3 tips that guarantee you’ll be filling up with appointments in no time!
Getting contact information from someone over the phone can be trickier than one might think. Customers can be shy with their information, which makes things more complicated than outright asking for it. Instead of blindly asking for a buyer’s information, there are a few easy practices that will make you go from 0 to hero!
- Don’t ask too early
An easy mistake many salespeople make is trying to obtain contact information too early on in the process. You don’t want to come off as abrasive by asking too early. Making this mistake may catch your buyer off guard and send them into a bit of a frenzy. It’s not a good look and definitely not worth the loss of a potential appointment.
You don’t want the customer to be hesitant when you ask for this information. You want them to be more than willing to give you what you need. You have to earn the privilege of obtaining their contact information. Get to know them before you ask.
Contrary to popular belief, you have multiple times throughout a call to obtain this information. So don’t get too excited and throw it all away before you’re given the chance to make some magic happen. - Portray confidence
Once you’ve cleared the danger zone, it’s time to use one of the oldest tricks in the book. This is where you fake it ‘til you make it. As a salesperson, you never want to seem unsure of yourself. Confidence is key. If a customer can tell that not even you believe in yourself, then how are they supposed to believe in you?
If you convey the essence of someone that is always given information the customer is MUCH more likely to do the same. It’s more natural to give up that kind of information when they believe it’s an action that other people perform all the time.
Your client will follow suit if you’re confident in your skills and abilities. - Assumptive Manner
Being confident can oftentimes lead the customer to have many other assumptions throughout the call. You’re going to use this to your advantage.
Saying phrases like “So I don’t waste any of your time” and “Let me go check my inventory it’ll take 10 minutes” before asking for a client’s contact information will lead them to believe you’re constantly looking out for them. If you continue to ride this wave and ask “Are you calling from home, work, cell?”, it furthers the impression that you’re going the extra mile for them.
Once they’ve perceived this quality trait of yours, they’re going to give you their information because they expect a reason for you to call back. They don’t want to wait on the phone for 10 minutes and they know that you understand that. By setting a reasonable expectation they automatically start to trust you more and more, which is perfect for getting their contact information.
It can still be tricky to bring home the gold, but using techniques like asking “How do I spell your last name correctly?” before asking “And your first name is?” is a recipe for success. Giving them multiple chances to tell you their name will eventually lead to them picking one.
If you think the game is over, you’re far from right! The fight’s not over yet! You’re not actually going to hang up on them. You care more than allowing them the chance to call another dealership. You’re going to tell them, “I just thought of something; let me get you this information right now,” and place them on a BRIEF hold. No more than 10-15 seconds later, you’ll return with the details they were looking for.
Now, not only have you set reasonable expectations, but you’ve also exceeded them!
Obtaining contact information doesn’t have to be difficult. With the right techniques, you’ll have appointments lined up out the door in no time!
As the COO | Partner of Phone Ninjas, Chris delivers leadership, coaching, and mentorship to 55 team members providing software sales and phone skills coaching. He fosters powerful partnerships and collaborations with leaders across various business sectors, establishing expectations, communicating vision, and escalating performance to maximize productivity and effectiveness.
Chris is an innovation-driven business executive with over 25 years of experience delivering leadership to teams of up to 75 overseeing development, launch, and sale of website lead acquisition, reconditioning process software systems, and technology that support automotive dealerships across the U.S., Canada, and Europe.