Sometimes you just don’t know what to say when you pick up the phone. Instead of saying “I’m just calling to check in…” use this advice from tele-sales expert Art Sobczak to spice up your calls.

”Calls to regular customers, and to prospects you're clinging onto should always contain something of value...something that lets the customer feel you are contributing something useful by calling,” says Sobczak. “Keep in mind that your regular customers are someone else's prospects. If they feel they are being taken for granted by a sales rep who simply calls and says, "Do you have an order for me?" they might eventually fall for the wooing of a competitor who is creative enough to dangle something attractive in front of them. Also keep in mind your prospects are likely buying from someone else, and won't budge unless they see some value
in what you have.”

So, what to do? Here are just a few ideas to spice up these calls to position you as a value-added resource, and not just a salesperson.

Begin with "YOU"
A good way to begin these calls is by saying something like,

"I was thinking of you,"

"I heard some interesting information, and you immediately came to mind," and,

"When this news came out, I thought about you..."

Industry News
Perhaps you have some news they might not be aware of. Or, maybe they are aware of it, and you have something to help them take advantage of it. For example,

"Ms. Prospect, you probably are familiar with the new regulations regarding the reporting of waste disposal. We developed a way to make that less of a headache for companies in your situation, and I'd like to ask you a few questions to see how much of a problem you anticipate this being."

New Policies at Your Company
If you change restrictive policies that would enable you to do business with people who didn't qualify in the past, call them again. For example, if your minimum order size has been dropped, or, you're now carrying a line that they asked for before and you didn't have it, or you've lessened credit requirements. With regular customers, calling with changes to their advantage is always welcome.

New Regime at Your Company
This can be effective for those accounts you haven't been able to break because of legitimate, real objections they had. If, for example, new management has cleaned house and improved quality, decreased errors, etc., call again, since you're now selling a new company. Also, these can be spun into reasons for calling existing accounts.

New Capability
If you have products or services that deliver results you weren't able to before, that is always a good reason to call. Just be sure you are positioning them in terms of results to the listener. Not, "Hey, we have a new product and we think it is great."

New You
Maybe you fell to pieces and self-destructed on a previous call. Since then you've acquired more skills and confidence. Maybe you've come up with new ideas, or a new strategy.

Art Sobczak helps sales pros use the phone to prospect, service and sell more effectively, while eliminating morale-killing rejection. To get FREE weekly emailed TelE-Sales Tips visit: www.BusinessByPhone.com

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