Based on observing, listening to, receiving, and placing thousands of sales
calls, I've put together my list of the Top 10 Errors Made by Sales people When
Using the Phone. The list details the most heinous, avoidable errors sales
reps commit every day.miscues that sabotage their sales efforts.

Read through the errors and then pay particular attention to Action Steps.
This is what you can do to avoid the errors. Follow the advice, and I know
you'll be more effective.

Here are the mistakes, starting from Number Ten, working toward the top.

MISTAKE 10: SENDING UNNECESSARY LITERATURE
One of the best stalling techniques ever used by prospects (or more usually,
non prospects) is, "Send me information on that." And they use it for a good
reason. It works.

Every day this phrase chases sales rep off the phone, and sends them scrambling
for the literature rack, tossing fistfuls of shiny brochures into oversized
envelopes, convinced (mistakenly) that "I've got a hot one here." Perhaps
you've fallen victim to this yourself. In my early days I know I did.

But this balloon of anticipation quickly deflates when the sales rep calls
back, hearing, "uh, I didn't have a chance to read that yet." And the cycle
continues.

Don't mistake "Send me literature" for a legitimate sign of interest-yet. And
don't be fooled into thinking literature does your selling. Don't even be so
presumptuous as to believe they will read your literature.
Printed materials can be a fine complement to your sales effort. Emphasis on
the word "complement" YOU still need to generate interest to the point where
they deserve literature. Otherwise you're wasting valuable selling time.

Action Steps: When you get the "send literature" request, be certain the
person is a legitimate buyer, and not someone trying to get rid of you. It's
better to get the "no" now, rather than later, after you've already invested a
few dollars worth of paper and postage, and lots of your precious time. If you
hear the request early in the call, I suggest you respond with,

"I'll be happy to send something that summarizes what we discussed. Let me ask
you, though, if you like what you see, I'm assuming we'll be able to do
business together?"
================================

MISTAKE 9: POOR TELEPHONE IMAGE
It's astonishing how may people give more thought to what color socks they'll
wear, than to how they look to the other person.

Try an experiment. On your next 10 telephone calls pull out a piece of paper
and make tally marks in two columns: "desirable" and "undesir-able,"
describing the total image you form based on what the other person says, and
how they say it. When you analyze it, it's befuddling that so many people fuss
about their personal appearance, but ignore the way they "look" on the phone.
And that can be fatal to teleprofessionals.

Action Step: The best way to improve the way you sound is to listen to yourself
on tape. Every top performer in all other skill professions uses taping.
Athletes, actors, singers, dancers, professional speakers . . . all review
their performances on tape in order to improve. You need to do the same.

(For more information on the legalities of taping calls, and to see a device
that helps you tape both sides of your phone calls, go to
http://www.businessbyphone.com/taping.htm. Also, for a great self-study program
on improving your phone voice, check out http:www.businessbyphone.com/vs.htm)
====================

MISTAKE 8: NO POST-CALL REVIEW
I cringe when I see sales reps grind out call after call, putting their fingers
in "speed dial" mode, pounding the key pad immediately after disconnecting the
previous call. They waste learning opportunities. That's why there are
grizzled, veteran salespeople who have placed thousands of calls in their
lifetime, but have no real experience to speak of. They don't REFLECT on what
they have done. Learning doesn't take place while you're engaged in an
activity. It takes place afterward, when you dwell on it. Just like reading a
book, you retain more when you pause to reflect on, and react to, what you just
experienced.

Action Steps: At the end of every call you place, simply ask yourself two
questions:

1. What did I like about this call?

2. What would I have done differently on this call?

No time to perform this activity after your calls? Think again. You can't
afford NOT to.
====================

MISTAKE 7: LOUSY LISTENING
Success on the phone does not mean dominating the conversation. Oh sure, you've
likely heard such wisdom about listening before. It makes sense. But based on
national averages, few people actually practice it. Listening experts say that
most of us listen with only 30%-50% efficiency.

I don't know what causes salespeople to turn on the verbal waterfall once they
get a moment of opportunity to speak. Fact is, the other person's desire to
listen to you is in inverse proportion to the amount of speaking you do. Talk a
lot, and their interest wanes. As does their desire to par-ticipate in the
conversation diminishes the more you talk. They get bored. Plus, the more you
talk, the greater the possibility you'll mention things they can object to.

