Tips On Making Sales Calls and Improving Your Sales Team

Out of all the departments in your company, one of those who really have a significant task to play is your sales team. They are the front liners of your company, and it is through them that you can close a sale successfully. One of the ways for your sales team to reach clients and to introduce your products is for them to make calls to a predetermined list of contacts. If you need help along this line, you’re in the right place, as here are some tips to help your sales team improve:

1. Be updated with the new, effective ways of cold calling.

Cold calling refers to the process of calling prospective clients to introduce your products and possibly close deals. This act of making cold calls is quite daunting for sales representatives, that’s for sure. But there’s no denying the fact that cold calling is still one of the most effective ways to reach potential clients. To make this better for your team, here are some tips for you to remember:

1. Think of the process of cold calling as conversing with a friend to make your calls sound more human, inviting, and friendly.
2. Although you have a script to follow, do not follow the same word for word, as you may end up sounding like a monotonous robot.
3. Research on the prospective clients on your list first before you even call them, so that you have at least basic information about their lifestyle, for example, so you can avoid calling at a time that is least convenient for them.

To give yourself more basics in cold-calling, check out this video of an expert teaching a ten-year-old boy how to cold call:

If this young boy can do it, then certainly, you can, too!

2. Create a plan for your sales calls.

Just like any other endeavor that you are going to go through in your company and sales team, you need a perfectly laid out plan for you to follow. You cannot just report to the office today and decide at random to make calls. No, this wouldn’t work out. A clear plan will help you determine the following:

1. Which prospective clients on the contacts list you haven’t called yet, as, without this, you might make the mistake of repetitively calling those whom you’ve already called before.
2. What products you intend on being more aggressive in selling for this business period, especially if you are in the industry of making medicines more accessible.
3. How best to approach your clients, as you have an outline to guide you when it comes to the things that you are going to say to whoever is on the other end of the line.

With this plan, you can use it not just for making calls per se, but even in the other aspects of sales that need improvement.

3. Train your team consistently.

You may think that you only need to train your team once after they have been hired. This is false. Bear in mind the earlier point mentioned that there are matters relating to sales that are constantly updating by the day, and you have to make sure that your team is up-to-date with them. Hence, investing in excellent training for your team is the key to keeping them successful with their sales endeavors, whether it is for making calls or other aspects of sales. Practice does make perfect, and training is an integral part of this practice period.

4. Never try to badmouth competitors during your sales call.

Whatever happens during your call, as much as possible, do not try to badmouth your competitors. You will only sound like a sore loser when you exert effort in trying to badmouth others. You have to show your prospective clients that you are professional and that you are secure enough as a company not to be bothered at all by the success of your competitors.

During your private meetings and training with your own sales team, this is the time for you to study and talk about your competitors. But when you are out talking to the public, it is a major no-no for you to do so.

5. Be open-minded about negative criticisms and objection.

Sales calls cease to be effective when your sales representatives aren’t open-minded at all about criticisms and objections. Once the person on the other side starts to object to your product or criticize it, your sales representatives will likely be protective of your product that they end up brushing off these objections. Remember that even if you are a big company, you can never please everybody, as there will always be those who can say something negative about your products.

What your sales representatives can do instead is for them to note down these complaints, so you can discuss them during your next sales meeting and use them as starting points for you to improve.

6. Try standing up and walking around when making a call.

Business experts have noted that an excellent way for you to tweak your call is for you to stand up and walk around when doing so. You can try this technique particularly after you have already been confined in your cubicle for long hours. When you are confined to a tiny space, even the smallest nuisance or negativity in the call can irk you, unwittingly inducing a change in the tone of your voice. Think of your sales call as if you are talking to a friend on the phone. Is it not that when they call you, you stand up, go outside, and take your call from there? The more ease you have when talking, the happier and more conversant you actually become. Even from this very small change, you are allowing your calls to feel more friendly towards potential clients whose hearts you are trying to win.

Conclusion

Improving your sales team can sometimes be a challenge for the very reason that the techniques in closing out sales are regularly changing. For your sales team to stay on top of the competition, they have to thrive and persevere. Now that you have this list of pointers to guide you, go ahead and call for a meeting with your sales team so you can discuss each tip presented to you.

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or management of EconoTimes.