Questioning techniques are an important subject in telemarketing. Questioning is effective because it enables you to guide the conversation, find out vital information to close the sale and create rapport while checking your prospect’s level of interest. Here are some dynamic questioning techniques you can instantly apply to telemarketing to be more effective and compelling in your conversation with your prospect.
Technique 1: Information Gathering
This is the most important reason why we question. When you sell on the phone, you need to gain vital information needed to close the sale. For instance, let’s say you were teleselling computers to a large corporate account. You want to find out what their price range is for expenditure. You can ask: “What was your IT expenditure like for the previous year?
Technique 2: Clarify Information
When you receive information, you would sometimes need to clarify it with your prospect. Use who, what, when, where, why or how in questioning. This is important because you might sometimes misinterpret what is said.
Technique 3: Check level of understanding and interest
Through your conversation with your prospect, you need to see whether he comprehends what you said. This can be especially true when you are discussing something technical, you need to make sure what you say is understood.
For instance: “From the Inco Terms I just described, do you think this would be suitable for your department?” You also need to find out his level of interest in your offering, so you can fine tune your message to address what is more relevant to him e.g. “What are your thoughts on what we have just discussed?”
Techniques 4: Determine buying behaviour
You need to get an idea to how your prospect would like to buy from you. Is he honest and straightforward, or tends to keep his cards close to him? How decisive is he? Does he tend to be more spontaneous in decision making or more thorough and methodical? Different people have different strategies, so you need to adapt your strategy to theirs.
Technique 5: Gain Participation
When you sell on the phone, you can’t see the person. And if you proceed with a product dump i.e. just reciting the benefits of your product, there is a high chance his attention would drift and he would think of something else. You need to ensure he participates in your conversation. There are two advantages, first, people always like to have their views heard. Secondly, you get to learn more about your prospect.
This always helps to improve rapport and understanding between you and him, building better relationships in the process e.g. let’s say you were talking halfway and he got interrupted on his mobile, you can say: “Wow, you’re quite busy, it’s amazing you get so much done in a day?” Giving positive strokes by asking the right questions and you will help smoothen out your interactions.
Technique 6: Increase Receptivity to Your Idea
Here is a common observation, it is said that people like your idea more if it feels like it came from them. That means when discussing things with your prospect, try to make sure he has the opportunity to tell you that things need to be done better, then you telling him. For instance, let’s say you were selling insurance on the phone and your prospect had not got his own travel insurance. Ask: “You are on a frequent flier program and you travel outstation every month, do you think you could be at a higher risk then others?”
These are 6 powerful questioning techniques you can use to be more effective and compelling in your telephone sales, implement all of these and you would find exciting improvements to your results.
