Many rules of successful selling apply regardless of what you sell or how you sell it. Selling on the telephone is no exception — except for one thing: You can’t see your prospect’s nonverbal buying signals. And people often think this makes it easier for them to delay buying decisions. See the game? To help prospects overcome these obstacles, telephone salespeople have to play by slightly different rules. Here they are:

1. Send literature judiciously. Many phone sales prospects have a lethal weapon to help them ward off salespeople: “Send me information on that. “Many prospects may not even read the literature you send, so you can’t count on it to do your selling for you.

When you hear “send me literature, “make sure your prospect is interested in more than just getting rid of you. If your prospect asks for information early in the call, respond with, “I’ll be happy to send you information. So that I can include what would apply best in your situation, let me ask you a few more questions…” If the request comes later, say, “I’ll be happy to send something that summarizes what

we discussed. Let me ask you, though, if you like what you see, I’m assuming we’ll be able to do business together?” Both statements politely get the message across that you’d rather not waste time and money sending literature to someone who doesn’t really want it.

2. Polish your phone “image.” When you sell by phone, how you sound counts. Let me say that another way. Since phone prospects can’t see you, how you sound is more important than anything else.

To illustrate the importance of a positive phone personality, on each of your next 10 calls have a sheet of paper handy with columns labeled “Desirable” and “Undesirable.” Based on what you hear throughout the conversation, assess the prospect’s phone finesse by making tally marks in the columns.

Your results will show you that, at least unconsciously, you form an impression of the person on the other end of line based on the only information you have — what you hear. To improve your telephone image, record your calls and listen carefully to your words, pronunciation, enunciation and tone of voice. Improve any quality or phrases that you don’t find appealing or pleasant to hear.

3. Conduct post-call review. Instead of racing through calls and focusing strictly on quantity, try to get more quality from the calls you make. While you have an opportunity to learn and improve from each call, most learning takes place after an activity, not during. If you’re willing to analyze, reflect on and react to your calls, you can get more out of them. At the end of each one, ask yourself these questions:

What did I like about this call?

What would I have done differently on this call?

Take time to make a brief assessment of your calls — your sales may depend on it.

4. Listen up. Listening experts claim that most of us listen with only 30 to 50 percent efficiency— a rate that hardly contributes to success under circumstances in which each exchange is strictly verbal. Remember that the more you talk, the more bored and disinterested your prospect is likely to get.

When you find yourself out to lunch on a call, remind yourself of why you need to listen attentively. Remember that what the prospect says will help both of you increase sales and profits. This should help snap you back to reality. Also, make sure each conversation you conduct has a specific purpose.

5. Get past the gatekeeper. Often the more you push gatekeepers, the higher they build the invisible wall around your prospect. When the screener asks, “What’s this in reference to?” have a justification statement prepared that will help the screener decide to give you an audience with the buyer. Your response should closely resemble this one: “I have some ideas that have helped other retailers in your industry cut down on their advertising expenses while generating more store traffic. I’d like to ask Mr./Ms. Bigg a few questions to see if this would make sense for you to take a look at.” Screeners are often a valuable source of information that will help you when you do reach the decision maker, so if you don’t get through to Mr. or Mrs. Bigg, do some fact-finding that will help you once you do.

6. Question thoroughly. Poor questioning plus lackluster listening often leaves you out in the cold when you hear an objection, so map out a thoughtful questioning strategy before you call.

Write all the benefits of your product or service in a column on the left side of a sheet of paper. Then make two more columns to the right of the first. Label the first one “Needs Filled/Problem Solved,” then for each benefit fill in what need it satisfies. Label the second column “Questions to Ask,” and for each need write a question that would determine whether that situation existed.

Use the form during your calls, but make sure you don’t present what you think is a benefit until you’ve confirmed it by asking the corresponding questions.

7. Be prepared. The results you’ll get from a call are often determined before you pick up the phone, so have a plan for your calls. Set a primary action objective by assessing your present position and exactly how you want this call to improve it.

Ask yourself what you want you and your prospect to do at the end of the call, then fill in the blanks with what’s required to get you from where you are to where you want to be. You’ll know what information you need and how you want to present your product or service based on those needs.

8. Understand objections. The best way o handle objections is to prevent them. Make sure your product or service matched your prospect’s needs well before you present. When objections do arise, address them by digging for the reasons behind them. Only then can you understand and address the concern.

My favorite objection and response is “I see. Well, let’s talk about that.” This statement lets the prospect know I’m not getting defensive, and that I’m concerned enough to want to discuss the objection further. Couple this with careful questioning for a painless, non-adversarial way to get to the bottom of the objection.

9. Ask for a sale or commitment to action. Even if prospects are leaning in your favor, they might not volunteer to do anything. If you don’t routinely ask for your prospect’s business, find out why.

Asking for business does give the prospect a chance to say no, but a no can be a learning experience that moves you closer to a yes. Step out of your comfort zone and ask for what you want no matter where you are. Request better tables in restaurants, discounts on merchandise — anything that will help you develop the habit of asking for what you’re after. When someone tells you they have to “talk over” a buying decision before saying yes, ask if they’re going to recommend your product or service.

10. Use an opening statement that builds interest. Your statement should introduce you and your organization, offer an interest-stimulating benefit that appeals to the prospect’s desire to increase profits or decrease losses, and involve the prospects in the conversation: “This is Karen Hamilton with Canton Supply. The reason I’m calling is that there’s a possibility we night be able to help you cut down on your expenses for the exact same cleaning items you’re now buying. To determine this, I’d like to find out what you’re using.”

If you’ve gathered information from the screener, incorporate it into your opener to personalize it even more. Put yourself in your buyer’s shoes, and ask yourself if your opener would pique your interest, If not, keep working before it turns off a real prospect. Remember — your opener should say as much as possible, but in as few words as possible.

Often prospects automatically turn away phone salespeople, not knowing how much they may stand to benefit from just a brief initial exchange of information. The rules and action steps described here represent effective detours to the many obstacles that gatekeepers and prospects sometimes put in the phone salesperson’s way. If you’re willing to study and practice them, these techniques can help you close your prospects.