Sales calls are an essential part of the sales process and there are various ways they can be improved. The science behind a sales call can be easily compared to sport, with elite performers wanting to win everything in sight, and elite sales people equally want to break their sales records.
Like a top sports star, you will need to plan your tactics ahead of the big moment. A sales professional will “get in the zone” to ensure they aren’t negative when approaching potentially difficult sales pitches. Your prospects, leads and customers are important to successful sales and you must find a way to win.
By following these five tips, you can improve your sales calls, and end up closing more deals.
1. Start the call in style
You should never start your call by heading straight into the sales pitch. The prospect on the other end of the line will probably put the phone down if you do. You have to engage with the lead you want them to buy from you. Customers are more likely to buy from someone they have built a relationship with, and importantly, formed a bond.
In your conversation, you should avoid talking about negative topics like the bad weather or problems with traffic. Think about the positive things, like what their weekend plans are, mention sports or a popular show on TV and see if that piques their interest. Find something that engages them and you can both relate to. This way, a prospect will more likely hear you out.
2. Get rid of the script
Sales scripts can be helpful, as they lay out exactly what you need to say, and how you want to say it. It’s also a great for keeping to an intended sales strategy, and showing new employees how to approach their own sales calls.
The issue with scripted sales calls is that you sound robotic. With robotic sales pitches, you start to sound fake, and prospects will not buy from a fake-sounding sales pitch.
Your audience isn’t stupid, they can tell the difference between a real conversation and an over-rehearsed one. An in-sincere conversation will lose sales, so don’t lock yourself into the same routine. Evolve and innovate your conversations until it come across as sincere and completely improvised – even though it isn’t.
3. Set your agenda
As a salesperson, there is a lot of planning involved with everyday tasks. The same thought process should be applied to your sales calls. You are the boss of the sales pitch, so always make it clear to the client your complete agenda, and ensure it is okay with them to proceed. This technique allows you to keep track of achievements within the call, as well as allowing the customer to feel in control.
After the call, analyse the structure of your call, and ask yourself “did that work?”, “What went well?” and “did the client appreciate the structure?” You should always be looking to improve every element of your sales call.
4. Give yourself goals
You should always have sales goals set daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly within your sales team. With these goals in place, the motivation will always be there to make your call as best as possible.
When a sale goes through on a call, you should be able to monitor your progress and achievements in order to make sure what you are doing is working. Going into a sales call lacking a purpose (in this case, a goal) is only going to lead to a negative outcome. With passion for your job and product or service, your goals will be met. Is there competition between the different sales reps and teams? If so, this will always inspire individual improvement for when you next pick up the phone.
5. Use a CRM to support your sales call
Using Customer Relationship Management software (CRM) can make life easier for sales teams and your calls. Software such as Salesforce can give you up-to-the-minute sales data, which allows you to see how to target your potential clients, and importantly, how you can convert them.
You can also see which clients do not prefer a phone call as a sales pitch, as you don’t want to waste your time or theirs. CRM helps personalise their sales journey, starting with the call to the conversion. Potential customers are likely to buy from you if they feel they have been treated as an individual, rather than just another potential lead.
With these five calling tips, your sales calls will evolve, and most importantly improve. While successful selling is a two-way interaction, it is down to you, the sales professional, to find different ways to meet those all important sales quotas.
Purus and Salesforce CRM
Purus offer Salesforce development and implementation services for customers for any industry. We believe in how it can help your sales teams further their sales techniques for greater conversion rates. Get in touch to find out how we can help improve your sales.