The Psychology Of Selling: Telemarketing 101

By Mark Anthony

The key to higher sales is developing a presentation that taps into your prospect's psychological needs. Each phase of the sales process satisfies a need that moves your customer closer to the sale. In a telemarketing presentation, tapping into your prospect's psychological needs allows you to overcome the disadvantages of not having visuals or face to face contact. Several keys to unleashing your sales power are hidden in the attention, interest, proof and closing steps of a sales call.

Curiosity: Human nature makes people curious; therefore, you can instantly capture the prospects attention by designing your opening to target the need for information. One way this is accomplished is with the use of a benefits hook. A benefits hook asks the prospect if they would want a particular need solved. It is asked as a rhetorical question and obviously your product can help solve the problem.

For example: If there was a way you could help protect the environment for your children would that be important to you? If you could increase repeat business by 38% how important would that be? In each case the prospect knows this is a sales call but the benefit is significant. The prospect is intrigued. Curiosity makes them want to learn more. It is essential that the prospect gets hooked on a possible benefit immediately from the start. Getting the prospect curious about a benefit prior to discussing your product is crucial to sales success.

Use RADAR to increase sales: A technique I call R.A.D.A.R. satisfies many of the prospects emotional needs during the interest step. The R stands for rapport. People are much more likely to buy from someone they like. Most prospects want to be helpful, polite and friendly. It feels good. We can create that mood by showing interest in the client as a person by simply asking questions about them as an individual. Questions such as: how did you get into the advertising business or what made you go into business for yourself will get the prospect to open up and they will be less defensive.

The A.D. stands for Asking about Difficulties. People are programmed to avoid pain. The greater the pain the faster they will move to avoid it. What is your biggest difficulty with discount long distance calling plans? Or what is your major concern when selecting an insurance carrier? Are questions that get the prospect to notice a difficulty (pain) that they should consider changing. Difficulty question also guides us on how to direct our presentation to what is relevant to the specific prospect.

The second A stands for affirmation questions. One of our greatest desires is to be heard. People love to be listened to and understood. By asking "If I understood you correctly, what you said is ____________, isn't it?" This little question will thrill the client because it shows that you were listening to them. This is an experience we all enjoy and unfortunately many prospects do not experience often enough. You benefit by showing the prospect that you are different than other people and also confirm that you are focusing on the right issue.

Results: Another essential psychological need is to feel in control of our lives.

People are driven to action when they feel those actions create result s that will move their lives forward. Ask your clients what benefits they want to experience by eliminating their problem. Try to learn how that will specifically improve their life. When you know their key motivation you can easily show the prospect how they can take control of their life and improve it. The emphasis shifts to their buying rather than you selling.

R.A.D.A.R. taps into many of our prospect is psychological motivations. To reap the greatest benefits be sure to use open ended questions where the client typically gives you an explanation instead of just a yes or no response. Psychology selling skills require you to know your prospect therefore we have spent the first part of the sales process learning about the individual rather than focusing on a product. It is not until completing RADAR that we start discussing our product. In the proving value phase of the sales process top producers focus on selling benefits not facts.

Satisfy the ego: People need to be smart and they love to be right. When we prove our product's value the client has many opportunities to be smart and right. For instance, you can have them work out the savings benefits from using your product. You can get the prospect to point out how your product's features solve their problems and concerns. When you allow them to see the benefits that come from your products features you move toward the sale. When you have the prospect state it as their idea you move very close to getting the sale.

Many reps frequently get sales like this without even realizing it. When the client stops the presentation and says I'll take it before you even ask a closing question the rep has brought the prospect to this state.

Buying is the prospect's idea: Another key to psychology selling is to let the prospect feel they are buying rather than being sold. In the closing phase of a presentation a client should never feel forced to buy. Prospects hate to be pushed and will resist if they feel you are selling for your benefit. When you move them through the sales process and tap into each of the techniques discussed the prospect will decide to buy because they see it benefits them. They are excited and feel good about this.

By focusing on developing rapport, uncovering the prospects pain and solving it with adequate benefits you will have ample opportunity to steer the prospect to a buying decision. By using the techniques outlined here the prospect will feel confident in their purchase. They will not feel sold or coerced when you meet the prospect's psychological needs. The sale will be solid, your customers more loyal, and very likely to share referrals and recommendations. Consistently high producers in telemarketing do more than focus on what they say to their prospect. The top achievers also take a close look at themselves and their sales habits.

Set goals: It is not enough to want higher sales. You must have a specific $ or unit amount in mind for a given time period that stretches you to do your best work while remaining realistic. When you put your goal in writing your mind begins to turn your intangible dreams into reality. The mind needs specific direction. All professionals know where they are going. Give your brain a detailed goal and the worlds most powerful computer will automatically guide you to top performance.

Reap rewards: Sell benefits to yourself as well as your prospect. As you set goals and achieve positive results be aware of how your growth benefits you and your family. Be specific. Will you win an incentive trip for your family, get a bonus that allows you to go to your favorite restaurant or will extra commissions allow you to afford a new car? When your mind sees the benefits that come from your extra efforts your skills will rise to the level necessary to bring those benefits into your life.

Enthusiasm and Smiles: Enthusiasm is contagious. If you are enthusiastic about your product you will be more successful. This is crucial in telemarketing. Your voice is your greatest asset in conveying the attributes of your product or service. If you are excited, your prospect will sense that there is something good here. It is your enthusiasm that brings a script to life. Smiling is one of the most natural ways to bring your enthusiasm to the surface. When we smile we are friendlier, more energetic and enthusiastic. Even when you don't feel like smiling, do it. Your mind will automatically be triggered into a happier state of being.

Script and Pad: Even the simplest of presentations should be written out. A script allows you to select the most appropriate wording to move your prospect through the sales process and to use that wording on each and every call. Even more importantly having a script in front of you allows you to put your energy into listening to the prospect rather than thinking about what to say next. When you uncover an important need, problem, or interest of the prospect's jot it down. Writing it down assures that you will remember the point, work it into your presentation and leaves your mind clear to listen for more vital information.

Call Averaging: Call reluctance is a problem that plagues even the heartiest of telemarketers. Put the emphasis on average $/ call instead of the calls that result in a sale. That way every dial becomes profitable for the rep including hang ups and not ins.  For example: if a rep makes a $100 sale every 20 calls it could be viewed as 19 no sales and one sale or 20 $5 sales. When telemarketers see every dial as a sale, they make more calls. This approach offers several benefits. First of all it takes the pressure off each call. It helps eliminates "cherry picking prospects" and procrastinating on the non hot leads. Lastly, it allows a telemarketing representative to know exactly how many calls they must handle each day to reach their financial goals.

As a telemarketer takes stock in their selling skills and develops the habit of designing their presentations to satisfy the prospect's psychological needs, they will create strong client relationships while increasing sales.  Sales success can be further enhanced as each sales representative reviews their own motivations and habits. When the selling process meets the needs of all parties involved telemarketing representatives develop into true professionals.

For over 25 years Mark Anthony has helped professionals, institutions, corporate sales and customer service teams break out of the box and find innovative solutions that lead to breakthroughs in sales, productivity and goal achievement. As the founder of AAA Training For Success in 1988, Mark Anthony has been training executives and sales teams on effective consultative selling and negotiating strategies. He lectures at conferences, Universities and corporate sales meetings. He is published in numerous business publications and has appeared on many radio and TV business programs.

[Contact the author for permission to republish or reuse this article.]