January 2010 – Feature: Getting to ‘Yes’ Over the Phone

Practical advice for finding and training skilled call center agents who can generate those much-needed sales

By Lee Swanson

At a time when consumers are more reluctant than ever to part with their hard earned money, getting the phone to ring isn’t just a preamble to taking an order–it’s often the first step in closing or losing a sale. The ability to reach across the telephone line and maintain a dialogue with a consumer that results in “yes” is both an art and a science that requires special skill. This ability is perhaps best described as emotional intelligence, a term popularized by former New York Times writer, psychologist and science journalist Daniel Goleman in his watershed work, “Emotional Intelligence: Why It Matters More Than IQ.” Goleman describes emotional intelligence or EI as the keen ability to sense, understand and react to the emotions of others; what some would call gut instinct. And while it is easy to appreciate why this capacity would be so valued in a consultative call center environment, hiring, training and maintaining this coveted skill requires a rigor all its own.

The first step in the hiring process for such individuals often involves psychological testing such as the Meyers-Briggs test or various EI tests readily available online as well as a résumé scan for past sales and/or telemarketing experience. Nonetheless, there is no substitute for one-to-one engagement. This is where one can get a sense of critical intangibles and answer key questions: Does the candidate possess high energy? Do they convey empathy? Are they articulate? The next two important steps help separate the wheat from the chafe.

THE LITMUS TESTS
Applicants are given a telephone and a calculator and asked to choose one and sell it to the interviewer. If the interviewee begins by probing for needs and then sells to those needs, one immediately senses that the basic ingredients of a consultative salesperson are present. If they immediately start selling to features without any understanding of the interviewer’s motivations, it is a good indication that they may not possess the fundamental skills to succeed in such a Darwinian environment.

Next we test applicants on the telephone with no script to determine how quick they are on their feet and if they are able to answer questions confidently. If we are screening for a dedicated operator group, we look for relevant experience that will give the agent the ability to address the subject at-hand, first-hand. For example, we’ve used recovering stress and anxiety sufferers for a self-improvement program because they have real experience that allows them to engage with consumers around a sensitive subject in an authentic and credible way. Similarly, a fitness buff is going to be the best advocate for workout equipment and a woman who actually uses an anti-aging regimen is obviously going to be the best representative for a skincare line. It may seem simple, but divining for this powerful combination of abilities isn’t an easy task–less than one in 10 is actually hired.

TRAINING DAYS
Once hired, operators are subjected to a meticulous Call Certification Test that poses questions about the product they will be representing to ensure they are armed with the proper knowledge to represent a particular brand and product. Next, agents are trained in a multi-step selling process as follows:

Introduction - Once a call comes in, an operator has only a matter of seconds to establish a connection with the caller based upon their energy level, voice inflection and the degree of confidence they convey. Agents should be warm, enthusiastic and helpful so that the consumer feels good about their decision to call. It is during this initial exchange that the operator needs to ascertain what sort of individual is phoning.

Profiling the caller type - Broadly categorized, there are four primary types of callers. Operators need to immediately determine what type of caller is making the inquiry so that they can respond in a manner that is sensitive to the caller type. These general classifications are:

• The Social Personality - This individual is often a mother or father figure, nurturing in their disposition. They want to feel good about their decisions and need to be treated as an individual; rote scripting will not do here. Think of the sort of person who calls into live home shopping to give a testimonial.
• The Driver - The opposite of the Social Personality, the Driver wants “just the facts, ma’am.” They want quick answers to their pointed questions that will allow them to make an educated decision. Agents need to tell them the benefits and features of a product and give them the case for why they should buy. Drivers tend to be predominately male.
• The Analyst - This type of caller may require more detail and time to understand those features and benefits, so patience is the watchword when dealing with this type of personality. However, since time is money, the operator needs to keep the conversation on point to ensure it is not too meandering, thus a sharp sense of balance is required.
• The Non-Decision Maker - This group needs advice and counsel. The operator acts as a friendly ally or consultant to help non-decision makers arrive at a decision that may be more of a risk for them than the other groups.

Probing – Once the agent has established initial rapport and generally surmised what kind of caller they are speaking with, they should ask a series of open-ended questions to determine what the caller’s specific needs are. What are they trying to accomplish and why? For example, if they are phoning about a weight-loss program, is there a particular event they are preparing for, say, a wedding or a cruise? This will establish the caller’s principle motivation.

Build value - In most consultative telesales propositions, the consumer doesn’t know the price of the product or service they are calling about. It is, therefore, imperative that the agent seamlessly connects product benefits to the emotional needs of the consumer so that the latter is focused on value and not simply cost.

Discuss price – Inevitably the discussion will lead to price, but there is power in positioning the price with positive selling words and avoiding negative ones. Positive words and phrases include value, savings, “payments as low as,” “the price was x, but now it’s y,” “if you act today,” “special promotion,” etc. Words to be avoided include price or cost. This may seem basic, but embedding the right words can reap powerful returns.

The Close – If you think about it, a good percentage of your inquiries are phoning really looking for permission to buy. It is, therefore, your telemarketers’ job to convince them by giving them the information they need to feel good about their decision. So every time throughout the dialogue that you ask a question and get an affirmation, it nudges the consumer closer to getting out their credit card. That is why there is profound strength in the assumptive close. This takes the form of questions that tie the product’s promise directly back to the needs the consumer identified in the beginning. Some examples might include, “Isn’t this exactly what you’re looking for, Mrs. Jones?” “Wouldn’t this be ideal for your son or daughter?” “And which credit card would you like to use?” If you can get to three “yeses,” your closure rates will improve exponentially.

Rebuttals - Despite all best efforts, many consumers will want to delay their decision and that is why it is so important that operators be trained to handle rebuttals. Given the generous trial periods for most direct-marketed products, telesales professionals have ample ammunition to try and deflect such objections. However, it is important to couch the rebuttal in an agreeable way so that the consumer is not put on the defensive. For example, an agent might say, “I agree that it’s important that your spouse agree with the decision, but don’t you agree that the best way for the two of you to experience the ">product benefits is to get it into your home? That’s why we give you 30 days to try it risk free…”

By employing tried-and-true techniques for getting to “yes”–and an operation committed to the training and skill required to leverage them–marketers can turn telephone inquires from a consumer touch point into much more: a handshake complete with an order.

Lee Swanson is president of Triton Technologies and the current chairman of the Board of the Electronic Retailing Association. He can be reached at (508) 205-4132, or via e-mail at lswanson@tritontechnology.com.