Action Steps: Everyone knows how to listen. Technique is not the problem. The
key is selling yourself on WHY you need to listen. It's the same with any activ-
ity. If your desire to do something is strong enough, you'll get it done.
Therefore, when you find yourself taking a mental vacation during calls, ask
yourself a question:

"Why do I need to listen to this person?"

The answer tends to snap you back to the proper perspective as you answer,

"Because what this person says will tell me exactly what I need to say in order
to help them buy, therefore putting more money in my pocket."

Have your purpose in mind before and during every conversation.
====================

MISTAKE 6: SCREENER MISUSE AND ABUSE
I've heard sales reps refer to the screener as the bulldog, the iron gate
maiden, the rejectionist, and other equally unflattering monikers. No wonder
these callers have difficulty getting to buyers. They experience exactly what
they expect: resistance, frustrating penetrating questions, and downright
humiliation. That's because the callers use strongarm tactics to try to go
through, around, above, or under the screener. Basic psychology tells you that
the more someone is pushed, the harder they resist.

Action Steps: To get to your buyers, all you need to do is help screeners do
their job, which is protect the buyer's time so that only callers with
something of value are allowed to spend time with the boss. Therefore, you need
to be sure you have a Justification State-ment prepared in response to "What's
this in reference to?" It's here that you sell the screener on putting you
through. And you thought you were calling to qualify them? The screener is
qualifying YOU! And based on your Justification Statement, they decide whether
or not you warrant an audience with the buyer. So, be ready to explain results
and benefits that you bring to the table. Do NOT say,

"We sell _____________, and I want to talk to him/her about it."

That normally elicits a re-sponse like, "We're happy with who we're buying
from"
Instead, say something like,

"I have some ideas that have helped other retailers in your industry cut down
on their advertising expenses while generating more store traffic. I'd like to
ask Mr./Ms. Bigg a few questions to see if this would make sense for you to
take a look at."

Get Information From the Screener
Also, whenever you're prospecting, you should ask questions before you get to
the decision maker so you're better-prepared when you do ultimately reach him
or her.

Every piece of qualifying information you need on calls could potentially be
gathered from others in your prospect's organiza-tion. Switchboard
operators,þscreeners, worker bees, and others in the decision maker's
department, people who actually USE what you sell . . . all can provide
valuable insight-information that gains instant respect, and creates interest
in the mind of the buyer.

You could say,

"You probably work closely with Ms. Bigg, is that right?"

Then begin your questioning:

"So I'm better prepared when I speak with her, there's some information you
could help me with first . . ."
(If you'd like more info on this topic, look at my 'Getting Through to Buyers,
While the Others are Screened Out,' video program,
http://www.businessbyphone.com/gttb.htm)

====================

MISTAKE 5: NONEXISTENT OR INADEQUATE QUESTIONING
If a doctor writes a prescription without proper diagnosis, it could be grounds
for malpractice if the recommendation is faulty. When salespeople suggest
treatment without diagnosis (which happens all the time) there's not the legal
mechanism in place for malpractice (al-though it might not be a bad idea). What
does happen, though, is usually disastrous for the calleÕ: He loses credibility
in the listener's mind, since the caller foolishly rambles on about what he/she
wants to sell, not what the listener might be interested in buying. Therefore
the prospect/customer channels energy into thinking of reasons why he should
get the caller off the phone, instead of participating in a meaningful
conversation. Ultimately, prospects and customers bring up objections as a
result of poor questioning (see also reason Number 3), and lousy listening
(Number 7).

Action Step: Map out your questioning strategy before your call. Instead of
having a list of features and benefits you're intent on presenting, take all
of your benefits and write them, one beneath another, down the left-hand side
of a piece of paper. Then draw two columns down the page to the right of the
words. Label the first column "Needs Filled/Problems Solved." Then for each
benefit write out what need or problem the corresponding benefit satisfies.
Label the right-hand column "Questions to Ask." For each need or prob-lem write
a question that would determine whether that situation existed. Use these
questions during your call.

