by Art Sobcak (www.businesbyphone.com)
On a commercial for an online brokerage, one guy asked another,
“Does your brokerage house give you objective advice?”
“Yeah, their objective always is to sell me something.”
Of course that was meant to be a humorous slam on full-service brokers whose intent is to sell stocks instead of give objective advice.
A Clear Objective
However, it got me thinking about how lots of sales reps do NOT have a clear objective when they pick up the phone.
For example, when I ask reps for objectives before calls I hear such things as,
“I want to see who they’re buying from now.”
“I’d like to qualify and send out some info.”
“Want to see if they have any needs.”
Granted, all of those should be accomplished, but none are the end RESULT you’re ideally looking for on a call.
You wouldn’t you get in your car and say, “I’m going to start my car, and then just go out on the road somewhere.”
No, you get in your car because you have a very specific destination in mind. And when you have a destination, then you figure out what route you need to take in order to get there. Then you follow that route. And usually you arrive.
Yet, many sales reps get on the phone with no clear, specific destination in mind. Then they end up cruising aimlessly, and not surprisingly, ending their wayward journey without a pleasing
result.
Maybe you’ve had that feeling after a call. Where you sit there shaking your head, thinking, “What just happened on that call? I was all over the place.”
This week’s Tip is boring, simple, but yet required for success:
Have a Primary Objective before each call.
I define your Primary Objective as what you want them to DO as a result of the call.
Again, emphasis on the DO. It must be action-oriented.
The ultimate Primary Objective is to get them to buy on this call.
Perhaps your objective is to “Get agreement that the customer will take your proposal to the board meeting and recommend its approval.”
Maybe you want to qualify, generate interest, and get the prospect to agree to do a side-by-side comparison between his existing product and yours.
Look at these again. They all involve your prospect/customer DOING something.
And think big. One thing’s for sure: if you aim low, you’ll rarely hit above your target. When you aim high, you’ll sometimes reach it, and on average, will achieve greater results than if you start low.
Action Item
So here’s your homework: For every call you place from here on out, simply ask, “What do I want this person to DO as a result of this call?” That’s your Primary Objective.
And when you have your end target in mind, it’s much easier to plot your map, and ultimately arrive at the target.
As Dr. Steven Covey says in his “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People,” begin with the END in mind.
Art Sobczak is president of Business by Phone and is North America’s premiere B2B telephone selling trainer. Author of several books on tele-sales, Art’s practical, no-holds-barred approach to sales is refreshing AND effective. Visit his website at www.businessbyphone.com or call him directly at 1 800 326 7721. Be sure to sign up for his newsletter!
