Selling to clients from online sales leads can be tough. First, you are never going to see them; and even though we would like to think technology has brought us to a point of no longer needing this interaction, it’s a tough hurdle to overcome. Secondly, as much as it pains me to say it and depending on the industry, internet leads are generally lower quality than walk-ins. That said, we all have to take steps to sift through these leads and make sure we are not wasting our time on the ones that won’t convert and building solid relationships with the ones that will.
There are 5 categories of focus that I know will convert online leads:
- Building Rapport
- Dynamic Language
- Listening
- Being Assertive
- Customer Service
All 5 categories are fundamentally similar, but their slight differences are what make them so important in their own standing.
Building Rapport
Put simply, we have to get clients to trust us through the phone in a very short window of time.
Be Honest-There is nothing that will kill a transaction faster than getting caught in a lie by a client that doesn’t have a physical connection with you.
Be Yourself-Sure you may not have that many friends, but I can guarantee your genuine personality will close more deals that the front you think you should put up.
Dynamic Language
Scripts are for people raising money for the Children’s Miracle Network. If you want to sell, know your product and go with the flow.
Creativity is Powerful. You need to be unique when you are making your connection over the interwebs or else you are going to look like every other Acai berry selling sqeezepage out there.
Listening
Most salespeople should take a step back and shut the F up every now and then. I can’t even count how many times I have gotten done with a sales call and realized that the person on the other line hadn’t said more than 3 words. We are usually so concerned about saying what we think we need to say, we miss the point of the sales call, vomit info on the client and lose the deal.
“Talk less and Say More”
Being Assertive
Depending on your industry, if you are not assertive on the phone, people will walk all over you.
Call to action. Whether it’s via phone, email, website, fax……whatever, you need to have a call to action with every interaction. Even if there is nothing to do and you are simply updating everyone, give them a task. Clients that interact with you will stick with you.
Customer Service
The Golden rule of the Bible is the Golden Rule of Sales.
If you go above and beyond for each and every one of your customers, you will not have to worry about conversion. Clients work hard and are committed to people that care about them, so if you want to close on every deal, work hard and commit to every client.
Merry Christmas