Opening the conversation
The person you are speaking to is already thinking about their next appointment.
All training
Essential Academy · Service & sales
Make an impact on the phone. Without the hard sell.
Understand needs, communicate professionally and turn calls into real customer conversations – without sales pressure or scripted phrases.
2 training daysUp to 12 participantsReal callsService & sales
Who is this training for?
For service and sales teams who support customers on the phone, recognise opportunities and want to make their sales conversations count.
Does any of this sound familiar?
Illustrative examples from everyday conversations.
Understanding needs
Plenty of explaining, but too few questions.
Handling objections
“Not interested” ends the conversation before the real need is understood.
Closing the conversation
The conversation was friendly, but there is no useful next step.
Understand needs. Communicate professionally.
Communicate confidently
Address fears about making calls. Practise greetings, introductions and communication that reflect your company’s identity.
Recognise needs
Use good questions to understand the customer’s concern and the real challenge. Identify suitable cross-selling and up-selling opportunities.
Clarify objections
Handle questions, reservations and resistance confidently and respectfully.
Do not sell for the sake of selling.
First find out what the customer really needs. Then offer a suitable solution – or consciously choose not to.
Training outcomes
What focused telephone training can achieve.
Banking
Appointment rate
Before 11 %
After 56 %
Mechanical engineering
Appointment rate
Before 9 %
After 36 %
Telecommunications
Appointment rate
Before approx. 11 %
After 46 %
Apprentice training
Appointment rate
Achieved 86 %
Experience figures supplied by Essential from individual training projects. Results depend on the context and do not guarantee future outcomes.
Source: Essential Business Excellence GmbH
Practice comes first
Real practice, not endless role play.
Participants make real calls, put what they have learned into practice and reflect on their experiences together. They develop concrete ways to improve their next conversations.
- 01Prepare
- 02Make calls
- 03Reflect
- 04Improve
Real calls are organised with due regard for legal requirements. Unlawful cold calling and unauthorised call recordings are not part of the training.
Two days. Understand, practise and make real calls.
Focused training with conversation exercises, direct feedback and real-world practice.
Opening the conversation
Greetings, introductions and conversation structure that reflect your corporate identity.
Needs & value
Listen, ask focused questions and identify problems and possible solutions.
Handling objections
Understand objections, respond appropriately and clarify next steps.
Practical calls
Real calls with preparation, reflection and individual feedback.
Cross-selling and up-selling
Identify suitable complementary offers and higher-value solutions during conversations and offer them based on customer needs – without sales pressure.
Build confidence on the phone
Address fears and hesitation about making calls and build confidence through preparation, practice and feedback.
Day 1
Practise conversation structure, mindset and techniques.
Day 2
Apply your learning, make real customer calls and reflect on the results.
Telephone quick check
Where do your telephone conversations lose impact?
In less than two minutes, discover where a closer look could help.
No personal details. Answers stay on this page and are neither stored nor sent.
Your guidance
Your focus is opening the conversation. Telephone training can use specific situations to practise an introduction that reflects your brand and a clear start to the conversation.
Your focus is understanding needs. Telephone training can use specific conversations to practise focused questions and active listening.
Your focus is handling objections. Telephone training can help you understand objections and develop constructive responses without pressure.
Your focus is closing the conversation. Telephone training can use specific situations to practise useful next steps and clear agreements.
- Your team
- Your goal
- Current training
How this guidance works: question 1 determines the focus. Your team, improvement goal and current training frequency from questions 2–4 are shown as additional context. There is no score or benchmark.
Your two-day training
For service and sales teams who support customers on the phone, recognise opportunities and want to make their sales conversations count.
- Duration
- 2 days
- Participants
- Up to 12
- Total price (excl. VAT)
- €3,660
The total price covers two training days for up to 12 participants. All prices exclude VAT. We clarify location, travel costs and included services in a personal conversation.
Training that makes its way into everyday work.
24 years of consulting and training experience, according to Essential’s company profile. We connect practical skills development with an understanding of your business challenges.
Training and consulting
Skills development goes hand in hand with a view of your processes.
Your needs come first
Real challenges set the direction.
Build lasting skills
Reflection and development support application at work.
Business value
Clarity and practical implementation with the aim of improving performance.
Next step: define your training focus
Let us explore where your service or sales team could start.
