If you close sales or do sales presentations over the phone, then you might be wondering what the best way to open the closing call is. Inside sales, as you may know, offers lots of advantages, one of them being that you can use a sales script that is proven and effective. Obviously, you want to memorize and internalize the script, so you don’t sound like a robot, but once you do, you’ll be able to deliver a consistent sales presentation, or closing call, over and over again.

And this brings us to today’s sales blog: what is the best-practice opening for your sales presentation or closing call? To answer this, let first look at what not to do:

Believe it or not, many sales reps open their sales presentation or closing calls with this weak opening:

“Oh hi, this is _______ _______ with _________, and we had an appointment right now to go over the presentation. Is this still a good time for you?”

Now I know that it seems polite to check in with your prospect before just launching into your presentation (which you’d never want to do anyway) but giving them an out right at the beginning isn’t the way to go. Don’t worry-once you use the opening below, if they don’t have the time, they will let you know.

Before we get to the openings, let me remind you that you’ll first want to get a feel for how they are doing, and you’ll want to build a little rapport. You can use either of the following (or use your favorite opening that works well for you now):

“How is your Wednesday going so far?” or

“How’s your morning going?”

Either of these is better than the old and tired, “How are you today?”

By the way, once you do ask how they are, make sure and listen and react accordingly! Listen for how they sound-are they in a rush? Happy or upset to hear from you? Open and willing?

Use this feedback to adjust the pacing of your presentation. Also, make sure and respond and interact with them here. If they ask you how you’re doing, make sure and acknowledge this and thank them for asking you. And don’t be so quick here to jump into your pitch. Take a minute or two and connect.

After you do this, use an opening that is assumptive and shows that you’re excited to meet with them today. Try either of these sales opening lines:

“_________, I’ve been looking forward to speaking with you today because I have some updates that you’ll be interested in. I’m sure you’re in front of a computer, so do me a favor and go to… “

OR

“I’ve been looking forward to speaking with you today. I’m sure you’ve gone through the (email/website/information) I sent you and you probably have a few questions. What did you want to ask me before we get started?”

This last presentation opening is powerful because it immediately gets your prospect to reveal what questions they have, how interested they are (you’ll know by the quality of their questions), and it gives them a chance to interact with you. This is much better than having you just pitch at them and do a features and benefits dump.

If you think these closes or presentation opening statements are too basic or won’t work, then think again. Compare them with what you’re using now and commit to trying them for week. You’ll be surprised how much easier your closing calls and sales presentations will go.

As you’ll see, the more prepared you are for your sales presentations and closes you are, the more confident and successful you’ll be.

There is no sweeter gift than a Valentine’s Chocolate! It has already been confirmed by many couples that it is the Valentine’s chocolate that turns the mood from romantic to sensual. Once the taste buds of the tongue sense the sweetness of the chocolate melting inside the mouth, it sends signals to the brain.

The brain, not only processes the information and identifies it as chocolate, but would also try to locate those happy romantic memories you had with the one who gave you that chocolate. Thus, when eating chocolate, you cannot help but smile and remember those happy times. Furthermore, this is the very reason why many people lavishly eat chocolate when they get depressed.

Chocolate is one of the sought after presents for Valentine’s Day. The giving of chocolate as gift can be traced back even to the days of the Aztecs. The Aztecs believed that in chocolate, they could obtain spiritual wisdom, superb energy and highly increased sexual performance. They usually served chocolate at wedding ceremonies.

Because they did not have the knowledge about the making of chocolate in those days, they served cocoa as a drink. It has been said that the Emperor Montezuma was greatly addicted to it, and that he lavishly consumed the drink everyday. According to the accounts of the Spanish explorer Cortes, chocolate is a “divine drink” that builds up resistance to combat fatigue, enabling you to walk the whole day without food- just chocolate.

Since the earliest times, chocolate has been believed to be a substance of power that generates vitality. Even the scientific name of the plant – Theobroma Cacao is Greek for “food of the gods”.

The establishment of Valentine’s Day in 496 A.D. by Pope Galasius I, the 14th day of every February served as the specific day when lovers express their love for one another. This has been traditionally expressed through giving romantic gifts to one another. Hence, the need for Valentine chocolate began. There has been an ever increasing need for Valentine’s chocolate in the market. As the demand increases, the production of most quality Valentine’s chocolate has been in an ever competitive way. They get better and better each year. They vary from taste, texture, color, smell, shape, and even presentation. Most Valentine’s chocolates come to you inside fancy, mostly heart-shaped boxes.

Chocolate induces in us the feelings of passion, romance, and love. That is why it is greatly loved by women. In fact, in a study conducted on the attitude of women toward chocolate and why women need chocolate, 97% of women reported cravings. While the 50% of the women would prefer chocolate over sex, 22% prefer chocolate to set the mood.

This Valentine’s day, as I always do every year, I am going to order the most mouth-watering, lusciously made Valentine’s chocolate for my beloved. I just cannot wait to see how pleased she will get when I deliver to her the very yummy Valentine’s chocolate, stylishly arranged inside a beautifully crafted heart-shaped box. To make it more romantic I may just hide a piece of jewelry inside the box of chocolate. I just cannot help but imagine how sensual the scenes that follow will get. Valentine’s chocolate is just simply amazing!

When you are swamped with debt finding the right tool to get relief isn’t always easy. Once you do find an option you feel suits your financial needs, executing it can be even more stressful. One common debt management path people choose is debt negotiation. Negotiating with creditors is no easy task and many people find the process to be frustrating. However, there are a few ways to ensure you approach debt negotiations the right way and hopefully maximize your chances of successfully obtaining a deal.

Communication

Whether negotiating with the IRS or a credit card company, it is important to remember that they hold most of the power to negotiate. After all, your debts are your responsibility and a creditor is not legally obligated to negotiate with you. This is not to say that you have little power of influence. The most important aspect of debt negotiation is open communication. You need to maintain a consistent line of communication throughout the process in order to better navigate a deal. It is best to try and work with one person directly during the process, which means that you need to get their name and direct contact phone number. You have a far better chance of success when letting only one person handle your account.

Another important aspect of communication is your tone. Never be abusive or threatening with a creditor when trying to negotiate. Even if the creditor appears stubborn or unwilling to help, it is important that you keep your cool. It isn’t uncommon for one person to write a note in your account stating the nature of a conversation for other people within the company to see. If you attempt to speak with someone higher up after you have lost your temper, you may find just as much resistance as before. Remember that staying calm and offering a pleasant tone of voice is your best ally.

When attempting to negotiate a repayment plan with your creditor it is important that you are honest about your situation. You need to paint a picture of your financial situation to demonstrate your need for assistance with your debts. There is no need for extremely personal information or explanations, but it is important to explain why you cannot meet your debt payments as expected. If you have lost your job or suffered a medical illness, offer to provide documentation to the creditor to demonstrate your unexpected circumstances.

Proposal

A great tool that many people forget about in debt negotiations is to prepare a proposal before you talk with the creditor. Organize your finances and determine how much you can realistically pay each creditor per month. Write a letter explaining your financial situation and the proposed payment plan that suits your budget. You may also find better success if you offer to have your payments automatically drafted out of your account each month. Creditors appreciate such organization and dedication to debt payments, which will win you favor in their eyes.