Telephone Tactics

222 Pages·2001·1.35 MB·English

by  Graham Roberts-Phelps

Graham
Roberts-Phelps
IFC
Telephone Tactics
Reprinted by Thorogood 2002
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© Graham Roberts-Phelps 1999.
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About the author
Graham Roberts-Phelps
Graham Roberts-Phelps is an international specialist consultant in
business and personal development, sharing his ideas and insights
with thousands of people and organisations every year. With an exten-
sive background in management and business development, Graham
works with organisations of many different types and sizes, as a profes-
sional trainer and consultant.
Introduction
My purpose in writing this book, is to provide you with a practical
handbook on using the telephone to improve your business.
Whether your focus is customer satisfaction, gaining sales, making
appointments, getting paid faster, or simply to communicate with
colleagues more efficiently, I am sure you can glean some new tips
and techniques. You may find that you remember a few old, and
perhaps forgotten, skills and ideas too.
Good luck.
Graham Roberts-Phelps
Look out for these!
Take a tip…
Throughout the book handy tips
These
relevant to the particular subject
are extremely useful
matter will be displayed in the
TIPSto remember while
quote marks featured.
you are conducting, or
planning a telephone call!
Draw on your initiative!
A pen or pencil will be useful when you
complete numerous questionnaires, action
plans and tests.
Remember!
Make your own notes – add ideas, highlight or mark passages that
you might want to review later.
Contents
Section 1:
Telephone tactics for
customer satisfaction
..................................................................................3
The telecommunications revolution
......................................................................................4
The great telephone challenge .........................................................................................5
Creating a positive impression
...............................................................................................6
Non-verbal communications ...........................................................................................6
Reduced feedback ..........................................................................................................10
Quick solutions to common difficulties ........................................................................11
Master the basics
....................................................................................................................12
People like people who sound... ....................................................................................12
How to create a positive physiology ..............................................................................13
How to change your voice ............................................................................................14
Effective telephone guidelines
.............................................................................................17
Focus on the customer ..................................................................................................17
When to answer the telephone ......................................................................................20
Helpful words and phrases ............................................................................................22
Unhelpful words and phrases ........................................................................................23
Don’t ask people to call you back! ...............................................................................24
Prepare for telephone calls ............................................................................................26
Take notes .......................................................................................................................27
Be aware of time .............................................................................................................28
Screen calls .....................................................................................................................28
Self-assessment ...............................................................................................................30
ii telephone tactics
Advanced telephone rapport
.................................................................................................30
Matching .........................................................................................................................30
Mismatching ...................................................................................................................32
General points about matching skills ............................................................................32
Structuring a telephone call
.................................................................................................34
Open and initiate ...........................................................................................................35
Gather information ........................................................................................................35
Solutions and options ....................................................................................................36
Confirm and close ..........................................................................................................37
Difficult situations ..........................................................................................................37
Telephone skills assessment
................................................................................................38
Gathering information – key skills
.......................................................................................42
Listening and encouraging ............................................................................................42
Questioning ...................................................................................................................43
Turning customer problems into opportunities
.................................................................44
How to turn problems into solutions ............................................................................44
Handling customer questions ........................................................................................45
Structure for handling customer questions ...................................................................47
Confirming – key skills
..........................................................................................................48
Difficult situations – key skills
.............................................................................................49
Handling complaints ......................................................................................................51
Remedy for complaints ..................................................................................................51
Dealing with angry customers
..............................................................................................52
Techniques ......................................................................................................................52
Handling conflict ...........................................................................................................55
contents iii
Assertiveness on the telephone
...........................................................................................57
Why people behave aggressively or submissively ..........................................................57
Recognising assertive, submissive and aggressive behaviour .......................................58
Attitude
......................................................................................................................................59
Your attitude is critical ...................................................................................................59
An action plan for self-development .............................................................................61
Telephone skills – best practice summary
.........................................................................62
Customer service – application assignments
.....................................................................63
Section 2:
Gaining appointments by telephone
..................................67
The importance of proactive prospecting
..........................................................................68
Sales is a numbers game
......................................................................................................69
Filling the funnel ............................................................................................................71
The most important step in the sales process
...................................................................72
Influencing tomorrow’s sales today ...............................................................................73
Ten top tips on making appointments
.................................................................................74
Making appointments: planning and preparation
.............................................................78
Opening the call .............................................................................................................78
Building interest and qualifying .....................................................................................78
iv telephone tactics
Overcoming objections ..................................................................................................79
Handling objections .......................................................................................................80
Closing the call ..............................................................................................................81
Setting objectives ............................................................................................................82
Attitude and motivation .................................................................................................83
Every call counts ............................................................................................................84
Failure is the essence of success ....................................................................................84
Getting past gatekeepers
.......................................................................................................84
Handling assistants – notes ............................................................................................88
How to structure a call
...........................................................................................................89
Introduction ..................................................................................................................89
Making progress .............................................................................................................91
Effective capability statements – examples.....................................................................92
Developing your own capability statements ................................................................93
Cold-calling blues
...................................................................................................................94
Reasons for cold-calling blues .......................................................................................95
Solutions to the cold-calling blues ................................................................................96
‘Warm-calling’: A three-step method to increase your sales
.........................................97
Step 1: The target list ......................................................................................................97
Define your ideal customer ............................................................................................98
Step 2: The letter ..........................................................................................................100
Step 3: The telephone call ............................................................................................101
Ideal appointment times
......................................................................................................105
Example call
............................................................................................................................106
Prospect tracking
..................................................................................................................107
Appointments – application assignments
..........................................................................109