Index
administrative assistants, as gatekeepers, 63–64
advisers, as gatekeepers, 64–65
agreements, putting in writing, 149
Americans, perceptions of, 178
appointment confirmation calls, 14
arguing with customers, 118–119
assertive tone, 68–69
Assured Customers
about, 47–48
approaches to use with, 48–49
complaints by, 196
culture and personality, 186
Energized Salespersons and, 53
executive summaries for, 202
Kind Salespersons and, 54–55
negotiating with, 150–151
objections from, 131–132
Precise Salespersons and, 52
questions for, 92–93
risk management, 143–144
style-matching strategy, 48
Assured Salespersons, 54
attachments, email, 168
attention span, short, 107–108
attitude challenges, in listening and presenting, 108–110
audible signals, turning off, 26
Belgian customers/culture, 185
benefits, of good/service, 138–139
Big Dog sales tactic, 3
BlackBerry devices, 72
see also mobile phone calls
Brazilian customers/culture, 185
business, asking for, 10, 145–147
call forwarding, 65–66
calls, prioritizing, 7–9
Canadian customers/culture, 181, 188t
carbon used during travel, 110
Central American customers/culture, 182, 186
check-ins, 127–128, 139–140, 174
Chinese customers/culture, 181, 183, 188t
choices, offering to customers to solve complaints, 198
closing
advice to ignore, 146
after handling objections, 124, 128
after receiving complaint, 198–199
sealing the close, 151–154
setting up the close, 137–140
see also negotiating the close
clothing, for videoconferencing, 172
communication
cultural considerations, 184–186
matching to personality types, 37–40, 55–56
competition, 89
complaints, customer, 196–199
conference calls, 160–161, 173–175
conferences, researching, 28
contact management programs
electronic methods, 33–36
key elements of, 30–32
pen and paper methods, 32–33
credibility, establishing, 80–81
cultural considerations, 177–191
Americans, perceptions of, 178
culture and personality, 186
dealing with cultural differences, 186–187, 188–189t
examples, effective, 190–191
examples, ineffective, 179–180
language and communication, 184–186
relationship, role of, 181–183
time, views of, 180–181
customer information/records, 30–36
key elements, 30–32
record-keeping methods, 32–36
customers
anxiety, eliminating, 140–145
arguing with, 118–119
establishing/deepening relationship with, 78–79, 82
existing, 98
gifts to, 152–153
locating, 27–30
needs of, 81–82
new, 99–100
personality types, 41–51 (see also specific types)
prospects vs., 9–10
who don’t call back, 7
Databank sales tactic, 2–3
decision making, questions about, 85
delivery, getting started on, 153–154
desk, clearing at end of day, 27
disclosure to gatekeepers
full, 64
partial, 60–61
efficiency, improving, 26–27
electronic customer record-keeping methods, 33–36
emoticons, 166
Empathy Technique, for handling objections, 126–127
Energized Customers
about, 44–45
approaches to use with, 46
Assured Salespersons and, 54
complaints by, 196
culture and personality, 186
executive summaries for, 202
Kind Salespersons and, 54
negotiating with, 150
Precise Salespersons and, 53
questions for, 92–93
risk management, 142–143
style-matching strategy, 45–46
Energized Salespersons, 53–54
ENGAGE technique for webinars/conference calls, 173–175
excitement, listening for, 112, 113
executive assistants, as gatekeepers, 63–64
expectations, setting, 9–10
faxing, 167
feature/benefit/check-in (F-B-C) process, 137–140
features, of good/service, 138
Five-Step Technique, for handling objections, 122–124
focusing/listening challenges, 103–110
fonts, in texting, 166
formality/informality, with gatekeepers, 67
forms
customer information, 31–32
planning, 23f
French customers/culture, 181, 185–186, 189t
Friday, as work day, 8
gatekeepers, 57–75
administrative/executive assistants, 63–64
