[Jason Fulton]

Hi all,

I have 2 prospects who are interested in talking to me on the phone. I am not real confident in communicating this way. I prefer to let my typing do the work for me.

What should i do ?
Obviously i need to talk to these prospects but how do i go about it?

Any advise on this topic would be great .

Jason

[Stephen Meyer]

Get a feel for exactly what they want to discuss using email. Then look up every bit of information they want to know before they call you. Establishing yourself as a helpful authority on the subject they want to discuss will do wonders for your business.

Then, don't be a salesman or to much of an authority. Just be yourself and be open about your business and plans. The worst thing you can do is try to sell people on the phone, especially if your not good at it. Some people can sell the world to anyone. I can't sell a car to someone with an Insurance check in their hand.

One other thing, don't waste your time. If you talk to a prospect on the phone and they are wishy washy, or it's too much money, or they have to ask their spouse, yada yada yada, give them your phone number, tell them to call you when they're ready to sign up for the program and say goodbye.

There are "Tire Kickers" and there are "Buyers". Let the tire kickers keep kicking tires while you help the buyers get the best deal they can.

[Stephen Meyer]

My favorite coach for learning how to talk to people is Dani Johnson. You can find her on the web.

[Jason Fulton]

I appreciate the advice Stephen, thanks.

I have sent another email to test the water ,so to speak.

This will tell me if they are tyre kickers or not

Jason

[Marige]

Originally Posted by Stephen Meyer

Then, don't be a salesman or to much of an authority. Just be yourself and be open about your business and plans.

THAT is the best piece of advice of all.

When I first started in marketing, I felt very shaky about talking on the phone. But I just told people, well, I'm new, but here's what I understand. If you have questions that I can't answer, then we can find out together...

Also, want to know the BEST part of talking on the phone? Every single person I've spoken to has become both a loyal follower and a good friend. You have the chance to develop a real relationship with people...

Also, one of the first times I called someone (they had a problem with their sign-up and I just couldn't explain it in an email), we ended up talking for more than two hours-- and we are still good friends.

So, honestly, not only should you call whenever people ask you to, you should also think about calling your sign-ups as a way to get to know them-- but! Always email them first and ASK if you can call them!

Also, one thing people do not seem to learn now-a-days: proper phone etiquette. And it's simple really, but it is important. Here goes:

1. When calling, ALWAYS give your full name, the company you represent (Plug-in-Profits, etc.) and the person you wish to speak with. For instance, when I call someone, I say

Hello, this is Marige O'Brien of Plug-in-Profits. Can I speak with (Sign-up's Name)?

2. Once they get on the phone, remind them of your relationship and tell them your reason for calling:

You signed up under me in Plug-in-Profits and I just wanted to see if everything is working out for you or if you had any questions. (or words to that effect)

Starting the conversation this way makes a good impression... and once they understand you're not selling them anything or looking for anything from them, they tend to become much more friendly. In fact, I've had people say, "Wow! I've never had a real person call me before!" That's very re-assuring to people.

Also, always call at a good time-- 7:00 - 9:00 pm their time, or Sunday afternoons always seem best for first calls. And do check, before things go too far, to make sure you're not keeping them from something. Many times they will be afraid to say they've got dinner on the stove or they were just about to bathe their children... but it is a distraction from your conversation. Better to ask and make plans to call back at a better time.

Calling people is like anything else: once you've done it a couple of times, it gets much easier. Also, if you don't have free-long distance, it's worth it to look into it.

Well... hope that helps.

Mo

[Asher]

Hi Jason,

Both Stephen and Marige/Mo have given you excellent advice. I can't really advise on the call but if you have Success University, which came along with your sign up, you can try listening to the Johnny Wimbrey Faculty Call which he talks quite a bit about over the phone business. The thing is though, you need your upline for that to work and you what you're going to be talking about is Success University.

If it's with regards to the PIPS, I suggest doing exactly what Stephen and Marige/Mo has told you to do already.

All the best! And keep us updated~

Asher

[Kym Robinson]

Very solid advice above - I agree with Margie!
I nearly fell over when I got my first call from my SU upline!
We are good mates now and speak regularly!
If you dont have Skype, get it!
and if you are really worried, maybe you can just have an online chat to start and then call them - watch your costs though! Just one long distance call can have you missing out on any commisions from the potential new sign up for months and months!

Glad to see you are getting everything going though - keep up the good work!
Kym

[Malcolm Tindle]

Hi Jason,

I agree with Stephen that it can be a big mistake to try and be something you are not on the telephone. I am not comfortable selling that way and never have been because it is a skill in itself but on the rare occasion that I have done it, I just try to be myself and not try a hard sell because it you are not trained to do it then it will sound pushy and false.

Mal.

[dang]

Maybe you could try video messaging. You could prerecord the video message answering questions of your prospects and then send it via email.
This way is less stressful and you can have a few goes to prepare the message the way you want.
You can try out this one:

GabMail (r) Email Composer


Regards
Dan

[TShooter]

"Wow .....This is good stuff (advice), I love this place" .... Glad you asked the question Jason" (Now, back to under the radar).

[Patrician]

I would rather have a root canal than call someone unless they specifically ask me to.

If they invite me, then I can talk for hours. Unfortunately I usually do. Phone calls are extremely time-consuming.

I much prefer Skype because you can talk (free country or international) with a microphone calling PC to PC.

The real beauty is you can also send links and stuff right in the chat window while you talk so there is no problem with 'I'll email you this or that'.

They can just click the link and be on the same page you are literally while you are talking.

Anyway back to the low-tech phone. Some very good points here in this thread about people who are distracted by their life, reluctant, etc.

I can help 10 people in the time it takes to phone one of them as for support - Only if someone is obviously near tears or handicapped will I relent and call them.

For sales, it is a definite advantage to talk to them - if invited personally.

Even when I paid as much as $1-2 per lead (these are super qualified with survey answers etc.) the people were still like 'who are you again?' 'I don't remember that survey?' It was a total waste of time and only took me 1 or 2 to say I will never call a lead again - unless invited specifically to call.

Well guess what... the follow up call is the easiest call to make. You have two hot prospects that want to hear from you... they're expecting to hear from you.

Here's a simple, but, powerful tip:

Ask questions... listen to their answers... never interrupt.

The follow up call is all about the prospect. Resist every urge that you have to sell them. Your only job, is to answer questions. That's it!

If a question is asked that you don't have the answer for, don't fake it. Kindly say, "I may need to get back to you on that"

When you become more skilled on the phone, you can deviate from the basics.

For now... stick to what I said above.

Peace

p.s. good luck

[Jason Fulton]

Great advice from everyone, thanks a lot!!

I chatted with one of them via msn and he seems very happy with the answers i gave. The other prospect seems to have cold feet but he told me that he has lost money in 3 other online businesses, so...

Any way this forum is always the best place to come for good advice

Jason