Sales are deals in which two or more parties exchange money for the buyer receiving tangible or intangible products, services, or assets.
Have you ever had sales talks that resulted in purchases in minutes?
All of these phone conversations—often referred to as sales calls—can assist you in increasing sales and conversions.
When it comes to setting up and completing deals, the phone is an effective and powerful tool. Conducting good sales calls can be crucial to your business, whether you’re contacting a new lead, making a cold call, or following up with a prospect.
Therefore, a sales call will play a crucial role in your accomplishment. You may create quality leads and spend considerably less time pitching new prospects if you know how to make sales calls efficiently.
The ability to conduct calls at any time or place is one of the major benefits of telephone sales.
However, you need to pay attention to tips and tricks that can enhance your calling strategy if you want to get the most out of your cold calls and necessary follow-ups.
Before we discuss phone sales tips, let’s breakdown and expatiate on phone sales.
What is Phone Sales
Phone sales are attempts to market a specific good or service to a prospect over the phone during the initial conversation. A salesperson conducts the procedure by speaking with potential client over the phone, promoting the good or service, and persuading them to purchase it.
These calls are typically started by the sellers, but they can also engage a salesperson to do so.
The salesperson is in charge of starting new calls and conversations with current clients in order to get their ideas and perspectives before inviting them to make extra purchases in the future.
Phone sales require two skills to be mastered:
First, your attitude or strategy toward the monotonous work of making phone sales every day.
Second, the particular actions you take each day to improve discussions and increase revenues.
Both of them are crucial, and they both need deliberate, proactive action to be improved upon.
Having known what phone sales mean, let’s analyze the steps involved in conducting sales calls to guarantee success.
What steps are involved in Conducting sales calls?
Every action has a supporting mechanism!
To conduct sales calls successfully, the salesperson goes through and adheres to a process.
The salesperson has a major advantage in increasing client happiness, which eventually boosts sales, by adhering to the systematic process.
Let’s look at the five-step procedure for making a sales call:
- Beginning phone calls
- Transmitting the pitch
- Asking inquiries
- Managing dissent
- Adding a call to action at the end
Beginning Phone Calls
This is the first step in conducting sales calls. The primary focus of the introduction is to talk to the prospect and get them through with the conversation.
Do make sure to practice the name, surname, and designation of the prospect before pitching anything.
Transmitting the pitch
The pitch is then shared with the prospect after the introduction and the call’s goal is stated.
Instead of attempting to sell to them or engage in a conversation right away, sell them on the purpose of the call.
Asking Inquiries
Once you’ve given the prospect your pitch and it appears that they’re interested in continuing the conversation, delve deeper and ask clarifying questions.
You can learn about a prospect’s conduct with probing questions.
Managing Dissent
A prospect can run into challenges, queries, and worries. The salesperson must consistently foresee these concerns and be able to successfully counter them.
It is advised to have the solutions ready in advance so that the salesperson may use them.
The salesperson should, however, also be prepared to handle complaints quickly.
Adding a Call to Action at the End
The sales call is very last and final stage is to conduct this. Every sales call should contain a call to action, which is an essential component of the sales process.
It might be as easy as setting up an appointment or asking for a connection time.
This will encourage the prospect to act during the call.
The five-step process has a sales call at the beginning and end.
You can adjust the steps according to the circumstance and reflect on the issues to extend and enhance.
Having known the steps in conducting quality sales call, it is important to know the best phone sales tips to help better sales calls. Aslo, check out B2B sales, SaaS sales and tech sales.
Best Telephone Sales Tips to Help Better sales calls effectively
In ensuring your sales results are a success, let’s look at 29 (twenty nine) out of many best phone sales tips and techniques to help you make the most of it and make productive sales calls. Below are a list to help better sales calls:
- Get ready in advance
- Work on your tone
- Talk with your body
- Continue to have faith and drive
- Self-record using voice recordings
- Know the perfect time frame to call
- Take regular pauses between each
- Create the talking points in advance
- Set your goal for calling
- Keep the discussion on all sides
- Do not press or pressure the potential client
- Investigate your lead’s rivals
- Ensure building connections as a priority
- Note down key information
- Keep a log of every calls made
- Make frequent telephone calls
- Establish a relaxing workspace
- Do not multitask
- Display your prior achievements
- Follow up with potential clients and prospects
- Ensure your introduction weighs
- Keep the discussion brief and worthwhile
- Provide complete details for your goods or services
- Stress and concentrate on energy
- Don’t be discouraged or disheartened
- Be ready to receive a voicemail
- Create anticipation for results
- For improved time management, use a script
- Learn when to close
1. Get Ready in Advance
You should get ready far in advance of the call before you begin. To conduct the call, you must be mentally ready and in the appropriate frame of mind.
