After years in the business, I had a number of customers say to me that they wished more people sold cell phones the way that I did. That got me to thinking not only about what I was doing well, but what the others were doing wrong. What was happening out in the world of cell phone sales that would prompt customers to make such a statement? The business is certainly one that is open to abuse, both from the salesman’s standpoint and the customer. What was happening?
After going on a search for these answers, I found out that a whole lot of cell phone salesmen were going about it the wrong way… Morally and Technically. This article is for those salesmen, and to help those honest ones that want to do it the right way.
The first thing that you need to do before selling someone a cell phone, is to know your product inside and out. This goes for both the phones and the services. If you do not know what you are selling, then you can not explain to the customer what they are buying. This is wrong on every level. Learn the product and the services you are selling before attempting to sell someone.
The next problem that cell phone salesmen make is that they try to sell what they make the most money on, rather than the product that fits the customer. I am all for making money. It is a good thing. However, if you sell someone something that they do not need the chances are high that the phone will come back. At that point, it is too late to then properly sell them a phone. Stick to what they need, and sell the cell phone and service that fits it.
To sell someone what they need, you need to properly qualify the customer. Begin this by talking with your customer. Ask them what they are going to use the phone for. A customer that is using a phone only in emergency situations is not the same customer as the one that wants to talk to everyone on the planet for hours on end. Ask them how much they are going to use the phone.
The next thing you want to do is to share all the bells and whistles with them. Customers will sometimes have a phone for years without even knowing a third of what they can do with it. I used to love getting a customer that bought their phone elsewhere. More often than not, I could dive into their phone and show them things they did not know about. They always came back to me when it was time to buy another phone.
Next, you should take some time to fill them in on the bad stuff. Every single cell phone service has some drawbacks. It is the nature of the business. Whether it is a high price of breaking the contract, or it is a high charge for ringtones, you should let people know the potential pitfalls. An informed customer will be a happy customer. Once you have filled them in, they can then decide if the service is right for them. Not telling your customer these potential problems is morally wrong and bad business ethics.
Once you have sold them the phone, you should set everything up for them. Take the time to set their voice mail, check email, and use the Internet feature. Show them how the phone functions and take the time to answer questions. Explain all the features that the phone has, and you will have a cell phone customer for life. That is much more valuable than a quick sale that will probably end up a charge back anyway.