advisers/researchers, 64–65
defined, 57
examples, effective, 74–75
examples, ineffective, 58
keeping track of, 62
partnerships with, 66–68
receptionists/central operators, 59–62
rollover or call forwarding, 65–66
voice mail and, 68–74
German customers/culture, 179, 180, 181, 186, 188t, 190
gifts to customers, 152–153
Glad Hand sales tactic, 3
grammar, 168
Greek customers/culture, 181
green selling method, phone sales as, xi–xii, 5, 82
greetings, email, 170
Guatemalan customers/culture, 185
guideline sheets, for videoconferencing, 172
H (how) questions, 86
hook, in email, 170
humor, cultural differences in, 185
“I think,” avoiding during presentation, 111
idioms, 184–185
impatience, dealing with, 108–109
Indian customers/culture, 182
Infusion sales tactic, 3
interns, 65
invisibility, advantages to, 121
INVOLVE technique, 110–113
Italian customers/culture, 181
italics, in texting, 166
Japanese customers/culture, 179, 181, 188t, 190
Kind Customers
about, 49–50
approaches to use with, 51
Assured Salespersons and, 54
complaints by, 196
culture and personality, 186
Energized Salespersons and, 53
hesitation after hearing questions, 87
listening to, 96–97, 102–103, 109
negotiating with, 151
Precise Salespersons and, 52
presenting to, 111
questions for, 93
risk management, 144–145
style-matching strategy, 50–51
Kind Salespersons, 54–55
Korean customers/culture, 189t
landline phones, 72
language considerations, 184–185
listening and presenting, 95–116
attitude challenges, 108–110
examples, effective, 116
examples, ineffective, 96–97
existing customers, 98
focusing/listening challenges, 103–110
listening for customer’s personality style, 96–97, 100–103
listening from “hello,” 98–100
listening while presenting, 110–113
new customers, 99–100
obstacle challenges, 104–108
presentation tools, 113–115
Mediterranean customers/culture, 181
Mexican customers/culture, 181, 185, 188t
Middle Eastern customers/culture, 186
mindset, positive, 9–10
mobile phone calls, 72, 158, 163–165
multitasking distractions, 104–105
name-dropping, 114–115
negotiating the close, 135–154
business, asking for, 145–147
buyer anxiety, eliminating, 140–145
close, sealing, 151–154
close, setting up, 137–140
details, carving out, 147–151
examples, effective, 154
examples, ineffective, 136
news, monitoring, 13
nonverbal communication, 105–106, 113
objections, 117–134
cost, 118–119
examples, effective, 133–134
examples, ineffective, 118–119
personality types and, 130–133
techniques for handling, 122–129
value of, 119–122
obstacle challenges, in listening and presenting, 104–108
online chat, 162–163
openings
appointment confirmation calls, 14
examples, effective, 15
examples, ineffective, 1
personal questions, avoiding, 78–79
prospecting calls, 12–13
referral calls, 11–12
thank-you calls, 11
transactional questions, avoiding, 79
operators, as gatekeepers, 59–62
original equipment manufacturer (OEM), 139
Pacific Rim customers/culture, 179, 181
passive tone, 68–69
pausing, while handling objections, 123, 129
payment, asking for, 136–137
PEAK, see personality types (Precise, Energized, Assured, and Kind)
pen and paper customer record-keeping methods, 32–33
personal calls, monitoring, 26
personality types (Precise, Energized, Assured, and Kind)
assessing, 193–194
cultural considerations, 186
customer, 41–51
examples, matched, 55–56
examples, mismatched, 38–39
matching communication style to, 37–40, 55–56
negotiating by, 149–151
objection patterns, 130–133
questions for, 91–93
salesperson, 51–55
see also specific types
phone sales, advantages of, xi–xiii, 5
planning form, 23f
power words, 49
Precise Customers
about, 41–42
approaches to use with, 43–44
Assured Salespersons and, 54
complaints by, 196
culture and personality, 186
Energized Salespersons and, 53–54
