How to Increase Sales and Strengthen Your Communication Skills

Many entrepreneurs start their businesses driven by passion, independence, or opportunity. However, few launch a company because they excel at sales. Yet, business owners quickly realize that success hinges on effective communication—whether that means attracting customers, networking, or making sales calls.

Strong conversations are the foundation of successful sales. However, most business owners have never been formally trained in the art of conversation. The way you engage with potential customers impacts not only the first sale but also their long-term loyalty and spending.

We’ve outlined 10 Steps to Great Business Conversation strategies to help you improve your interactions and drive revenue. Success is less about what you sell and more about how you connect with the person in front of you.

The Power of Practice

Great communication is a skill that improves with time and experience. While it may feel uncomfortable at first, engaging in more conversations will enhance your confidence and effectiveness. By applying these techniques, you’ll strengthen your ability to connect with customers and drive business success.

The post 10 Steps to a Great Business Conversation appeared first on Vonix.

When you’re at a networking meeting or someone just asks, “So, what do you do?” you should have a prepared and practiced answer. Not only will it get the most important information across, but it’ll also help you seem more knowledgeable and experienced.

Practicing an elevator pitches is also a smart tactic for more shy or introverted people. You’ll be less likely to get tongue-tied and be more confident starting conversations – which is often the hardest part.

Here, you’ll find 4 elevator pitch templates and examples to help you get started writing your own.

The Generic Pitch

My name is [name], and I’m the [title] of [company]. We [make/sell/service] [product] for [target audience], allowing them to [value]. We also offer [feature]. Unlike [competitor], we [competitive advantage].

My name is Amber, and I’m the director of marketing for Vonix. We provide VoIP and communication services to small and medium businesses, letting them connect with their customers. We also offer mobile softphones and desktop apps to give more flexibility to how companies connect. Unlike Spectrum, we offer more business features like unlimited lines and business texting, and we offer a direct line to our in-house support team to make it easy for our customers to reach us when they need help.

The Why

My name is [name], and I’m the [title] of [company]. As a [business owner, parent, other identity], I was always frustrated by [pain point] so that’s why we build [company/product]. It solves [pain point] by [features].

My name is Jessica, and I’m the CSO of Vonix. After a previous VoIP company I was with got acquired, I was frustrated with how poorly our customers were being treated. They couldn’t get the support they needed and kept facing rising costs without getting more features. That’s why we made Vonix. We wanted to create a phone company that treats customers the way that we want to be treated. We have over 30 years experience in VoIP and cloud communications and provide customers with all the support they need, when they need it.

The Sales Pitch

My name is [name], and I’m the [title] of [company]. We [make/sell/service] [product] for [target audience], allowing them to [value]. Have you ever [pain point?] We solve that by providing [solution].

Hi, I’m with Vonix, a cloud communication provider based in Orlando. We provide business calling and texting to small and medium businesses, allowing them to get more sales and provide better service to their customers. Have you ever lost business because potential customers get busy signals or overflowing voicemail inboxes? We solve that with unlimited lines, custom hold messages and music, and voicemail to email or text so you never miss a message.

The Shock Factor

My name is [name], and I’m the [title] of [company]. So – did you know this? X% of people [do y]. But most [industry] companies don’t offer [solution]. At [company], we want to make sure that our customers don’t [pain point], which is why we [solution and features].

I work for Vonix, a cloud communications company. Did you know that 1/3 of people who get a busy signal from a company won’t call back? But most of our competitors only offer businesses with 2 lines. That means you could be losing business every time you’re on the phone. That’s why we offer unlimited lines with custom hold music and messages to keep your callers on the line longer. We want to help companies get and keep more business, which is why we offer more features to help them get more out of their phones.

How to Write Your Elevator Pitch

Feeling inspired? It’s easier to write than you think. Before you get started, think of these key factors:

• Why do we do what we do?
• What is the biggest pain point for our customers?
• What is our greatest value to customers?
• What are the top 3 features or reasons people might choose us?
• How are we different from our competitors?

Once you’ve written your pitch, practice saying it out loud. If you’re tripping over words or something doesn’t feel right, try breaking your pitch into shorter sentences, removing complicated words, and making it as simple as possible.

Next, practice saying it until you can memorize it. Practice before you head to an event but also think about taping it in an area you see a lot until it’s committed to memory. Soon, you’ll be able to recite it without thinking and make variations to help address points you know your audience will care about.

The post 4 Effective Small Business Elevator Pitches & Examples appeared first on Vonix.

But unfortunately, too many businesses treat their phones as an afterthought, or just a necessary business expense. Instead, you should see your phones as another avenue for boosting revenue, delighting customers, and facilitating upsells. The best way to make your phones work harder for you is by removing areas that drive your customers crazy. Your phone systems should get your callers to the right person and get the answers they need as quickly as possible without confusion.

Read these 3 things everyone hates about calling businesses – and learn how you can fix them:

1. Silent holds
2. Busy signals
3. Too many transfers

Silent holds

All businesses, and especially smaller businesses, can get overwhelmed with callers if just a few more than usual call at once. Have you considered your customer’s experience when they are put on hold? AT&T found that the average customer will hang up after just 90 seconds on hold. However, people listening to hold music thought they were waiting for half as much time as they actually were.

Music and other recordings both lets the caller know that they haven’t been disconnected and helps make the wait feel less long. Missed calls mean missed business or frustrated customers, so it’s vital to do everything you can to keep people on the line until you’re able to reach them.

