Outgoing Sales Calls

This is one in a series of articles on approaches to enhancing sales performance. The articles include presentation skills, cold calling, closing, questioning skills, territory management, progressing the sales and many others.

Cold Calls

1. Smile when you talk and stand if your energy level is not as high as it should be.

• If you sound flat, bored or hesitant the listener will do everything they can to get off the phone as fast as possible.

• Don't overdo the enthusiasm! Listen to your prospect to get the right level.

1. Give your name and company up front.

• At the start of the call your prospects will be sceptical and not telling them these details will only increase their scepticism.

1. State the purpose of your call within the first two sentences.

• Giving the purpose early is efficient for both your prospect and for you. 

• Add a little humour if appropriate.

• Either offer help solve a problem or ask for help

• Let your prospect know you have information or value for them

1. Ask for the objective of your call i.e. sale, appointment, trial etc.

Follow-up calls - Use the cold call rules and make sure you have a "reason" for your call.

Here are some examples:

1. I have put together some ideas to overcome the problem we discussed
2. I have put together a proposal based on our discussion and would like to discuss it with you.
3. I've got some information I thought would be of interest to you.

Keep your attitude high

I have a selling skills survey that measures 31 components that are key to successful B2B selling - one of these components is attitude. 

I am constantly amazed how often salespeople score themselves as having great attitudes in the survey. I often find companies have sales people that complain all the time, blame everyone else for their lack of success and sound flat or even negative on the phone.

Here are tips to keep your attitude up where it should be.

• Have goals and put them up on display in your office.

• Read motivational books regularly.

• Call a few of your best clients after a bad disappointment, but only if you have a valid reason.

• Remember it is not you prospect are rejecting.

• Avoid the whiners in your office.

• Stress the positive and get over the negative quickly.

Avoid the e-mail trap

Lots of salespeople working on telephones have their e-mail open while they are supposed to be making calls. It is an easy excuse for creative avoidance. Oh an e-mail! I better check it in case it is from a customer.

Here are some tips.

• Stay off-line completely during prime selling times.

• Just check email at set intervals, say two or three times a day.

• If you can't do that, turn off the alarm, or the pop-up that alerts you to new messages. 

Watch your voice

What is it about presenting...whether it be selling by phone or speaking before a group that causes people to tighten up and sound awful?

On the phone, sounding canned, like you're READING from a script is detrimental to your success. Your prospects tune out and are often annoyed by unemotional, canned messages. Think about the sales calls you get at home when after you pick up the phone and say "Hello..." You hear a monotone voice that starts with "Hello, can I speak with (bad mispronunciation of your name)?"  and then begins reading a script.

People will speak with, really listen to and respect those they consider a peer. The better prepared you are, the more natural you will sound.

Suggestion 1 - Make your voice normal and natural - just like when you talk to a friend. Remember you are talking to another person. To make it better, practice with a friend and tape a few of the practice calls then tape a few of your calls to prospects (your side only don't break any laws!) - Aim to sound the same in both sets of calls.

Suggestion 2 - Be prepared with what you'll say in your opening, when you reach voice mail, and with the questions you'll ask and the answer you will give. The worst time to be thinking of what you'll say is as it's rocketing out of your mouth. Prepare a guide or script for an opening and then practice over and over till it sounds natural. This will avoid nerves and bumbling and uttering nonsense that does sound weird.