One of the greatest tools made available to sales people over the years is the telephone call. In this blog we will discover what the sales call structure looks like and how you can use it.
Sure, we all know the debates in recent years as to whether or not sales calls are still effective in modern times; especially now we have other tools available to us such as emails, social media and video calling etc. However, what has soon come to light is that the telephone call still has much value than it always has. And in fact, some would argue that it is far more valuable now; simply because calling someone seems to be so different that it can help a sales person stand out from the crowd.
I often get asked: “Mark, how do I structure a sales call?” And it is a questions I LOVE to answer, simply because I am so passionate about the telephone. Now, there are quite a few answers to this questions depending on how you are utilising the telephone; whether it’s a cold call, to follow up with a proposal, or to look to close a sales. In this short article, I want to share with you my ideal sales call structure for a cold call. However, that being said, you can utilise this structure for many of the other types of phone calls available with some minor tweaking.
Put these five tips to work, and I guarantee you will get better results over the telephone call. If of course you would like further support with your sales process or your strategies, be sure to use our contact details on this page, and our team would love to chat with you to understand how we can help.
First impressions count, and you aren’t going to get very far if you do not introduce yourself well. Of course, the introduction phase opens up more questions on how to win over the gatekeeper etc, and I have written an article dedicated to this – be sure to find it in our blog archive.
In a nutshell, be welcoming, warm, friendly, and look to develop rapport with whomever picks up the phone; for all you know, you could be asking the decision maker, or perhaps someone involved in the decision making.
Question, question, question
When you get a sales call, do you like to be pitched to straight away? No, of course you don’t. And neither does your prospect. It is very important at this stage that you set up some simple questions that will dig out your prospects’ pain points and will help you uncover exactly what they need.
Pitch
Now you have asked your questions, you can tailor your short pitch (you don’t want to bore anyone at this stage), around the prospects’ pain points. There is no point pitching the benefits of your cost saving abilities if your prospect is more worried about saving time etc. Remember, tailor the pitch, and keep it short and sweet.
Manage objections
There is no doubt you are going to hear some objections from your prospect here, and if you have done your homework, you will be ready for these and have statements to counter these straight away. Handle these with empathy.
Next Steps
There is no point in making a call unless you know, and are willing, to encourage your prospect to take the next steps in the sales making process. This could be to gather an email, to set up an appointment, or to actually sell something. Be sure to make the next steps, and encourage your prospect to join you in those next steps.
Get in touch for more tips and advice on cold calling and sales calls.
