Ninety days. That is generally the recommended length of time to turn something into an ingrained habit. And if you’re like a lot of salespeople, phone manners could certainly benefit from becoming more habitual.
By incorporating small changes in the way you approach the phone conversation and doing so regularly over a three-month period, you can go from awkward conversation to a natural even if you consider yourself the most introverted of introverts. Here are some tips for how to manage it.
1. Buy a headset
A good, reliable Bluetooth headset can be purchased from sites like Amazon for around $30, but they are really an investment when you consider how much more natural they make phone conversations. That natural quality will translate to more conversions the longer you use it and the more comfortable you become.
2. Move around
The headset starts to feel like it’s a part of your person the longer you wear it, and with that comfort, you will feel less tied to your desk chair. We recommend moving around while you’re on the phone. If you know your product well enough that you don’t need notes at the ready — or heck, even if you do, you could just take a hard copy with you or read what you need from your phone’s browser — then incorporate more physical activity. Movement cultivates both alertness and the feeling of being at-ease.
3. Smile
You might not believe it, but it does translate. Oh sure, the other person may not be able to tell there is a smile on your face in the moment, but he or she will be able to tell there is enthusiasm and genuineness there.
4. Become a believer
It’s good advice to not try and build a career on something you don’t believe in. As an insurance salesperson, you have to believe in the benefits of your product in order to be successful at it. If you’re not there yet, then you need to keep studying up on the products that your company offers until you fully understand why a prospect’s life will be better off with you than without you.
5. Personalize
Personalizing the phone call and not being tied to a phone script is the only way to build long-term success cold calling. That means doing your homework on the prospect before you pick up the phone.
6. Set quotas
Having a set number of phone calls that you make in a day — not sales, mind you — will help you to deal with your failures with an optimistic attitude. And there will be failures! In sales, 5% is often considered a phenomenal conversion rate, so if you make 100 calls in a month, you’re only going to end up with five sales. Over time — and assuming great retention rates — you might be able to make a living on that, but you’ll be better off setting your monthly standards higher.
And something wonderful will happen the more calls that you make — you’ll get better at it!
7. Objections, rejections, and no! Make peace with them
People are going to tell you no. Sometimes they’ll have bad reasons that you can overcome if you’re prepared to keep the conversation going. Other times you won’t be able to. And still others, you’ll get rejected before you even have a chance to make your plea. Just learn to take the bad with the good and know that nothing is personal … at least on your end.
8. Record yourself
Seriously, how do you expect to improve if you couldn’t even pick your voice out of a police lineup? You have to listen to yourself, make notes, and adjust your performance. Maybe not on every call per se, but on enough to get a feel for who you are and what you sound like to other people.
9. Reward yourself
Win or lose, you deserve a reward — at least if you’re making the set quota of phone calls per day. Yes’s deserve rewards for obvious reasons. No’s deserve them for the simple need to heal. Choose something sensible to your living situation, and give yourself more of it to incentivize those long hours on the phone.
In closing
Repetition and best practices are essential to exponential growth. If you want to see that for your phone calls, make sure you incorporate the tips above.
0 Comments