Inbound calls represent the best selling opportunities there are. They do really. Just consider it. They’ve decided to call you. Generally speaking they will be for one of a number of reasons ;
- To gather information or advice
- To enquire about a price or some other factor relating to a direct sale
- To check progress of their order
- To complain
Well let’s start by discounting the 4th one. You’ve got your customer service sorted, so you don’t receive many complaints right?! But seriously, you will have another process set up and designed to take care of this situation. Even this represents an opportunity. Good, caring customer service builds the relationship and increases your chances for sales next time. However don’t be too hard sell when they’ve got a problem or a crisis. You hold your ‘sales’ fire and the opportunity will come. But for the rest, make the most of the golden opportunity that has just landed in your lap.
Internal sales - making the most of inbound opportunities
First, the very fact that they’ve called you is significant because it shows motivation. Everyone’s busy and so for them to have called you indicates a desire for action on their part. They’ve called for a bit of advice. Great. You can demonstrate your expertise and knowledge and guide them to a great solution for them based on good attentive listening and questioning. These 2 aspects of communication are underrated and will increase the chances of a sale greatly.
If they phone to get a price from you, or to check delivery times, that demonstrates at least that they’re thinking about your product or service. Again, demonstrate interest, spend some time with them on the phone, and who knows you may in many instances guide them to a better solution or alternative product – better perhaps than the one they thought they wanted. You can sense that they’re unlikely to go elsewhere once you’ve gone to all that trouble. Especially if they’ve contacted other suppliers already and been quoted for what they thought they wanted! They’re far less likely to go back and ask the other suppliers to requote. It is simply so much easier to give you the business. And quicker too.
Also be a bit intelligent about it too. If they’re a previous customer, use your questioning skills to mention or introduce new products. “I see you buy the xy machine from us, but do you know we also supply the consumables that go in it?” Or if they’re a brand new prospect, once you’ve found out a bit about them, you can use that to introduce relevant products. “oh, that’s interesting, so you’re in electronics? We already supply DEF Electronics and they buy a lot of product a & product b from us. Who do you get those products from at the moment?”
This is one of the central themes that we cover on telephone sales training courses for inbound sales teams. These courses are run across the Midlands, in towns including Leicester, Northampton, Kettering, Corby, Birmingham, Coventry, Derby, Nottingham, Daventry, Wellingborough, Cambridge, St. Ives, Huntingdon, Milton Keynes, Leamington Spa, Warwick and Stratford on Avon. Contact us with info@ and then tomarket.co.uk or call us directly on 01858 461148 if you want to generate more business from your inbound sales calls.
