Prospective Sales: Using Ethics in Business and Phone Etiquette

Remember referrals and references can open the door, so use the best business ethics at all times. A happy customer will usually be glad to offer a referral to others who might need your product or service. Ask satisfied clients for names of their colleagues who you might be able to help and try for a direct introduction. It's ideal to ask right after the customer is pleased with your work, so ask major clients if you can refer to them by name while doing business. Always make sure they're going to give a good reference if asked and thank those who help and keep them happy year-round.

Getting past secretaries when telephone prospecting is a necessary evil. Remember that the role of a secretary is to help screen calls that could waste the executive's time and always be polite, friendly, and sincere. Don't expect a return call from your prospect. Get and use the secretary's name. Recognize holidays and birthdays as appropriate. Thank the secretary and tell their boss they did a good job. Business ethics importance really applies in this situation, regardless of the sales outcome. This will ensure your career success no matter what your stage is in sales negotiation training.

Don't act like the secretary won't understand why you're calling. To avoid the secretary, call before and after regular working hours to try to get the executive directly. Preparation and follow-through is required to succeed in prospecting.

Creating a prospecting system is essential. Plan a specific number of calls for the week, month, and year. Don't sit around making plans during peak call times. Track notes and results in a system. Set goals for how many customer referrals you will request and receive. Always seek measurable results.

Telephoning is automatically impersonal, and "No's" should not be taken personally. Remember that persistence, not manipulation, is the key to sales success. Getting "No's" make that "Yes" just a phone call away. Not wanting to bother people is no excuse to avoid a call. There will be good and bad days.

The best sales tactic is knowing and meeting customer needs. Always follow-up immediately because "No" doesn't always stay "No." Above all, don't ever give up and don't lose your ethics in business.

Questions To Consider:

What kind of goals related to prospecting can you set? Write them down.

Think of some of your likely excuses not to call prospective clients. Write them down. Now write down what you will do next time you're reluctant to call a client to get that phone number dialed.

What kind of ways can you personalize a telephone call without being phony? Write those down.