There's nothing like real-life examples to point out the good, the bad and ugly about sales calls and how they can help or prevent you from increasing your sales. Here is a post-mortem of a sales call I received yesterday afternoon.
The call didn't get off to a great start because I answered the telephone with, "Good afternoon, Kelley Robertson" and the caller said, "Hi, I'd like to speak with Kelley Robertson please." Um, didn't I just say that it was me?
Lesson: Listen carefully when your prospect answers the telephone.
She introduced herself and I caught her name but not her company. She even repeated her company's name a few times during our one-sided conversation but I never did catch it. It wasn't until see snet me an email that I figured out who she represented.
Lesson: Make sure that you clearly articulate your name and that of your company.
Anyway, she mentioned that she came across my name from the Top Sales World website and the series of webinars that were conducted last week. She asked if I knew one of the presenters and it turned out that it was one of few whom I didn't.
Lesson: Attempts at building rapport need to carefully thought-out.
Like most salespeople she told me about her company and what they did. I have to admit that her approach here was because she didn't spend a lot of time talking about her company and their services. This is rare.
Lesson: Limit the amount of time you talk about your company in the early stages of a sales call.
After she told me about her company she proceeded to ask me several questions about document production including workbooks for my training programs etc. Unfortunately, she made the classic error of trying to pitch a service that I had little need for. Here's what I mean...
She asked how I review my workbooks after I submit them to my printer and I told her that I didn't need to because I have been working that printer for almost 15 years and they have never misprinted a workbook. It appeared that pre-printing proofing was a hot button for her but it wasn't for me.
Lesson: Never discuss aspects of your product or service that have little or no relevance to your prospect's situation.
Finally, she asked if she could send me information and arrange a 20 minute demonstration of their service even though I said I had no intention of changing suppliers. After all, my printer has been doing a great job for more than 15 years, why would I change?
Lesson: Recognize low-value leads and move on to other sales opportunities.
Oops, I almost forgot. She did send me an email later that day but her opening line was "Thanks for taking the time to speak with me yesterday!" Plus, the email simply reiterated everything she told me in our telephone conversation.