I’ll admit it. I am most intimidated by talking to prospective clients on the phone. I’ve never been comfortable talking on the phone to people I don’t know well. Even with people I do know, I’ll usually text or email if I can get away with it. But the phone is your single greatest source of business. It is the only place other than face-to-face that you can market your services and adapt your presentation in real time. Here are some of the tips I’ve learned over hours and hours working the phones.
1. Be Brief
Most phone calls are going to be pretty short, even if your prospect goes on to hire you. At most, you have 5 or 10 minutes. You need to take all of the great things you know to say about your services and make them shorter. You probably want to build a 10 or 15 second elevator pitch about yourself that will answer most of their questions about you, so you can spend most of the call focusing on their needs. Something like this:
[Their Name], thank you for taking the time to speak with me. I want to help you create an event that you will love and your guests will talk about for years to come. I’ve been a DJ for [X] years, and I want to use all of my experience and skills to make your event perfect, at a price that’s affordable for you. And, I want to answer any questions you have for me. To begin, I’d like to learn as much as I can about your event so I can customize my services. Tell me how you picture it in your mind…
This is just an example, but you can customize it to your business. Make a list of the most common questions you get from your prospects and build them into your phone introduction. You don’t have to answer all of them upfront. The goal is to reassure your prospect that we will be covering all of those questions at some point in the conversation.
Continue to be as brief as possible throughout the call. If they ask you a question, answer it as simply as possible and wait for the follow up question. I make the mistake of assuming why someone is asking a question, and giving way too long of an answer, or trying to justify my answer. Don’t do it! Answer the question asked, and wait for the next one.
Example: “So, you charge $150 per hour?”
Wrong Answer: “Yes, because I’m really good at what I do and I have 20 years of experience and I have bills to pay and everybody else charges more!”
Correct answer: “Yes.”
They may think that’s too much and they will tell you so. Or, they may think it’s just fine, and they are trying to do the math. Don’t assume until they tell you. You can even respond with a question to learn why they asked: “Yes. Does that work with your budget?”
2. Ask Questions to Get Them Engaged
Now that you’ve helped them understand that you are here to work with them and answer their questions, start learning about what they need by asking them questions. The person who asks the most questions leads the conversation.
There are certain details that I need to know to accurately quote an event. How long will it be? What will you expect of me? What’s the nature of the event (wedding, birthday, corporate, etc.)? Do you need any extras?
I try to get these details without feeling like I am interrogating the prospect. To start with, I just get them to tell me a little bit about the event and what they picture it to be like. I ask follow up questions on interesting details or parts that are not clear. And I work with them to brainstorm new ideas or extra things I can do. This works best when it is a natural conversation without being too one-sided.
3. Use Powerful Statements to Get Attention
Along the way, it’s great to sprinkle in powerful statements that grab their attention and get them to want to learn more. This will also help you be memorable when they are talking to other DJs. These power statements are great for voicemails too, because the goal is to get someone to call you back.
Think about what you do better than any of your competition. Write it down. Then turn that into a short sentence that is completely focused on how it benefits your client.
For me, I’m really good at reading a crowd’s energy and picking the best music for them. I’ve done my homework and I have a huge library. Guests love the music I play so much that invariably someone will come up to my booth and say, “You are playing the BEST songs!” And, I’m not trying to brag at all here. This happens to me ALL. THE. TIME. It just happened to me last week.
To turn that into a powerful statement, I just take the facts and make it all about my client. Something like, “[Client Name], my only goal is to have your guests raving about how great the music is at a price that fits your budget.” If I’m speaking to the client live, I would add a check-in question, like “How does that sound to you?” If I was leaving a voicemail, I’d add a call-to-action statement, like “Call me at [your number] and I’ll tell you how we can do that.”
4. Pause so They Can Think
It is critical that you allow pauses and silence on the phone. I used to feel like I had to fill every moment with talking. Even now, I really have to bite my tongue and be patient. Your prospect needs time to think and make decisions. They need time to write down notes on what you just said.
You can even make these silences awkward on purpose. This is so hard for me, but it is so useful. Once you’ve said something or answered a question, stop talking. Let them think. And, if you continue to be quiet, they are likely to speak first and tell you something new that you didn’t know.
You already know what you can do. You need to be quiet so you can learn what you can do for them.
5. Really LISTEN!
When is the last time that you truly stopped and listened to what someone was saying, instead of thinking about the next thing that you were going to say? It’s really hard, but it’s really useful. By truly listening to your prospects, not only will you better understand what they are asking for, but you build a connection with them at the same time. This is another area I have to work on. I get so excited that I just talk and talk.
Nobody really listens intently to what anyone else is saying anymore. You will prove yourself as caring and trustworthy simply by talking less and listening more.
Once you have really, really listened to what they have to say, and asked all the questions you need to learn about what they need, then it is actually very simple to make them a paying client. Just give them what they want!
6. You Can’t Do It All at Once
Your entire sales cycle will not take place in one phone call. It will be multiple calls and multiple steps to get a signed contract. Your goal with each phone call is to listen, learn and get your prospect to take whatever the next step is.
If it’s the first contact, you are just trying to the client to schedule a phone consultation. If it’s a consultation, you are gathering info to prepare a quote and get permission to present it. If you’re presenting a price quote, you are trying to get a contract signed.
Each phone call just moves the relationship forward a little bit, hopefully to the next step, and eventually a paying client.
In Summary…
Your phone can be your greatest asset in your DJ business. But you must use it wisely. You have to convey expertise and empathy, and move the relationship forward, all in a 5 to 10 minute call. If you use these tips, you will be able to get away from having conversations that are all about how much you cost, and get into the realm of building real connections with your clients.
