Critical TeleSelling® Skills

Learn how to engage modern customers over the phone by becoming a “Trusted Advisor” and mastering skills to handle the most challenging over-the-phone sales scenarios.

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Ring Up Better Sales With Critical TeleSelling Skills.

Telesales in today’s market isn’t easy. Buyers are sophisticated and often wary of telesales professionals. That’s why you need Critical TeleSelling Skills.

Critical TeleSelling Skills is a proven sales methodology that teaches sales professionals who sell over the phone, how to establish connections, build relationships and trust, close confidently, create value in their offerings, and dramatically improve their sales effectiveness with modern customers.

Telephone Sales Training Modules

Learning how to sell on the phone requires a different skill set than selling in person. Without visual cues or body language to rely on, telesales professionals must use voice control, active listening and strategic phrasing to build trust quickly. The Critical TeleSelling Skills program addresses these challenges through five targeted modules with phone sales tips for remote selling.

Opening

First impressions on the phone happen in seconds, making your opening critical to the success of the entire call. This module focuses on crafting a legitimate purpose statement (LPS) that immediately communicates value and captures the customer’s attention, even during cold calls. You’ll develop vocal presence through cold calling training to project confidence and professionalism, while choosing words carefully to create an instant connection with prospects who can’t see your face or read your body language.

Discovering

Phone conversations require sharper listening skills, especially since you’re working without visual feedback from the customer. This module trains you to ask targeted questions that quickly get to the heart of what matters most. You’ll learn how to pick up on verbal cues, adjust your approach based on the customer’s responses and resolve their pain points without disrupting the natural flow of conversation.


The module also tackles early price objections and teaches you how to redirect focus back to the customer’s other priorities.

Presenting

Delivering a compelling pitch over the phone requires clarity and precision. Without PowerPoint slides, image attachments or PDFs to complement your message, every word counts. This module helps you develop effective presentations that tie directly back to what you uncovered during discovery.


You’ll practice using vocal emphasis and strategic pauses to highlight important points and give customers time to process information. The module also covers how to utilize customer testimonials and field questions about other options they’re considering while keeping the conversation moving forward.

Closing

Remote selling environments make it harder to read buying signals, making timing the closing especially crucial. This module trains you to listen for verbal cues that indicate a customer is ready to commit and guides you through confirming the next steps.


You’ll explore the consequences of asking for commitment too soon or waiting too long, along with techniques for summarizing value in a way that reinforces the customer’s decision. The module concludes with best practices for requesting referrals and maintaining open doors for future opportunities.

Objections

Without facial expressions and body language to guide you, handling objections over the phone requires patience and careful listening. This module helps you reframe an objection as a request for more information rather than an outright rejection. You’ll work through a systematic strategy that validates the customer’s concern, uncovers what’s really driving their hesitation, responds with relevant details and ensures the issues have been resolved.


The module also prepares you for common telesales objections and teaches you to recognize when a doubt or hesitation signals an opportunity to strengthen the relationship.

Key Benefits of Critical TeleSelling Skills

After completing this program, your sales team will be able to:

  • Gain the skills and confidence to expertly handle both outbound and inbound calls to create a positive sales interaction
  • Quickly create connections and build trust with customers – using a consultative approach
  • Build stronger, longer-lasting customer relationships by adding value to the sales interaction
  • Achieve the coveted status of “Trusted Advisor” and exceed customer expectations
  • Win more business by quickly uncovering what is most important to the customer and persuasively presenting the right solution(s)
  • Reduce and overcome objections from customers by adopting a proven approach

Program Objectives of Critical TeleSelling Skills

Program objectives include:

  • Determine the difference between a typical sales professional and a “Trusted Advisor”
  • Confidently open sales calls, create rapport, engage the customer, and set a positive tone for the sales interaction
  • Utilize a focused questioning methodology to thoroughly uncover customer needs and dig deeper in the sales discussion
  • Demonstrate effective vocal presence and utilize active listening skills to maintain customer engagement over the phone
  • Present solutions specifically tailored to customer needs – using a three-step framework to increase customer buy-in
  • Use a four-step closing process that leverages the momentum of the sales interaction to seamlessly move the process forward and win the sale
  • Handle objections using a four-step methodology designed to uncover and address the customer’s true concern while maintaining trust and credibility as a “Trusted Advisor”

Elements of Effective Telephone Sales Training

The best telemarketing sales training programs include several facets.

