Sales is a tough profession—and it only gets more difficult when you’re depending on phone calls in order to get your face-to-face meetings. However, knowing how to engage someone over the phone without in-person interaction is crucial, and it's a skill that takes time and patience to develop.

Wondering how to sell over the phone more efficiently? Check out these tips for phone sales below.

1. Demonstrate value

Don’t sell features, sell value. Make it easy for your prospect to understand the benefit your product or service provides. 

Make sure to actually listen to the customer. When you do, you can better understand the problem to be solved so you know how to position your product or service. Then use storytelling to effectively sell the value.

2. Develop customized phone sales techniques

Remember the adage, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions?” The same goes for the tried-and-true scales script your predecessors left behind when they found a better job.

Take initiative by developing your own client-centric scripts for various products and services. Customize your templates to speak candidly to audiences who actually want to hear what you have to say.

3. Seize the power of positive thinking

It may surprise you, but studies show that positive attitudes and excitable tones can dramatically increase the success of over-the-phone sales. One of the best phone sales tips is to simply examine how you come off in conversations with prospects.

Be enthusiastic, passionate about your product or service, and confident. Start the conversation with a positive comment and don’t be afraid to have a sense of humor. Remain polite, honest, and personal throughout the conversation.

Even in sales, people don’t buy products and services—they buy relationships with businesses. A little positivity can go a long way in establishing successful relationships.

4. Do not trash-talk your competition

While it may seem like a savvy positioning tactic, avoid speaking ill of competitors during your sales call. Besides risking being accused of libelous slander, it makes you look less credible.

Research shows that due to a psychological phenomenon called spontaneous trait transfer, when you badmouth your competitor, your prospect puts those same traits back on you.

Instead, when a prospect asks about your competitors, say something inoffensive like “I can’t speak to what they do—I represent [your company] and this is what we offer.”

5. Do your homework first

Lastly, ensure that you’re prepared for every call. This is perhaps the most important tip. Prepare mentally by defining the purpose of your call, crafting and reviewing your script (use the template below to get started), and coming up with a routine so you’re comfortable on the call.  Practice your tone—you might even want to record yourself so you can make notes of where you can improve.

Qualify each lead, find out who the decision-makers are, and prepare your statistics. You can use account maps to map out the entire organization and determine your blockers, champions, decision-makers, and more.

Learning how to sell over the phone has a steep learning curve. Lucidchart can help you and your team streamline the process.