The availability of live chat on websites is continuing to revolutionize how website operators interact with leads on their websites. It has created an affordable and efficient way to interact with customers in real-time and to collect leads using a smart approach. However, the inability to follow up with leads in the right manner so that you can finally close the sale is stopping millions of website owners from getting the most from their live chat features. The good news, however, is that closing live chat leads is no different from closing leads from other sources. The art of follow ups remain, and with live chat, there is an added advantage that the leads are highly targeted, and all you have to do is polish your follow up and closing skills and you will be well on your way to making the live chat website feature work for your business. Here are a few tips worth bearing in mind.
Know when to call
A potential customer may have left their contact details, including their phone number during your chat session, but this does not give you permission to call whenever you feel like. It is not only courteous but also professional for you to make the call when it is most comfortable and convenient for them, even if it is not comfortable and convenient for you. The best approach would be to schedule the call with the potential customer. This can be arranged through an email, or simply a call or text to inquire when it would be best for you to call them.
Have a sales script before making the call
Successful closure of nearly all types of leads usually follow a very specific sales approach. There are many sales techniques you can use to close all the leads you collect using the live chat website. Before you call the lead or initiate a secondary contact, you must be sure that you have a script that you must commit to following throughout the follow-up call. Remember, the idea is to make the sale, so you should be careful not to engage in any unnecessary banter that might not lead to closing. As such, you must learn how to read the lead and take control of the conversation. Never make a follow-up call without a script to guide your dialogue. You will not only waste your time but more importantly, you may lose the lead.
Ensure the conversation is balanced
A good salesperson understands the importance of keeping a balanced conversation with the lead. If you talk too much, you may appear desperate, less professional and not interested in what the lead has to say about the information you are giving them or the questions you may be asking. Again, if you choose to listen and talk less, you may miss the opportunity to give all information and ask the necessary questions that may help you close the sale. To strike a balance, learn more about the client’s pain points and use that to formulate your value proposition so that you can keep the conversation balanced by making them interested, as you tell them how you can help them. Also ensure that before you ask your next question, give them a detailed answer about their previous questions and ask if they still need further clarification if the answer is not very clear to them.
Prepare yourself with the right information
A common mistake that most sales reps make when following up leads collected through a live chat service is to not categorize the type of lead. A potential lead could be looking at a different section of the website dealing in a specific type of product or service. Most of the chats will capture what the lead wanted and the kind of engagement they had with the chat operator before the lead left the website. It is important that when planning the follow-up call, your review of what might have been discussed during the initial contact, and know exactly how to move the conversation forward when you make the secondary contact. It is annoying to ask the lead where you left off during your previous conversation or to start asking them what they wanted when they had already expressed their interest during the initial contact.
Learn how to ask the right follow up questions
Follow up questions may not be featured in your script, but you will need to develop them in the course of your discourse with the lead. Based on the conversation, you will have a good idea of the questions you need to ask that will lead you closer to making the sale. Ensure that your questions are intelligent and relevant to what you are talking about. Take time to listen to the answers, never interrupting when the lead is still talking. But while you do all these, be careful not to entertain stupid questions and stupid answers from the lead. You can always decline politely without hurting their feelings.
Recap the call with a follow-up email
Once you hang up the phone, be sure to send a follow-up email to recap the call. In the email, highlight the major points you talked about and any other items you might have left out for a future call. The follow-up email should not be a word-for-word summary of the call you had, but to thank the lead for their time, and highlight the main talking points you discussed. You may also include the agreed date and time for the next follow up call. This is how you keep the conversation going until the next time you talk to one another.
