Salespeople: Having The Last Word Is Easy--The First One Is Trickier!
Salespeople: Having The Last Word Is Easy--The First One Is Trickier!
When you call into a company and a person or voice mail responds, what is the very first word out of your mouth?
I'll bet:
(1) You need to take time to remember;
(2) You will then say, "It varies, based on my mood."
(3) Or, you'll reply, "That depends on them"
All three replies, of course, are problematic.
Let's start with the first: "Give me a second to remember." This tells both of us you don't know, when you should know.
You're supposed to be scripted and not winging-it. And we don't simply script the important stuff, such as closes, tie-downs, transition phrases, and answers to objections.
IT'S ALL IMPORTANT STUFF!
How many times do we get to make a good first impression? Right; just one
Your first word needs to promote acceptance of your call and proper treatment, thereafter.
The second answer says one's first word varies, based on my mood. There is only one mood in selling, and it needs to be consistently aroused. You need to sound polite, professional, and firm: what I call the Three P's. Screeners and secretaries need to be convinced that you have earned the right of entry into their fortress.
Your "password" begins with the first word you utter.
On to the third reply: "Depending on what I hear, I adjust my opening"
This sounds great, in theory, but it doesn't work, in reality.
Who is controlling the conversation: You or them? This is a major problem with how most salespeople approach screening. They're already beaten because they defer to the scripts companies use, and not to a better one, one that is designed for their purposes.
Don't wait to hear what they give you; give them a new script that they'll have to respond to.
You should be SOURCE, and AT-CAUSE, while they're AT-EFFECT, though they're not realizing it, at the moment.
You have three choices at the beginning of a call:
(1) You can say "Hello."
(2) You can say "Hi."
(3) You can skip a greeting word, and cut to the chase. "This is Dr. Gary Goodman..."
In the next article in this series we'll discuss the pluses and minuses of each.
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