Inbound calls are great for rapport-building. There are many ways to do it. Even when clients expect the calls to be quick, the agent can still make some friendly comments and even ask about weather and talk geography.
Outbound calls are not so easy. Calling existing customers offers several chances to build rapport. Agents can ask how the clients evening is going, thank them (sincerely) for taking the call or for the loyalty they have had. They can ask how the product is working for the client (if most clients are happy with the products they have).
Outbound telemarketing calls are the most difficult for reaching any decent level of rapport. Here are a few tips for these difficult calls.
Your Voice
The voice is the agents best rapport-building weapon. For an agents voice to calm, engage and build rapport, three characteristics must be present; friendliness, natural dialogue and confidence.
- An agent who is not friendly should not be on your phones. They should sincerely try some other career because that agent is going to be miserable. Every call they make will communicate to new clients that your company is unfriendly.
- Natural dialogue is the opposite of scripted. Scripted/mechanical is horrible and every center should do whatever it takes to eliminate that type of speech. Natural dialogue is just that; natural, energized, fun and friendly.
- Confidence is the final characteristic. A confident agent sounds like he/she means what is being said and likes to share that information. They are not hesitant or apologetic and never cocky or abrasive. Confidence will give the agents more call control. When we have control of the call, clients are far less likely to object.
Thank the Caller for Taking the Call
As soon as you reach the right party contact, say something like, Hi, Mrs. Stevens, this is Robert from ABC. Thanks very much for taking the call tonight. Move from that to your Purpose for the call or ask how they are doing (see below). We find this technique works almost better than it should. Thank them for taking the call. Then ask how its going. You will hear more positive responses by thanking them first.
Ask How the Client is Doing
This works in some centers and not in others, so do not use this approach if it will cause your clients to hang up or yell at you. We like asking how the client is doing that day/evening, provided it is sincere. Try more casual examples, too, instead of the standard, How are you today? Try Hows your day been going so far? Hows your evening going? These tend to net better results. Be ready for the common, negative responses you receive, too. If a lot of clients say, Im busy, be ready with a positive, call-controlling response, like, Hey, I definitely appreciate that and value your time, so I will keep this brief.
By the way Rapport Comments
We have always liked sharing good news with the client, something that happened in the agents day that was very positive. This is Tom calling from Smart Technologies and thanks for taking my call. By the way, I just have to let you know that today is my birthday, so its been a really fun day for me. Now, the reason for the call– This seems cheesy. We know. If you use sincere, genuine bits of good news, this will be very disarming. Many customers will congratulate you and warm up to you quickly. By the way, I just got off the phone with my sister and learned that she is having her first child. Definitely cheesy and some readers are thinking, I would absolutely hang up on that agent, but these comments build rapport a majority of the time. If you are calling into very hostile environments, we definitely do not recommend them.
These tips can be the starting point for your outbound sales team so they take their performance up an octave or two. If you are an agent, we recommend trying all of these techniques until you find the ones that work best for you and your clients.
There is no way to replace rapport, even on outbound calls. If you do not have it, your call is much more likely to end in a no sale. If you have it, customers will give you the benefit of the doubt and will listen to more of what you tell them. A little rapport can go a long way in helping your sales.
Tags: connect with customers, easy rapport tips, friendly telephone selling, rapport-building, telephone sales