Janek offers in-person and online corporate sales training. Speak to a rep today!

Hear What Our Clients Say About Us

“Many companies out there just pull a training off the shelf that may not relate directly to their company. But in working with Janek Performance Group, they provided us with the customization, and the follow-through made a huge difference within our organization.”

Lisa Pearne, VP of Sales
California Casualty

“My expectations with working with Janek has been exceeded. I’ve been really happy with the partnership and it’s great to have them in my corner.”

Bret Nelson, Director of Sales Strategy
IHS Markit

Supporting Services

Leverage the full scope of Janek’s solutions to drive immediate and long-term results. Contact us to learn more about these services.

Customization

Let us adapt this program for your team’s specific needs, industry, vocabulary, and culture.

Reinforcement

Take advantage of our turnkey and hands-on training reinforcement solutions.

Measurement

Validate training effectiveness in terms of performance improvement, business results, and ROI.

Jenius CC

Equip your sales team with an AI-powered platform for continuous coaching and development.

Critical Teleselling Skills

Download the Brochure

More information about the Critical TeleSelling Skills program is available in this downloadable PDF.

Critical TeleSelling® Skills FAQ

What type of ROI should we expect from Critical TeleSelling® Skills?

Janek’s entire suite of sales training services resulted in an average ROI of 1188% during 2023. Our Critical TeleSelling program is ideal for any sales organization looking to boost its telemarketing and sales skills to sell over the phone.

What does “research based” mean in the context of Critical Selling® Skills? How often is it modernized?

Critical TeleSelling Skills is a proven, field-tested phone sales training program that imparts all the skills necessary to succeed in modern-day telesales environments.

My team is selling mostly over video calls. Is Critical TeleSelling® Skills right for them?

Absolutely. Whether your sales team is operating over video calls or using traditional telephones sales, Critical TeleSelling is invaluable. Telephone skills are universally applicable across every aspect of the sales process including video calls.

How does Critical TeleSelling® Skills differ from Selling Virtually™? Why choose one over the other?

Critical TeleSelling provides your sales organization with a consistent, repeatable framework alongside specific skills that train your team how to perform best when selling over the phone. Selling Virtually is an enhancement to any sales methodology and focuses more heavily on the skills necessary to engage and succeed in a virtual, digital ecosystem.

How will this course benefit our team of telemarketing sales professionals?

Effective telesales skills come from data-backed and field-proven sales training programs. Janek’s Critical TeleSelling skills framework has been developed based on industry research to provide your telesales team with the sales skills they need to succeed when selling over the telephone.

What are the characteristics of successful telephone / call center sales professionals?

Examples of telesales skills that deliver reliable results include:

  • Solid vocal skills: Unlike other types of sales, telephone professionals cannot utilize visual aids during presentations. They must speak in a clear voice while controlling tone and volume.
  • Active listening: Since salespeople cannot view and interpret nonverbal cues like facial expressions and body language, they must listen carefully to every word to ensure they understand the prospect’s needs.
  • Persuasion: Selling over the phone can be more challenging than other methods. Salespeople must master the art of using their voice, extensive product knowledge and excellent presentation skills to guide prospects through the buying journey and close the deal.
  • Flexibility: Telesales professionals typically speak with dozens of people during their shifts. They must be adaptive to various personalities and situations.
  • Technical aptitude: In today’s technologically advanced call centers, salespeople must learn how to utilize Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software and high-tech telephony systems, which typically require additional telesales training.
  • Analytical skills: Telesales professionals need to analyze sales and call data to determine their effectiveness and uncover performance improvement opportunities.