„Smile and Dial”

A look at some tips and techniques to improve your sales calls

Based on gong.io research

Content

• Two ears – one mouth

• The pricing subject and its timing

• Prospect’s state of mind

• Risk Mitigation

• Training and Coaching

Two ears – One mouth

• Listen more than you talk is one of the essential

skills to have in a sales role.

– Too few sales professionals stand by that golden

rule however.

– The average sales representative spends around

70% of his time speaking… WRONG!

What is a good talk-listen ratio

• As a first step, reaching the 50/50 mark is a great achievement in itself.

• Once reached, try to aim for the 40/60 ratio, and keep improving.

• Tips – Always present your product with feedback questions.

– Involve your prospect. Let him verbalize his feelings.

– Do not interrupt.

– Clarify and paraphrase

EXERCISE - TiACI

• Try calling your client using this method to improve your listening skills.

• Take in(Ti) – Listen to what your prospect has to say, and welcome all information.

• Acknowledge – Let your prospect know that you are not only taking in the information, but also acknoledging whatever

pieces of information he is giving you. And noise effects are one way of doing so.

• Compile – Recap and paraphrase all the information given. You can use words such as „so” or expressions like „If I

got this right”. Chances are this will lead the prospect to either confirming or informing what you say, and it can also ensure that nothing was omitted by the prospect.

• Inquire – Start asking questions to get more information. Start challenging your prospect if needed, and start to

educate him all in an effort to help.

How and When to Talk Pricing

• Research shows the following: – Win rates decline when pricing is discussed less than

three times.

– Win rates decline when pricing is discussed more than four times.

• So, when can you discuss pricing? – Not at the early stage of a sales process. The prospect

is unlikely to be ready just yet.

– Build rapport, communicate your USPs and fill-in your prospect’s needs before tackling financial figures.

Tips for pricing negotiation

• Do not be offended by negotiation. Remember that the prospect NEEDS to negotiate.

• High price = high value.

• The power of silence.

• If you give, you need to get back.

• Use price negotiation as the last negotiation in the sales process.

• Discount carefully.

• Be prepared to say „no”.

Prospect’s state of mind

• Learn to differentiate your prospect’s state of mind when doing minor closes or asking for next steps.

– A cautious answer might not be a bad sign at all.

• „I will probably buy next month” is a sign that the are considering, or already imagined buying your product.

– An answer that hints some evaluation is still being done is a bad sign.

• „I still need to figure out how your product will help my company attracts new customers” is a sign that you somewhat failed in convincing the client that your product was the right one to fill his needs.

Risk Mitigation

• Negotiating and buying puts everybody in an emotional

process.

• One step of that process leads to anxiety.

– It is crucial to use „risk-reversal” language and techniques in

order to soothe the prospect.

Risk Mitigation Methods

• Free-Trial Offers

• Offering Guarantees

• Easy-Return Policy

Training and Coaching (1)

• Why is training and coaching your sales

workforce crucial today?

– Gives you an advantage over the competition.

– Helps you retain your workforce.

– They will generate more leads, and of better

quality.

– It will increase their caliber, which as a results will

increase the likelyhood of prospects making a deal

with them.

Training and Coaching (1)

For more information please visit our webpage

http://www.roka-sales.com

sales@roka-sales.com

„Practice-Driven Sales Training that unlocks

your full potential”