Increasing Your Sales Is A Phone Call Away!

by Kamau Austin

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Published on this site: January 2004 - See more articles from this month

I have noticed that many E business people lack the sales skills of traditional business people. Perhaps this is because, the Internet has made it easier for all people to make attempts at business on-line. A digital business is nevertheless a business, and you will need traditional sales skills to be successful in running an on-line business. In this column, I will cover basic sales skills, to inform you on more effective sales techniques that will generate more sales revenue for your business. Lets start by examining the sales process because, it is the life blood of any viable business.

The Sales and Marketing Marriage...for Better or Worst

Due to the pressure of the 24/7 barrage of telemarketers and sales persons always pushing their goods at us, what may come to mind, when we think of the sales process and profession, is: the high pressure art of persuasion. However, sales when informed by its marriage partner marketing, is simply-- helping people to buy! Sales and marketing are in a marriage because, these two are in a for better or for worst inseparable relationship. For instance, if you have done your marketing planning and research effectively (i.e. you know you have a substantial market for your products or services) your sales will be for the better. The opposite will be true, if your marketing is shaky, and of course your sales will be for the worst.

Hot Tip

If you haven't developed, or need help with, your Internet marketing plan, Planning Your Internet Marketing Strategy, by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson AKA Dr. E Biz, is the best book on the subject. You can read my review of the book by clicking here:
http://www.einfonews.com/ereviews/planningim.htm

We will assume that you have done some marketing research and therefore, you need a sales strategy. Usually the more expensive, difficult, and sophisticated your products and services are, the more you will be need to use - in person sales. For example, if you need to sell high priced items like jet planes, display advertising, real estate, and automobiles you will need an in person sales strategy. These sales people will need to be highly trained specialist or executive sales people. Moreover, Selling $2000.00 vacuum cleaners door-to-door, also a difficult sales job (although not executive sales), you will also need in person sales people.

To change gears, if you are selling lower cost high volume ticket items like classified advertising, long distance phone service, or broadband service it isn't feasible to hire in person sales persons because a telesales person will be more efficient. On the other side of the spectrum, if you are selling lower cost e books, web applications/ASPs, or shareware: selling on a web site will be more than adequate and effective.

You will need the telephone to seal the deal

Now that we have those preliminary things out of the way, it is important to note that the telephone will become a pivotal tool in the sales of most businesses. This is because, although the Internet is the medium of e business, communicating with the human voice is still our more natural way to communicate.

Therefore, many times interest may be created on-line but, you will need the telephone to seal the deal. Even executive sales people have to use the phone initially to book their initial appointment, to later discuss their business proposals or make presentations in person.

Hot Tip

Keep the development of phone sales skills in mind especially, given the new trend of tele-courses and seminars, where you sell back-end products on teleconference calls.

In light of these factors, in many cases you will have to master phone sales for high priced and medium priced ticket items. The initial sales pitch over the phone, will in most cases, make or break your sales presentation. In our next issue of Keep It Real... Profitable!, we will discuss the structure of an initial sales pitch over the phone. We will examine what are the ingredients to a great sales pitch, that will get your foot in the door.

Kamau Austin, helps small and minority business make more money, by creating, search friendly web sites. He is the owner of www.Ebizbydesign.com , www.Einfonews.com , and the creator of the Free Search Engine Promotion Tele-course at: www.SearchEngineplan.com . He can be reached called free at 866-324-9669.