You can utilize the talking points and scripts.
Before the call, make an effort to relax and become comfortable.
2. Work on Your Tone
You should sound calm and at ease while on the phone, but you should also present a professional image each time.
Instead of assuming you are contacting a friend or relative, you are attempting to reach out to someone about your good or service. This sort of tone will make you sound fake.
Therefore, practice will help you integrate both your voice and yourself.
Pay close attention to the tone of the response and make a note of any areas that could want better.
3. Talk with Your Body
We communicate a lot of information through our body language when we speak.
You might believe that because the other person can’t see you when we use gestures over the phone, it doesn’t matter as much.
Contrarily, using your hands actually causes more facial expressions, which expands your voice range.
This makes you sound more assured while supporting your point of view.
Talking and gesticulating while trying to sell over the phone helps yield better conversations.
Free up your hands, keep them away from the keyboard and other distractions by using a headset.
4. Continue to Have Faith and Dive
For sales calls, maintaining confidence and motivation is essential. Through consistent practice and attending many of call sessions, you need to keep becoming better and increasing your confidence.
Practice gives you the self-assurance and drive to do your homework.
You can get ready for any scenario and react appropriately.
5. Self-record Using Voice Recordings
Because you can’t rely on body language or facial emotions to back your messaging or attempts to connect, phone sales conversations are unusual.
Try recording yourself with an audio recorder to improve the clarity of your vocal tone.
You are free to listen as often as you like. To get a second view on how compelling and well-organized you sound, present to a coworker.
Practice until your delivery sounds and feels natural.
It will aid in the comprehension of your pain points and open the door to future development.
The best introspection is, after all, self-introspection.
You’re more likely to put customers at ease and build a strong rapport when you utilize your voice to express confidence, warmth, and professionalism.
Mike Weinberg, a sales expert and best-selling author, advises doing away with the “sales voice” altogether.
6. Know the perfect time frame to call
Researchers have come up with a statistical analysis stating that the ideal time for a cold call is on a Wednesday or Thursday between 4 PM and 5 PM (in your prospect’s region). Even while you might not be able to fit all of your cold calling into two hours per week, you should try to use those periods as much as you can.
It works because after the workday is over and prospects are in a relaxed mode, they are less likely to perceive your call as an interruption. Additionally, by midweek, they haven’t yet begun to finish up tasks for the week so they haven’t had a chance to catch up on their to-do list.
But whenever you call, being persistent is crucial.
Despite the fact that it could take several calls to reach a prospect, research has indicates that 71 percent of buyers desire to speak with sellers in the beginning of the purchasing process because that’s when they’re looking for innovative approaches to get greater results.
7. Take regular pauses between each
Throughout the day, the salesperson needs to take numerous breaks. They may become exhausted or under strain as a result of receiving an excessive number of calls.
It is advised to take breaks throughout the day because of this. You’ll feel refreshed and have more energy as a result.
You can prepare ahead and arrange a suitable schedule for breaks.
8. Create the talking points in advance
An effective sales rep always plans and organizes with the call’s thoughts and ideas in mind. You can write a script and use it as a guide or prepare your talking points in advance.
This can help you go over everything in depth and could be a key factor in closing the deal.
9. Set Your Goal for Calling
Conversion is the goal of the phone call.
Before you pick up the phone to make a cold call, be careful to plan out exactly what you hope to accomplish.
The salesperson should decide on a clear objective and strive toward it.
The objectives can change depending on the person and the circumstance.
For instance, the objective can be to promote a product, notify existing consumers about a new product, schedule a talk time to speak with them again, or even compile data on potential customers.
Maintain your sales goals, then carry on the conversation.
10. Keep the discussion on all sides
You shouldn’t be the only one speaking in the conversation on the phone call while conducting it. The potential customer might think that you are reading from a script if you are the only one speaking to them.
Therefore, it is preferable to pose questions, address concerns, and then draw attention to your ideas.
This will maintain a lively, two-way conversation.
11. Do not Press or Pressure the Prospect
Pushing or pressuring the prospect during the conversation can have disastrous effects. A forceful tone from the salesperson is inappropriate.
If they do, it may prevent the clients from converting and sabotage any subsequent opportunities to get in touch with or conduct business with them.
Therefore, make sure to provide a positive picture to the prospect at all times.
