Sales & Customer Growth
For many Indian small businesses, the sales counter is a phone
Customers message on WhatsApp at all hours, ask for prices on a call and expect a quick reply. Handled well, these channels are a very good way to sell. Handled badly, they feel like spam. This session covers replying quickly and clearly, setting up the business tools sensibly, writing messages people actually read and respecting a customer's choice about being contacted.
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Speed and manners decide a lot on these channels.
A customer who messages three businesses will often go with the one that answers first and clearly. But a business that sends the same offer to everyone in its phone book, or that keeps messaging people who have stopped replying, quickly gets muted, blocked or reported.
There are also rules. WhatsApp has its own policy for businesses, and telecom regulations cover commercial calls and messages. The details change, so this session treats them as a reason to ask permission and keep a record, and tells participants where to check current rules for their own situation. It is not legal advice.
What the session covers
34 topics across 6 areas. Six parts for the two channels most small businesses depend on.
The First ReplyThe first minute matters.5
- A greeting that names the business and offers help
- Asking one question to find the need
- Setting honest expectations on reply time
- Voice notes and when they help or hurt
- Handling messages outside working hours
A short reply now beats a perfect reply tomorrow, as long as it is accurate.
Setting Up the Business ToolsBasics that save time.6
Features and limits differ between the free business app and the paid platform, and they change. Participants are shown where to check the current options.
- Using a business profile with correct name, address, hours and description
- A catalogue of the main products or services with prices where useful
- Greeting and away messages
- Quick replies for common questions
- Labels to mark new, quoted, waiting and customer
- Keeping the business number separate from personal chats
Permission and CourtesyCustomers choose to hear from you.6
- Why you should only send offers to people who have agreed to receive them
- Simple ways to ask: at billing, at the counter, in the first chat
- Keeping a note of when and how someone agreed
- Honouring a request to stop, straight away
- Why adding people to groups without asking is a bad idea
- Where to check WhatsApp's business policy and the current rules on commercial calls and messages
Treat "may I send you updates about this?" as a normal part of serving a customer.
Writing Messages People ReadShort, specific, easy to answer.6
- One message, one purpose
- Putting the key information in the first line
- Clear price, availability and next step
- Photos, catalogues and documents used well
- A tone that sounds like a person, not a circular
- Checking before sending: right person, right file, right price
On the PhoneCalls still close sales.6
- Preparing for a call in two minutes
- Opening, asking questions and noting answers
- Following a call with a written summary on WhatsApp
- Calling at sensible hours and asking if it is a good time
- Handling a customer who is rude or in a hurry
- Missed calls: returning them and recording them
Staying Organised and SafeSo nothing falls through.5
- Who handles the number when several staff use it
- Not sharing customer details outside the business
- Being careful with links, payment requests and impersonation
- Protecting the account with the available security settings
- A weekly look at unanswered chats and missed calls
What participants leave with
- A set of saved replies for their five most common questions
- A permission question they are comfortable using
- A short phone-call routine
- A weekly checklist for open chats and missed calls
- A list of where to check current WhatsApp and telecom rules
What this session is not
- Legal advice on messaging or telemarketing regulations
- Training in bulk messaging or automation tools
- A way to message customers who have not agreed to hear from you
- A recommendation of any particular software provider
Who teaches it
- Sales practitioners experienced in phone and chat sales
- Small-business owners who run their business largely on WhatsApp
- Customer-service practitioners
- Digital-marketing practitioners who work with small businesses
How the session runs
Two to three hours, with each participant using their own phone. The practitioner demonstrates a poor and a better version of the same first reply, then participants set up or review their business profile, write their saved replies and practise a phone call in pairs. The session ends with a discussion of permission, opt-outs and where to read the current rules.
What your students leave with
- A clear, friendly way to reply to a first WhatsApp message or call
- Saved replies and a catalogue set up sensibly for their business
- Messages that are short, specific and easy to answer
- A habit of asking permission before sending offers or updates
- A simple way to handle opt-outs, blocks and complaints
- A phone-call routine for quotes, follow-ups and difficult calls
Scheduled sessions
Nothing scheduled yet
Sessions are arranged with a college once a date is agreed. Ask us and we will find the right person for it.
A student rather than a college? See what is coming up, or ask your placement team to host this.
Reply quickly, ask permission and respect the answer.
Tell us who your students are and what stage they are at. Sessions are free for participants.