Whether it’s a five-minute follow up or an hour-long pitch, every customer interaction is an opportunity to strengthen your relationship.
Before you even pick up the phone, you’ll want to be prepared to make the most of the time you have and make a positive impression that lasts.
1. Make a connection
Many salespeople make the mistake of focusing on the relationship that their company has with a customer in lieu of building personal rapport. By concentrating your efforts on the connection that you have with your customer, you’re more likely to pick up on valuable insights, build trust and provide feedback that proves that you’re attuned to their unique needs.
2. Set clear objectives
When scheduling your call, make sure that your customer has a clear understanding of what you’re hoping to achieve. Not only will it give them a chance to prepare, it’ll also reassure them that their time will be well spent.
3. Anticipate customer expectations
Once you’ve established your objectives, consider what your customer may be looking to accomplish. Having a customer walk away feeling like they didn’t get what they wanted can leave a bad taste in their mouth. When in doubt, ask them what they’d like to get out of the call and work it into your agenda.
4. Do your research
Learning all that you can about your customer, their role and their business is key to appearing confident and knowledgeable. Leverage social media platforms like LinkedIn, online forums, local print publications or a good old-fashioned Google search to arm yourself with information.
Knowing the pain points for your customer is just as important. Are there any topics that get under their skin? Do they hate to be put on speaker phone? Make note so that you can avoid them in the future.
5. Give the customer your full attention
We get it, you’re busy—but making time to give customers your undivided attention will go a long way. Avoid scheduling calls for times when you’ll be in the car or public places, remove distractions such as email notifications or call waiting and never put them on hold. Your customer’s time is just as valuable as yours and they won’t appreciate feeling like an inconvenience in your day.
BONUS: When talking on the phone, 27% of communication is verbal and 73% is tonal. How you sound on the phone can make a big difference to the person on the other end of the line. To sound more confident and energetic, trying taking the call while standing instead of sitting behind a desk.