12. Investigate Your Lead’s Rivals
The preparation for your sales call should include determining the biggest rivals of your prospect and their:
Special selling point, marketing approach, and brand image.
Understanding your client’s challenges will help you better personalize your solutions to meet their needs.
13. Ensure Building Connections as a Priority
Right from the first phone conversation, your primary goal should be to show genuine interest in your prospects’ daily work lives and to aggressively develop your sales relationships.
In his book Cold Calling for Cowards, Jerry Hocutt details how this works; “Cold calling is no longer about getting a list of unknown names, calling them, and speed talking. Cold calling today is about initiating contact, building relationships, and keeping in touch.”
Conversion is the main goal of the phone call conversation. However, make an effort to establish rapport with the prospects by making them feel at ease and creating a welcoming environment throughout the process.
Additionally, they should believe that the discourse is sincere.
By doing this, you’ll be able to establish a connection with the prospects and perhaps even begin the business partnership or close a deal.
People tend to buy from people they know, like, and trust rather than merely from other people. Building partnerships that benefit both parties might thereby increase your chances of:
- Increasing sales
- Keeping more prospects
- gaining from more sales referrals
This is the fastest way to sell over the phone.
14. Note down key information
One of the expert phone sales tips that any sales or marketing professional should take into account is to actively listen by providing comments to demonstrate that you have heard and comprehended what has been said.
One sales tactic that many salespeople overlook is active listening.
It is important to listen during a sales follow-up call as it increases your chances of:
- Building trust
- Enticing the prospect to go into further detail about their pain points
- Discovering your client’s particular needs and how you can meet them.
Try asking “how” and “why” questions and paying close attention to the responses if you want to move from pressuring a prospect with your sales pitch to convincing them based on their requirements.
15. Keep a log of every calls made
Sales reps are required to record the data they collect through calls. Keeping track of sales allows you to notice details such as,
- The number of prospects who made purchases on the call, or
- How did the numbers look?
- The responses you received from calls, among other things.
By using this information as a guide, you can use it when making your subsequent call.
16. Make Frequent Telephone Calls
It is the responsibility of sales reps to record the data they collect through outbound calls. By maintaining a sales log, you can remark information such as,
- How many customers made purchases on the phone, or
- What were the statistics?
- The phone responses you received, among other things.
When making your subsequent call, you can use this information by using it as a guide or focus.
17. Establish a relaxing workspace
Salesmen should be enthusiastic and prepared to run calls when making calls in a relaxing environment. It could be a section of a shared business workspace, a standalone cabin, or a relaxed company environment..
The workstation should be cozy, with adjustable seats, a clear desk, and objects for light meals or personal stuff.
18. Do not Multitask
While multitasking can be useful in some sales positions, when making a phone sales your primary focus should be on carrying out the conversation.
Even though you might think you can handle everything at once, the prospect needs your undivided concentration.
Therefore, always make sure to focus on one activity at a time. Talk with prospects about other things; you never know, it can lead to a sale.
If not, things might go differently.
19. Display Your Prior Achievements
All potential prospects should be aware of how easily a product or service can be used. Here, you can mention the various situations and how your past remedies have pleased them to emphasize your past performance. The prospects may become more confident as a result and you begin to close more deals.
20. Follow Up with Potential Clients and Prospects
Many sales reps become so bogged down in paperwork that they cease making follow-up calls a priority.
One crucial task that must be completed by the sales rep is follow-up. Not only is following up the best way to close a purchase, but it also fosters client trust, which can result in extra sales or priceless recommendations and testimonials.
It is crucial for the salesman to follow up with prospects who are interested in the product or service as well as with current clients while concentrating on gaining new clients. They previously paid for the good or service.
Customers feel valued when they receive follow-up. It not only improves the customer’s experience but also speeds up your company’s entire purchasing process.
21. Ensure Your Introduction Weighs
There might not be much opportunity for you to make a strong first impression. In order to establish a quick connection with your lead during your sales call introduction, follow these phone sales tips:
- Always refer to your customer by name.
- Get right to the point of your call and ensure you focus on “what’s in it for them”
- Follow up with a few simple inquiries to encourage the customer to converse (your initial research will come in handy here)
Keep in mind to concentrate mostly on your prospect rather than your business product or company services.
Your first and greatest chance to start a fruitful new sales relationship is through a cold call. Respect for your lead and their time is demonstrated by keeping your introduction succinct and customer-focused.
22. Keep the Discussion Brief and Worthwhile
The prospect’s attention span is increased by keeping sales calls brief and to the point. Otherwise, excessive length or protracted chats may bore the prospect. As a result, they can wind up switching off the phone rather than entertaining you.
