Hello! In this article we will talk about the first call to the client.
Today you will learn:
- Why do you need to call potential customers;
- What rules should be followed during the first conversation with a potential client;
- What to say on the first call.
Purpose of the first call
One of the tools to attract new customers are cold calls .
Accordingly, the main goals of cold calls are to attract new customers , generate leads, and make sales.
A cold call is the first contact between a customer and a company, and the contact is initiated by the organization. This feature gives rise to a number of difficulties that managers face during “cold” negotiations: refusal to continue the conversation, aggressive reaction, distrust.
At the same time, the first call is of great importance for the company: it depends on it whether you will work with the client in the future or not. Therefore, it is important to seriously prepare for the first telephone conversation with a potential consumer.
To begin with, we will give you a couple of tips that will help you conduct your first telephone conversations with a client effectively.
Tips for making the first call to a client
- Decide on a goal . It can be not only sales, but also obtaining contact information for further collaboration, and simply promoting your company, increasing awareness. It is important to specify the goal. For example, present three products to a customer, arrange a meeting next week.
- Collect information about your potential buyer, enter it into the database . This will allow you to set the right direction for the dialogue, to interest the client. For example, we sell homemade cakes, and our interlocutor has a birthday in a few days. Knowing this information will greatly facilitate our task.
- Prepare your managers . In this case, you have two ways: training and selection of personnel or writing a script for the first conversation with a client . The first method is costly and ineffective, since there are few really good salespeople, and training does not give stable results.
- Do not stretch the first conversation , it should last no more than 5 minutes.
- Don't turn the dialogue into your monologue . Even if you do not sell the product as a result of the conversation, you will receive information about the client for further contact. It is especially important to identify the needs of the customer that your product can satisfy.
- Do not be afraid of your client, do not be humiliated and do not persuade . You are calling to help the other person solve a problem. If he doesn't need your help, then thank him for your attention and say goodbye.
- If you work with corporate clients, don't waste time on long conversations with intermediate links : secretaries, assistants and other employees who are incompetent in your matter. Contact the contact person as soon as possible.
- Speak the language of the consumer . If you understand that your interlocutor does not know professional terms, discard them. Your goal is to show the client that your product can solve their problem, and not show off your erudition.
- Don't be afraid to step back from the script . It is impossible to prescribe all possible options for the development of the dialogue. Your interlocutor may go off topic or become interested in another product. Don't get lost, keep talking. In the event that a potential client has gone too far from the topic of conversation, do not hesitate to return the conversation to the right track.
Read also:
How to properly answer incoming calls from customers ;
What are warm calls: differences from cold calls, how to conduct + script example ;
What are hot calls in sales: how to conduct + script example ;
Where to get a base for cold calls - how to find and assemble it yourself .
The structure of the script for the first call to the client
Script - an approximate scenario of a conversation with a potential consumer.
It is impossible to create a universal script, the script may vary depending on the market, product and client. Therefore, we will give the general structure of a telephone conversation scenario. It will allow you to create a script specifically for your business .
- Acquaintance . Remember that the client knows nothing about you and your company. First of all, say hello, introduce yourself and be sure to name the company and its area of activity. Here you should briefly describe the purpose of your call in order to interest the interlocutor. For example, you want to offer him a 20% discount on the services of your beauty salon if he makes an appointment by phone. Ask how you can address your interlocutor. This will create a trusting atmosphere. Do not forget to ask about the timeliness of the call, the client may not be able to talk to you at the moment. In this case, ask when you can call him back.
- We identify the needs of the client . This is the hardest part of the conversation. It consists of your questions to the client. Ask questions that will allow you to identify the problem of the interlocutor. At this stage, leading questions are well suited, by answering which the client himself recognizes his need for your product.
For example , questions might be: Do you use office paper? Does it run out fast for you? Would you like paper to be delivered to your office, provided that the delivery is absolutely free for you?
- Offer . At this stage, you need to talk about the product. Moreover, this should be done from the point of view of the value assessment of the characteristics by the consumer. Different customers may purchase the same item to meet different needs. For example, one client buys your painting for the purpose of investing money , and the other for the design of an apartment.
- Working with objections . After the interlocutor listens to you, he should have questions. If this does not happen, then your proposal did not interest him. Therefore, do not be afraid of objections, this is a sign of the interlocutor's interest in your product. Try to answer the questions of a potential buyer as fully as possible, do not praise the product and do not lie. Your goal at this stage is to prove that your product can actually solve the customer's problem in the best possible way.
In the script of the conversation, write down the most likely objections of the client and the options for answering them (several options for each objection). This will allow you to effectively overcome this stage.
- We arrange a meeting with the client (if we work with corporate clients), make a purchase, and arrange a call back. Your conversation must necessarily end with some targeted action. If your interlocutor has already agreed to the purchase, but at the same time you did not agree on the transaction itself (did not set the time, did not place the order), then you can assume that the conversation was unsuccessful and you lost the client.
Read also:
How to prepare and conduct the first meeting with a client .
- We say goodbye. Thank you potential customer for your time.
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