Making a sales call and converting a lead into a sale is hard. The number one indicator of a successful B2B campaign today is your ability to generate leads, at least according to most businesses. It ranks even higher than sales and conversions, which is not a good sign. It shows that people need to shift their thinking beyond just buying Instagram likes and hoping to make a sale.
Telemarketing is still a prominent way of making a sale. B2B sales calls can prove to be a vital weapon in your arsenal. These seven tips are going to show you just how you can make your next B2B sales call count.
Develop a Professional Greeting
When talking to another business etiquette and formality counts for everything. Make sure that you have a prepared professional greeting. Always err on the side of formality, because a casual business will simply ask you to not be so formal, whereas a formal business will be completely offended.
Try not to start a call with ‘Hello.’
Making an Introduction
At this stage, you need to make an introduction. Don’t dance around the issue. State your intentions early on. Say what your business does and who you are. You may even want to state your position. A title makes the other business seem important.
Try not to mention your product at this stage because it gives the other person the chance to decline to listen to anymore. The more general the better, but specific information about your company is always welcome. It strikes the right balance between curiosity and informing the other part.
Be Grateful
Always say how thankful you the client allowing you to speak to them. Tell them that you won’t waste any time and that you will make it as brief as possible. Use the language right, though. Say that it will only involve a moment of their time. Using ‘take a moment’ is too aggressive and usually reveals that it will take anything but a moment.
State Why You are Calling
The next step is to reveal why you are calling in the first place. You can even phrase your purpose within a question for maximum effect. The trick to doing this is to take your product and its unique selling point. If your product improves quality and improves efficiency, you would phrase the question like this:
“If I can show you something that will improve the quality and efficiency of your company, would you be interested to know more?”
You haven’t sold anything but you’ve grabbed their curiosity. Many business leaders will feel like they are turning down a potential opportunity if they refuse to listen to more now.
Schedule a Face-to-Face Meeting
Despite the fact that the online world has taken over, a face-to-face meeting is still shown to be more effective than any other strategy. Rather than trying to do all the selling over the phone, try to get them in a position where you can send one of your chief sales leaders to meet with them.
This makes it harder for them to just dismiss your product without hearing more. The importance of a face-to-face meeting can make or break your company.
Reconfirm the Date and Time Closer to the Date
If you are still on the line and they have expressed a wish to meet with you, it’s time to begin putting the pressure on. A day or so before, give them a call to reconfirm their meeting. Ask them for some directions, if you need them. Leave your number to give them the option of contacting you prior to the actual meeting.
This is as much about reminding them as it is about demonstrating how eager you are to meet them. It gives them a sense of importance.
Always Follow-Up
Keep in mind that it may take multiple phone calls to actually get to the point where you either confirm a meeting or you make a sale. Make sure you are following up in the right way. This shouldn’t be done in a way that feels intrusive. If they say they are not interested, move on again.
The importance of following up on a lead can’t be underestimated. If you don’t the chances are they will forget about you and the offer on the table.
Conclusion – How to Take Advantage of Your Call
Telemarketing is something that still terrifies people. They are not sure whether it’s too intrusive or whether it will even be effective. Make sure that you are getting the best possible results by going out of your way to use your call integrated with a range of other marketing methods, including social media, direct mailing, and networking events.
Dane
Dane Cobain is a published author, freelance writer, book blogger, poet and (occasional) musician from High Wycombe, UK. Before going freelance, he worked as a social media marker, now specialising in writing about publishing, technology and marketing.