etailinsights eCommerce Data and Sales Blog
Sales Hack: Push the Release Button
posted by Darren Pierce
Goodbye for Now
We’ve all been there ... a sales conversation goes fairly well but at the very end something strange happens. You hang up the phone and feel a bit strange, the goodbye wasn’t handled well.
Remember, how you end a B2B sales conversation is even more important than how you start. Those last few seconds will stay with your prospect until you speak again. Make sure that you give careful attention to end this conversation on a high note. You’ve already done all the hard work, you’ve acquired a sales lead, converted the lead to an opportunity, and they are interested in purchasing your solution. Don’t blow it by ignoring the last few seconds.
My son has a talking Winnie the Pooh book, and when it’s over Winnie says “Goodbye for Now.” I love that. Those extra two words “for now” leave me feeling so much more optimistic about the future. Even though it’s a fictional book about a talking bear, I still smile every time I hear it. In fact, it makes me want to hear him talk again. Isn’t that what we want as salespeople?
I’m not suggesting to say “Goodbye for Now” to your prospects, that would be a bit creepy. But here’s a technology sales hack to help end the conversation softly instead of abruptly…
Sales Hack: Push the Release Button
Every office phone has an “RLS” button. The button is red to prevent us from accidentally mashing with excitement when someone acts interested. But, don’t let the red color scare you, this button is your Winnie the Pooh. The “Release” button on your phone effectively hangs up. I always make a practice to do the following at the end of a conversation:
1. Draw out the word Goodbye or Bye.
Never say a quick “bye” and hang up. This makes your prospect or customer feel as though you have more important things to do than speak with them. Try it right now, say “bye,” think about it, then say it slower “byyyeee.” If you don’t like the word goodbye or bye, then try “Talk to you soooooon.”
2. Count to 3 Mississippi before pushing that release button, even after leaving a voicemail.
If they hang up first, great. If not, give them a few seconds after “byyyeee” to let the conversation drift off into happy land.
3. NEVER EVER hang up the handset of the phone to end a sales call.
On the other end of the call, this sounds loud and abrupt. Worse, if you miss the target, and jiggle the handset to find its home, it sounds like a car crash to your prospect.
We don’t want to end conversations like a car crash. End them like Winnie the Pooh.
