

Are there any 'magic' pointers i'm missing? Something to help with getting the sale closed?

[Indizine]

Ask them what timeframe are they working to, do they have a start date in mind (for the business or the website launch) as a goal to work towards. Then ask when they are looking to order so that you can give an accurate timescale for completion. Make quotes valid for 30 days based on that price and completion date. Things can change and you can get caught short if they come back 65 days later and you're flat out and you've had an inflation price rise, new overheads, or started charging vat, etc.

When it comes to websites, nobody likes to declare their budget up front for obvious reasons, so try offering 2-3 options in quotes to show you could meet the clients budget. Its their requirements which could be making it expensive, not your pricing structure. Show you have flexible options.

[G4B]

Provide upto 3 payment installments. We ask for a 35% deposit which is refundable up to the point of progressing with project management and artwork. Then a further 35% after artwork is completed, and then the remainder on completion. Not all businesses can pay the full amount up front and not many would like to pay up the whole costs up front unless some sort of guarantee is in place.

It helps them also to spread the cost if they cannot afford a big hit up front.

[Maxine]

In addition to what has already been mentioned also try to establish the process that they are intending to go through now to place an order, give yourself a checklist of everything you would need to cover off for them. Then ask them if they would like the order form emailed, put in the post or faxed?

[UKSMF]

PROCESS TO SUCCESS -

Introduction -

So we start with the most inspiring part of the call. We have to deliver an impact at this point otherwise we wont get what we want from the call. We could be talking to a receptionist or a senior decision maker throughout the call duration and we need to treat everyone with the utmost of respect and professionalism no matter what the outcome. When talking to anyone we have to gather as much information as possible and again we need to make sure that we do this in the right way. We start by looking to contact the person that you feel is the right person to get a decision for your product or service that you are offering. Whilst it could be a failure it is still best to ensure that we keep notes for the next call to make that all important impact. The impact can come in many different forms but can be mirrored to the individual you are talking to! I.E – When talking to the potential he/she may like to talk about how they are feeling. This can be a nice ice breaker better than - ''hi, i am calling because''. We need to give a brief and positive statement and look to get contact as quickly as possible. Something like ''Hi my name is ________ and i was wondering if i could speak to the person that deals with the generation of new business there please, i have a product/service that i feel could be a real benefit to him''. This is positive and direct and gets the job done quickly in a professional manner. We then get through to the person that we need to talk to and can take the same quick approach. From this we can then ask if that is something that they would like to discuss?

The Fact Find -

Now we have introduced and made an initial statement that oozes confidence we need to find out as much information as possible and we need to do that with 6 different types of questions -

WHO,
WHAT,
WHERE,
WHEN,
HOW,
AND WHY?

These types of questions are what i call open questions they lead to a sentence answer that is a lot better than yes or no at this stage. E.I. - ''Can i start by asking how would you say you compare to your competitors''? This can lead to answer I.E. - ''Well we seem to be a very good printer that does mainly large runs of digital print for people'' From this we have a wealth of information at our fingertips. We need to continue on our investigation of finding what makes the person/s we are talking to happy and how they see themselves going forward and how our product or service can only help them achieve their goals in a quicker/easier/more cost effective way etc etc. We need to find out as much as what we can for later on. How many people work there? What is there projected growth etc etc. The more we ask is the more information that we can use later on when building their desire for our product. We are showing an interest and there is no person in business that wont like talking about their business and how they have got it to where it is at the time of the call. This shows the potential client that you want to help and analyse how good the solution you are offering will work for them.

Return On Investment -

So how much can your product or service benefit them. We have to ask some more questions -

How much is their average customer worth?
How much of that revenue is profit?
How many customers could they take on per month/week?
What is the least amount of profit from one customer for the basic job?

How much is your product/service and how long will it take for them to gain the return from what they have spent or are about to spend on your product/service. This part of the process gives us the ability to show the potential client that we can give them a good profit from our product/service in a period of time that is acceptable. If done right this part of the call alone will secure their belief in your product/services without too much emphasis on any other part of the call.

