Telesales Basics | Telesales or Telemarketing
Telesales is one of the most efficient methods of selling products and services in the world today.
It’s often confused with Telemarketing and in certain cases, the terms have been used to mean the same thing. Just so there is no confusion, I am going to explore the differences.
If you do a search online for these terms you’ll find a world of conflicting views. Most will intimate they are the same. I don’t believe there is any such conflict and each term is different, identifiable, and unique.
Most people understand the difference between Sales as opposed to Marketing and this is the starting point that will lead you to how each process is defined by the desired outcome.
I am in a unique position because throughout my life I have been both a telemarketer and a “salesperson that uses the phone only”. You will notice that I didn’t say “TeleSaleser”! To sum up the difference only takes one sentence.
Telemarketing is about the Offer, Telesales is about the Buyer.
There are always exceptions to any rule and I have seen areas where the telemarketers are really good salespeople. Maybe they are incorrectly named but who really cares as long as deals are closed, customers get great products, services, and value, and the business makes a profit.
Telesales Skills
If you are going to succeed at Selling over the Phone you will need to remember a fact that is very often overlooked or not quite understood. It is impossible to get closer to your prospects through any other Sales Technique.
When you actually think logically about this it becomes very clear. Why?
When you are talking to someone on the telephone, your voice is basically touching the person! Now I’m sure that if someone has you on their speakerphone, this is obviously not the case.
However, you could not possibly get closer to a person unless you were whispering in their ear. You are so close that the person on the other end of the line can hear you breathe.
This closeness can tell a lot about the person on either end of the telephone line.
- Do they sound confident?
- What is their attitude?
- Do they sound intelligent?
- Are they trustworthy?
- What is their state of mind?
- Are they paying attention?
Think about these questions and how you might answer them in regard to any recent sales call you’ve made. You should also try to understand how these perceptions relate to you as well. It works both ways.
Many people selling over the phone think they can play it fast and loose. They believe this because they are somehow removed from the prospect and are not delivering the presentation face to face. This is not the way to build your business.
You should never believe that Selling over the Telephone is less personal than selling face to face. The process of selling over the phone is similar to any other sales call but involves unique selling skills. One danger is that it’s very easy for anyone to hang-up as opposed to asking you to leave.
Jim
Telesales-pro.com is primarily concerned with B2B Telesales. Selling over the Phone to business is a highly specialized activity and depends on many Sales Techniques specific to Telesales.
Whether you are looking for Sales Jobs or Sales Leads, TeleSales-Pro exists to provide you with valuable Sales Tips and Resources.
If you are trying to build your Sales Skills, improving your Telephone Sales Skills will give you a great foundation in Sales. After all, as salespeople, we all want to be Selling more.
Learning to Sell over the Phone will help you understand the Sales Process and will enable you to improve your overall Sales Negotiation Skills.
If you have any comments, feel free to comment about anything you read on telesales-pro.com. If you want to contact me you can email me: jim@telesales-pro.com
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