For example, let's say a business offered overnight delivery on orders received
by 5:00 P.M.., while all the other competitors cut off their ordering time at
12:00 noon for next day-delivery. The "Needs Filled/Problems Solved" would be
the prospect often has last minute orders they require the next day, and their
existing vendor isn't able to meet those requests, therefore it causes
inconveniences, and maybe even lost business. Only in these situations would
the overnight delivery be a main buyinî motivator. Otherwise it might be
a "nice to know" feature that the prospect might be able to take advantage of
in the future if he needed it, or worse, the prospect might think, "I never get
in a situation where I need something that quickly. I don't care about that
feature at all. Maybe that's why their price is higher." (See how presenting
what you think is a benefit could actually create an objection?)

Make sure you don't present what you "think" is a benefit until you've
confirmed it by asking the corresponding questions. Here are some examples:

"How quickly do you normally need delivery?"

"Do you ever need next-day delivery on orders you realize you need to place
later in the day?"

"What do you do in situations like that?"

"What happens when you need it the next day, but have to wait for two days?
What kind of inconvenience does that cause?"

You can see in this situation, if the questions uncovered the need/problem,
the "benefit" would then truly be of value.

=========================

4. POOR PREPARATION
Consider if an airline pilot got on the intercom just after takeoff and
said, "Ladies and gentlemen thank you for flying with us today. We're going to
fly somewhere, I'm just not sure exactly where, but I hope it's the right
place."

Absurd, right? Sure.

Now consider another scenario. A sales rep plops down in the chair, flips on
the computer or pulls out prospect names, while at the same time dials the
first number. If you'd ask him/her what's to be accomplished on the call, you'd
hear a vague response about a sale, appointment, lead, and so on. But that
caller wouldn't be able to tell you any more about how he/she planned on
getting there than the hypothetical pilot could about reaching his destination.

Poor preparation ensures a sloppy, rambling call that's like a kite without a
tail, whipping in the wind, wildly changing directions.

On the other hand, you can and should choreograph your call before you place
it. Just like Jean Claude-Killy said about ski racing,

"The outcome is determined by the time the racer is in the gate," the result of
your call is also determined before you pick up the phone.

Action Step: The most important step in a successful call is the first one:
setting your Primary Objective. I define this as looking at where you are, and
determining where you want to be at the end of the call. More specifically, ask
yourself what you want to do at the end of the cal, and what should they do at
the end of the call. The objective must involve ACTION. If nobody's doing any-
thing, you're no better off after the call than you were before. And after
you've set your objective according to this definition you simply fill in the
blanks with what needs to happen for you to travel from point A to point B.
You'll realize what informa-tion you'll need, and the information you'll want
to present based on those needs.
=============================
3. MISUNDERSTAND OBJECTIONS
Before I go into companies and deliver sales training programs I always ask
managers the areas they feel their reps need the most assistance. When they
say, "We need the most work on overcoming objections," I'm in for a lot of
work. The reason is, more objections are caused by sales reps than by any other
factor. People object when reps don't question effectively, when they talk too
much, (sounds like a couple of our earlier Top 10 Mistakes) and basically
present features the person isn't excited about. Then when objections are
voiced, these same reps feel as if they need to access their "objections flip
chart" and retort with a slick, prepared objection rebuttal which will
instantly win over the objector.

Fat chance.

Action Step: The best way to deal with objections is to prevent them from
arising in the first place.

Ensure you have a fit before making a presentation. However, when objections do
arise, the only way to professionally address them is to dig for the reasons
behind them. Only then can you begin to understand it, and then perhaps answer
it. I said perhaps, because there isn't an answer for every real objection,
despite what some sales evangelists preach. Personally, my favorite response to
an objection is,

"I see. Well, let's talk about that."

This lets the person know I won't pounce on them for their beliefs, but I do
intend on sincerely discussing it with them. I suggest you do the same, and
then question to figure out why they said what they did. You find that this is
a painless, non adversarial way to deal with objections.
=============================

2. RELUCTANCY TO GET COMMITMENT
This is the activity that takes the least amount of skill to execute, but yet
is the hardest for many people to actually perform: Asking for the sale or
asking for commitment to take action.

Even if prospects are leaning in your favor, they might not volunteer the
action you want unless you make it easy by inviting them to do business with
you. I've seen a lot of money left on the table, and hours wasted on
unproductive follow-up calls, both a result of not asking for the business, or
at least asking for some commitment from the prospect.

Action Step: Build the asking habit. There's no secret or magic here. No hocus-
pocus phrase that guarantees they'll say "yes" to your offer. No offensive
closing technique with a warlike title like the "Blitzkrieg Close."

