Greetings!

What are you doing next weekend?

You may have some things planned. When I ask that question in training seminars, most people give very detailed answers: going out to dinner, working in the yard, getting dressed up for a Halloween party or taking the kids out trick- or-treating...personally I'm attending the Tennessee- South Carolina football game with a buddy..

We plan the stuff that's important.

Contrast that with the answers to these questions:

On the last telephone call you made to a prospect/ customer, what was your specific objective for the call?

Did you have the opening planned so you knew precisely what you were going to say?

Did you prepare a voice mail message you were ready to deliver, velvety smooth, without hesitation?

Were your questions in order?

How prepared were you with your responses to their answers to those questions?

What was your contingency plan in case things didn't go as well as you'd like?

If, without hesitation, you rattled off answers to these questions, I'd wager you do pretty well.

When people have trouble answering these questions, chances are there are "umm's" and "uh's" in their calls.

I find it curious and interesting that many people put more planning into their weekend or what they'll have for lunch, than they do their telephone calls.

Quite simply, your sales success correlates directly to your preparation. It's also the key to sounding smooth.

Being a superstar in sales, particularly on the phone, is not a matter of "smiling and dialing," plowing through the names, hoping that you'll stumble into someone ready to buy.

Don't believe any trash about this being a pure numbers game. It's a QUALITY game.

As I always say, the worst possible time to think of what you're going to say is as it's already coming out of your mouth.

Go back, review those questions, and be certain you can answer them for your next call, and every one thereafter. Do so, and I'm sure you'll show pleasing sales results.

Continue having your best week ever!

Art

*About the Author: Art Sobczak works with thousands of sales reps each year helping them get more business by phone. He provides real world, how-to ideas and techniques that help salespeople use the phone more effectively.

Visit Sobczak's Web site.