Are you using the phone to connect with business prospects? You can effectively build stronger relationships by talking to people over the telephone on a persistent basis. Chatting on the phone helps you to become real, to become human to your prospects. Unless you are able to meet with individuals in person the next best step is to chat with people over the telephone. Many business people think of the phone in an archaic light but this old school marketing tool helps you stand out from the crowd who never uses the device. You can simply sit behind your computer and send out emails, or Facebook messages, or twitter tweets, but by using the phone to build stronger connections you use an element that many entrepreneurs ignore.
Keep Your Phone Calls Short and Sweet
Successful entrepreneurs are a busy lot. They rarely have enough time to chat for more than 10 minutes with any single individual. If you are a newbie entrepreneur you can grow your business quickly by remaining disciplined, even when you might not exactly have a list of 10, 20 or 30 prospects to talk to each day. You have to play the part in order to become the successful entrepreneur you wish to become. This means setting a time limit to each phone call you make, by simply setting an alarm clock in the background. Even if you have only 1 person to talk to today about your business you need to cut the phone call to 10 minutes, to set up a vacuum through which more prospects can flow to you.
Novices spend 20, 30 or 60 minutes talking to one person. You do not respect your time, nor do you respect your prospect’s time by using this strategy. You also show that you are an amateur entrepreneur who is prospecting for the first time because busy entrepreneurs do not spend over 15 or 20 minutes talking to any single person. You have a list of people to chat to, and you need to get down to business fast. Simply ask a question to the effect of how you can help, then allow the prospect to speak.
Listen In and Resist the Urge to Speak when You Should Not Be Speaking
The urge to talk when you should listen is almost too much for most entrepreneurs to resist, but if you can remain disciplined you are far more likely to let go the urge to blabber on and simply tune in, and listen. You figure out what your prospects need help with by being quiet and listening and you can only create helpful content or product solutions by working this material. Each person has a unique problem, issue or dream they want to live and you have to be silent and allow the person to state their problems, or their dreams, so you can effectively match your product with the needs of the individual.
Your listening needs to become a habit because almost every sales person speaks up as a rookie, or newbie, and few can lose this tendency. You need to make listening a habit in order to become a successful phone prospetor. Ask how you can help then listen, and do not interrupt the prospect unless the person rambles on for 5 minutes or so. Remember, you must respect both parties’ time and you will more effectively connect with an increasing amount of people interested in your opportunity.
Use these tips to more effectively connect with business prospects over the phone and grow your venture today.