If you periodically suffer an attack of fear when you are about to talk to a prospect over the phone, don’t think that you are the only person in the world who feels that way. Many professional inside sales people occasionally experience fear. What is important is that you overcome it.
Fear is a major psychological cause of failure in inside sales. The problem is that many new salespeople have never learned the necessary professional techniques of using the phone, possibly because they have had poor sales management or supervision. Selling over the phone requires special sales techniques, some of which differ from those used in successful face-to-face approaches.
If you are afraid to make the call, try to identify and analyze the cause of the fear. By discovering its origin, you can then find a way to overcome it. The thought of being turned down or told off may send chills through your body. Once you know what you fear, the solution is fairly simple. Don’t allow yourself to fear any other person’s voice or what another person might say over the phone. Realize that all of the voices and words you hear on the other end of the line are coming from people just like you. They certainly aren’t going to jump through the other end of the phone and physically harm you.
Before you pick up the phone to place the first call of the day, tell yourself that the person on the other end of the line is going to benefit from what you are going to say. Realize that every one of the people that you communicate with probably could use the service or product you are selling. Be confident about this. If you believe you will make a successful call, chances are you will. If you have a negative attitude, your chances of making a sale decrease. If you don’t feel confident, act as if you are anyway. Tell yourself how the majority of the people you plan to contact will benefit from your knowledge.
Remember, you are doing a favor for the people you contact simply by talking to them. You are giving them your professional knowledge and expertise and you are giving it to them for free. Never apologize for calling anyone. Too many salespeople apologize for calling almost before they introduce themselves. Don’t do that. Always promote the fact that you have something that could benefit them. When you apologize in a selling situation, you automatically reveal insecurity and weakness to the person you are trying to win over.
Another kind of fear surfaces when you haven’t properly learned all there is to know about their product. What may happen then is that the person on the other end of the line may challenge you and expose your lack of product knowledge. If this does happen, do not freeze and hang up. If you do begin to feel very embarrassed, tell the person that you will have to do some research and will call back with the correct answer or information as soon as possible; and be sure to do so. Never give the wrong information just to cover up for lack of knowledge. This error will come back to haunt you. It could also cost you a valuable client. On the other hand, if you frequently tell a client that you “don’t know,” that prospect will soon lose confidence in you and it is doubtful he will buy from you.
In summary, the majority of inside salespeople who have experienced fear when selling over the phone usually do so because they:
1. Lacked confidence in themselves and in their sales ability.
2. Didn’t have a full understanding of the service they were attempting to sell.
3. Were not speaking or listening properly.
4. Thought about possibly being turned down or rejected by the person on the other end of the line.
5. Felt that the person on the other end of the line was more intelligent or better informed.
6. Forgot about the determination to succeed.
Roy D'souza 