“Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity” –Charles Mingus
Type “how to make a great phone call,” “how to be a better salesman,” or “how to close leads” into Google and you will get thousands of results from a sea of sources, all with a different “secret formula” for success. Well here is the real secret formula:
Just Keep it Simple.
There’s no need for the overly complicated sales strategies. All a great salesman needs to succeed is a great phone call. And here are a few straightforward tips to making a great phone call.
1. Focus
Before you make a phone call, you should prepare thoroughly and make sure you have set aside enough time. Remove any and all distractions in front of you. Clear your schedule. Clear your head. Don’t just schedule a large block of time to “make phone calls”- You should be intentional in your actions and focus on each separate phone call. Prepare for each individual appropriately- know the important information and the purpose of the call. This is not a very difficult practice, but a largely overlooked aspect of excellent sales.
2. Talk
Don’t pitch. Talk to the customer. Learn through a conversation who your leads really are and what they really want. “Personal” information provides very little information as to who they are as a person- don’t lose sight of their humanity. Build a relationship with the customer.
3. Keep it Simple
“Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines practiced every day” – Kim Rohn “Success is Simple” – Arnold Glasow “All the Great Things are Simple” –Winston Churchill “Simplicity is the Ultimate sophistication” –Leonardo Da Vinci “Beauty lies in simplicity” –Mark Hyman “the supreme excellence is simplicity” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow “That’s been one of my mantras—focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.” –Steve Jobs
Simplify, simplify, simplify. This is not a novel idea, but nevertheless an important one. Listening is simple. Talking is simple. Following up is simple. The simpler your strategy, the better. By following a simple and basic phone call structure, you are guaranteed to make a great phone call.