The Pitch -

This is your opportunity to explain in detail what your service/product is and how it can benefit the potential client. At this stage we can use some of the facts that we have already found out to ensure that we deliver the best pitch relevant to their needs. When we are in this part of the call it is of paramount importance that we remain polite and courteous at all times. We need to maintain listening skills and again it is important to show our potential client that we are hearing what they have said and we are remaining vigilante at all times by explaining how our product/service will benefit the matter raised from the conversation. When pitching we need to make sure that when we deliver a feature of the product that we back it up with a statement that will show the benefit of that particular feature. I.E ''This stereo has the loudest volume on the marketplace this will give you the volume you require to fill up your night club''. We have then preempted any questions our potential client may have before the question arises.

Closing Question -

Now we have done all of the above we should be in a position to ask whether our product/service is something that they feel could benefit their business. We need to take a consultative approach at this stage and use questions like -

1 -Subject to cost does this sound like the kind of product/service that could benefit your business?
2 -With this product/service i feel that your company could benefit from it, do you agree?

We need to lead our client to saying yes if we can as this will impact on the final decision and will making saying yes easier at the final decision making time.

Pricing -

As a rule we have now done our job subject to the yes and approval from the above. Now we need to ensure that we make the price sound as attractive as possible by using the information that we have gained throughout the call. We know a lot of information now and know that our potential client is at the point of making a decision and this can take one route or another. We have a product or service that we have assessed on a consultative approach and we have someone that has been happy to spend time on the phone. This is a commitment to what we have covered in the conversation so far and has now achieved closest to what we call pipeline or a cold call sale from start to finish. We have to ensure that our price is something that creates a desire to use our product or service. If our price is within range we can safely say that by now we have a deal as long as there is no one else involved in the process. So far we have shown -

Passion,
Knowledge (although limited),
Interest,

This only creates vanity, desire and greed within our pitch (some of the strongest selling points for any service or product)

With a partner, fellow director or friend this will create a call back. If there is no one else and the potential has the budget to take your product then nine out of ten times there will be a very good lead on your desk. Sometimes we give our price and someone says ok that sounds good we take the next step fill out and close......

This should help I hope

Regards

Dave

[stephendoyle]

great advice from Dave.

hi khalid,

to me it depends on if you or your client will allow
you to close on the enquiry point.

you may not be looking or comfortable closing
at this stage.

i would ask questions to qualify your prospect.

find out if they are wasting your time or serious.

When are they looking to have their project completed?
What exactly is it they are looking for?
What budget have they put aside?
Are they wanting to manage their own seo etc?

once you know that they are serious now you
can start your sales process.

eg.
1) Enquiry
2) Chat = gain confidence | Qualify
3) Send Information
4) Follow up information | Call / Email
5) Send further info with discount | Compelling Offer
6) Email
7) Call

having a sales process helps and can lead you and
your customer down the good old sales funnel to
that closing stage.

good luck and regards
steve doyle

[ebonybailey]

this is a big topic today!

Qualification is key,find out everything you need to know on that call:

1. Is he/she the decision maker?
2. What is the timescale for a decision
3. What is the budget
4. When does it need to be completed
5. What will be the process for making a decision

With this information you will have everything you need to know to make a decision on whether this is a genuine opportunity or someone "thinking about it".

Don't try to "sell" people cansmell it a mile off. Be yourself and let your personality shine through.
You canbe taught a million and one ways to approach a prospect over the phone bu what it really comes down to is that you are polite, you speak clearly, you understand your product and can answer their questions, and you agree a next step, whether that is making a purchase, sending info or arranging to meet them.
You have heard it a million times but its true:

People buy from people. Don't be something your not.

Michael

[UKSMF]

I may take some of this and put it in a guide that I will post on the forum if people dont mind??

Cheers

Dave

[Jeewhizz]

That would be perfect Dave!

[Warhead]

Originally Posted by Jeewhizz

Scenario:

Prospective client calls and leaves a message, asking to be called back, as they'd like a new site.

So I call them back, listen to what they require, offer some basic advice, and then go from there.

Are there any 'magic' pointers i'm missing? Something to help with getting the sale closed?

This is decades-old, but it's true...you need a M.A.N.

Means - is there money in their budget to pay for what you want?
Authority - Does this person have the authority to place the order?
Need - do they actually need this product?

How you phrase your questions to elicit this information is up to you, but I'm sure you'll agree that without all three, the order (and your invoice!) is doomed.