Are you a telesales professional looking to improve your performance? Maybe you're on the lookout for a new job and think honing your skills will help you land a better position? Whatever your situation, our top telesales techniques might be able to help.

Know who you're speaking to
Telesales is always a lot easier if you know who you're going to be speaking too before making a call. This way you'll sound more personal rather than simply coming across as yet another cold-caller. You may also be armed with some information that can help you close the deal. 

Putting in the time to research your targets before you pick up the phone is nearly always worthwhile. It's also important to have a clear idea of your goals before you start a call, if you're not clear on what you're trying to achieve, you're much more likely to fail.

Know your script 
Most organisations have a telesales script for a reason and it's important that you know this inside out. Fail to do so and you may well miss out important information that could prove costly in the future.

But sound unscripted
Knowing your script is vital, but the best telesales professionals are able to do so while sounding unscripted. This is very important because it allows you to sound far more natural and engaging. Most people are automatically suspicious of being sold something over the phone and this feeling only intensifies when it sounds like someone is simply reciting a script. 

Leading telesales professionals are able to deviate from their script when necessary, but then bring the conversation back on track at key stages. This flexibility can often make all the difference. 

Patience is a virtue
If there's one skill telesales professionals can't do without, it's patience. Rejection is simply a part of the job and only those telesales who can shrug this off and preserve will thrive in this industry. If a lead is a non-starter, don't get disheartened, just move on to the next one. The best telesales professionals can stay positive and enthusiastic in the face of adversity. 

This positivity should come across in the way you speak. Focus your efforts on the benefits of the product or service you are offering rather than simply listing its features.

Ask questions
Telesales professionals need to be good talkers, but being a good listener is also very important. The best way to utilise your listening skills is to ask questions, this could provide you with some useful information, but also helps to add a nice personal touch to your call. Asking questions makes a sales call into a conversation and this is the best way to break down the suspicion and mistrust a potential customer may have.