Very simply, if you want to get different results, you have to change your
routine. If you're not asking for commitment or for the sale as often as you
should, you need to analyze why, and then make the change.

If your problem is rejection sensitivity, modify the way you define rejection.
Don't look at no's as rejection; look at no's as learning experiences that move
you closer to a yes. Begin in all areas of your life. Get out of your comfort
zone and ask for more of what you want. Better tables in restaurants, discounts
on merchandise, whatever . . . just do it! And on the phone, ask for the sale
more often. When someone is going to "talk it over," ask if they're going to
recom-mend it. If they try to put you off by saying they'll "think about it"
and call you later, ask them what the chances are they'll buy. Sure you'll get
more "no's." But the positive an-swers you'll get save you time, and resuÞt in
more businesá. Plu" it will build the closing behavior.

OK, Drum roll please. The biggest mistake I see and hear sales reps make on the
phone is . . .

MISTAKE 1: OPENING STATEMENTS THAT BUILD RESISTANCE, NOT INTEREST
Within the first 15 seconds, you create one of two emotions within the person
you're speaking to: Resistance or interest.

Nothing else.

Unfortunately, most callers create resistance. And that results in what they
perceive as morale-killing rejection, along with an early exit from the phone
call.

They start with an uninspiring line like,

"We sell _________ and I'd like to talk to you about them."

The listener then justifiably thinks, "So what? Why should I listen?"

Here's another sure resistance-builder.

"I sent you a letter and was wondering if you got it?"

So what if they did? What are they supposed to say? "Oh yes! Glad you called.
I was just sitting here thinking that I should buy from you!"

Yeah, right.

What SHOULD you say during an opening to evoke interest? Here's the simple
three-step success formula.

1. Introduce yourself and organization.

2. Most importantly, state an interest-stimulating, curiosity-piquing benefit
that appeals to their desire to gain, or avoid loss, and,

3. Get them involved in a conversation. Remember, you want to do more listening
than talking. Tell them that in order to deliver the potential benefit you
alluded to, you need to get information. Here are examples,

"I'm Dan Fleming with Graphics Industries. We specialize in working with
retailers in lowering overall advertising expenses while generating more store
traffic. I've got a few ideas I'd like to discuss to see if this would be of
any value to you and your company . . ."

Another,

"This is Karen Hamilton with Canton Supply. The reason I'm call-ing is that
there's the possibility we might be able to help you cut down on your expenses
for the exact same cleaning items you're now buying. To determine this, I'd
like to find out what you're using . . . "

If you asked questions of the screener as we mentioned earlier, and received
good information, you could use that in your opener to personalize it even more.

"Ms. Davis, I'm Paul Cooper with Public Engineering. I under-stand that your
division is now looking at upgrading your finish-ing process on ultramagnetic
components. We have a process that has worked well for other manufacturers,
and, depending on your re-quirements, might be something that would fit in
nicely with your system . . ."

Your calls to regular customers must have a grabbing opener also. Every time
you call, without exception, have a Value Added Point. It's anything that
allows them to feel they've gained by simply talking to you. It can be good
news, useful information, notification of a sale, ideas you have . . . anything
they will perceive as useful.

"Sandra, it's Linda with Dino Services. I was studying what you've been buying
from us over the past two years, and I've got an idea here for a program that
might just make your job a little easier . "

You could also use,

"I heard some interesting information, and you came to mind as someone who
could really profit from it . . ."

The real test to be sure you have a winning opener is to put yourself in the
position of the person hearing it. Ask yourself if you would want to hear more
if you were the buyer. Would you set aside whatever you were doing and
willingly participate in the call? If not, go back to the drawing board before
you fail the quiz with a real prospect.

And, be sure your opener says as much as possible, with as few words as
possible. ONLY by appealing to their desire to gain, or fear of losing
something, will you cause them to spend productive time with you, and
eventually buy from you.
(For many more tips, ideas and word-for-word examples on interest-creating
opening statements, including a fill-in-the-blanks template, check out our
Special Report. Go to http://www.businessbyphone.com/openrpt.htm)

By avoiding these 10 mistakes and following the Action Steps, you have the
foundation for a professional presentation that both you and your prospect will
feel good about. However, we've just scratched the surface of Action Steps, and
if you'd like more information on making yourself a better salesperson, I
invite you to take advantage of the information below.
Go and have your best week ever!

Art