In business, making a good first impression is key to everything, from sending a follow-up email or writing your LinkedIn status.
Today, we’re talking about the sales process and how to make effective sales calls.
Many sales reps don’t exactly love the idea of a cold call.
Not only are consumers often annoyed by this type of marketing, but it’s also one of the most challenging methods. Finding leads is part of the sales cycle (a basic-seven step template for making successful sales calls).
Nonetheless, cold calling remains an effective strategy for connecting with potential customers. And if you want to take your game to the next level, it’s essential to put in the work. And you must come to each phone call with a fine-tuned strategy.
Below, Poised shows you how to do just that:
How Can You Improve Your Sales Calls?
You understand the importance of approaching your sales calls with a strategy. Now, let’s touch on some actionable steps you can take for effective cold calling:
Speak With Confidence
It’s common to get nervous or stressed out when cold calling. But you must go into each phone call confident if you want to generate more leads and build your customer base.
People tend to ramble when they’re nervous, so slowing down your speech rate can help you come across as confident. Also, develop a sales call script that aligns with your overall sales strategy: Tailor the script to make the person on the other end more likely to listen to what you have to say.
Another tactic to boost confidence is smiling while speaking on the phone. Even if the other person can’t see you, intentionally smiling can improve your mood and help you sound more confident. Before each call, take a sip of water and talk to yourself for a moment to warm up your voice.
Maintain the Right Amount of Eye Contact
If you’re conducting a video sales call, remember to keep eye contact with the other person. Eye contact is one of the most important forms of nonverbal communication for engaging your audience. Holding eye contact for several seconds at a time can show your listener that you’re engaged and believe in what you’re selling.
Avoid Filler Words When Talking
As with rambling, communicators often use filler words when they’re nervous. But these meaningless words and phrases can also suggest that you’re unprepared or don’t have a lot to say about the product or service you’re selling.
Fortunately, you can monitor your fillers and make improvements with each call. Use an AI-powered communication coach like Poised to track metrics like your filler word usage in real-time and analyze your long-term performance. Recording yourself can also reveal the fillers you use most and when you are most likely to use them.
Listen to Questions
Prospective customers are much more likely to listen to your sales pitch if you are “speaking with“ instead of “speaking to“ them. Talking at the other person is the fastest way to annoy them and miss your chance.
Plan to listen during your sales calls more than you talk. Listening is the surest method of building rapport because it shows that you value the other person and it allows you to learn about the prospect’s needs and concerns. Ask open-ended questions, and listen intently to the questions asked.
Be Prepared To Handle Objections
Sales professionals have their work cut out for them. Decision-making, customer outreach, and more may bring some new challenges to the table.
Don’t expect every prospect to follow along with your talking points and make a purchase decision, even if you have a stellar sales call script. Learn the art of objection handling. Many salespeople are so afraid of the word “no“ that they become discouraged and let it dictate their sales conversations.
Use the Right Tone of Voice
Your tone of voice will play a vital role in whether or not you land potential clients and close deals. Whether engaging in sales conversations or leaving a voicemail, make sure your tone of voice is friendly and confident.
The worst sales approach you can take is talking at a person as if they owe you something. Remember that you are trying to build trust, build rapport, and conduct better sales calls that ultimately benefit the entire sales team.
Your job is to convince the other person that your company‘s product or service can improve their lives; speak with potential customers in a manner that suggests you are helping them discover something great.
Make Your Discovery Calls on Video
A discovery call takes when a customer is interested in your product and has reached out to you to learn more. During this call, the host will ask qualifying questions to learn if the customer and the product might be a good match.
A potential customer is more prone to listen to your sales pitch when they see your face. Videos provide more opportunities to showcase the right tone of voice and nonverbal cues.
Make video calls a part of your sales strategy, even if they require more work to set up than calling people on the phone.
Get Personalized Feedback on Your Calls
Getting feedback on your sales calls is an effective way to identify how you need to improve. A communication coach like Poised provides personalized feedback in real-time so that your revenue team can make adjustments on the spot and close deals. Also, consider sending out surveys or including a survey at the end of the sales call process.
Use Poised for Better Sales Calls
If your sales team is looking to give your sales call process a boost, the cold calling tips above will do the trick. Remember to use Poised for tracking your revenue’s real-time presence and long-term performance. Prospective clients will not know you’re using it, and your sales calls will generate more leads and help your organization achieve its overarching goals.
Sources:
Unleash Your Confidence When Communicating | FM Magazine
Listening to Customers: 5 Practices To Build a More Resilient Company | Fast Company
15 Guidelines For Developing A Natural-Sounding Sales Language | Forbes
How to Master the 7 Stages of the Sales Cycle | The Balance Careers
