Selling Today: Partnering to Create Value, 14/e

The Telephone Contact

A telephone call provides a quick and inexpensive method of scheduling an appointment. Appointments are important because many busy prospects may not meet with a salesperson who drops in unannounced. When you schedule an appointment, the prospect knows about the sales call in advance and can, therefore, make the necessary advance preparation.

Some salespeople use the telephone exclusively to establish and maintain contact with the customer. As noted in Chapter 1, inside salespeople rely almost totally on the telephone for sales. Telesales, not to be confused with telemarketing, include many of the same elements as traditional sales: gathering customer information, determining needs, prescribing solutions, negotiating objections, ...