6 Steps To A Phone Sale

This one is for all the business owners or service providers out there that have a product to sell over the phone.

I must ask the question: why do my people suck on the phone?! We record phone calls for training purposes and to see how we’re doing on the phone, and I get so frustrated sometimes because I listen to our phone calls and our people are saying no or not giving themselves the opportunity to get a yes from the customer on the phone. The phone is the most important tool in the shop, and what it can do is to get a sales committment from a customer. As a business, our goal is to get yes fast, and the fastest way to a customer’s brain is through the eyes. A picture is worth a thousand words. I think it’s important to visualize our customer’s need and solve our customer’s problems by giving them a tangible solution. So we have to be not just good on the phones, we have to be AWESOME on the phones! I think that if your business is a service or retail oriented business, having good phone service is becoming a dying art.I spent all morning today giving a 5 hour phone training seminar to 9 of my employees – it’s the 5th time I’ve done it in 2 weeks, that’s how important I feel it is. There are 6 steps necessary to a phone sale:1. Friendly Greeting – “Hi, thank you for calling Curry’s Auto Service!”

2. Analyze the Need – Determine their needs by asking the right qualifying questions

3. Make a Specific Recommendation – Based on their specific needs

4. Explain the Features and Benefits – Paint the picture of what the product or service will do for them

5. Ask for the Sale – Set up the appointment!

6. Resell the Service – Confirm the agreed upon products and services you are selling

The goal is to get the car in the shop, and to do this you must discover what the buyer’s motivations are, and the emotions that are driving those motivations. These two components are the key to determining what product or service is best for the buyer and gives you the opportunity to make a specific recommendation. After you make the specific recommendation, you have to ask for the sale. The recommendation may be “Come on down and I’ll give you a free inspection because I need to look at your car to give you a proper estimate.” Part of the recommendation is to come see us; we have to look at the car to give them a proper recommendation. Once they’re there you can say to them, “Here’s the tire that I recommend, this is what you need, and this is why you need it!” The second to last step in the process is to ask for the sale. 88% of salespeople don’t ask for the sale! I hear this all the time on our phones. We will give the buyer a bunch of good information and will close by saying “Ok, well thanks for calling…” instead of “What time would you like to come in?” Closing the sale is the most crucial step in the process. “What’s your name and number, I can get you in at 3 o’clock today.”

Once you get the commitment from the customer to come in the door, the final step is reselling the sale. It’s summarizing the appointment details and making sure they know where you’re located. “My name is Matt, me or anybody here can take great care of you when you come in.” Thanks for calling.”

With this 6-step process, you’ll be a winner every time 🙂

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