hesitation after hearing questions, 87
Kind Salespersons and, 54
negotiating with, 150
objection patterns, 130
questions for, 91–92
risk management, 141–142
style-matching strategy for phone success, 42–43
Precise Salespersons, 52–53
prep work, 5–9
organizing work space, 6
prioritizing calls, 7–9
setting call goals, 6–7
presentation tools, 113–115
see also listening and presenting
prioritizing
calls, 7–9
proposals, written, 200–204
prospecting calls, 12–13
prospects, vs. customers, 9–10
punctuation, in email, 168
qualifying tactics, 80
Question Technique, for handling objections, 124–126
questions
about customer needs, 81–82
asking at right time, 87–93
avoiding wrong questions, 82–85
clichéd or overly restrictive, 91
disaffirming, 91
establishing/deepening relationship with customer, 78–79, 82
examples, effective, 94
examples, ineffective, 76–77
guidelines, 85–87
H (how), 86
personal, 78–79
personality styles and, 91–93
sales-stopper, 90–91
self-serving, 91
stupid, 91
T (tell), 86
as tactics, 79–82
transactional, 79
W (who, what, when, where), 85
“quick question” strategy, 118
receptionists, as gatekeepers, 59–62
recon calls, 61
referrals, 10, 11–12, 169, 170
relationships
cultural differences in role of, 181–183
questions to establish/deepen, 78–79, 82
researchers, as gatekeepers, 64–65
researching potential customers
external, 27–29
internal, 29–30
resellers, selling to, 139
resistance, reengaging after, 146–147
Russian customers/culture, 185–186
salesperson personality types, 51–55
see also specific types
Saudi Arabian customers/culture, 189t
Scandinavian customers/culture, 181
schedule, staggering, 8
scouting calls, 61
Seduction sales tactic, 2
signature lines, 171–172
silence, 177–178
slides, for videoconferencing, 172–173
small talk, 182
smokescreens, 129
social networking sites, 28–29
South American customers/culture, 180–181
Spanish customers/culture, 185 “spend,” vs. “invest,” 136
Standard English, 184
START technique, 15
start time, committing to, 8–9
steamrolling, 115
storytelling, 113–114
Strategic Master Planning Form, 23f
strategy notes, 6–7
stress, listening for suggestions of, 99
style, email, 167–168
subject lines, email, 169
summarizing customer complaints, 197
Swiss customers/culture, 181, 185
T (tell) questions, 86
tactics, replacing old with new, 2–4
technical problems, 29–30
technology in phone sales, 155–176
examples, effective, 176
examples, ineffective, 156–157
pros and cons, 158–163
strategic use guidelines, 163–175
see also specific types testimonials, third-party, 113–114
“thank you,” saying, 152–153, 170–171
thank-you calls, 11
thoughts, organizing, 111–112
cultural differences in views of, 180–181
questions dealing with, 89
time and information management, 17–36
customer information, gathering and managing, 30–36
customers, locating, 27–30
examples, effective, 36
examples, ineffective, 17–18
importance of, 18–19
time-to-sales ratio, improving, 19–22, 20f, 23f, 24–27
time-to-sales ratio, 19–22, 20f, 23f, 24–27
tongue trick, 87, 108–109, 123
trade shows, researching, 28
trees, planting, 152
United Kingdom customers/culture, 185, 189t
Venezuelan customers/culture, 179–180, 189t, 191
videoconferencing, 161–162, 172–173, 182–183
voice
controlling your, 121
personality types and, 51, 68–69
voice mail
company automated menu, 73–74
computer-generated mailbox recording, 73
confirming appointments using, 14
customer outgoing messages, 51, 68–69
direct first-person voice mail, 71–72
leaving messages, 6, 70–71, 72
personality and voice inflection, 51, 68–69
right customer, wrong voice, 72–73
W (who, what, when, where) questions, 85
warm calls, 171
web conferencing, 161–162
webinars, 157, 159–160, 173–175, 182
work space, organizing, 6
“you,” vs. “I” or “we,” in email, 168