Contacting Prospects Via the Phone

Overview of Telephone Technique

Learning to use the telephone effectively will give you a tremendous advantage in the number and quality of your appointments. Not only is it quick and efficient, but it also affords you an opportunity to begin building a professional relationship prior to the first time you see a prospect. If you precede an in-person meeting with a professional, enjoyable telephone conversation, it is much easier to gain the prospect's confidence once you get together face-to-face. Never forget that before anyone decides to do business with you, they must become confident that you are the best, most professional person for the job.

Developing a strong telephone technique is extremely helpful in building that confidence. Fortunately, even if you have had no previous experience in using the phone for business, the fundamentals of good business telephoning are simple, logical and easy to learn.

When you contact someone by phone, show them the same courtesies you would extend to them in person. Remember that...

If you are concerned about your phone image, or haven't had much business experience on the phone, you may want to practice by taping practice conversations with friends. When you play back the tape, note how many times you inject "ahs," "ers," "ums," and "ya knows," and then work to get rid of them. You can also tape your calls to prospects, but if you do you are required by law to tell them that they are being taped.

When you listen to the playbacks, also...

Always do your best to remain friendly and inoffensive while on the phone. Stay upbeat and good-natured. Remember that you will be meeting with them in person before long, so use the call as an opportunity to build goodwill and a positive image in advance of your time together. Don't be concerned if a prospect is hesitant about seeing you. Look at if from their point of view: You know that you have something of interest to show them and that you will be polite and professional, but they don't. Keep in mind that you are the owner of a business, and a respected member of the community.

By the way, a rule of thumb is that...

Setting Up A Telephone Contact System

Many contractors find it best to schedule a particular block of time each week to do their solicitation calls. Some make the calls themselves, and others hire someone else for the job.

Keep in mind that in this first phone conversation you are not trying to get someone to agree that you can start sweeping their lot. Rather, you are...

If you hire another person to make calls for you, consider paying them a bonus for every contract that you sign as a result of their initial contact. Using such a performance incentive typically will allow you to pay a lesser amount per hour, and the higher amount only when you will be gaining from the contact. For example, you might pay minimum wage plus a bonus for each signed contract you end up with as a result of their efforts.

If you decide to hire someone to solicit appointments for you, work with them at first to ensure that they...

Whether you or someone else solicits business for you, be sure that...

Sample Telephone Script

Here is an example of a telephone script you might use:

"Good (morning or afternoon), I'm calling for (first and last name of prospect). Is he/she in?" Then, once you get them on the line:

"Mr./Ms. (their last name), this is (your first and last name). I'm the owner of (your company name), and I'm calling to ask for a few minutes of your time to introduce you to the professional parking lot cleaning services we offer.

As the owner, I try to get out and visit with people such as yourself on (pick two different days of the week, for example, "Tuesdays and Thursdays"), would one of these be better for you?" Wait for a response, and respond to any questions they offer. Get them to target one of the days. If they say that the only day they can meet with you is one of the days you didn't say you could, offer to fit that into your schedule the next week, not this one. Remember, you are a busy person making an appointment with another busy person!

"Would it be better on (day of week picked) for your schedule if we got together in the morning or the afternoon?" Proceed to narrow down to a specific time. End by reinforcing how much you are looking forward to showing him/her the latest technology in parking area maintenance.

Most contractors find it sensible to leave their phone number, so the prospect can call to cancel in the event a scheduling conflict comes up. Some prefer not to offer this, figuring that they'll just show up as scheduled and, if the prospect forgets or doesn't make the meeting for some reason, they can at least see the layout of the operation, meet the secretary and other company personnel, and leave a brochure. You will soon recognize which of these approaches works the best for you.

Another approach which you might care to use initially is to call and say...

Finally, never forget that getting solid appointments, doing effective demonstrations, providing competitive bids and everything else connected with your marketing effort makes no difference if you don't provide an outstanding level of service once you get the job!

