Phone Sales Tips = Phone Interview Skills

Here’s another great article for you from Mark Hunter, The Sales Hunter.  They’re great sales tips for you to use when contacting customers over the phone, but I want you to also look at these as great tips you can use in phone interviews for pharma revenue, medical revenue, clinical sales, imaging sales, biotech sales, lab device sales, or any health care sales career opportunity.  Think of your job interview the same as you would a sales call–only here, the product you’re selling is you.  You want the customer (the hiring manager) to buy your product (hire you).  Keeping this kind of perspective is extremely effective.

Phone Sales Tips:  Phone Sales Tips When Contacting Customers

Never ask if it’s a valuable time to talk. This gives the other person a consummate excuse to end the call. If you are unsure if the person has time to talk, then state up front that the phone call will only take THREE minutes. When you give the person an exact time be sure you time the call. After the allotted time, tell the customer you’re at the end and ask Them if they would like to continue or reschedule. Using this practice allows you to demonstrate how much you respect their time. Ask queries. People will never hang up on themselves. Use the person’s name at least 3 times in every phone call. Who doesn’t like to hear their name said? When greeting people on the telephone, avoid using their last name. It makes the call seem too formal. Your objective should be to have a casual conversation, in the same way you would talk to a nice friend. Use visually descriptive words to help paint a picture of what you’re saying. A phone conversation doesn’t have to be boring and stale. When starting a new telephone conversation, always give your first and last name. Never assume the person you’re talking to is going to recognize your voice or think you’re the only one with your first name. Watch your facial expressions by placing a mirror in front of you when you talk. It’s excellent how they come through over the phone. Add energy to your phone calls by standing up. Nobody likes talking to a “blah” person. People who have worthy posture tend to come across more enthusiastic than those who don’t. When you end a conversation, always summarize it in the same way you would end a live meeting. By doing so, you can prevent misinterpretation of your discussion. Always allow the other person to have the final comment or question. Just because you’ve asked all your musings doesn’t mean the other person has asked all of his. Avoid negotiating over the phone, use it as a means to introduce information and to follow up or confirm information. It’s impossible to truly read body language over the phone and thus you lose a major negotiating tool. A phone call however can be an excellent way to introduce a new idea you would like to receive some feedback on. Many times it will allow feedback to be gained in a less threatening manner than if it were to occur in a traditional sales call. Never use a speaker phone with a customer even if they say it’s fine with them. Speaker phones add to the perception the conversation is not important enough to capture 100% of the person’s attention. (Only exception of course is if there is a group involved.)

Mark Hunter, “The Revenue Hunter”, www.TheSalesHunter.com, © 2007

 

Article courtesy of  Peggy McKee - Owner / Senior Headhunter at the nationally
recognized medical and clinical laboratory sales recruiting team of PHC Consulting.
© Copyright 2008 PHC Consulting | All rights reserved

Related posts:

1. Selling Yourself with Confidence as a Clinical Sales Rep Candidate Mark Hunter, “the Revenue Hunter,” is an expert on increasing…
2. 10 Tips for Phone Interview Success!   Phone interviews are usually the first step in the…
3. Top 10 Job Interview Gaffes All job candidates worry about their performance in medical sales…

Phone Sales Tips = Phone Interview Skills