Planning Before Making Sales Calls

Before you reach out and make calls, you should know exactly who you’re calling and why. Get prepared by identifying the target market, researching your prospective customer’s specific needs, and planning your sales calls ahead of time. In today’s world, it can be hard to connect with new people. People are busy and don’t always take the time to get to know their neighbors. When it comes to selling your product or service, however, people are eager to be introduced to people who have something valuable they can offer. Once you have a better understanding of who your potential clients are and what they need, it will be so much easier for you as a salesperson or business owner to connect with them in a meaningful way. Here are some great tips on how you can become more successful at making sales calls before actually making the call...

Discovering the Companies and Contacts That you Want to Call Up

Before you start contacting contacts for a sale, you should do your homework. Research the companies and people that you want to call up. This will give you a better understanding of who your target audience is and what they look like. For example, if you want to sell golf clubs, do some research on golf-related companies in your area. You can find the website of each company, read their mission statement, and investigate any media coverage they’ve had in the area. This research will allow you to discover what type of person your potential customer is and how they work. It will also help you figure out which types of sales techniques will be most effective for them as well as when it would be best to call up these people.

Researching the Businesses That You Want to Contact

Take the time to study your prospective customer. What are their needs? What are their goals? How can you help them achieve those goals? Use these insights to come up with a plan for how you want to approach the sales call. You should have a clear idea of who you’re calling, what they need and what your specific value proposition is. Don’t forget that this is not just about selling them on your product or service; it’s also about getting to know them. Once you have a solid plan, find the best time and place to reach out.

Research Phone Numbers and Emails For Your Prospects

You should find out their phone number beforehand and check their email address. If you’re going for a cold call, make sure you have the appropriate phone number for them in your contact list or list of prospects. If you’re not sure who to call, try doing some research on Google or LinkedIn. You could look up their company name, location, and see if someone already has posted a connection to them. If they haven’t shared anything that gives away their location, use your own judgement based on what you know about the person.

Look Up Social Media Accounts for Each Prospect

If you want to make an effective sales call, you should look up the social media accounts of your prospective customers. Social media is a great way to connect with this type of person. You can use social media to identify what your prospect’s interests are as well as what their needs may be and how they might perceive your product or service. You could also use social media to search for a mutual contact that the person might know, then reach out to them on that person’s behalf. This will allow you to give them insight into what kind of relationship the prospect has with that individual, which will help you understand how far along in their decision cycle they are. Researching these things ahead of time could help you better connect with your potential customer before making the phone call.

Write Down Current Customers and Reference Them When Making the Call

Before you make the call, take a moment to write down some of your current customers. Reference them when making the call so you can know what to say and what not to say. If your customer is happy with your product or service, reference that fact when making the call. This will give credibility to your claims about how good your product or service is and increase the potential for a sale.

Only Sell the Appointment, Nothing Else

When you call, be prepared to sell the appointment and nothing else. You don't need to have any other information about your prospective customer when you're on the phone. You should simply tell them that you have a great new product or service and only ask for their time. If they agree to an appointment, they'll likely be more receptive if you can just sell them on what you have to offer during that period of time rather than selling them on who you are and why you're calling in the first place. However, if they're not interested in scheduling an appointment and would rather learn more about your business before committing, then all is not lost - just politely end the call by expressing interest in scheduling a follow-up call at another time.