How to fix it: Add music or custom messages to customer holds. Messages can convey upcoming events, specials, helpful information, or just thank the customer for remaining on hold.  Another option is to set up a callback feature. In this case, instead of having to stay on the phone, your caller can hang up and you call them when it’s their turn in line. Almost two-thirds of customers prefer this option over waiting on hold. But, keep in mind that most callers will be expecting that callback within an hour.

Busy signals

At a time when VoIP makes unlimited lines possible, busy signals are even more jarring than they once were. Busy signals can indicate that a number is wrong, the company is no longer in business, or that they aren’t big enough to handle the calls coming in, causing distrust in your callers. Aside from these issues, one-third of callers who get a busy signal won’t try to call back. That means you’re losing 1/3 of calls that you don’t even know you missed!

How to fix it: Switch to a VoIP solution that offers more lines so your team never misses a call. You can also set it up so that your customers can access different numbers for sales, customer service, and billing – even if they actually all ring to the same place. That way, you know exactly why someone is calling when you pick up the phone.

Too many transfers

Your callers want to talk to a person and get an answer as quickly as possible. This extends to after their call has been connected as well. There’s nothing more frustrating than telling a receptionist what you need, being transferred and repeating your issue, only to transferred again and having to rehash your problem. Streamlining the calling experience will raise satisfaction and help free up agents to answer the next call.

How to fix it: Set up an IVR menu for callers to choose from. IVR stands for interactive voice response; it’s a menu which and has callers state which department they need before they even talk to anyone, alleviating the load that your office manager may be managing with transferring calls. And even if you’re a small business with just one phone, these menus will make you seem larger and more professional.

It’s a common misconception that customers today prefer to do everything online. A majority of people would rather talk to someone in order to get faster answers and be able to ask follow-up or specific questions. By reducing holds, busy signals, and transfers, you’ll increase the number of callers you help with pre-sales questions and support issues. This results in more sales and happier customers.

Learn about our business voice solutions to find all the features you can access when you make the switch to Vonix.

The post 3 Things Everyone Hates About Calling Businesses appeared first on Vonix.

Hiring for sales roles is an art form. While interviewing candidates you’ll likely weigh personality highly on your list. Not everyone is good at sales, and generally, an experienced exec will know right away whether someone has the right balance of charisma, tenacity, and empathy for customer relationships that close deals. You may even identify the traits of a great salesperson in someone who has never sold before. 

Whether you’ve hired someone new to the job market or someone changing career paths, first-time salespeople need more support when onboarding. Here are a few tips on how to enhance your success with new hires: 

1. Develop Your Training Plan Before They Arrive

Onboarding is much more than the first day, week, or month. Most salespeople take 6-9 months to get fully ramped up. After all, there are many facets of your industry, customers, prospects, company, and sales cycle. And with sales teams facing high turnover and short tenures, it’s important to invest in your team and make them feel valued, so they won’t want to leave. A key is putting a high priority on training your new hires. 

Set your new hire up with their company email before they arrive and share their onboarding agenda with them.  Don’t forget to include a detailed schedule of their first week followed by more generic outlines of the following weeks. When training on nuances such as products or personas, include time for them to review independently and come back with questions.  

2. Invest Time in Software Training

After getting them connected with email and a direct phone number, a detailed review of your CRM software wins the highest priority spot. Team them up with a sales member who is both high-performing AND great at keeping records. Ask this person to mentor them and train them on the processes they find work best. You want them to form good habits from the start, so their contact records follow your company’s protocols. Plus, chances are, your CRM has some unique customizations that the new person will need to know.  

You can supplement in-person training with videos and guides created by the software provider. Don’t simply give them a log in with no follow up. Salespeople should live and breathe by their CRM; make sure you aren’t throwing a first-time user into the deep end.

3. Share Templates and Examples

For long-time sales managers, sales emails or phone calls are likely second nature. Newbies need more guidance on the right mix of pressure and finesse.  

Share high-performing email templates, call scripts, and follow-up cadences with your team. Your newest hire doesn’t have the institutional or industry knowledge to know what works for your clients. There’s no need for him or her to reinvent the wheel; set them up for success by sharing examples of what has worked for your team in the past. 

4. Provide Shadowing Opportunities

The best sales managers recognize that different salespeople find success with individual methods. Don’t simply pair your new hire with the top performer; give them opportunities to listen in on a variety of pitches. They’ll be able to identify what tactics and phrases feel comfortable to them, and this will augment their individual strategy. 

VoIP phone systems with conferencing or call recording allow your trainees to listen in on calls without being physically present with the caller. Plus, your trainer can share or record their screen through an online meeting, so your trainee can see notes, CRM updates, and presentations in real time. 

We recommend that companies driven by an internal sales force choose a VoIP system with features tailored specifically for sales teams, such as: 

• Whisper Mode: listen in to calls while you’re training with the ability to give feedback in real-time to your employee, without the other party hearing 
• Call Recording: record and playback calls later, so you can review sales progress after a call or re-listen together to give feedback 
• Desktop Application: place and take calls from the desktop by dialing or clicking on the contact record in your CRM. Add on a hands-free headset to really help your team work more efficiently.  

Is it time to upgrade your phone system? Vonix VoIP systems allow your team to stay connected from anywhere with an internet connection. Learn more about our contact center solutions to see better results from your sales and support teams. 

The post Arm First-Time Sellers with the Tools for Success  appeared first on Vonix.