{"id":6785,"date":"2016-12-15T17:17:31","date_gmt":"2016-12-15T17:17:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gosquared.com\/blog\/?p=6785"},"modified":"2019-11-28T11:21:04","modified_gmt":"2019-11-28T11:21:04","slug":"live-chat-for-sales","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gosquared.com\/blog\/live-chat-for-sales","title":{"rendered":"How the smartest sales teams use live chat to close more deals"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Using<\/p>\n

Whether you\u2019re an online business or not, the traditional way of selling has changed. The methods we use to communicate have shifted and that has impacted the way we can deal with prospects.<\/p>\n

How do you apply conventional sales techniques, usually applied to in-person or telephone communications, to a prospect that is behind a computer on the other side of the world (or let\u2019s face it just doesn\u2019t answer the phone?).<\/p>\n

The way customers communicate has changed<\/h2>\n

To start, look at your prospect\u2019s habits and the way they communicate now.<\/p>\n

A report published by the telecom network O2<\/a> showed that, as individuals, we\u2019re spending almost twice as much time on our mobile phones messaging and sending emails (21 minutes), than we do making calls (12 minutes) each day.<\/p>\n

Specifically in the workplace, calls are becoming less prevalent with major companies like JP Morgan and Coca Cola deciding to ditch their voice mail systems<\/a> altogether. Their executives say that most workers, particularly those under 40, have long relied on email, text messaging, instant messaging, or social media to communicate. With millennials continuing to drive this shift in the way we communicate at work, it’s a trend that can only be expected to increase.<\/p>\n

The way businesses communicate with customers needs to change<\/h2>\n

As sales professionals, we can chase the diminishing time our prospects are spending in these channels or we can choose to optimise the way we communicate with them in their preferred channels.<\/p>\n

As an online business, one of the best ways to do this is by adding a live chat tool<\/a> to your website. This not only gives you a channel that your prospects are comfortable communicating in, but also puts you on the shop floor of your online business. Using email as a sales tool won\u2019t be a new concept to anyone, but defining a purpose for it, when using it in conjunction with your live chat tool, will allow you to start to build and optimise a more effective sale process.<\/p>\n

\"How<\/p>\n

Live chat should be used at the earliest part of your sales process, as soon as possible. When a user lands on your site and decides to engage with you, take every opportunity you can to do so. As a sales tool, live chat should be used primarily to listen.<\/p>\n

Try to use short, open-ended questions when first starting to talk to a customer through live chat. Questions such as \u201cwhat attracted you to our website?\u201d or \u201cwhat were you hoping to use our software for?”.<\/p>\n

Key tips for communicating effectively with live chat<\/h2>\n