If you sell by phone, you hold prospects and customers in the palm of your hand every time you pick up the handset. When prospects can’t see you face-to-face, look you in the eye, or watch a live demonstration of your product, you may have more trouble earning their trust and their business. To compensate, you need a specialized phone sales strategy that makes every call count. Before you dial another prospect, commit these tips to memory to make the phone your number-one selling tool.

1) Study your customer. All salespeople should know something about their customers before they call on them, but for phone salespeople, thorough customer knowledge and needs analysis is critical. Your sales appeal lies solely in what you say and how you say it, so provide prospects with specific information that gives them a reason to keep you on the line. Send for their annual reports and keep up with developments in their field through industry publications. If your prospect has a company newsletter, make sure you’re on the mailing list. Compare your prospect to other companies you’ve sold, then study how you sold to similar businesses. You can’t observe your prospect’s body language, but you can listen to their speech and tone and adjust yours to reflect (but not imitate) theirs. Instead of watching for hot buttons, listen for them. Even if you can’t see their eyebrows rise when you hit one, their voice might reveal their excitement. Pay attention to everything your prospects say, and ask questions to make them tell you how to sell them.

2) Send warm-up correspondence. Chances are, your prospects are too busy to take phone calls from unknown salespeople selling unfamiliar products. Before you call, increase the odds that your prospects will speak with you by introducing yourself and your product with a letter. Keep it short and to the point, and open with a benefit statement that shows you know what they want and need: “Thought you might want to know that our spot advertising bonus package in May could help you promote your early summer clearance sale. You will get bonus spots just when your sale hits. I realize you need a quick program before your sale, and our package will give you the large audience you need at a great rate.” Make your letter stand out with an unusual but easy-to-read font, colored stationery (keep it conservative) or lively, down-to-earth language instead of the traditional, tired business letter phrases.

3) Give your call a goal. Make your calls more productive by setting goals for each one. You should have a good reason for taking your prospect’s time – be up front about what it is. Even if you just want some information to qualify your prospect, say so, but in subtle terms: “We have a program coming up that may help your business in this area, but I want to make sure I know what your needs are so I can write a detailed proposal that takes care of them.” Your openness helps lower your prospect’s defenses and lays the foundation for an honest relationship. To set your goals, review your last contacts with the prospect, ask yourself where you are in the selling cycle and what will help move you closer to the close. Then, plan how you’ll approach your prospect and what you’ll say to reach your goal.

4) Advance the sale with voice mail. If you made the effort to dial up your prospect, you might as well leave a message when you get connected. Nothing ventured, nothing gained – even if there’s only a small chance your prospect will return your call, any chance is better than none. Sound enthusiastic and confident about your product – if you can, leave an irresistible benefit. Tell prospects when you’ll try to reach them again, and sound intriguing or promising enough to make your prospect take your call the second time around. Be sure to repeat your phone number – if your prospects don’t catch it the first time they might not replay the voice message for a second hearing. Show respect for their time by telling them how much time you need (the shorter the better), then when you call again, stick to it.

5) Take a stand for your customer. Without the relationship-building value of face-to-face meetings and warm handshakes, be prepared to go to great lengths to prove your customer loyalty. When your customers have never seen you and never have to, it’s easier for them to sever their ties with you if you let them down, so don’t. Promise as much as you can, but never more than you can deliver. Show customers you don’t take them for granted with the occasional small gift, phone call or note of thanks telling them how much you appreciate them. When you need to raise prices or other problems arise, offer your apologies and a full explanation, and take damage control measures to save your relationship. Maintain top-quality service with all your accounts – your smaller or more established customers deserve the same treatment as the new or large accounts.

Whether you sell face-to-face or by phone, the most important thing is to make a convincing case for yourself and your product. Phone salespeople may lack the advantage of visual appeal, but a well-thought-out strategy can more than make up for it. Devise an effective phone sales strategy that gives you the edge, and better sales are just a phone call away.