How To Make More Sales!

Here’s a simple tip that might just help you to make more sales. Over the years there have been many changes in business but one that stands out is how little the average sales professional uses the phone today compared to a few years ago. You can walk into any sales office in Europe and the cacophony of noise that once prevailed has been replaced in many by a silence only broken by the clickety-clack of keys. Now, before you get too upset with me, this is not some “you must cold call” missive nor am I a technology denier. I love technology. I love email. I love blogging. I love social media. I love the fact that information and facts that were once just plain unavailable to me are now there in plain sight. The cost? A couple of seconds of thinking and a few keys pressed on your keypad. No, I am talking about the loss of personal contact. The loss of that personal touch. Some will no doubt argue that social media has covered this loss but I don’t even believe that argument is worth justifying with a response. Jabbering away on Facebook, Linkedin or Twitter is not the same as really knowing someone. It is not the same as really speaking to them. It is not the same as really building a relationship. Making sure that you REALLY connect with your prospects and your clients is a HUGE opportunity and one which most salespeople are throwing away. To be a sales superstar, you need to think about ways that you can deliver that personal touch. Ways that you can make that LinkedIn connection real. Ways that you can bring that Facebook contact into real life. Ways that you can make that veneer of friendship into a real, living, breathing, personal relationship. And the simple thing I am going to be talking about today is… picking the phone up! Email is great. It’s convenient. It’s cheap. And it’s easy. But it should not replace you in the sales process. Email should be used to fill in the gaps, to keep things moving BUT NOT TO SELL. Every week we sent emails telling customers about products / services. They should have been phone calls. We sent follow up emails asking if to the customer has  any interest in what we talked about on the phone. They should have been phone calls. We sent emails trying to negotiate with customers. They should have been phone calls. So, next time, before you start clicking away on your keyboard to chase up that enquiry or try and move that sale forward, ask yourself if the communication you are about to make would be more influential, more persuasive and more powerful if you were to pick the phone up and speak to someone. It might just set you on the road to differentiating yourself as a sales superstar.  
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