This is a Guest Post from Peter O’Donoghue of  Sales DNA.

Do you use the telephone as a sales tool?

I would be extremely surprised if you didn’t because the telephone is still one of the primary business generation tools. Even in this era of social media, email marketing and Google Pay Per Click you will have to talk to your prospective clients sometime. If you are like many of the businesses I work with, you still win a significant percentage of your new business by professional telephone selling.

The challenge in today’s business environment is that many people are jaded and tired of being on the receiving end of often poorly executed telephone sales techniques. As soon as you have got through to the right person you are likely to hear “I’m busy right now”.

Sound familiar?

Would you like to know some quick and easy ways develop your telephone sales techniques so that you instantly gain the attention you deserve with any business person you call?

You see the trouble with most sales training is that it focuses on giving you the right words to use to get attention. What is often neglected is the way you sound on the phone. Very few salespeople I work with have ever practiced the way they sound or come across on the phone, yet this is one of the biggest single areas where you can significantly increase your sales performance. Maybe it is because of the perception that it is expensive to record and practice your calls.

After reading this article that excuse will banished for ever because I am just about to show you the best free or low cost technology available to help you perfect your telephone sales technique.

Skype Software:

The first essential is to download the free Skype software from www.skype.com. Skype has come a long way in the last few years and the call quality is absolutely superb when used over broadband. Sign up for a Skype out telephone number which allows you to call any telephone number from your computer. You can either pay as you go or pay a monthly for a small fee.

Pamela Software:

Download the Pamela software from www.pamela.biz. There is a free version that allows you to record 15 minutes of a call or for €19,95 you can get the professional version which lets you record incoming and outgoing calls made through Skype. This version also lets you take notes which will be saved with the call recording.

The Perfect Voicemail – Do you struggle leaving the perfect voicemail? Do you dry up and forget what to say just as the machine goes beep? One of the most amazing features of Pamela that very few people have ever thought of using in business is something they call the ‘Mega Emotion Sounds Player’. Essentially this allows you to play a pre-recorded sound at any point in the call.

Can you see where I am going with this?

Pre-record your most professional voicemail message and deliver it at the right time with a touch of one button.

How many call backs from keen prospects do you think that this can get you?

Outlook and Business Contact Manager Integration:

A more complete solution that integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Business Contact Manager is Skylook (www.skylook.biz) which also uses Skype as its line carrier. It is a free download which can be upgraded for €99.95.

The skylook toolbar integrates seamlessly into Outlook and lets you dial directly from any contact record. This is an amazing piece of software that will automatically record inbound and outbound calls and then place the recording in a file in your outlook folders. You can link the recordings with your clients or prospective clients for easy retrieval.

The difference that makes the difference in sales is practice. Practice listening to your telephone calls and note how you came across.  Did you ask the right questions at the right time? Did you miss that buying signal?  Were you overly verbose in describing your value statement?

If you use some of these tools to develop your telephone sales skills then you are guaranteed to increase your sales success.

Note: Please consult the regulations in your country on the rules governing recording of telephone calls.

Peter O’Donoghue is s the Director of Sales DNA who help Business To Business Sales Professionals increasesales profitability with Sales Training and Telesales Training.  Sales DNA work with clients in Europe and Worldwide through their Online Sales Training.  Visit his blog at  www.salesdnaltd.com/blog.