Qualifying on the Phone: Part 2- A Better System

This post is part two of a series on “Qualifying over the Phone”.  If you missed part one, click here now to catch up!

Once I moved up into management,  I implemented a very different system for calling.  Unlike how my supervisor handled business (as I discussed in part 1), we did not have everyone in the office on the phones for hours and hours at a time. Instead, I encouraged brief phone calls to set appointments and urged everyone to go on every appointment.

The worst-case scenario was that the prospective client didn’t qualify for some products, but may be interested in other components. I used egg timers to remind everyone that the purpose of the phone call was not to sell the product—but instead to get the appointment. If a representative was still on the phone when the sand ran through the egg timer, his or her three minutes on the phone were up. It was a great system, and we had happy sales people.

Further Incentive

We also did a monthly phone blitz where everyone came in and worked the phones for three hours maximum. The veterans helped the newer agents. While we had our short phone blitzes, we also worked on direct mail pieces, which helped representatives sound fresh when they’d return to the phones. This translated into many phone calls, lots of appointments, and 5,000-10,000 direct mail pieces at the end of the day. Our entire team built relationships with each other and with their clients.

Scheduling Appointments- Conclusion

Whether or not to qualify the sales when making a phone call is an arguable point. In too many instances, salespeople use qualifying questions to talk themselves out of scheduling appointments. They may look for that one “deal breaker” qualifier so they can let their managers know this would not have been a sale. It gives them an excuse not to sell. Some people are simply afraid to pick up the phone to make calls. These people either never get going at all or only make a few calls, and unfortunately never generate enough positive activity to succeed.

Picking up the phone can be a scary thing. This is true whether you are male or female, but the way you deal with it might be different. Since men like to get the job done on the phone, they tend to be on the phone longer. I know and have talked to many female salespeople who will go on any appointment with the hope of building a relationship that may help them in the future, if it doesn’t happen at that initial visit.

How do you use your time on the phone?  Do you use more time than you should?  Are you looking for ‘deal breakers’? Share your perspective! Leave a comment below, and start a discussion.