Ask the potential customer when would be a good time to call if they are not yet ready to speak; if that time doesn’t work out, move on to the next call.
23. Provide Complete Details for Your Goods or Services
You must be knowledgeable about the goods and services you plan on selling to potential customers. If a person feels informed about a product, they can be motivated to make a purchase.
Therefore, the salesman must be familiar with the business history in terms of its good or company service.
If the prospect has any inquiries, the salesman should be prepared with answers and products.
24. Stress and Concentrate on Energy
Conversely, a low, worn-out, and uninterested voice pushes the topic away. A voice that is strong, bold, and energetic engages the conversation.
When making phone sales calls, it’s essential to gather your strength and momentum.
Eat nutritious snacks, sip water, or work out before.
You’ll feel refreshed and restored as a result.
You can’t sell over the phone with low energy and poor concentration.
25. Don’t be discouraged or disheartened
You might get rejection once, twice, or more when performing phone sales. Maybe after ten calls, maybe after fifty, you’ll convert your client.
However, you must remember not to let the rejection demoralize you.
Every rejection contains a lesson.
In order to overcome rejection, let go of the pain.
Consider the areas that want improvement before continuing to the next call.
This will build confidence and improve your talking skills on the phone.
These are tried-and-true phone sales tips for improving your sales skills.
Therefore, keep these suggestions in mind the next time you are getting ready to make a phone call and get ready for the action.
26. Be ready to receive a voicemail
Even for seasoned salespeople, cold calling can be frightening. It is important to keep in mind certain things so you can work on desensitizing yourself to rejection. Note that:
- Typically, cold calls don’t result in sales.
- Every sale you don’t make, you’ll lose.
- Although you might not be able to influence sales outcomes, you can still have control over your behavior.
Brian Tracy, a sales expert, advises overcoming your phobia of cold calling by making 10 or 20 sales calls per day for one or two weeks without thinking about the outcomes. Invest countless hours to get better.
Cold calls are inevitable even to the best salesmen who have excellent statistics in closing sales. Most sales reps are familiar with this. It should instead boost more confidence.
Having engaged in sales conversations with prospects and closed 10 out of 12 deals does not guarantee you will ultimately close more deals when you move on to the next 12.
You might end up being stuck at the same 10 when interacting with person number 24.
27. create anticipation for results
Selling outcomes rather than just solutions is one of the best phone sales techniques and the best approach to get callers excited about your good or service.
In order to inspire leads and prospects to achieve their objectives:
To prove how effective your product has been, use hard statistics.
Describe any exclusive offers you are permitted to make or extras clients can take advantage of.
Tell a convincing tale of how you’ve assisted clients with comparable problems.
Remember that outcome-driven selling stands out because it puts the needs of the consumer first rather than the numerous features you provide.
28. For Improved Time Management, Use a Script
To increase their time efficiency and keep more directional control over their sales talks, many professionals rely on pre-scripted cold call templates.
This will help you:
- Present oneself with professionalism and assurance.
- Plan important issues to discuss and listen to in advance.
- Reduce your fear of making cold calls so that you can make more of them.
29. Learn When to Close
Every sales interaction has a point where you must stop selling.
You’ll know it’s time to encourage the person to make a purchase decision, for instance, when:
- You’re certain that your offering will be able to address their wants.
- You fully explained and displayed that skill to them.
- The next logical step in your sales interaction seems to be to ask for a yes or no response.
Knowing when to end your sales pitch and transition to closure is crucial so you don’t waste time on prospects that are already closed. Selling to closed prospects hardly brings success.
Jim Keenan, a sales trainer and the CEO/President of A Sales Guy Inc., claims that “Deals close when everyone involved, every stakeholder, influencer and decision maker feels the impact of going with your product or service will change their world for the better and that your solution is key in reaching the goals and objectives they’re trying to accomplish.”
It’s a smart skill to keep an eye out for signs that all of your customers’ pain points have been handled. Check out some sales related guides, sales productivity, B2B sales process, sales analysis report and churn rate.
Final Thoughts
It is obvious that having the right phone manners is quite important when having discussions.
You may position yourself, monitor your success, and make additional adjustments to become a better salesperson by following the tips and methods.
It not only aids in the conversion of sales calls but also in follow-up, success rates, and enhancing your communication skills.
The ability to conduct oneself confidently over the phone will give you the push, and this is what will set you apart from the competition whether you are trying to sell something or simply educate the prospect.