Fielding Telephone Questions And Responding To Objections

Of course you won't get every appointment you try for over the phone. Some secretaries are protective of their bosses' time and won't allow you to get through, others will insist they don't need outside cleaning services, and still others will say that they already use a sweeping contractor and are happy with the current service.

These responses seldom have anything to do with the response of the decision-maker, if you can once get through to him/her. Work hard to at least speak to the decision-maker, the person actually responsible for hiring the outside pavement cleaning. By the way, if you are absolutely unable to get through, agree to send a copy of your brochure for their files.

This is a good idea for several reasons. There is a remarkably high turnover rate among property managers, and when new managers come in they often review the service of the various contractors who work for the complex they manage. Also, you never know when a manager will become dissatisfied with the performance of the contractor who is currently performing their lot cleaning, and give you a call because your brochure is on file.

Once you are speaking to the decision-maker, expect them to ask questions. When prospects ask you questions, or otherwise make it more difficult for you to get an appointment, it's just to confirm in their own minds that you are a qualified professional, one worth their expenditure of time. When fielding these questions, keep in mind what you are after, usually an appointment for a face-to-face meeting. Answer their questions briefly, and then immediately move back to getting the appointment with a statement such as...

As you read the following questions/objections, keep in mind that an objection actually presents an opportunity to make a selling point in your favor. Although many of the common objections and possible answers follow, keep track of any others that occur and write out and practice an answer to them. Your answer should turn the objection into a positive selling statement which works to your advantage.

Common Objections

Prospect:"I'd prefer that you would mail me something."
You:"Mr. (Prospect), we take a very personalized approach to the maintenance services we provide, and have found that a brief in-person meeting is a very time-saving way to show you exactly what we can make available to you. In a very few minutes I can not only show you all the details, but can answer your questions and, if you'd like, show you (one of) the state-of-the-art sweeper(s) we use as part of our service."

Prospect:"If you can't mail literature, then forget it."
You:"Mr. (Prospect), we have found that...

Prospect:"I'm not interested in using a sweeping service."
You:"Mr. (Prospect), experts now associate tremendous advantages with a shopping center's use of a professional sweeping service. It will more than pay for itself in terms of keeping the interior of your shopping area in good condition. In some cases it has even meant...

Prospect:"How much is this going to cost me?"
You:"There is no charge or obligation for our meeting, nor for my professional evaluation of the level of services your operation needs. The charge for actual services varies greatly from one client to the next, depending on a variety of factors. Many businesses confirm that they actually save money, because of the benefits they receive through our cleaning program.

Again, there's no charge for this analysis and I can guarantee you that you'll learn some very interesting things about the value of keeping your outside parking area clean and neat."

Prospect:"I'm pretty busy."
You:"I know what you mean! I find myself on a tight schedule, too. That's why I'm...

Prospect:"How long is this going to take?"
You:"As the owner of the business, I'll be able to acquaint you with all aspects of our services in very short order. It takes less than 20 minutes to tell you about the different benefits we offer, plus the time to answer your questions. I will be bringing (one of) our sweeper(s), also, and you may want to come out and take a look at it. Of course, that's up to you."

Prospect:"The person you want to talk to isn't here right now."
You:"Ok, that's fine. What is their name? When is a good time to catch them in? Is there another number I should call to reach them directly? Do they handle contracting for your outside maintenance needs?"

Remember that your goal is to get an appointment! Go back to asking for one, as outlined at the top of the section, after you respond to each question.

You'll learn to welcome these questions, because the more difficult it is to make an appointment, the more likely that you are, indeed, talking to the decision-maker. Their time is more important, so they are more careful about making sure they won't be wasting it. Don't worry, as long as you're offering quality sweeping services then, along with the information in the section about in-person meetings, you will have a very good opportunity to sell them!

© 2005 - 2012
World Sweeper
All rights reserved.

Parking Area Sweeping Contents

Parking/Fundamentals Contents

Site Map / Table of Contents