Yesterday’s post was all about how to drive inbound sales calls. But that’s only the first part of the equation. Once they call you, you have to be able to convert them into paying customers.

Here are three tips to getting the sale:

1.       The Solution to Your Problem – In talking to customers, you will invariably hear a number of different questions, concerns, and reasons not to purchase. A good sales techniques is to be prepared to respond to each of these before the customer ever brings them up. Good scripts are filled with answers to common questions, solutions to common problems, and strategies to overcome common obstacles. Customers will come with problems, and it’s your job to listen to them and respond with solutions.

2.       The Special Offer – Arm your sales team with the ability to “save” a sale by offering something the customer could not get anywhere else. Maybe you have a discount that you only offer over the phone. Or maybe you have some value you can add before people hang up the phone. Whatever it is, it should be held out as a last resort. And you should train your salespeople to recognize when a customer is about to abandon the process, and use the special offer to keep them moving forward.

3.       The Follow Up – Prepare for failure. In sales, it happens often. But the best salespeople know that just because someone is not ready to pull the trigger right now doesn’t mean they never will. So give your sales team the tools that they need to follow up. Before someone hangs up, collect their email address so that you can send them a piece of promotional material, or schedule a time to talk with them in the future. This will keep that prospect in the sales cycle, and could encourage them to purchase in the near future.