One disadvantage of selling by telephone is the lack of face to face contact.

When you are sitting with a prospect it is much easier to read there body language. You can see the look on their face when they are confused about something you said. You can see the delight when you hit a hot button for them. You can read the shifts in their body as they respond to your every word. All of this non verbal communication is missing when you are selling by phone.

Selling over the phone puts you at a huge disadvantage because numerous studies have shown that 55% of what we communicate is non verbal. This technique will give you back that advantage you might have lost.

Ask The Right Questions

By asking questions that solicit a response from your prospect you will get an idea of what is going on inside the prospects mind. Normally these questions are asked during your presentation or while answering objections.

Let's say you are describing how your product or service will benefit the prospect and you haven't gotten any kind of verbal response from them. This is the time to ask a question like:

Does that make sense to you?

How does that sound?

Are you with me so far?

If you are answering a question or concern you should ask a question that verifies that you have handled their objection, such as...

Does that answer your question?

What you are looking for is feedback from them so you can see what they are thinking and so you know how to proceed.

Let Your Ears Become Your Eyes

In any sales situation it is important to listen carefully to responses to your presentation and to your questions. When you ask a question, shut up. The first person, who speaks, looses. You have two ears and one mouth; you should listen twice as much as you speak.

Listen for two things. First what they say. When you get a response listen very carefully to the words they use and analyze and question them until you are clear what they are saying. Second, listen to how they say it or the tone of their voice. Approximately 84% of what we communicate via the telephone is through the tone of our voice. If they answer a question one way, however the tone of their voice indicates something else. Stop and question further to get clarification until moving forward. Say something like...

It sounds like you still have a concern?

This will show them that you are indeed paying attention and will get them to further clarify their position. If you get a very positive response with an I'm with you tone in their voice, you have a buying signal and should move forward with confidence.

By asking the right questions and letting yours ears become your eyes you will find your closing ratio on the phone will increase and so will your sales.

Jim Klein is the owner of From The Heart Sales Training. He helps sales professionals attract new clients and generate an abundance of referrals so they can increase their income and enjoy life more. He provides professional sales training and sales coaching. Lots of free tips, techniques and articles. Find more articles to sharpen your sales skills here.